And it felt so good.  I’m not even going to lie about it.  I had some chicken and in that moment, it felt like the best day of my life.  The aftereffects were remarkable. After what felt like years of being dizzy, confused, eyesight cloudy, I was living again! The sun was shining, the air was crisp, and didn’t hurt that the temps have been above freezing for more than a week here in spectacular Grand Rapids. Really was the best day ever, but then the guilt sunk in. I had cheated, and not only that, enjoyed it.

 I became alarmed at just how much I enjoyed cheating and grabbed Dr. Christine to sit down for a food chatty.  She said that diets aren't one size fits all. This particular diet made me feel sick, so it's important I altered it. Dr. Christine not only gave me permission to cheat, but applauded me for it!  A huge part of getting healthy is to listen to our bodies. Mine was telling me I needed meat, and rewarded me upon receipt.

 I am not quite ready to throw in the towel on the #grnhchallenge however, so I went out in search of fresh ideas to keep this thing going.  A fitness minded friend told me about Thug Kitchen, a popular vegan blog and resulting cook book.  I have to tell you that the sass level is high with this one, and frankly I am not mad about it.  Thug kitchen breaks down all the essential questions someone might ask when switching over to vegan land.  Where do I get my protein? How do I cook tofu? Is tempeh a thing? The answers do not mess around.  This book explains all things vegan in the most matter of fact, essentials needed, shut up and listen kind of way. You really can't help but learn a lot.

 I am going to give this challenge another shot and I hope you will too.  If you cheated, no worries friend, it’s no biggie. Not everyone can be a superhero or even just survive an elimination diet. To err is human dear friends, to forgive , divine. Forgive yourself when you are not able to be perfect all the time. Guilt can be painful, and the sufferer might find ways to soothe these painful feelings through unhealthy coping mechanisms. Do yourself, and your body a favor, and forgive yourself.  Since I have forgiven myself for my food indiscretion, I have not only recommitted to the #grnhchallenge, but I have also found a fun, new cookbook to try.  In failure we learn the most about ourselves, and while it can be disappointing, it can also be enlightening.  Embrace this enlightening experience the #grnhchallenge has afforded you, and from all of us at Grand Rapids Natural Health, #yourewelcome.

Week 2 of #grnhchallenge has been more of a challenge than I would like to admit. Honestly, I thought I would miss cheese the most, but it is meat I see in my dreams. I’ve been told I’m clearly a type o blood type so this craving should make all kinds of sense, but I’m not as well versed in the blood type diet as my co-workers seem to be, so really I just want meat. While I miss meat like the deserts miss the rain, there are other items I have given up that I do not miss nearly as much as I had originally anticipated. Coffee, for example. My favorite thing in the whole world. I can’t even call it a morning treat, because for me, coffee is the gift that keeps on giving. All day long I sip this precious nectar which seems to give me life. Since I started this challenge however, I have become a bit more in tune with my body and what it needs. When I skip coffee and go for green tea, I tend to power through the day without a yawn or a single thought of a nap. When I switch back to coffee, I have noticed I will want to crash just a few hours after each cup. I find this to be remarkably inconvenient. Is it possible that my companion through thick and thin may just have transitioned to more of a someone I used to know status? Well let’s not get too crazy, I’m actually sipping on a cup of joe as I write this. I do expect to crash at some point later on today but sometimes you just have to accept situations for what they are and move on.

What’s even more unpleasant than the recent discovery that there are things better for me than coffee, I’ve noticed that lately I’ve been feeling very lethargic and generally weak. I pulled aside Grand Rapids Natural Health’s newest naturopathic doctor, Dr Christine Shoenek to discuss. Dr. Christine said there are chemicals in processed foods which could be spiking my blood sugar. Before the #grnhchallenge, I was eating strictly whole foods and frankly have been pretty successful keeping my diet clean. I steered clear of processed foods altogether, however lately I have been eating a lot of your more processed items. As I follow recipes I have discovered I have been substituting regular whole foods with processed food substitutes. Dairy free cheese and cream cheese instead of whole goat cheese, soy and kale sausage burger patties instead of beef burgers, tofu replacing chicken, not to mention the gluten free breads that have creeped into my house. This is a mutiny! My body has taken a stand, it’s basically rioting against the chemicals I’ve been introducing it to. Hey! Hey! Ho! Ho! These processed foods have got to go!

Just as I started to think I had figured out this food revolution, I realize I’m doing it all wrong. My body seems to be rather displeased with the change in diet, but rationally I know eating #meatfree #dairyfree and #glutenfree can be quite a healthy way to live! What is the issue here? I decided to give my health coach a call, the great Audrey Byker also of Grand Rapids Natural Health and she insisted that I pull it together. What is this craziness of me eating processed foods all of a sudden? Obviously I am sick! Not only is my body detoxing off meat and dairy but I am also adding foreign chemicals to it? Get out of here with that mess! Audrey suggested I go off any and all processed foods I have added into my diet since starting the #grnhchallenge. This is the only way to really know if my sluggishness, change in mood, and frequent meat dreams are a side effect from meat detox or chemical intake. While I am obviously super excited to be limiting myself even further, it is a relief that I might have found the cure to what ails me. It takes a village people, good thing I have a super healthy minded village right at my fingertips!

Blood Type Diet: http://www.webmd.com/diet/blood-type-diet?page=1

Here we  are in week one of the #grnhchallenge (no meat, no gluten, no dairy for the month of March) and I find that not only is my road rage at an all time high, but my patience is at an all time low.  I’m exhausted all the time and I find myself lustfully staring at other people’s plates.  Clearly I’m doing this wrong. Truth be told I’ve been somewhat on edge ever since I realized I had accidentally signed up to be a vegan for a month. Cooking tends to calm me so in my panicked state I decided to check out my cookbooks.  It turns out I  just so happen to have a copy of The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone, one of the more highly rated vegan cookbooks. I bought it more for the nutritional information she provides than for the actual recipes as I am a petty committed carnivore, but now I actually get to use it! The first recipe I turned to was her rustic pasta, which looked pretty remarkable to be honest.  Just a simple dish of gluten free pasta, red sauce and an incredible amount of vegetables.   It also looked like something that I could easily alter for the meat/cheese eaters in my house. As we sat down to dinner that night, I noticed mine was the only plate without chicken on it.  This made me really start to consider what I had gotten myself into. As I munched on my piece of gluten free baguette topped with vegan butter, I noticed my entire plate was filled with carbs! This tends to not be a good look for me.

I have noticed that eating carbs tends to make me feel very scattered.  The aftereffect is I crave sugar, and tend to feel very cranky and confused.  As a result, I have made an effort in recent years to avoid both carbs and sugar. As I looked at my vegan plate of pasta and bread I realized I had set myself up for disaster. Not only had I eliminated the food that makes me feel grounded (meat), but I had essentially replaced it with the very food that has traditionally been my downfall.  Sure enough, the next day I was tired, hangry, and feeling out of sorts.  Time to call in the big guns.

Audrey Byker, our resident health coach, noticed I kept bringing up meat conversations at work yesterday, so she pulled me aside and offered to help.  As I collapsed into her arms in my weakened state, she assured me I was in good hands.  After taking a comprehensive history and discussing my general feelings on the challenge #overit, Coach Audrey gave me some much needed advice.  The human body is pretty in tune to what it needs, and mine is craving protein, and lots of it! I need to get used to eating when I am hungry, however eating the right things.  Audrey suggested I keep some protein enriched snacks with me, like a handful of almonds, or apple slices and peanut butter. Furthermore, just because I am gluten free, does not mean I should be eating items such as gluten free bread! Stick to beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds as toppings for various meals.  Should I start to feel like a small forest animal, by all means throw some tempeh and tofu in there, mix up that protein intake. Most importantly, fill up on veggies, lots and lots of veggies!  When in doubt, mix them up with some brown rice or quinoa throw a little olive oil on top, and you got yourself a meal! I learned from Audrey that these types of challenges really can change how your body will operate, as you are cleaning out your system. For those of you participating at home, if you are feeling a little crazy, your body is telling you that you are eating the wrong things.

This made me think about the other symptoms I have been experiencing, and could they also be related? Dr. Christine Shoenek, naturopathic doctor also of Grand Rapids Natural Health, told me my general feeling of sluggishness will eventually pass.  This is merely my body reacting to a change in my general dietary habits. She assured me that in just under a week I would be leaping out of bed in the morning looking forward to my goat cheese free veggie scramble. (Jury’s still out on that one.). I mentioned my appreciation for my daily 5 cups of coffee (I might have told her 3 but the truth always comes out), and she suggested this may be what is contributing to my afternoon crash.  If looks could kill, dear friends.  No coffee? NO COFFEE?!?! She quickly changed her answer to limit my coffee intake to 2 cups a day. Most importantly I need to stick to my usual diet of whole foods. Stay out of the gluten free aisle. If I am already aware that these foods affect me negatively, don’t go out and eat them! That’s almost as crazy as eliminating all your normal foods from your diet! Well, maybe I said that last part. Let’s just go ahead and blame it on my body not being used to healthy, meatless living. Tune in next week as we decide if frequent protein snacks were the way to go for this hungry mental health therapist.