What is Food Freedom Anyway?
Grace Kelly had the right idea, from this vintage magazine article.
Food Freedom, my friends. It's not the end, it's just the beginning. Food Freedom is how you live the rest of your life. It's how you decide what works - and what doesn't - for you. And only you. What works for you may not work for someone else. What you learn about yourself during the process is how you determine your personal Food Freedom. Forever. You've heard me talk about Whole30. A lot. I know. As I'm getting ready for my upcoming September Whole30 group, (which is virtual by the way, you can join us from anywhere) I'm thinking a lot about life post-Whole30. And what I mean by that is, what do you do when Whole30 is over? What we like to call Food Freedom.
This isn't a typical "weight loss" program. In fact, it's not a weight loss program at all. It's a get healthy reset plan. By getting healthy and incorporating sustainable habits into your life, you gain back your health. That may include losing some weight in the process.
During the 30 days, you eliminate certain food groups that are known to be problematic. There has been much medical and nutritional research on specific types of foods, how they're grown, raised, or manufactured, to know that some of them can cause harm. For 30 days you live without gluten, grains (rice, oats, corn, etc) all dairy, all legumes (chick peas, black beans, edamame, etc) alcohol, added sugars and processed foods. Perhaps some foods (or beverages) are a crutch for you, or a bad habit, or that thing you turn to when life gives you lemons (extra sugar in that lemonade?) you learn other ways to manage, so you're not eating your feelings. Put away the scale. Stop counting calories and fill up on whole, unprocessed foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner. You set better habits. You re-train your brain as much as you train your stomach. You allow your body to heal. You see inflammation dissipate. You sleep better. You're more focused. Surprisingly happy! Yes. All of this just by eliminating problematic foods. Also notice I am saying "problematic" foods. Not good or bad foods, because there is no such thing.
The Reintroduction phase systematically reintroduces each food group, from least problematic to most problematic, allowing a couple of days in between each food group to assess any adverse reactions. This is the fun part, where you learn the most about yourself. It's an eye-opening, jaw-dropping experiment of one. And it's different for everyone. Once you've completed Reintroduction, you know what works for you, and what doesn't. You love ice cream? It doesn't keep you up at night? Or make your skin break out? Or give you brain fog or belly bloat? Eat the ice cream. What about pasta? Fine? Fabulous, eat the pasta. Do you eat it every day? Do you eat it occasionally? Totally up to what works for you. You learn so much about yourself in roughly 45 days. What you do with the information is up to you and how you move on.
Are you willing to devote 45 or so days to your own well-being? My groups are engaging, uplifting and fun. I give you education, leadership, support and a little tough love. I love seeing others recognize the awareness they attained. Do you have health goals? Where will you be in 45 days from now?
