My CLEAN Journey

Some of you may be wondering what happened to the tail end of my second round of CLEAN.  Well, I stopped a bit earlier than the full 21 days, but I wanted to follow up to share some insights with you.

I ate from a list of “okay” foods for almost a month (in 2 segments).  This list excludes all major allergens, such as wheat, soy, dairy, eggs, peanuts, etc.  Here’s a picture of the list of foods for the elimination diet (click on the picture to enlarge), and you can download the entire CLEAN manual here.

So, in a nutshell, after almost a month, here is what I have learned:

1. My energy levels were dramatically increased when avoiding the common allergen foods and eating more vegetables and fruits.
2. I was very tired in between the two CLEAN sessions.  I attribute this to eating foods that took longer for my body to process.
3. Despite having digestive issues for about 18 months prior to eating off the CLEAN program, I experienced NO digestive issues while eating this way.  The only times that I had any problems were when I went off the CLEAN program and ate something else.
4. I believe I am allergic to something.  I have not figured it out, because I did not follow through on the complete 21 day program followed by introducing just one food at a time.
5. It’s hard to complete the 21 days on CLEAN, because most people are just not used to eating that way for an extended period of time.
6. CLEAN requires a liquid breakfast and dinner (smoothie, soup, juice), and I found the dinner to be hard, since I like to EAT my dinner.
7. It was much more expensive to eat on the CLEAN program.
8. It was also much more time consuming to eat on the CLEAN program (especially since my family was not participating).

What does this all mean?  Where am I going from here?

1. I still believe that everything can be enjoyed in moderation.
2. I also believe that foods have dramatically changed from even 50 years ago, and are now more processed and have more chemicals.
3. I believe the food in the Bible is not what we have today.
4. Knowing what I know now, I am exploring more traditional methods of cooking (soaking, sprouting, sourdough…thing Nourishing Traditions).
5. I have experienced that the least processed food is best for my body.  So, I am avoiding processed food.  That doesn’t mean I won’t have ANY, I am just not having as much.
6. I am looking for food closest to it’s natural state (pasture fed chickens, grass fed beef, local vegetables, growing my own).
7. I am focusing on foods that are LOCAL and IN SEASON.  Two reasons:  they traveled less distance to get to me, and they are cheaper when in season (and taste better at their peak, in my opinion).
8. I like smoothies for breakfast and will continue those.
9. I’m aiming for about 80% of foods that I eat to come from the elimination diet list.
10. I am going to take notice more of how I feel, and my level of energy, after eating something to see how my body likes or dislikes it.
11. I still want to get to the bottom of what my major digestive issues are, and I am praying for God to make it clear (without any allergy tests, etc.).  I can’t deny that I do feel better when avoiding certain foods, so in the next weeks, I will do my best to try to narrow that down.

What’s on tap for me?  I’m going back to the books.  I want to read Nourishing Traditions, I am currently taking GNOWLFGINS Fundamentals eCourse (I’ll be posting about that soon), and I am taking Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s Real Food for Rookies too, in hopes for a crash course in more traditional foods.

So, that’s where I am.  I’m happy with what I have discovered.  It has been an eye-opening experience for me for sure, and I am continuing to learn more every day!

To your success,

Dr. Laura

P.S.  Want to join me on my quest for more information?  Kelly The Kitchen Kop has graciously given me a COUPON for her upcoming eCourse Real Food for Rookies – you can get 15% off the price!  Go HERE to register and use code: ORGANIZE15

See you in class!