weekend read: It Starts With Food

I’ve had this book since spring, it’s just been hanging out on my shelf waiting for me to finally get up the courage to read it. I took so long to crack it open because I knew once I read it, I couldn’t turn back, I’d be doing a few changes to my eating and possibly embarking on my first round of Whole30.

The time was finally right a few weeks ago when I could not stop eating candy. Like for a week straight, I could not stop eating candy. I’ve always loved sugar and candy, but something happened recently so that I just couldn’t stop. I would rather eat candy than a meal and I know as a 33 year old woman, there is no way I can live like that. So over vacation we ate ourselves silly (it’s the vacation rule, obviously) and in between eating three of everything I saw, I was reading It Starts With Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig.

Late nights after the girls were in bed with the sound of the ocean behind me, I would make notes and shopping lists for my Whole30 adventure that was starting the day after we returned from vacation. The start date also happened to be my 33rd birthday and it didn’t even bother me that I wouldn’t get to eat cake! That showed me the time was right and I needed to act before my cake cravings came back.

It Starts With Food is centered around the idea that we fill our bodies with so many things it doesn’t need (sugars, artificial sweeteners, dairy, chemicals, grains) that we are doing them a disservice both inside and out. The book has all the scientific research to back up their program and tons of testimonials that are pretty convincing. I’ve made some small changes for my family’s health (no more Country Crock spread for the love of God!) and then completely overhauled my eating. No Diet Mt. Dew (insert SO MANY TEARS right here please), chocolate, cheese (tears again please), or bread. Things that, if you’ve followed my food and health Instagram account (@themarygrahameats) for any amount of time, you’ll know I consume often. I still swear by Weight Watchers and their program but I’ve been the same weight, give or take five pounds, for a year now and I think the next step for me is to clean up my eating. Portion control is there (most of the time), but now I want to eliminate a lot of the sugar and breads that don’t really help me feel my best.

While I would love to drop about ten pounds over the course of my thirty days (today, Saturday, is day seven), I’m really hoping I see a change in my skin (adult acne isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, folks), get a handle on my sugar addiction, and see a change in my psoriasis/eczema. This obviously isn’t a diet to maintain over the course of a lifetime, but I’m hopefully setting the groundwork for healthier choices and treats in more moderation. That is my ultimate goal with Whole30 and reading It Starts With Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig, that I keep learning and making better choices on my way to a healthier lifestyle.

I know Whole30 is all over the place, have you or anyone you know done it? I love to hear others ideas and thoughts on the program!