Re-introduction: Dairy

As the arepas on Saturday were cleared, I thought I'd try another experiment. Trying three things out back to back is probably not the best idea though, so nothing else new until the weekend.

I had 4 (four! they were so good....) arepas with scrambled eggs, fried tomatoes, butter, and cheese (doble crema).

To be honest, I hadn't really missed cheese, butter or milk. They were a lot easier to cut out than I'd feared. It was just another hassle when eating out, but other than that I didn't mind not having them. Ice-cream though is a different story... As I was fine with the butter and cheese yesterday (there might have been a couple of new spots due to them, but they were small so as an occasional treat I don't mind) I now have renewed hope for Crepes & Waffles!

Verdict: Butter and cheese are ok sometimes. Further experimentation is "needed" for other types of cheese and, more importantly, ice-cream ;)

Re-introduction: Arepas

Since I learnt how to make them, I've never gone more than a week without doing so, and since I came to Colombia I've been making them once or twice a week and buying them too! Sadly a lot of the street arepas have wheat flour in them, leading to the incident that started the Whole 30 off for me.

So, Saturday morning breakfast, finally, 2 arepas! With scrambled eggs and ham (have completely forgotten my Italian....).

Arepas tend to fill me up for quite a long time, despite being so high carb. They do make me feel literally full though... but as there were no other side effects noticed (skin ok, digestion ok....)

Verdict: OK! Woot! But as a sometimes food, not an everyday one.

I wonder if 'normal' corm will be ok? Grilled corn on the cob is a common street/park snack here...

Re-introduction: Tequila

As the champagne on Wednesday didn't cause any unexpected effects (or any effects really, it was a very small amount), I decided to try a NorCal Margherita. Very yummy! And no bad effects at all :D

Verdict: Alcohol is probably ok! Not going to try beer though... I don't think it's worth it. I'll stick to champagne, tequila, and possibly wine :D

The end?

No, not even close!

I got weighed this morning at the office, and I was 65.3 (? I can't remember now...)kg! That's not what I had hoped or expected :( It is, however, that time of the month, so I'm simply not counting this result. I'll measure myself later today, but next Thursday is going to be my 'official weigh in and results day.' I've been eating ridiculous quantities over the last week, either because it tasted good or because I was craving something sweet and decided to eat something 'healthy' even though I wasn't actually hungry. I know I've missed off a few 'snacks' (ie, full sized meals) here, just because can't remember it all... So, trying not to be disheartened by the scales this morning, I do know why it went up (hormones + bending the rules), but it still sucks.

Day 32

At TKD last night

It was el Profe's birthday, so there were sweets (no thanks, not worth it), cheesecake (not ready to experiment with dairy yet, and it may well have included flour which is a definite no-no) and champagne (yes please, but only about 3 tbs!). I thought champagne was a good way to 'break' the whole 30 :D Although I'm still carrying on with the numbering. 

Breakfast

Small coffee at work.

Black tea with lemon.

Carrot, beetroot and onion latkes (making them in a food processor is not recommended, it was a much wetter mixture than usual), and small burgers. Mayo.

Snack
Beetroot and mayo, with a cup of chicken broth (wish it were the real thing instead of instant). I tried really hard not to do this :(

Lunch
Pollo, plantan, and a natural lemonade with no sugar.

I keep thinking of all the things I'm 'allowed' to eat now... chocolate, arepas, empanadas, cheese... I want to try a little of everything NOW! That would, of course, totally undermine everything I've been doing for the last month though. I've decided on arepas for breakfast of Saturday, so I've just got to hold out another day and a half before I try something 'new!'

Day 31

Breakfast
Carrot latkes, beef and onion burgers, mayo. Chicken stock.

I've decided to carry on for another couple of days. On Thursdays one of my classes always weigh themselves so I'll have some scales handy. I don't want to undo all of the good eating over the past month today by eating something that, it turns out, doesn't agree with me, before I get a chance to see the results. I'm not optimistic about having lost weight though, although on average my skin is much better. The extra day or two will also give me time to plan which foods I'm going to try and in which order. Really nervous!

Snack
More carrot latkes, with peanut mayo sauce.

Lunch
Mince, tomato and onion. Salad, avocado, and a fried egg. Like a bandeja paisa without the ... well, without most of it really. But if you squint you can kind of see the resemblance :D

Dinner
Pork, lettuce, and peanut mayo sauce.

Day 30 !!!!!!!

Breakfast
A cup of chicken stock/broth (from a powder)
2 scrambled eggs, a small piece of pork, a slice of avocado, and peanut sauce mixed with mayo. And a black coffee.

I'm not sure what to do tomorrow... I'm actually quite nervous! I'd like to continue a bit longer, to be healthy for as long as possible, but on the other hand I'm really curious to reintroduce certain foods and see how they affect me... But then again I feel like I just don't want to know if the answer is that they're noticeably bad for me! ...

Snack
Small steak, julienned carrot and cucumber, sesame oil and seeds.

Lunch
Tuna, mayo, fried tomato and avocado lettuce wraps.

Another snack
Small steak, julienned carrot and cucumber,, shredded lettuce sesame oil and seeds.

Dinner
Pork chop, lots of lettuce, mayo with added sesame oil.

Sesame oil = addictive....

Recipe: Peanut Noodles

While I was growing up, and long past the time when I stopped growing, peanut noodles (from a book by Ken Hom, so used that it always fell open at the right 2 pages for this recipe) was a staple. When I realised that my gluten allergy/sensitivity meant I couldn't eat them anymore, I wasn't very happy at the idea of never eating this again. For some reason I went 2 or 3 years without realising I could put the sauce on something else... It's very strange how restricting my diet so much has really expanded the range of foods/dishes I eat/cook. I'm sure someone famous once said something about limits being good for creativity...?

Recipe:
Using a julienne peeler, shred a couple of courgettes (depending on size) and a carrot. Fry/sauté until they're cooked through and a few of the 'noodles' are becoming crispy (you could steam or boil them too, but I didn't want soggy noodles).
Meanwhile, mix 2 tbs of tahini (sesame paste - no peanuts on the Whole 30, and anyway all of the peanut butter I can find here contains sugar)
with 4 tbs of toasted sesame oil (its this not the peanutter that gives it the flavour anyway so you really won't miss it),
a pinch of chilli powder (careful with chilli sauces - they usually contain sugar too),
and salt and pepper.
I added a small splash of balsamic vinegar too.
Stir well and drizzle over noodles, vegetables, salads, meat... I'm going to try it on avocado next!

Day 29

Only two more days to go!

Breakfast
Courgette/carrot latkes, and 'taco filling' (onion, garlic, minced beef, chilli powder, tomato puree). Black coffee.

Lunch
Pollo y platano

Dinner
Chicken, a fried egg with mayo in lettuce, and fried courgette slices. All topped with the super yummy 'peanut' sauce!

Day 28

Breakfast
2 fried eggs, each sprinkled with curry powder and chilli powder, wrapped in lettuce with a bit of mayo. Black coffee.

Lunch
Pollo y plantain. Black coffee with cinnamon.

Snack
Pollo and mayo.

Dinner
Peanut Noodles!!!!!!! (recipe coming soon) with spinach and steak. I'd missed this soooooo much!!!!! :D :D :D

Day 27

Breakfast
Omelette with onion, garlic, ground beef, tomato puree, a little mayo, chilli powder and spinach. Black coffee.

Lunch
Apple with tahini, hot chocolate with cinnamon.
Pork, fried carrot, sauerkraut, and 'coronation sauce' (mayo + curry powder - I'd been craving it). A very good combination actually!

Dinner

2 chicken legs (in the cinema - expensive but miles better than popcorn and coke!)

Day 26

Breakfast
More pancakes and strawberries and (coconut) cream! Oops :D This time with a cooked nectarine as well (like sauteed, but with water not oil, and sprinkled with cinnamon).

YUM

I also had (instead of coffee, as I'd already had one at work, and instead of chai tea as I ran out yesterday) hot chocolate!!!!!!!!!!!!! Awesomeness!!!! When I was eating the coconut cream yesterday I hadn't noticed that it had separated, so today I heated it up, added a square of cocoa, and enjoyed! It's good to know I can still have hot chocolate without the milk. Next time I make my own coconut milk I think it would be perfect for this as well :)

Lunch
Pollo and plantain :D

Dinner
Chicken, fried grated beetroot (I was going for crispy but it didn't work - still nice though) and mayo wrapped in lettuce.

Very proud that I didn't eat lots of snacks or extra meals today :)

Day 25

Breakfast
Small black coffee in class.
Chai tea, lots of strawberries, lots of coconut cream, coconut pancakes.
Yummmmmmm  ^^
I'm going to try and make sure that the coffee this morning is my only coffee today.

Lunch
Woohoo! I helped a couple of students settle a bet (how to correctly pronounce Wembley Stadium) and the loser had to buy the class lunch - as judge I was invited too!
A huge steak, really yummy, with a pile of julienned vegetables next to it. Lots of sparkling water and ... a black coffee... Still, only two in a day is already cutting down!

Dinner
Lettuce wraps with minced beef, a bit of tomato puree, mayo, avocado, and beetroot chips on the side.

The ingredients ready to be wrapped

I really love eating :D

Day 24

Breakfast:
Spaghetti! With spicy tomato and beef sauce. Ok, julienned courgette, not pasta. It was close enough though! Am very excited about this new discovery :D If I ever get my hands on some decent (ie, not smoked) bacon I'm going to make a carbonara!

Lunch:
Tuna, tomato, mayo and avocado wraps. I added tomato puree to the tuna/mayo mixture as I didn't have any 'real' tomatoes to fry.

Dinner:
Steak, sauerkraut, fried carrots, mayo.

I've realised that I'm drinking a lot of (black) coffee. This is surprising! I don't feel the roller coaster of highs and crashes that I get with sugar, but I don't want to replace one 'addiction' with another. Must try to cut down.

Day 23

Breakfast
Black coffee, lettuce wraps made with onion, minced beef and tomato puree, with a quarter of an avocado and a spoonful of mayo.

It looks gross but honestly it tasted wonderful. I make awesome guacamole.

Wrapping food in lettuce makes it so much more fun, but I really can't explain why :D Perhaps it's because I actually have to concentrate on the food instead of just shovelling in forkfuls...

Lunch
I got invited out to a v posh restaurant by an old student, hard to say no :D Thankfully restaurants always have a grilled-something, and are always happy to switch the rice for some extra salad. Grilled salmon in ginger and some-kind-of-fruit sauce, with lots of vegetables and a small salad. The sauce probably wasn't perfectly compliant, but it was delicious!

Dinner
Leftover chicken and mayo. Fried carrots.

Day 22

Breakfast
Black coffee, courgette and onion fritters, spicy fried eggs, and a dollop of guacamole.

Lunch
Steak, fried carrots, red cabbage, mayo. Black coffee.

Dinner
Steak, fried beetroot, mayo.

Dinner II
Steak, mayo, fried carrots.

I did not get enough sleep last night. I've been hungry and in the mood for picking/grazing all day. Not good. It's very obvious now that my appetite really is connected to my sleep levels. At least I managed to restrain myself to healthy foods though, instead of eating the extra-large Jumbo bars I'd been craving.

Day 21

Breakfast
Scrambled eggs, fried tomato, avocado, black coffee.

Lunch
Tuna, mayo, fried tomato, avocado.

Dinner
Chicken with plantain and a real lemonade (no sugar).

Snack
Cold chicken with mayo, fried carrots.

Day 19

Breakfast part 1
Black coffee

Breakfast part 2
An apple and a handful of salted macadamia nuts.

This 2 part breakfast was also a 2 part revelation. If I have time to make (and drink!) coffee before I go out, then I have time to fry/scramble a couple of eggs. It won't be as spectacular as the breakfasts I've been enjoying (really, really enjoying) recently, but as I'll be working extra in the mornings soon I'll have to get used to less complicated breakfasts anyway. Prepping a bit of spinach or tomato the night before shouldn't be too much trouble. It should also help me control portions better - if I'm not just standing over the stove wondering what else I can add, then I should be able to stick to normal-human sized portions, instead of the fuel-for-Olympic-athlete sized portions that I can't seem to stop cooking.
The second part of the revelation was about taste. The macadamias tasted like vanilla icecream! I don't think I'd ever noticed that before. Since I've cut out all added sugars etc I'm sure my tastebuds have changed (for the better). Things actually have flavours now, and I can pick out different ingredients in a mouthful. The vanilla ice-cream taste must be because one of my favourite ice-creams in London (sadly/thankfully not available here) had macadamia nuts in, but I never really noticed the taste (just loved the texture). Now I know what they taste like, and I love them!


Lunch
Pancakes, a whole carton of strawberries, and most of a can of coconut milk.

Damn that's good! So good that I'm not going to eat it again until the Whole 30 is over. It's too much fruit, and I obviously can't control myself, so I'm just going to send it to sit on the naughty step for the next 11 days (Only 11 days left! Woot! I've already started planning/worrying over the reintroduction of various foods after this is over - I can't wait to find out what really affects me and whether it's worth it, although I'm terrified that the answer will be "no, it's not").

Just so you know, I'm king queen of the world ;) I feel good today. You know when you're in love and you want to tell everyone? Or it's unexpectedly sunny so you can't stop smiling? Even at random strangers? I'm somewhere between those two today - happy and wanting to tell everyone to start their Whole 30 NOW!

Day 18

Lunch
Lettuce wraps (avocado, fried tomato, minced beef with chilli powder, mayo) with 'chips' (chunkily cut beetroot and carrot slices, fried). Coffee with coconut milk.
My 'chips' weren't as crispy/crunchy as I'd hoped. Is it possible? Next time I'll try thinner than normal and see how they turn out.
Totally delicious :D

Dinner
Two fried eggs, each  sprinkled with curry powder and salt, and wrapped in lettuce leaves.

Wrapping food in other food makes it funner ;)

Day 18

Breakfast
(eaten on the run between classes)
A small handful of almonds, about 4 inches of a pepperami-type sausage, and a cup of mango/papaya. Black coffee in my first class (love those guys :D )

Snack
2 fried eggs with curry powder (I'd like to get more turmeric in my diet, but can't find it here except as a pre made curry mix - hoping to try it out with mayo and left over chicken soon), and a coffee with canned coconut milk (damn that stuff is good!)


Amazingly my breakfast was at 8:45, and my snack was at 1:30, but I didn't die in between. In fact I happily survived getting the wrong bus (twice!) and walking all around Homecentre and Exito. I wasn't the happiest I've ever been (thoughts of bed and huge plates of food were rather intrusive) but I definitely managed that a lot better than I ever have before (ie: no will-kill-for-food-or-for-looking-at-me moments). Huzzah :)

Day 17

Snack(s)

I finished the rest of the strawberries with coconut milk :D Happiness!

Lunch

Burgers, fried carrots, tomato and courgette, with lettuce and a fried egg. Awesomeness!

Recipe: Pancakes

In a food processor, chop half a largish apple. Add in an egg, some cinnamon, and enough desiccated coconut so that it looks kind of like pancake batter.
Fry in spoonfuls (you'll probably have to flatten them a bit) until they're cooked through.
Serve with strawberries and coconut cream :D

Day 17

Day 17!!!! That sounds like such a lot!

Breakfast
Coffee with coconut milk.
"Pancakes" with strawberries and coconut milk.
Chai tea (black).

NOM! I haven't had strawberries for over 6 months! I couldn't resist when I saw them in the supermarket today (most strawberries here are for juicing and have a lot of white on them, not so red). Despite the price I regret NOTHING! (and the best part is that I still have half the box left!)

No, paleofying things is not part of the plan, but, like I said, I regret nothing :D There was no dairy, no added sugar, no grains, no nothing that might make me feel/look bad. In fact I feel quite clever for inventing the recipe! Oops, heheheh

Day 16

Dinner
Small steak, fried carrots, plantain and courgettes, mayo.

Day 16

Breakfast
Black coffee, a small handful of almonds.
Grilled beef steak and too much plantain, small orange juice, and a cup of papaya and mango.
Eaten while walking around the Simon Bolivar Park - several kilometres!

Lunch
Two fried eggs, 1/4 of an avocado, small spoon of mayo, coffee with coconut milk.

Today I'm feeling a lot better. My skin is healing already - no new spots, just the scars/scabs/marks from yesterday. I still feel fat though - I'm eating correctly, but too much, and probably too late at night.

Walking around the Simoncho and trying to ignore the choclos was hard, but I did it :D

Day 15

Dinner

I made tacos/burritos with lettuce instead of the grain based wrap. Yum!
Minced beef and chilli powder, mayo, avocado, fried tomato, all in lettuce leaves, with a 'side' of courgette fritters.

Yesterday (I'm writing this on Tuesday - day 16) was awful. Really really low self esteem all day, terrible spots, felt fat and lazy.... At least I cooked well and resisted the temptation to bury myself in icecream. I'm so happy it's over!

Day 15

Breakfast
Burgers, courgette and carrot latkes, mayo, coffee with coconut milk.

I've successfully cut down on my mayo consumption - I'm limiting myself to one tablespoon at a time. This is mostly because I'm now storing my mayo in an old peanut butter jar so it doesn't look icky as quickly. However, I think I'm eating too much protein. I'm definitely eating more than a palm sized amount at most meals, so for this week one of my goals is to consciously measure my protein and see if I'm still satisfied. If not, I'll step up the fats again, and then the protein if it turns out I do really need it (I am building muscle here! I might genuinely need more than a palm sized amount, but I doubt that it would be three times though...)

In other news, my skin is awful this morning! Thankfully only under and around the jaw. What on Earth happened? It really was clearing up so well! I have two suspects: the new high oleic sunflower oil which I've been using instead of olive oil (it's half the price and I go through so much in cooking and mayonnaise making - I really hope it's not the oil!) or the coconut milk which I had yesterday. Although the packet of desiccated coconut which I used to make the milk said 100% coconut, and there was no mention of sugar anywhere, it was ridiculously sweet! I thought perhaps my taste buds had adjusted after no sugar and very little fruit, but now I'm thinking otherwise. In the end I went through the whole batch (two cups or so) of coconut milk in one day. I swigged it when I went by the fridge, drank it with cocoa squares, and fantasised about a hot chocolate made from it. The cinnamon leftover pancakes I made with the used up coconut were also very sweet. Gosh darn it! If it contains sugar then it would explain why it tasted so sweet, why I felt compelled to use it up so fast, and probably why I have so many new spots this morning. I'm definitely not going to buy that brand again, and I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that the spots go away and don't come back - meaning the oil is 'safe' to keep using.


ETA - the new coconut milk that I made this morning is sweet, yes, but no where near as sweet as yesterday's batch. It must have contained sugar...

Half way there (almost)

Wow, I can't believe I've completed an entire fortnight! Well, I still have tonight to go, but I'm feeling pretty confident. I've also got really good at turning down unhealthier food choices. I never thought I'd be able to pass up certain brands of icecream, be able to play nintendo while my opponent is happily drinking beer and eating queso y bocadillo without joining in, or watch a film without popcorn. Have I finally turned a corner?

Kind of... I feel stronger (physically, yes, but mostly mentally) but I know that it's a lot of hard work to refuse certain 'treats.' I know that when my whole 30 is over I will add certain things back into fairly regular rotation as long as they don't screw with me too much - corn (in the form of arepas), and I'm really hoping cheese is ok for me too. I have a feeling that icecream will be worth the sugar/dairy once a month too, although I hope I'll be able to limit it to that. The arepas will probably be once a week, they're just so convenient as street food, and so yummy as breakfast. Maybe once a fortnight though - I've stepped up my breakfast efforts, and I'm really proud of what I'm able to cook now. Even better - when I cook for other people they enjoy what I give them!

I'm really happy that I've been able to survive thrive for a fortnight without any dairy. Wheat was comparatively easy to give up, but in so many foods it's the melted cheese on top that makes it so moreish, or the butter it's cooked in that gives it that specific taste. I was very surprised to learn that scrambled eggs without butter (using olive oil, or my new toy - high oleic sunflower oil instead) taste just as good! And that I can drink coffee or chai tea black!! (Although I have to admit, coconut milk is delicious and I think will never be improved upon.)

Just for being able to stick with this for fourteen (14!) days makes me feel like a superhero. I'm so happy I'm finally doing this! I've been wanting to eat 'perfectly clean' for so long, but have always made excuses/exceptions. I feel proud of myself, and even if that's the only positive result I get (although the skin on my face is noticeably clearer, and I have lost a little weight already) then it will still all be worth it. Although... have you seen the photos of my food? You can hardly say I'm depriving myself! I'm experimenting in the kitchen, cooking and eating new ingredients and recipes, savouring every mouthful (in front of my computer... still need to work on that)... This 'diet' is great! :D

Well, that's enough rambling. I really hope that the next 16 days pass as painlessly as the previous 14. I hope that I don't have to eat healthy food instead of unhealthy food (instead just not having the cravings for snacks). I hope at the end I can see a difference in my body. I hope that my facial skin stays clear and gets clearer under my jaw. I hope that the people I care about can see a difference in me and are inspired to try this too.

Buen provecho!

Day 14

Breakfast
Taco omelette with lettuce instead of avocado, black coffee.

Snack
Cold chicken, mayo, black coffee.

Lunch (4pm!)
Steak, fried egg, fried courgette, plantain and carrot slices.
Square of cocoa and spoon of coconut milk.

Recipe: Pork and Apple

Slice an onion into half rings and soften in a pan.
Add chopped pork (I like stir-fry style strips) and brown a little.
Add a peeled and sliced apple, and enough water to just cover everything. (If you're not serving with sauerkraut then you can hide some finely chopped white cabbage too, and noone will ever know!)
Turn up the heat and let the water boil away (watch carefully towards the end).

Recipe: Courgette Fritters

Slice a courgette into approximately half-centimeter rounds.
Dip each slice into beaten egg, then into shredded coconut (Would ground almonds work? Or hazelnuts?).
Fry over a low heat, turning and poking as little as possible, until they're at your required softness. If you've cut very thick slices covering the pan works well.

Serve with a sprinkle of salt and a dollop of mayo.

Day 13

Breakfast @ 10:30am

Burgers (minced beef, finely diced onion, one egg white) with lettuce, fried beetroot slices and mayo.

I'm experimenting with high oleic acid sunflower oil now. It's half the price of olive oil, and I think it's just as good for me... I'm not going to check that though until I've used the bottle up. I;m afraid that if I find out it's not as good as I'd hoped then I'll feel have to chuck it out and I don't want to waste the food or the money...


Lunch - pollo (no plantain!)

Dinner - a huge radish, courgette fritters, and the leftover coconut/egg made into cinnamon pancakes.