My Paleo Diary… #Whole30 Days 6 - 12

To get the background on why I am doing this Whole30 Paleo Challenge/elimination diet and to see how I fared the first 5 days you can read these posts if you like:

And So it Begins
My Paleo Diary… #Whole30 Days  - 5

Immediately after breakfast on Sunday, Day 6, I took my vitamins with a glass of water, and as I sat and chatted with The Captain, enjoying the last few sips of a cup of coffee, I noticed the weirdest sensation.  My face was getting really warm and I could feel heat creeping down my neck to my upper chest.  I mentioned it to The Captain and he said he could see the centre of my face getting quite red, along with my ears, too.  And there were red blotches on my neck.

I went into the bathroom and checked it out in the mirror and then sat down in the living room, drinking more water, trying to stay calm and assess how I was feeling, and talking with The Captain about what might be happening.  I was making a pointed effort not to panic because I know I get short of breath the few times I have in the past.  I had no other discernible symptoms so off I went to my computer and started searching the internet for possible causes to my plight.

The only thing I could find that seemed to make any sense was that I might be having a reaction to histamines in my food.  So what did I eat that might have caused that, and what did I eat that The Captain didn’t?  The only thing we can think of is some sauerkraut that I had eaten at lunch on Saturday, the previous day.  Perhaps, because I hadn’t eaten any sauerkraut for years it affected me and then histamines in the spinach I had for breakfast tipped the scale… apparently it can be a cumulative effect and happen like that. 

So, I did take an antihistamine tablet and it cleared up within minutes.  We always have some on hand cause The Captain reacts badly to bee stings and wasp stings or bites, and these tablets help him immensely and immediately.  Anyway, now I have something new to consider.

Other than that, a very good week.  Food-wise, I did a bit more experimenting with some new ingredients and recipes.  I purchased some coconut aminos – recommended to be used in place of soy sauce.  I had to visit a few stores before I found a bottle, and it did cost about 3 times what I pay for soy sauce, and about 1-1/2 times what I pay for tamari, which is a glute-free soy sauce.  It is a bit fizzy but apparently if it is refrigerated that subsides.  And it is bitter tasting, but when I mixed it with some vinegar and grated fresh ginger, it was fine.  It is not soy sauce but all right just the same.

I have found that I am eating less overall.  And it makes sense to me that when I am eating good, nutritious food, my body actually needs less volume.  I am eating more fats, more proteins, and fewer carbohydrates, but still getting in lots of fibre and making sure to drink several cups of water and herbal teas each day.  Coffee?  Yes, I love coffee and thankfully enjoy it black… the darker the roast, the better I like it.

Okay, so let's see what I ate this week.

Breakfasts

Eggs continue to be my breakfast staple.  I did come up with some alternatives to scrambled eggs and omelets though.   This week I enjoyed fried Eggs with Sweet Potato Hash…

 

and one morning I had to take my breakfast along to eat out so I toted along some  Baked Eggs…

 

 

and I came up with Sweet Potato and Flax EggCakes one morning when I decided I needed to use up some leftover cooked sweet potato.

 

 

I do love some eggs scrambled with leftover roasted squash and onions, though, so I won’t be giving that up anytime soon.

 

Lunches 

I have been enjoying my Curried Coconut Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup.

 

And  I did eat some sauerkraut and ham over a big plateful of cooked spaghetti squash.  I enjoyed  the Sweet Potato and Chicken Salad again, on a bed of mixed greens this time.

 

 

I am also still loving my Beanless Paleo Beef Chili on a pile of cooked spaghetti squash.

 

Dinners

The Captain loves shrimp, so we had rather large salads with lots of jumbo shrimp and avocado slices on them.  Very tasty, and I was surprised that he asked that I make this again cause he is not normally a salad fan.

 

Another night I made up huge bowls of an Asian-inspired soup with carrots, onions, bokchoy, and shredded chicken in my Homemade Turkey Broth and drizzled a bit of dark sesame oil over the top.   I also made something very similar but a bit smaller for lunch one other day. 

 

 

And because we do love ‘em so much, I did a stir-fry with garlic, onions, carrots, yellow peppers, mushrooms, Chinese cabbage, and chicken breasts.  I made a sauce with some of the coconut aminos, vinegar and grated fressh ginger – it was delicious.

 

 

One evening The Captain had pizza so I feasted on a wild Pacific salmon patty on a bed of rainbow slaw with some avocado slices.  I do love salmon.

 

I finally got around to trying the Cauliflower Paleo Rice recipe that I found at Frolic Through Life.   I used it as a base for Garlic Shrimp in Coconut Milk and Tomatoes.

And, I also had a big plate of it with some baked chicken the next night. This Cauliflower Paleo rice is a wonderful dish and I would be eating it instead of rice even if I weren’t following this Whole30 Challenge… it is so good and I bet no one could tell it was cauliflower.  Such a clever idea.

 

 

Snacks

I have been cutting up an apple or a banana and putting the chunks into a bowl along with some milled, gluten-free flax or almond meal, hemp or chia seeds, a few raisins or other bits of dried berries, sprinkles of cinnamon, and a couple of tablespoons of unsweetened vanilla almond milk.  Stirred altogether and eaten with a spoon, it makes a great afternoon or evening snack.

Sometimes I nibble on a few nuts such as almonds, or cashews or hazelnuts… but they do not really  satisfy a want to chew – I use them more for  actual hunger and always make sure to have a few in my purse or my pocket, just in case I need them.

Other Thoughts

I need to find something that I can use as a thickener for sauces… obviously cornstarch is out right now but I am not sure what else I might use…  If you have any ideas, please leave me a comment or tweet to @eatrunsail.

I am eating a LOT of sweet potatoes… or at least some sweet potato quite often… various squashes, too.  They are in season right now and so delicious.

I feel great!  On the morning of Day 9 I realized that I am no longer dealing with the sniffles in the morning anymore. I am used to waking up and walking around with a tissue for a few hours cause I have a runny nose.  It’s gone, and I know it’s because of what I am NOT eating… but now to determine just what.  But I am really happy about it.  My ears feel less congested and I haven’t had any dizziness whatsoever… if this continues I will be attempting Pilates again – that will tell the tale – all the laying down and sitting up usually aggravates my ears and causes dizziness.

Exercise and Workouts

Another really low key week in this area.   I have done some walking, attempted to do some Zumba, some core work, and we did get out for a 5km run on Saturday morning.  Not enough, I know.  I am spending way too much time in the kitchen.

Recipes

Curried Coconut Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup
Baked Eggs
Sweet Potato and Flax EggCakes
Garlic  Shrimp in Coconut Milk and Tomatoes
Cauliflower Paleo Rice by Frolic Through Life
Eggs with Sweet Potato Hash

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