Day 26 of the Whole30 Diet Plan

I am in the home stretch with the Whole30 diet plan. I have made it past the initial food cravings that happened in week one. I conquered to side effects from detoxing in week two. I feel pretty great and I am looking at only four more days of avoiding butter, grains, sugar, and dairy.

Honestly, I will probably keep going with this diet but there is half a pound of high-quality butter from a local dairy in my freezer. I froze it in order to start this diet. I also have some grocery store bacon to use up. But after consuming those things, I will probably return to the Whole30 way of eating. It is pretty good.

My Whole30 Best Recipes

I think the best whole30 recipe that I created on this diet was a breakfast hash that included butternut squash, fatback, and hamburger. I seasoned it up with onion and garlic powder. It was amazing. I may even like it more than bacon. Not to mention, it didn’t stick to my cast-iron skillet as eggs do in the morning.

The second best recipe that I had on this way of eating was salmon patties. I took canned salmon and mixed it with pork rinds and an egg. Then I fried it up in lard. Oh my! It was flavorful.

Finally, the third-best recipe that I made on Whole30 was a simple hamburger. It was easy enough to cook up at the drop of a hat since I keep frozen patties in my freezer. It paired well with any vegetables that I wanted. And my Foreman grill always cooked it perfectly.

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Whole30 Pitfalls

It was fairly easy for me to get in the habit of only eating whole foods. The biggest whole30 pitfall that I faced was eating foods that I didn’t think had added ingredients. I forgot to check the ingredients of the pastured raised bacon and the olives. Turns out, they did have some of the preservatives in them that I was supposed to avoid.

If you are starting out with the Whole30 diet, remember to check the labels! Making the assumption that there are no additives in your food is dangerous. I still feel pretty successful at managing to stick to this diet 95%.

My Whole30 Supplements

I know you aren’t supposed to take supplements on Whole30. They are not whole foods. However, I strongly felt that the cod liver oil that I had been taking had raised my vitamin D levels to the point of preventing seizures. My levels were over 50 and I could tell that my brain was functioning better. I also didn’t have seizures, so I felt that it wasn’t worth it to risk having one and break my streak just to try out the Whole30 diet.

I continued to take Carlson’s cod liver oil and the ion biome supplement (once called Restore) that Zac Bush created to combat glyphosate in our food supply. Both I had on hand. I will continue on with the cod liver oil for certain. I don’t know about the ion biome supplement. Neither of them produced any hair regrowth in the last three months. But I digress…

Whole30 Weight Loss

The Whole30 diet plan encourages you to avoid looking at the scale. I have no idea if I lost weight during this diet or not. I can say for certain that I stopped bloating. When I started the diet, my PMS had kicked in and I was rather bloated.

During this menstrual cycle, I did not experience the same amount of bloating that I did at the outset of the whole30 diet. Whether it is a coincidence or not, I can’t say for sure.

My pants do fit perfectly now. Only the high-rise ones seem a bit tight, but I’m not used to wearing high-rise jeans. They are cut a bit differently. My regular jeans don’t seem too loose or too tight, so I’m pretty content. I’m unconcerned about whether I gained or lost weight.

Conclusion

The Whole30 diet rocks! I’m so glad that I have done it. I still want to tweak it a bit more to see if I can’t cure my alopecia universalis (whole body hair loss).

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Best Electric Vegetable Steamer

In my mind, the best electric vegetable steamer will always be the[easyazon_link identifier=”B0002YSVEQ” locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″ cart=”n”]Black and Decker HS800 Steamer and Rice Cooker[/easyazon_link]. I purchased two of them and they both lasted over 5 years. Unfortunately, it is no longer being produced. You can still buy it for $250 on Amazon. But I’m not going to consider it the best electric vegetable steamer at that price.

Instead, I decided to research and test some other steamers to recommend. I looked for simplicity in design, ease of use, low price, and functionality. I wanted to find something that mimicked the convenience of my lovely Black and Decker Steamer and Rice Cooker.

Name: Oster 2 Tiered 5 Quart Food Steamer Review

 [easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”160″ identifier=”B00519EDIA” locale=”US” src=”https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51IEpElzV3L._SL160_.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”160″]

Website: Available at Amazon

Price: $23.06

Owners: Oster

Overall Rank: 88 out of 100

Oster Double Tiered 5 Quart Food Steamer, Product Overview

This is a food steamer that can be used for meat, fish, eggs, and poultry. The steaming retains nutrients. It eliminates the need to cook in oil. Oster’s double-tiered designs enables you to cook multiple dishes separately. You can cook your salmon and broccoli at the same time.

The transparent steaming bowls allow you to see the cooking progress of your foods. You can watch as your asparagus softens with the steam.

The Oster food steamer has a 5-quart capacity with two transparent steaming containers. It also features a 60-minute timer to ensure that you don’t forget to turn the food off. It will automatically shut off when the water is empty or the cycle is complete.

 

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

 

  • Automated timer
  • Dishwasher safe
  • 5-quart capacity
  • Lightweight
  • Easy to use
  • 2 tiered system for cooking multiple dishes at once

The Bad:

  • Thin plastic
  • Some customers reported leakage
  • Baskets are small

I love using a steamer to cook my eggs. Since I didn’t have complaints, I referred to the negative reviews on Amazon to find the bad aspects of the Oster double-tiered electric vegetable steamer.

Who is Oster Vegetable Steamer for?

This is for the busy person who doesn’t like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. A vegetable steamer is much less expensive than the other popular kitchen gadgets like a pressure cooker or an air fryer. It provides you with a healthy method of cooking with the convenience of a timer to shut the food off when it is done cooking.

An electric vegetable steamer is perfect for people who are starting the GAPS diet, the Whole30, and the paleo diets. Many of those foods should be cooked at home instead of in vegetable oils that are often used in restaurants.

Oster Vegetable Steamer Tools & Training

There isn’t much training or support needed. It does come with an instruction manual. But you basically fill up the water reserve, put the vegetables into the basket, and turn the timer to the time that you want.

Oster Vegetable Steamer Support

If you need it, you can visit the Oster website to register your vegetable steamer and access their support department.

Their experts are available Mon-Fri, 9AM – 5PM ET. You can Call 1-800-334-0759 for Oster Appliances.

Oster Vegetable Steamer Price

At $23.06, this vegetable steamer is a steal. I find myself steaming vegetables in the summer when I don’t want to stand over a hot stove. I also steam my eggs instead of boiling them to have snacks of hard-boiled eggs on hand. It is one kitchen appliance that is inexpensive, but it will save you plenty of time. I find that I use it often.

My Final Opinion of Oster Vegetable Steamer

The Oster vegetable steamer is one of the few kitchen appliances that I actually recommend and use. I find that it is easy to use, the parts go into the dishwasher, but I often just hand wash the steamer.

Oster is a trusted brand. It has received over 5,000 global ratings on Amazon with a 4.4/5 star rating. There are a lot of people who like this product.

[easyazon_cta align=”right” cart=”n” identifier=”B00519EDIA” key=”small-light” locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″]at a Glance…

Name: Oster two-tiered 5 quart vegetable steamer

Website: Oster.com

Owners: Oster

Price: $23.06

Overall Scam Rank: 88 out of 100

VERDICT: Legit! I recommend it!

My Simple Whole30 Meal Plan and Grocery List

My strategy for surviving the Whole30 diet was to keep it SIMPLE! Simplicity makes life easier. I didn’t try to mimic my favorite foods without the essential elements. I focused on eating whole foods that just tasted great on their own. I’m on day 23 and it is getting super easy and my taste buds have adapted to the whole foods. In some ways, I prefer eating this way.

My meal planning is super simple. I have found that I can cook once and eat twice with many of the dishes that I make. Having a large salad and soup in the refrigerator ensures that I always have a fast lunch or dinner.

My Whole30 Meal Plan

The main menu gets rotated quite a bit. I do tend to have leftovers frequently. This week, I did not have pulled pork, but when I buy a pork shoulder, it gets eaten in a few different creative ways throughout the week.

Breakfast:

  1. hamburger hash with butternut squash and an apple
  2. boiled eggs
  3. scrambled eggs

Lunch:

  1. hamburger patty with green beans
  2. hamburger patty with salad
  3. soup

Dinner:

  1. roast beef with carrots and potatoes
  2. roast beef with salad
  3. salmon patty with butternut squash
  4. soup

Whole30 Grocery List

These are the things that I buy to make my Whole30 menu work. I keep the seasonings to a minimum with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.

My Whole30 Grocery List:

  • 2-3 lb. chuck roast
  • 1 dozen eggs
  • value pack of ground beef
  • 2 16 ounce packages of butternut squash
  • romaine lettuce
  • 7 apples
  • 1 package frozen green beans (sometimes broccoli)
  • 1 lb. package of organic carrots
  • 1 bag of potatoes
  • 2 whole onions
  • 1 can of olives (to top off the salad)
  • 1 lb. fatback (I get local pork lard from the farmer’s market. It is great for cooking.)
  • 1 lb. liver (I eat an ounce of liver a day for vitamins and minerals.)

This shopping list will feed one person for a week. I do tend to have some leftovers. I cook a weekly roast and eat it with my brother and my folks. There are usually leftovers for another meal or two during the week.

Alt text: Whole30 grocery list from Delish

Caption: Delish created a Whole30 grocery list with some Whole30 favorites. Source: Delish

Soups

I cook up the leftover bones that I have each week to make a savory broth. I add whatever vegetables that I have on hand to the broth to make it tasty and filling as well as some extra ground beef or leftover roast. Having a pot of soup in the refrigerator takes the pressure off of meal planning. If I ever can’t think of something to have, I pull out my soup.

Homemade meat stock is very healing. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride has it as the main part of her GAPS diet. Dr. Kellyann Petrucci created a whole [easyazon_link identifier=”1635650259″ locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″ cart=”n”]Bone Broth diet[/easyazon_link] for weight loss. I try to eat a cup or two of homemade soup every day. My batch of soup usually lasts about six days.

Conclusion

A Whole30 diet plan does not have to stress you out. Simple meals and eating leftovers make meal planning and grocery shopping a snap. When you eat enough calories for each meal, you are full until the next meal and don’t have to worry about snacks. If you do need a snack, you can quickly grab a few almonds or a boiled egg. I keep a lot of boiled eggs on hand for quick breakfast protein or an addition to a salad. Sometimes I will eat an egg as a side dish for my soup meals.

The meals that I prepare are good on their own. They don’t need a starchy side dish or a creamy dairy dressing. Often we get in the habit of smothering our foods with seasonings without realizing that they have great flavors by themselves. My whole30 meal plan focuses on whole foods. Keep it simple for your best chance at success!

Whole30 – Coconut Aminos Review

Better Body Foods Coconut Aminos Review

Name: Better Body Foods Organic Coconut Aminos

Website: [easyazon_link identifier=”B07J1H37ZF” locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″]Coconut Aminos[/easyazon_link]

Price: $9.97

Owners: BetterBody Foods

Overall Rank: 70 out of 100

Organic Coconut Aminos, Product Overview[easyazon_image align=”right” height=”160″ identifier=”B07J1H37ZF” locale=”US” src=”https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41KzsewLHLL._SL160_.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”160″]

Coconut Aminos are a natural, non-GMO, soy-free option to soy sauce that is Whole30 approved. It is created from the rich sap of the coconut palm, aged naturally, and blended with salt. Coconut aminos are a sweet source of the umami flavor that is used in many Asian dishes.

Coconut aminos are also gluten-free and paleo-friendly. It is an acceptable soy sauce replacement. This Coconut amino product is USDA certified organic, so almost everyone can enjoy it.

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

  1. It is organic! You don’t have to worry about pesticides in this condiment.
  2. Whole30 Approved. Not a lot of foods meet the Whole30 criteria. This is one supplement that you can add to your dishes to jazz them up if you are following the Whole30 diet, the paleo diet, or are trying to go gluten-free and soy-free.
  3. No added sugar. This condiment can be used on the ketogenic diet without raising your blood sugar. It provides your foods with a sweet and salty umami flavor without spiking your glucose.

The Bad:

  1. The taste. It does NOT taste like soy sauce. It has a slightly sweet flavor rather than tasting salty.
  2. The cost. I feel the cost of $10 for a bottle was pretty high.

Who is BetterBody Foods Organic Coconut Aminos For?

This product is marketed to people who are on elimination diets. It is great because it doesn’t have any added sugar. It is also gluten-free, soy-free, and MSG-free. It is an alternative to soy sauce for people who don’t mind substitutes for their favorite foods.

This product is good for people who are just adjusting to an elimination diet and still want the flavors that they had on the standard diet. It is great for people who enjoy experimenting in the kitchen with healthy recipes.

Coconut Aminos Uses

Coconut Aminos can be used in savory recipes with some tweaks. You may want to add some vinegar or sea salt to offset the sweetness of the coconut aminos. Here are some fun recipes to try if you want to use coconut aminos:

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BetterBody Food Organic Coconut Aminos Price

The cost of the BetterBody Organic Coconut Aminos was rather expensive for a condiment. It was $9.97 for 16 fluid ounces of the coconut aminos. While you don’t use a ton of seasoning for each recipe, most condiments are much less expensive.

When compared to other coconut amino products, it is competitive. It was the least expensive one on Amazon at the time that I ordered it.

My Final Opinion of Organic Coconut Aminos

Thumbs down. I do not like substitutions. I was optimistic that I would enjoy the taste of the coconut aminos, but it did not taste like soy sauce to me at all. There was a lot more sweet flavor. It did not taste salty at all to me as I think of soy sauce tasting.

I have used it a few times and added vinegar to offset the sweetness in stir-fry dishes. It doesn’t really mimic soy sauce or tamari. It may be useful in a dish with other seasonings to mask the sweetness.

BetterBody Foods Organic Coconut Aminos at a Glance…

Name: Organic Coconut Aminos

Website: Available at Amazon

Owners: BetterBody Foods

Price: $9.97

Overall Rank: 60 out of 100

VERDICT: NOT LEGIT – Does not taste like soy sauce. Poor substitution.

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Whole30 Tips for Success

I’m feeling pretty successful now that I have reached day 20 of my Whole30 journey. I think that I will be able to share some whole30 success tips or just tips for staying on any elimination diet. They will be very similar.

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Find your favorite approved foods

It is counter-productive to focus on foods that you can’t eat. You will start to feel deprived and hungry. It will be more mentally challenging. You may even find yourself feeling exhausted without any real reason.

The first thing that you must do when starting an elimination diet is to identify the foods that you enjoy eating that are on the approved list. Heck, even if you are doing an all-meat diet, you need to identify which foods you absolutely love and can handle eating repeatedly.

Listen to positive affirmations

I have a tape of positive affirmations from Think Right Now. I play it every night. It gets into my head that I will be able to heal from my health conditions. This can help me from thinking negative counterproductive thoughts. It keeps me from cheating and starting over as I have done in the past.

The tape that I listen to has some classical music playing in the background that is also supposed to have healing vibes. I can’t say for sure whether it works or not, but I do seem to feel a bit more positive about my efforts and journey to stay the course.

Get the junk out

Don’t try to start the diet with your food temptations in plain sight. Wait a day or two until you can eat them up or throw them away. Willpower does not always stick around when there is a slice of pizza to be eaten. Pizza may not tempt you once you have a few months of the diet down, but in the beginning, keeping temptation away is good.

Select a reward for yourself

Kindergarten teachers always gave you stickers for doing a great job. Your boss will hand out bonuses for excellent work. Reward yourself for staying on task with Whole30. There is no shame in this game. For me, I have been thinking that my reward could be a fun trip to go fishing on the Potomac. I may reward myself with some birthday cake at the end (because my birthday is at the end of February.)

You can set small rewards for making it through the week on the diet or big rewards for getting through the whole month. The idea is to make following through on your goal to eat healthier a bit more fun.

Some non-food rewards could include:

  • a bubble bath
  • buying your favorite perfume
  • a trip to the movies
  • get your nails done
  • a clean house (get a maid for a day)
  • a fun hike

Conclusion

Dieting is not fun when your friends and family eat the addicting junk foods that you usually love. Then again, those foods tend to make you sick and tired. It isn’t until you are sick and tired of being sick and tired that you will change your ways. Whole30 is a great way to start making healthier choices.

Rewarding yourself for sticking with your diet will not only bring you closer to your health goals, but you’ll feel better about yourself. You will not only have accomplished a goal, but you will gain a treat for doing so!

Hope these tips have helped and you have convinced yourself that you can stick with an elimination type diet like [easyazon_link identifier=”0544609719″ locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″]Whole 30[/easyazon_link]! Best of luck to you!

A Whole30 Histamine Reaction? My experience

Yesterday was day 16 of my Whole30 experience. For some reason, I thought that I would just feel increasingly better or the same during the whole month. Not at all. First I had some upper eyelid inflammation that I remember having with other elimination diets. It only lasted a few days. Now, I experienced a full-blown histamine reaction. I sneezed and my face swelled up a bit.

The whole reaction lasted about 3 hours. It was majorly disappointing. I wanted to attribute it to one particular food I ate and could eliminate, but which one? I had a salad, pulled pork, eggs, and olives. I had been eating these things all along without a problem. So what to eliminate?

How to proceed after a reaction

I wanted to change up everything and see if there was one particular food allergy. I’m honestly struggling with doing that. Eliminating your favorite foods is very difficult. I’ve already eliminated dairy, grains, and sugar. I toyed with the idea of doing the paleo ketogenic diet again without vegetables. That is really hard initially.

Now that the inflammation has subsided, I think I’m just going to keep an eye out for future breakouts during the rest of the 30 days. At the end of the day, you have to eat something. Eliminating everything from your diet may just leave you starving.

I’m hoping this is a one-time thing. I will reassess if I continue to sneeze and break out in rashes.

The next steps

So, since I decided to continue the course and how I have been eating. The next steps will be to decide on the diet to follow after Whole30. I can gradually add foods back into my diet and see if I have a reaction. (Clearly, I don’t know what to do if I do have a reaction since I’ve just decided not to change anything.) Or I can do a stricter diet, like the GAPS or paleo ketogenic diet, and see if that works for me. Both of those will be very hard.

I think my goal should be to do a week of the Paleo Ketogenic diet, which is very similar to the GAPS intro. I know if I can get through a week, I can keep it going longer.

Testing, testing 1,2,3,

It has been a whole month since I tested my TSH and vitamin D levels. I think that I will wait two more months before testing my vitamin D levels again. That will give me a good idea of where my levels are and I can determine if I feel better or not. I’m hoping to get my vitamin D levels closer to 60.

Since my TSH levels were in the normal non-Hashimoto’s range when I tested them the last two times, I may save my money on that test. I don’t seem to have a lot of Hashimoto’s symptoms.

I could test some inflammatory markers to determine if I was inflamed after this reaction, but my symptoms have subsided. It may not show up on the test and I’m not entirely sure what to do if it did. So, I’m not going to bother with any extra blood tests.

Emu oil

One thing that I’m going to try on my scalp will be emu oil. I was reading up on the Weston A. Price Foundation website about emu oil and some doctors were using it topically with great healing results. Apparently, it is full of vitamin D and soaks into the skin well. It would be interesting to see if the vitamin D that soaked into the hair follicles could trigger new growth.

So, I ordered a bottle of emu oil. I should get it in the mail today or tomorrow. I’m super excited to start using it. My biggest challenge with topical applications is remembering to apply it! I’m not someone who has ever used lotions on my skin much at all. In fact, I don’t use any products on my skin unless they are edible because they can absorb into your body. Also, I’m super cheap and it saves money. So, there’s that.

 

In conclusion

The [easyazon_link identifier=”0544609719″ locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″ cart=”n”]Whole30 diet[/easyazon_link] doesn’t magically make you feel amazing all the time. You may have a histamine response like I did. My next steps are going to be to simply continue on with the diet that I have been eating without changing much and wait for another reaction. In two weeks when the diet is over, I will start a GAPS intro type of diet for a week.

Testing out new protocols is a matter of trial and error. You may discover something that works wonderfully for you. But you need to be honest when something that sounds so ideal doesn’t pan out for you as well. Whole30 is one protocol that I’m still deciding about. I have started charting my daily symptoms that aren’t that noticeable like constipation, sneezing, and ringing in the ears for a few seconds. I’m hoping that I will see fewer incidences of them on a chart as I progress with the diet.

 

Carlson’s Cod Liver Oil Review

Carlson’s Cod Liver Oil Review

Name: Carlson Super D Wild-Caught Norwegian Arctic Cod Liver Oil[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”500″ identifier=”B003BVIALG” locale=”US” src=”https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41M0au5BmzL.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”333″]

Website: Carlsonlabs.com
Price: $22.32
Owners: Susan Carlson, founder

Susan Carlson created the nutritional supplement brand in 1965 after her father suffered from heart issues. He found no relief by taking vitamin E. With a background in pharmacy, Susan created one of the first lines of vitamin E. Today, the company is committed to helping families live a healthier lifestyle. The brand offers over 200 vitamins, minerals, omega-3s, and other high-quality nutritional supplements.

Overall Rank: 80 out of 100

Carlson’s Super D Omega-3, Wild-Caught Norwegian Arctic Cod Liver Oil, Product Overview

[easyazon_link identifier=”B003BVIALG” locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″ cart=”n”]Carlson’s super D omega-3 cod liver oil[/easyazon_link] is a vitamin supplement that is full of natural and synthetic vitamin A and D. The cod liver oil is flavored with a lemon flavor to make it more palatable. This is a great option for someone who wants to quickly raise their vitamin D levels. Vitamin A and vitamin D are synergistic. They work together to ensure that you don’t experience toxicity from too much of one vitamin.

The Good & the Bad

The Good:

PRO #1: Has both vitamin D and vitamin A in one supplement.
PRO #2: The added synthetic vitamins let you know how many IUs of vitamin D you are getting per day.
PRO #3: The lemon flavor makes it easy and enjoyable to take.

The Bad:

CON #1: It contains some synthetic vitamins.
CON #2: It is higher priced than other cod liver oils on the market.

Who is Carlson’s Super D cod liver oil for?

This cod liver oil is great for adults and children who are not used to taking a strong-flavored cod liver oil. It is ideal for adults who do not get out in the sunshine a lot or who do not eat plenty of animal foods that contain vitamin D. (This is almost everyone as we have moved away from eating vitamin D rich foods like fatty fish and liver.)

Carlson’s Super D cod liver oil supplementation

It is recommended to take one teaspoon of Carlson’s super D cod liver oil once a day. This is to maintain vitamin D levels. If you are looking to increase your vitamin D levels, you can take up to a tablespoon of cod liver oil per day.

I started taking Carlson’s super D cod liver oil with a level just below average. My level was 28 ng/mL (30 ng/mL is average). After taking a teaspoon every day for five weeks, my levels measured 49 ng/mL.

 Carlson’s Support and Customer Service

I ordered my cod liver oil through Amazon. The product arrived within 2 days in good condition. I did not have a reason to contact customer support. The reviews on Amazon suggested that the customer support is good and they are very responsive.

Carlson’s Super D Cod Liver Oil Price

The cost of Carlson’s cod liver oil is $22.32 for an 8-ounce bottle. This price is competitive for the quality. Many vitamin D supplements do not include vitamin A or the additional vitamins in cod liver oil. The cost is much less than all-natural fermented cod liver oil, but you do have some added synthetic vitamins.[easyazon_image align=”right” cart=”n” height=”160″ identifier=”B003BVIALG” locale=”US” src=”https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61pflEOAMHL._SL160_.jpg” tag=”mcurle08-20″ width=”158″]

My Final Opinion of Carlson’s Super D Cod Liver Oil

I am very pleased with my experience taking Carlson’s super D cod liver oil. It raised my vitamin D levels when it seemed nothing else would. It also helped to prevent my epileptic seizures. I only had one during the time that I was taking the product and the length of time it lasted had decreased. The seizure also was less in intensity. People with epilepsy have lower vitamin D levels due to the anticonvulsants. Seizures can also use up vitamin D stores.

Carlson’s Super D Cod Liver Oil at a Glance…

Name: Carlson’s Super D Cod Liver Oil

Website: Carlsonlabs.com
Owners: Carlson
Price: $22.32

VERDICT: LEGIT! Highly recommend!

Note: While I highly recommend this product, I have been reading up on the benefits of fermented cod liver oil. I will be experimenting with a few different cod liver oils to see if I can have even better results or find a lower-cost option.

My Whole30 Update – 10 days In!

I haven’t been updating my blog much because I don’t think that dieting is that interesting right now, but maybe you’ll find something interesting about my experience. The first day was super hard. I had to stop eating the addicting foods and find something else to eat or avoid the kitchen altogether.

The Whole30 detox experience

I did not expect to feel any negative side effects from getting rid of grains and dairy, but on the second day, I did get a slight headache. It was a day that I was being pretty lazy and reading a lot on my couch, so the headache could have been a result of neck strain.

My detoxing ramped up on the fourth day and I started getting the rash above my eye that I get when doing elimination diets. It is itchy and uncomfortable but doesn’t last much longer than a week if that. Luckily, I didn’t have the rash above both eyelids, just the left one.

In my first few days, I had a bit more bowel movements. They were pretty normal, so I figure that it was just my body getting rid of any excess. They have pretty much normalized. My last bowel movement was indicating a small bit of constipation based on the shape according to the Bristol stool chart.

Overall, my detox hasn’t been too bad. I’ve adjusted to the foods quite well. Then again, this is not my first rodeo when it comes to elimination dieting!

My Whole30 health benefits

This is a bit hard for me to admit, but I haven’t seen many health benefits just yet. When I started I had been waking up with a tiny bit of congestion. This has gone away for the most part.

I haven’t had any seizures on the diet, but my seizure pattern was very sporadic, so I didn’t expect to have any. I do feel like my brain is working a bit better, but it is a bit hard to explain. I have still had moments of forgetfulness, but they seem to have diminished.

My hair is not yet growing, which is the main reason that I do these diets. I keep looking for little hairs here and there, but I can’t say that there are any new ones. This is easy to tell with a completely bald head.

My Whole30 eating out plan

One of the things that can be challenging about Whole30 is eating out in restaurants with friends. I had planned on eating brunch with a good friend this weekend, but we got a snowstorm.

How was I going to navigate the whole30 diet in a restaurant where most ingredients are off-limits?

I had checked out the menu ahead of time. I saw that the brunch menu had steak and eggs on it. They included a side dish of hash browns and toast. I planned on eating the steak, eggs, and hash browns and not worrying about whether they used vegetable oil when cooking it. I didn’t want to worry about it because I felt a little bit of vegetable oil was unlikely to harm me.

I do know that some people request to have their foods cooked in lard or butter, but since I rarely eat out, I was going to let it slide. Besides, steak and eggs are pretty nutrient-dense whole foods.

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My mistakes on Whole30

I have not been 100% compliant with the[easyazon_link identifier=”B00QEGI2GS” locale=”US” tag=”mcurle08-20″]whole30 rules[/easyazon_link]. I did allow a few seemingly whole foods into my diet that had bad ingredients in them. I bought uncured, nitrite-free, pastured bacon from a local farm. It was high quality and I assumed that it was clean. It was sugar-free, but when I checked, they used evaporated cane juice in the smoking process. It isn’t a lot, so I decided I’d go ahead and finish the package.

On the eighth day, I made a salad. My mom suggested using olives and for a brief moment, I forgot that I was doing whole30 and didn’t check the ingredients on the can. There is an additive that I didn’t recognize that is questionable. Again, it isn’t a lot. I will probably not consume more, so I am not going to worry about it too much.

I have used a supplement. I use cod liver oil to keep my vitamin D levels high and prevent seizures. It isn’t a whole food and does have synthetic vitamin A and vitamin D added, so that isn’t 100% compliant, but I do feel better with higher levels of vitamin D. I do think that it is preventing seizures.

My successes on Whole30

Ok, now that we’ve gone over my failures with the diet. I need to celebrate my successes. I was able to eliminate dairy and I don’t really miss it! I have gotten the grains out of my diet and I’m not craving bread or crackers. I haven’t touched a sugary product in 12 days.

My confidence is rising in my ability to eat healthily. I feel like I will probably be able to continue this way of eating beyond thirty days. It is only day 12, but I have gotten into a good routine with my food.

Overall, I feel pretty great about my progress on the Whole30 diet. 

5 Ways the Paleo Ketogenic Diet Treats Seizures

The ketogenic diet has been around since 1920 treating people with epilepsy. Once anti-convulsants were invented, the diet was mostly abandoned unless the drugs didn’t work on the patient. Most doctors and scientific journals will admit that they don’t know why the ketogenic diet works in treating seizures.

The International Center for Medical and Nutritional Intervention has helped me understand a few factors that contribute to the success of the ketogenic diet. They have also pointed out a few factors that make it fail. They are the creators of the Paleo Ketogenic diet and have tweaked the ketogenic diet to improve the success with seizure patients.

1. Increases Vitamin D Levels

When the ketogenic diet is followed with a meat/fat approach, vitamin D levels increase. The vitamin D in animal products is stored in fat. A well-formulated ketogenic diet includes a high amount of animal fat.

In a 2012 study, it was found that the correction of vitamin D levels improves seizure control. Vitamin D levels are commonly low in patients with epilepsy. Not only do seizures reduce vitamin D levels when they occur, but anti-convulsants reduce vitamin D levels. In this study 5 of the 13 patients had a 50% reduction in seizure activity.

In 2019, researchers tested subjects with an average of 5 seizures per month. With a dosing of 5000 IU per day, they were able to reduce seizures to an average of 3 per month at six weeks.

Vitamin D plays a crucial role in stabilizing your brain function. Low levels of vitamin D also put you at a higher risk for more seizures.

2. Stabilizes Blood Glucose

I never had seizures that were directly correlated to eating cake or spiking my insulin with a ton of candy. Initially, it was hard for me to believe that blood glucose had a connection to seizure control. When I started testing my blood sugars, I began to notice patterns in my brain function and my blood glucose levels. When they are higher, I don’t feel quite as good. Not all insulin spikes will result in a seizure, but they do put you at greater risk.

According to Dr. Carl E. Stafstrom, hyperglycemia lowers the seizure threshold. Experimental studies have suggested that extracellular glucose is associated with neuronal hyperexcitability. This indicates that a glucose balance is essential for normal neurotransmission. Studies show that hyperglycemia exacerbates ischemia-induced brain damage while fasting induced hypoglycemia protect against this neurotoxicity.

3. Increase Magnesium Levels

Magnesium has a stabilizing effect on your nervous system. It plays an essential role in nerve transmission and neuromuscular conduction. Magnesium functions in a protective role against excessive excitation that leads to neuronal cell death.

In a study of Finnish men, it was determined that a higher dietary intake of magnesium is associated with lower levels of epilepsy.

The Paleo Ketogenic diet provides you with the minerals that your body needs. While beef and pork are not particularly high in magnesium levels, they provide your body with the amount that it needs. There is also no fiber blocking any absorption of the minerals, so you can get the full benefit from the meat.

4. Ketone Levels

Ketones are water-soluble compounds that are produced as byproduct when the body burns fat for energy. When the body is fueled by fats, there is an increase in ketone production. The level of ketones is not always indicative of great seizure control. It does indicate that the brain is using the ketones as fuel and the body is in ketosis.

The role that ketone levels play in seizure control is still unclear, but it does seem to correlate with increased seizure control. In a study published in the Journal of American Dietetic Association, 82% (42) of the individuals maintained ketone levels between 80–160 mg/dl. Of these participants, 43% (18) were seizure free, 50% (21) had reduced seizures and 7% (3) showed no change in seizure control. This indicates that high ketone levels benefit patients on a ketogenic diet by eliminating or reducing seizures.

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5. Reduce Inflammation

The Paleo Ketogenic diet is particularly strict regarding which fats and meats are to be eaten. This is where the Paleo Ketogenic diet stands out from the classical ketogenic diet. It cuts out the inflammatory foods such as dairy, nightshades, and legumes.

The traditional and paleo ketogenic diet reduce the body’s inflammatory response. Inflammation that is due to encephalitis, meningitis, or autoimmune disorders has the potential to trigger seizures.

The elimination of dairy from the ketogenic diet protocol may be increasing its overall success. Dairy has been associated with an increased risk of autoimmune diseases. It may also be contributing to intestinal permeability and increased inflammation.

Conclusion

Sticking with the Paleo Ketogenic diet initially can be very difficult. You drastically limit or eliminate some of your favorite foods. For me, giving up butter was very difficult. I wanted to cheat all the time, but Dr. Clemens at the ICMNI helped me to understand that dairy was extremely inflammatory for someone with autoimmune symptoms and it was likely making me susceptible to seizures even if it was only occasionally. It was also probably keeping my alopecia universals around.

The more you understand about the mechanisms and benefits of the Paleo Ketogenic Diet, the easier sticking with it becomes. After almost a month on the diet, I find it very easy to eat the delicious foods. I’m satiated and not craving other foods that are just for fun. It also reduces the time I spend eating and I find that I can spend that time in other pursuits.

 

Bone Broth and the Keto Diet – The Secret To Success

The ketogenic diet is all the rage now that people have realized that they can lose weight when they cut the carbohydrates. Most people don’t realize that they are overeating and not really in ketosis. Many individuals simply cut the carbs and don’t increase their fat intake. I made that mistake too.

But I wasn’t reaping the full benefits of the ketogenic diet until I started working with Dr. Clemens at the International Center for Medicine and Nutritional Intervention (ICMNI or Paleomedicina). They insisted that I measure every gram of food that I ate and make sure that I was eating the right fat to protein ratios.

Easy, right?

I know how to measure things and categorize them as fat or meat. Not a problem.

And you only get to eat 400 grams of food per day. Wait. What? I had been eating twice that amount! How was I going to survive? This was terrible. I longed to be chewing on an extra burger or steak.

Then I remembered something I had read about bone broth. It provides you with a filling sensation. The blog post was promoting it as a weight loss tool. I wasn’t trying to lose weight, but I needed to feel full. I believed Dr. Clemens who had worked with thousands of patients that her research led her to believe that the human body physiologically only needs 400 grams of food, but this was quite the adjustment.

I asked my nutritionist if I could add bone broth into my diet. She said yes and it could count as part of my water intake.

Thank goodness!

It worked! Not only did I feel 100% satiated, but I started to see some of the health benefits from bone broth. Specifically, my skin was incredibly moisturized without lotion. My nails appeared to be getting stronger and growing a bit faster.

I also discovered that I could add a little extra bacon grease to the broth to increase my fat intake. That helped with my ketone levels and feeling of fullness.

So, what are some other great benefits of bone broth?

Bone Broth Health Benefits

  • Bone broth prevents the keto flu with its essential electrolytes.
  • Collagen and glycine in bone broth help you retain lean muscle mass.
  • Bone broth eases stomach upset as it lines the walls of the gut lining.
  • Collagen is superior to whey, casein and soy protein.
  • Bone broth aids a healthy gut microbiome.
  • Bone broth can elevate your mood.
  • Bone broth contains high levels of glycine, hydroxyproline and proline, and alanine. These are essential building blocks for the body.
  • Weight loss is improved as bone broth changes the ratio of Bacteriodetes to Firmicutes. Firmicutes will imbalance the body’s ability to metabilize calories.
  • The collagen content of bone broth helps to improve dental health.
  • Bone broth has been reported to help improve joint pain due to its l-glutamine, cysteine, glycine and histidine.

Adding Bone Broth to a Ketogenic Diet

When I started out, I added a cup of bone broth to each meal and sipped on it as a snack. For the first few days, this is okay, but keep in mind that bone broth does contain protein and fats that do add up. After a few days, I settled into a routine of having a cup of bone broth for breakfast and one with my dinner. Right now, two cups seems to keep me full until the next time I get to eat.

Since bone broth can be sipped slowly, it can keep me satisfied with a smaller amount of food if I know that I will be eating out and adjusting my food intake accordingly.

For people who are on a traditional ketogenic diet with a few vegetables, you can turn the bone broth into a soup by simply adding some low carbohydrate vegetables.

Low carb Additions for a Soup:

  • shredded cabbage
  • shredded carrots (not a low carb vegetable, but if you shred them and only use a few it can be very tasty and fit your macros)
  • onions
  • spring onions
  • eggs (egg drop soup)
  • meats
  • green beans
  • squash

Drinking Bone Broth Plain:

This sounds quite terrible, but it is the easiest and most convenient way to get the extra nutrition from bone broth. I make a batch every week in my electric pressure cooker and scoop out a cup at a time. It is nice to have on hand and it is a filling substitute for other foods.

Ideally, you want to heat it on the stove, but admittedly I heat it in the microwave half of the time. Let’s face it, we’re all human and take shortcuts sometimes.

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Counting Bone Broth In Your Macros

Thankfully, my nutritionist said I didn’t have to worry about counting the broth in my macronutrient ratios. In some ways, I feel like I’m cheating and getting in some extra nutrients. I am doing a VERY STRICT paleo ketogenic version of the diet, so my carbohydrates are pretty much zero anyway. I’m not getting so much extra protein from the broth that it kicks me out of ketosis. (I do measure that now with my keto-mojo!)

If you are adding low carbohydrate veggies to your broth to make a nourishing soup, I would definitely count a few carbohydrates for the soup. The low carb veggies won’t get you up over 20 grams of carbohydrates, but will make the soup feel more like a meal. It will also add some flavor and interest to the soup.

The Key to My Success

I can say without a doubt that bone broth has been the key to helping me stick with the paleo ketogenic diet for the last three weeks. My adjustment to life without dairy would have been much harder had I not had the comfort of a cup of broth at every meal to distract me. Adding in some of the extra fats to my broth also helped me to increase my fat levels and get my ketones up.

While it is a bit early to say whether the bone broth has cured any of my ailments, it does help me to feel great and stick with my VERY STRICT diet.