I'm sure you're all rolling your eyes here. "Oh, you just cut out DAIRY? Let me hop on that! Not." I know. I knooooow. It was hard, but I needed something to jump-start my system, and I wanted to change my eating habits, too.
I am a sugar fiend, and I love cheese and lattes. Going to Starbucks puts me in a good mood. So giving the Whole30 diet a go and giving up my daily soy chai latte was a struggle. (Yes, soy is prohibited on this plan.) I wanted to be challenged, and boy, it was a doozy the first few days. Sugar is literally in my employer's name, so I couldn't leave any snack or meal unplanned; it forced me to prep my meals at the beginning of the week.
You realize how much sugar you actually consume when you're trying to avoid it. Sugar is in EVERYTHING, mind you. Even products you might not expect, like some ground turkey. Some dairy products, like ghee, are allowed on this plan; coconut milk and leafy greens became my best friends. I was able to indulge in fruit, but my daily intake of coffee was limited to a morning cold brew mixed with water.
The first three days were hell — I felt like I could be on an episode of Intervention. But after you get through the detox, you feel better and you feel empowered. My eating habits weren't the only thing that was changing! My waistline was slimmer, and my skin was glowing, too.
Because I ate so much sugar, I had inflamed, red skin that some doctors had associated with mild rosacea. But after cutting back on my sugar intake, the redness dissipated.
I'm not on the Whole30 currently, but I still replace my two cups of coffee with tea and try to maintain a stricter stance on added sugar.
