Category Archives: Diet And Food

Themost popular regime in take-out dining in the United States is the Paleo Diet, a restrictive lifestyle that supposedly mimics the diets of our ancestors when they were hunter-gatherers.

Thats according to a new survey by take-out service Grubhub, which analysed the volume of its take-out orders to extract conclusions on American diet habits. Compared to 2015, online and mobile orders of Paleo foods increased 370% in 2016 across the United States, says Grubhub, outpacing the raw diet, juice cleanse, veganism and gluten-free diets which round out the top five eating plans.

For the uninitiated, the Paleolithic diet also known as the Caveman or Stone Age Diet replicates the kinds of foods that would only have been available to Paleolithic humans. That means fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, nuts and seeds are allowed, but dairy, legumes, cereals and sugars are not.

For the survey, analysts looked at a combination of dietary tags and specific eating plans in order data from Jan 1 to Dec 31, 2016. The results were also broken down by city to reveal some interesting trends.

For example, Seattle emerged the most health-conscious, most finicky city in the United States, with more residents placing special dietary orders for their take-out meal than any other city Seattleites order 309% more foods related to eating plans and diets compared to the rest of the country.

Raw meats and fish, and raw plants, fruits and nuts found in nature make up the Paleo diet. Photo: AFP

The most popular eating plan in that city? Gluten-free foods.

Elsewhere, youre more likely to find vegans in cities like Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Chicago, while New Yorkers, Bostonians and residents in San Francisco are more likely to order low-fat meals.

The Paleo diet is particularly popular in Texas, with Dallas, Houston and Austin, where locals favour the cavemans diet.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is telling the world to stop eating meat and dairy products and switch to a healthy and animal friendly vegan diet. Photo: AFP/Dibyangshu Sarkar

Here are the most popular eating plans across the United States:

Paleo 370% increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year before

Raw 92% increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year before

Juice cleanse 89% increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year before

Vegan 58% increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year before

Gluten-free 35% increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year before

Low-fat 21% increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year prior

Mediterranean 7% increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year before

Keto 5% increase in orders in 2016 vs. the year before AFP Relaxnews

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More are following Caveman diet when ordering take-out - Star2.com

Weight loss is always a result of energy balance, this is just science.

Energy in < Energy out = weight loss.

Energy in > Energy out = weight gain.

Energy in = Energy out = no change in weight.

This is thermodynamics and it applies to everyone. Every diet on the planet works in exactly the same way they change the energy balance equation to cause weight loss, they do this by creating a caloric deficit, as this is the ONLY way to lose body fat.

Take the low carb diet for example, it aims to reduce overall calorie intake by restricting the intake of carbs because removing carbs from your diet will slash your calories.

We also have the Paleo diet that demonises processed food a significant portion of a typical western diet is processed therefore eliminating this food group will result in a large calorie reduction.

Weight Watchers employs portion control in an effort to create the desired calorie deficit. It seems theres a trend here.

The take-home message is dont make dieting any harder for yourself than it already is.

When you look past the marketing and the hype, ALL diets work in exactly the same way. Some diets just place unnecessary restrictions in the hope that it will create that all-important calorie deficit.

But, theres an easier way; a way that doesnt involve restriction.

- 2-4 meals a day

- Use your palm as a portion measure.

- 1 portion of protein (meat/eggs/greek yoghurt/fish etc) each meal.

- 1 portion of carbs (bread/rice/pasta/breakfast cereal/beans/oats etc) each meal.

- 1 portion of veg (any veg at all) each meal.

- 0.5 x portions of fats (cheese/nut butters/oils/nuts) each meal.

- 2 snacks per day fruit and/or protein bars make great snacks.

I recommend most clients do this in conjunction with tracking their food and drink intake using a calorie tracking app such as My Fitness Pal or my own app Harry Smith Fitness.

This way, over time youll see the relationship between your caloric intake and your bodyweight/body fat levels and can make minor adjustments dependent on your goals.

If you fancy some naughty food just have it! Track it in the app and work around it.

Flexibility is key to sustainability and sustainability is key to success. Theres no need to overcomplicate it.

Harry Smith is a personal trainer. Follow him on Facebook.

Excerpt from:
How to lose weight without restricting yourself - The Independent

Search for diet for weight loss on the internet, and within a fraction of a second, you have more than a million diet plans floating in front of you. It is easy, it is simple, and it gives you all kinds of low calorie, and several other types of weight loss plans. Many of these fasting diets have increased in popularity, with the 5:2 Diet Basics being one of the most read diet books in recent times.

Have you though about the diet plan which applies to you, or which plan suits your body needs the most?

Well, there is no straightforward answer. Selection of the perfect fasting diet for your weight loss goal may need some deliberation.

Here are four things you should know before you ride the diet wave:

Weight loss can be a goal for some, but once you have achieved the goal, your mission does not end there. Instead, now you will need to maintain your weight. Fasting, on the one hand, may work in short run. However, without proper planning and developing the right food habits, fasting can be more dangerous.

Risks like aloss in blood pressure, muscle mass, feeling of coldness, and the greatest among them is the craving for food after fasting. Many people, trying to lose weight through fasting, end up gaining more weight eventually.

Fasting without a proper diet plan and right motivation could just be a superficial solution for your weight loss goal.

While it may not be something we consciously do, all of us go through periods without any food and beverage consumption. Sleep is the most common form of fast and this is also how the term breakfast came about.

Breakfast being the first meal of the day is perhaps the most important meal. A good breakfast will energize you for the day and help you maintain focus at work. A well-balanced breakfast will replenish you blood sugar levels (which are at the lowest when you wake up after sleep induced fast) to the extent it is needed by your brain and muscles to function at their best.

Skipping breakfast leaves your body deprived of calories, and increases hunger inducing chemicals to run riot (food cravings). Starting your day without a well-balanced breakfast increases the chance that you will end up eating a lot more through the day than you intend to, and gain weight rather than losing it.

There are many types of fasting diets, which are becoming popular nowadays:

You can choose to adopt any of these methods. However, it is important to figure out which one works best for you. Understand that a long-term plan should be the one that you can continue for a long time, without feeling oppressed by it.

Since dieting is a long-term goal as well, why not select the method that you can work with for a long time.

Starting a fasting diet plan is easy, the hard part is to stick to it, especially when it affects your health. For a healthy fasting diet, you need to ensure that you follow the FAST formula:

F Fluids: Always ensure youre well hydrated

A Always listen to your body

S Supplement any diet plans with a holistic weight-loss approach that includes exercise and rest.

T Trial any diet you plan to embark on, and gradually progress to a full programme

Any new diet plan breaks the ongoing routine of your body, and fasting can be even more disruptive. It is important that you can implement your fasting diet plan without affecting your daily routine and work. For that, you will need to figure out which plan works for you.

Continue the diet plan which you enjoy or, at least, can implement most smoothly, all the while maintaining your health with FAST formula.

Fasting diet has been gaining popularity as one of the easiest to implement (no diet plan required, no searching for right food items every time you shop for groceries). Though fasting helps you control weight fast, it loses its value if you quickly gain weight after you stop this diet. Therefore, it has to become your diet plan for life and not just a few months or weeks.

Start your workday the right way with the news that matters most.

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4 Things You Need to Know About Fasting Diets - HuffPost

Googles voice assistant has been around for a while now and when Amazon released its Alexa API and ported the PaaSCloud code to the Raspberry Pi 2 it was just a matter of time before everyone else jumped on the fast train to maker kingdom. Google just did it in style.

Few know that the Google Assistant API for the Raspberry Pi 3 has been out there for some time now but when they decided to give away a free kit with the May 2017 issues of MagPi magazine, they made an impression on everyone. Unfortunately the world has more makers and hackers and the number of copies of the magazine are limited.

In this writeup, I layout the DIY version of the AIY kit for everyone else who wants to talk to a cardboard box. I take a closer look at the free kit, take it apart, put it together and replace it with DIY magic. To make things more convenient, I also designed an enclosure that you can3D print to complete the kit. Lets get started.

A shout out to my friend [Shabaz] in the UK for sending me a copy of the MagPi. The Google AIY Projects Voice Kit(henceforth known as the kit) contains two PCBs and a bunch of other stuff. The Voice HAT which looks like a Sound-Card-On-A-Diet has very limited number of components. I will detail each section and draw the KiCAD schematic for the same one by one

Starting from the left side, there are 6 sets of 3-pin headers that are labelled Servos. The intended servo control is made possible using the Raspberry Pi 3s on-board PWM module. Each set has a GPIO pin, 5V and GND connection. The GPIO pin does not connect directly to the Raspberry Pi 3s header but rather through 220Ohm current limiting resistors (labelled R1-R6).

Just south of these are devices labeled Q5 and Q6 which I am assuming are part of a power supply selection circuit. Correct me if I am wrong but here is my estimate. The working is simple where Q5 only turns ON when the input voltage is greater than the 5V from the USB port. A simple comparator should do so I am using the LM393 for reference.

North of the Servo headers is J15 labelled I2C that directly connect to the Raspberry Pi 3 header. That means these should not be connected to anything with 5V pull-ups. They are not being used on the board but we will discuss more on this later. Right next to it is the SPI and 2-pin UART headers. Again these connect directly to the main header and serve only as a breakout.

A little lower and we arrive at the boxed circuit with a 16-Pin QFN marked AKK BDQ. This is the Maxim MAX98357A(PDF) which is an I2S DAC with a class D amplifier. It drives the speaker directly however since there is only one output, it can only be mono or combined stereo. Its stillpretty rocking for the budget.

The interesting thing is the presence of JP6 which seems to have all the I2S connections from the Maxim MAX98357A and a few other select lines. Combined with the two vias that connect to the second speaker output, you could possibly fit another Maxim MAX98357A breakout board on top to get stereo sound. I am going to do the schematic and make it downloadable and if you want to give it a shot let me know the results. Consider it optional homework.

Next to the DAC is an 8-pin SSOP which is a 24C32 (PDF) I2C EEPROM. Its not connected to the I2C header I talked about earlier but rather to pins 27 and 28 of the Raspberry Pi 3 header. According to the Raspberry Pi Foundations blog.

The EEPROM holds the board manufacturer information, GPIO setup and a thing called a device tree fragment basically a description of the attached hardware that allows Linux to automatically load the required drivers.

So its got some extra sauce that makes things tick and I could use a BusPirate to Dump the data but I am not sure if Google considers it Intellectual Property so I wont. I have an alternative for it as well so read on.

Moving towards the right, we find 4 headers marked Drivers. These are MOSFET circuits for controlling loads such as relays. [Shabaz] did a great job tracing out the components on this one and the 3 pins are GPIO, 5V and Driver.

The MOSFETs can drive loads of up to 500mA each thanks to a polyswitch however the GPIOs are available for use directly as well. Loads to be driven should be connected between the pins marked + and -. The header pin on the left is a direct access to GPIOs header pins from the Raspberry Pi 3 and the schematic reflects the same.

Use these to connect LEDs or similar devices to indicate the operation of the relays or loads.

More interesting stuff is happening on the right sides upper right with a push button and two JST connectors. The 4 pin connector is meant for the push button that sits on top of the assembled enclosure. The small PCB mounted push button is wired in parallel with the external switch and can be used in its place while setting up and testing. The 5 pin JST is for the microphone connector and has all the I2S pins.

Lastly, the microphone board is marked 432 QDF21G, and has Knowles SPH0645LM4H MEMs digital microphones that talk I2S directly.

That about wraps up the teardown and all the information required to make your own AIY Kit. The KiCAD schematic files are available for download from GitHub however I leave you with the fun part which is the layout and routing.

Here is some food for thought. Some parts can be omitted and the size of the hat can be shrunk down to the Pi Zero pHat.

For simplicity reasons, I am using the preconfigured OS image from the Google AIY page. It is a tad short of 900MB and can be downloaded directly from Goolge (huge file).

You probably noticed the small goldenbutton next to the big green button in the image above and that is the first part of the exercise. It is a shutdown button and is added because I dont want to SSH to the box every time I want to turn it off safely.

Get the button you want to use and add two wires with female headers. This bit works even without the Voice Hat so feel free to try it out. Next if you have a voice hat, add male headers to the I2C part. You may choose any other pins and it will still work. Connect the button to the SDA or GPIO 2 and boot the Pi 3 up.

Open up your favourite text editor and copy-paste the following code into it.

Save the files in your /home/pi folder as shutdown.py

In a terminal type the following commands

This should make the script run in the background. If you press the button, the Pi should shutdown immediately. You may choose to add a delay by uncommenting the sleep call in the example code. Alternatively, you may also change the GPIO by replacing the appropriate number in the python script.

Cool! Now we can shutdown by pressing a button.

The obvious alternative to the Google AIY Voice Hat is to use any USB Sound Cards that are available from a number of sources. The simplest way is to just plug one in and configure the software to use that instead of the Hat but when there two drivers installed, the python scripts need to be reconfigured to make everything seamless.

Once you plug in the soundcard, the first thing to do is check if it was recognized or not. In the terminal window, type in:

aplay is used by the scripts to speak out the replies so you should be able to see two sound devices. Note that the onboard sound has been disabled from within the config.txt (see device tree reference)and can be enabled if you plan to use a USB microphone instead of the sound card. The windows output should look like the image below.

I would like to set the USB sound card as the default audio, and for that we need to modify the /etc/asound.conf .

Delete the existing content and replace it with text as shown below. Though this sets the default input and output device to the USB device, there is one more step to make things work. (To exit nano, use Ctrl+x, y, return)

Next we edit to audio.py file that handles all the audio playing and recording functionality. For that, open up the file in your favourite text editor; mine is nano:

Scroll down to the part that says arecord which is in the __init__ function. Apparently there is a dedicated process that keeps the recorder running as I will show in the video. For now, we want to edit the arguments so that it uses the USB Card to capture audio instead of the original Voice Hat. A simple modification to use -D, sysdefault:CARD=1 should suffice as shown in the image below.

A similar change is require for the aplay function a little further in the code.

With that, the hack is complete! Double click the test_audio.py to check if audio works. We are missing just one part of the puzzle though the listen button! So simply wire a push button between GPIO23 and the adjacent ground pin and then run src/main.py to start playing with a DIY Google AIY.

A small video demo of the proposed hack with a USB sound card, external speaker and a cheap microphone.

The 3D printed enclosure is designed in Fusion360 and the STL files are part of the GitHub repository. You can use the same enclosure for a number of projects since there are standoffs for the Raspberry Pi and the ports are brought out for convenience. There is a lot of space inside to add hats and additional circuits.

I made the enclosure split from the middle so that it becomes easy to access the GPIOs. The whole thing will press fit including the top cap which has holes for three buttons. I though it would make sense to have smaller buttons since the result is expected to be tougher than cardboard. There is ample space for the speaker should you choose to include one that is slightly different.

I have not had a chance to print one out and will update this page once there is any progress in the topic. Here is the render of the design.

Google has already had their APIs open to the public, but the preconfigured Raspbian image will help a lot of people to get started. I have tried to layout the basics of the sound card as well as give out the plans for an equivalent card if you want to make one. For others the option to use an external sound card is explained and demonstrated and I hope it inspires people to really get into such projects. The world needs more AIY and here is your chance to get started, so what are you waiting for? Get hacking.

See the article here:
How to Build Your Own Google AIY without the Kit - Hackaday

Connect Savannah.com

A Flannery pilgrimage to Andalusia Farm Connect Savannah.com We'll never know if the serene view of the pond from her window inspired her, but I think it's safe to presume the barn out back sure did, its tall ladder and hayloft looking mighty similar to the description of the one where that good-fer-nuthin ... and more »

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A Flannery pilgrimage to Andalusia Farm - Connect Savannah.com

Dr Ganapathi Bantwal

This year, Ramadan falls during the hottest time of the year in most of India. Fasting for 30 continuous days that are long and hot, without food or water, is challenging even for healthy people. More so for patients with diabetes. For those who want to fast, my advice is to first check with their doctor to understand the risks and how to manage the condition. Better awareness of a number of factors will lead to better diabetes management.

Here are five things I ask my patients with diabetes to follow during the month of Ramadan:

CHECK YOUR BLOOD SUGAR REGULARLY:

This will help preempt and prevent any possible episodes of your blood sugar rising too high (hyperglycaemia) or dropping too low (hypoglycaemia). How often this should be done depends on your clinical history and the type of medicines prescribed for you. Remember, pricking your finger to check your blood sugar does not break the Ramadan fast.

PREPARE A DIET PLAN TO ENSURE HEALTHY EATING:

These days, people are more health conscious and look for healthy choices for their iftar and sehri meals. This is a very good trend. The sehri meal before dawn should have sufficient protein and fat, as these will help you feel full and cause a slow rise in blood sugar. The popular practice of breaking the fast with a few dates and water helps to raise blood sugar and rehydrate the body quickly.

The main iftar meal should be a balance of complex carbohydrates, protein and good fat. Avoid deep fried food, and sugar-rich desserts and beverages. Look for healthy swaps: swap deep-fried savouries with baked treats, and sugar-rich desserts with your favourite fruit. Too much coffee or tea could also make you dehydrated.

CHANGE YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE:

As far as possible, do some amount of moderate exercise after breaking the fast. Take a half-an-hour walk after your iftar meal and before the evening prayers.

CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR ON ANY CHANGE IN MEDICATION:

If you are fasting, it is possible that your regular medication schedule will require some adjustment during Ramadan. Your doctor could change both the timing and the dosage of these medicines, depending on your current prescription. Staying in touch with your doctor and regular blood checks are important all through the fasting period.

BE ALERT AND BREAK THE FAST IF NEEDED:

You may have to break your fast if your blood sugar drops too low or spikes too high. Be alert to the possible signs of low blood sugar (for example, sweating/chills, trembling, palpitations) or high blood sugar (excessive thirst, hunger, increased urination, fatigue). Contact your doctor immediately if you observe any of these signs or symptoms.

In a few cases, a doctor may advise a patient not to fast for medical reasons. This advice should be carefully considered.

Ultimately, it is a patients choice and the doctor will respect that. Abiding by the principles mentioned above, and knowing what to do in case of an emergency will help you go through the fasting period safely and without jeopardising your health.

(The writer is an Endocrinologist at St John's Medical College Hospital, Bengaluru)

Continue reading here:
Are you a diabetes patient observing Ramadan? Here are five things you need to keep in mind - Economic Times

Two Snapchatting climbers have reached the top of Mount Everest together. Adrian Ballinger and Cory Richards attempted the climb last year, but only Richards was able to finish.

After a final push that took nearly 12 hours, they both made it to the summit over the weekend. Everest is the highest point on earth at an elevation of more than 29,000 feet.

Ballinger was able to match a special achievement that his friend recorded in last year's climb by making it without supplemental oxygen--a grueling task they documented on social media every step of the way.

Play Video

Cory Richards and Adrian Ballinger gave Snapchat followers a first-hand account of their Mount Everest adventure last year. Richards made it to t...

Their bodies pushed to the limit, the pair spent less than 15 minutes on top of Mount Everest, taking in a view few others have ever seen, reports CBS News' Dana Jacobson, who has followed them as they shared their journey on Snapchat.

"Ladies and gentlemen not only is my phone not dead, but that is Adrian Ballinger with no oxygen on the top of the world," Richards Snapchatted from his Samsung Galaxy S8 smartphone at the summit.While both climbers made it to the top, only Ballinger did so without supplemental oxygen. During the final push, Richards said he lacked the mental capacity to move forward.

On his way down, Richards met a group of climbers who supplied him with supplemental oxygen. The oxygen gave Richards the energy to reach the summit first. From there, he cheered on his friend.

In 37 days, Ballinger logged nearly 140 miles while acclimating to the high altitude. He consumed just under 23,000 calories on a special diet that enabled him to breathe air comprised of less than eight percent oxygen.

Safely back at advanced base camp, Ballinger reflected on the experience.

"I feel super emotional I cried so hard yesterday on the summit, in the last ten meters to the summit and in the 20 meters off the summit," he said. "I will never climb Mount Everest without oxygen again and I'm so proud and happy."He said Richards' support in the final minutes of his ascent gave him the energy he needed.

"It was just so amazing to be up there with Cory," Ballinger said. "We did it together - that was always the plan so it's a fitting ending," Richards said.

Ballinger now joins Richards and a select group of about 200 others who have scaled Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen.

The Eddie Bauer alpinists whose climbs were monitored by Strava, are now off the mountain and are making their way back to the United States.

They'll join "CBS This Morning" early next week to discuss their experience.

2017 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Snapchatting Everest climbers reach summit--together this time - CBS News

There has been mixed reaction to the CSIROs new diet plan today, with some scolding the organising for partnering with a diet company that encourages meal replacement shakes over real food.

The new Flexi diet advises Australians to use intermittent fasting and shakes to promote weight loss, with a Flexi day to eat whatever they want thrown in at the end of the week.

The government body said participants in a 16-week trial of the diet lost 11kg on average and saw improvements in cholesterol, insulin, glucose and blood pressure.

While fasting as a form of weight loss has been criticised in past studies, the Flexi diet does not advocate complete fasting, instead using the shakes and vegetable dishes to keep calories low while still feeding the body.

Flexi uses meal replacements as a convenient way to achieve nutritional needs while on an energy restricted meal plan, CSIRO spokesperson told Starts at 60.

This allows people to lose weight and attain the health benefits associated with this without missing out on key nutrients.

But renowned Australian nutritionist Dr Rosemary Stanton questioned the diets sustainability for relying so heavily on the shake portion of the program.

Will these people be expected to keep buying the products for ever? My preference would be for real foods, she told News Corp.

Fasting diets have become increasingly popular in recent years, with programs like the 5:2 Diet advising people to abstain from eating for two days per week to lose weight.

However, Health and Wellbeings Sarah Hopkins says women in particular should be wary of complete fasting.

Fasting is definitely not for everyone, she told Starts at 60.

In fact in most cases I caution against it.

If there are any underlying stressors, it can exacerbate them. This is particularly true for females who have a very sensitive hormonal system to maintain.

She says fasting was linked to thyroid issues, which can do more damage to the body in the long run.

When the body goes into a fasted state it sends a message to the sex hormones to down-regulate, she says.

This can result in all sorts of issues from hormonal imbalances and menopausal symptoms to a slowing of the thyroid.

It increases the production of stress hormones Cortisol and Adrenalin, which can adversely affect many systems in the body.

CSIRO Research Dietitian Dr Jane Bowen says the Flexi diet is a safe way to lose weight and still consume all the nutrients we need for a balanced and healthy diet.

Losing weight can be challenging with results often limited by an individuals ability to stick with a diet, Dr Bowen says.

The Flexi program offers a flexible alternative to traditional diets, which could help Australians to fit a weight loss diet around their busy, social lifestyles.

Excerpt from:
New fasting diet is super-effective but controversial - Starts at 60

PEOPLE.com

Alicia Silverstone Says Feeding Her Son a Vegan Diet Is 'Such a No-Brainer' PEOPLE.com Since giving up meat at the age of 21, Alicia Silverstone has been a major advocate for going veganand she's raising her 6-year-old son, Bear Blu, to do the same. In a video for the nonprofit Farm Sanctuary's Compassionate Meals program, the 40-year ... and more »

Excerpt from:
Alicia Silverstone Says Feeding Her Son a Vegan Diet Is 'Such a No-Brainer' - PEOPLE.com

There are a few tiers of this food pyramid that are off limits on the Whole30 plan. (Photo: bloody/Shutterstock)

On day five of my voluntary participation in the Whole30 program, I posted this as my Facebook status.

The diet claims to "eliminate the most common craving-inducing, blood sugar disrupting, gut-damaging, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days" and says it will change your life by resetting your eating habits.

Those food groups are sugar, grains, dairy, beans and alcohol. Except for the alcohol, I stuck with the diet, not counting a few slip-ups that I could count on one hand. Since I write extensively about wine, there were times I had to drink, but I kept it to a minimum, even cancelling some tastings that weren't mandatory.

You may be wondering what you can eat on the program. The diet consists mainly of meat and seafood, vegetables, fruits, grains, nuts and nut butters (except peanut), eggs and healthy oils. You are also allowed ghee on the program, even though you can't have any other dairy.

Nuts, except peanuts, are allowed on the Whole30 diet and they are one of the foods that kept me sane. (Photo: prasit jamkajornkiat/Shutterstock)

I've put on a lot of weight over the past year and a half. The stress of divorce got to me, understandably, and I'd been having trouble getting back to healthy habits. But, that's not the reason I chose such a restrictive diet. I chose this diet because my feet hurt. I had swelling along with planter's fasciitis that made it painful to walk, and at night, the aching in my feet and ankles would keep me awake. A friend had told me she learned that she was allergic to dairy and gluten, and when she eliminated those from her diet, her foot pain went away.

I figured Whole30 could be a way to see if my foot pain was being caused by something I was eating without having to go through allergy testing, plus it could put me back on the road to not eating whatever the hell I wanted, whenever the hell I wanted.

Did it work? Somewhat. Although the underlying planter's fasciitis is still an issue, the swelling in my feet, and my hands, has gone down. I can get out of bed in the morning without searing pain in my feet when they first hit the floor. Aching that I had in the ligaments in my forearms also went away. There were other positive benefits. The skin under my eyes is now skin color and not gray. My rosacea has tamed down a bit. Some digestive problems that I've had for years improved. I sleep much better and there have been several nights where I've slept through the night. (That's incredibly rare.)

The 30 days were very hard at times, but I think they were worth it. There were a few foods that kept me from going insane: sweet potatoes, almond butter, nuts, bananas and ghee (not all together, of course). Now comes the even harder part, though, taking what I have learned, keeping what's good, and figuring out how to keep a lot of these ingredients down to a minimum in my diet. And while the better health I've experienced over the past 30 days have been wonderful, there have been things I've learned that are also important.

The first week on Whole30, I spent a lot of money on food, went to the grocery store almost every day, and got incredibly frustrated. Almost everything has sugar in it. I know that many foods that shouldn't have sugar in them do, but I didn't realize just how many. I spent hours in Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, reading ingredients, trying to find a nitrate-free bacon that also didn't have sugar. I couldn't do it. I asked both of the local meat vendors at the farmers market if their nitrate-free bacons had sugar. They did. I did find a sugar-free, nitrate-free turkey bacon and it was vile.

I had to read every jar of almond butter and every container of nuts two things that should never need sugar to make sure they were sugar-free. After reading the ingredients in all the mayonnaise on the store shelf, I ended up making my own. (That turns out to be time-consuming but really worth it and makes the best deviled eggs I've ever had.)

You know what else has sugar in it? Store-made rotisserie chicken. I bought one my first day to have something to pick on, and when it dawned on me the next day there might be sugar in the solution, I read the ingredients. I cursed.

This what I learned: even packaged or prepared foods that I normally think of as not-so-bad choices have ingredients in them that I'm unaware of. I already cook a lot of my foods from scratch. I need to do even more of that, and I need to keep reading ingredient lists, even when I think I know what's in a food.

If you don't expect these zucchini strips to taste like zucchini, you probably won't be disappointed in them. (Photo: Robin Shreeves)

In the first week, I went crazy with new recipes and new ingredients. I tried to make chicken nuggets with almond flour. I made meatballs without breading or cheese but with way too many spices. The dog really liked both of those dishes. The worst, though, was the beef fried cauliflower rice. I've heard great things about riced cauliflower. I've seen moms rave on social media that their children had no idea their rice had been replaced with cauliflower. I call B.S.

The beef fried cauliflower rice was made entirely with Whole30 compliant ingredients, and at a glance it looked like rice. It was made with fresh vegetables, grass-fed beef, and coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. This is when my 15-year-old rebelled against the plan. Did I forget to mention he decided to do it with me? He did great until day five when I made this dish. Not only does riced cauliflower not soak up any juices, making it incredibly soupy, the coconut aminos make it smell like a pina colada. Coconut is not what you're supposed to smell when you're bringing beef fried rice up to your mouth.

This is what I learned: I was much better off cooking up steak or chicken and having a bunch of vegetables on the side than trying to make Whole30 recipes. If I was going to try something different, I decided to look at for what it was, not what it was supposed to be. For example, I used a spiralizer to make what some people would refer to as zucchini noodles or "zoodles" as a substitute for pasta. There is no way I could be satisfied if I tried to think of zucchini as pasta, even if is in pasta-like strips. So, when I made the dish above sauted tomatoes and garlic in sheet and olive oil with zucchini and cooked chicken I chose to just think of it as zucchini, tomatoes and chicken, nothing more. It was quite yummy, but it was nothing like pasta.

That day five Facebook status was not the only one I made. Here's one from day nine.

This is what I learned: some good comes out of thinking your unpleasant thoughts all the way through, and that may be one of the biggest benefits of the elimination diet. I did a lot of sorting through my feelings during the 30 days not just my feelings about food, but things that were going on in my head about my work, my dating life, and even my kids. It was certainly an unexpected benefit.

Crab Bruschetta Eggplant Toast isn't really on toast, but the combination still works well. (Photo: Robin Shreeves)

I'm still figuring out what comes next. As I write this, I'm a few days out of Whole30. I haven't eaten much of what isn't allowed on the diet. Yesterday I had oatmeal and some milk in my mashed potatoes, but ate Whole30 the rest of the time. Today, it's been all fruit and almond butter so far.

There are several foods I learned to appreciate on the plan that I'm going to keep eating. I really enjoyed one of my go-to breakfasts of roasted sweet potato slices, mashed avocado, diced cherry tomatoes and a fried egg. I'll keep eating that. Larabar's Pecan Pie bars were something I could keep in my bag to eat on the run that I'll continue to buy. I made Crab Bruschetta Eggplant Toast that was so good I'll make it again, and spring for better crab next time. But, let's be real. You can't make toast out of eggplant so I'll just call it Crab Bruschetta on Eggplant.

And, here's the most amazing thing. I have no craving at all to add sugar back into my diet. Last night, I was upset and couldn't sleep. No one would have blamed for grabbing a pint of ice cream over this particular upset, but I didn't even open the freezer. Instead, I cut up a banana and strawberries and ate them. I do feel as if my sugar cravings have been reset. I'm also aware that it wouldn't take too many bowls of ice cream to bring them back.

There's one big problem that I always knew would be a problem. By eliminating all those foods at once, it's unclear which one or ones were contributing to some of my health issues that improved. I think I'll be adding foods back in slowly and watching my reaction. I'm also considering doing a Whole30 before 6 p.m. sort of plan, completely knocking off Mark Bittman's Vegan before 6 p.m. idea.

Maybe I'll have to do another post a month from now to talk about the next 30 days.

It should be noted that in a study of 38 diets, U.S. News & World Report ranked Whole30 as number 38. They had this to say about the health and nutrition of the plan:

The panel from U.S. News said that while the diet is not particularly unsafe, it is relatively likely to spur temporary weight loss. One expert noted that it is "the antithesis of a long-term healthy dietary pattern."

See the rest here:
My month on the Whole30 diet - Mother Nature Network (blog)