Doing the Whole 30

Our Whole 30 adventure starts today. So, what is it all about? The official site is here: http://whole30.com/new/ Essentially, it means cutting out all inflammatory foods for thirty days and eating clean, unprocessed, real food. Doing this for thirty days is supposed to heal your body and reset your health. These are the foods that won't feature in our diet:

Sugar and sweeteners, including natural sweeteners like maple syrup and honey.
Alcohol. None whatsoever, even in cooking.
Grains. No brainers like wheat, rye, etc, but also rice.
Legumes, i.e. beans of any kind, peas, soy.
MSG by any of its names (check this list: http://www.truthinlabeling.org/)
Dairy, apart from ghee which has had its milk proteins removed.
Paleo-fied goods like pancakes, muffins, bread, etc.

I feel like I am already following a good diet, but there always seems to be some exceptions and these sometimes sneak in on a daily basis; like a couple of pieces of dark chocolate or some soy sauce or those delicious banana pancakes that sometimes get a dose of maple syrup on top. I guess it all adds up and my gut has been unhappy for the last six months (read: loads of gases). I am also hoping that a couple of other things will improve. I have a seven month old daughter waking me up every couple/three hours a night, so can I gain more energy through dietary changes? My stomach still hasn't returned to its former shape. It has gone from flat to floppy. I also weigh 3kg more than when I became pregnant, although that is definitely my lowest priority.

Simon, Cecilia and my parents are joining me on the Whole 30, which is really exciting and will keep me focused and inspired, as I am sure I will face some tough situations when I will just want to have that little [insert goodie of choice] or when I am in a social situation and I have to go hungry because there isn't anything suitable available.

As for now, we are almost at the end of day one and ... so far so good. This was on the menu today:

Breakfast
Omelette with a side of sautéed green cabbage, leek, swede and left over roast chicken, 1/2 avocado
Coffee with egg, ghee and coconut milk

Lunch
Cauliflower fried rice with mushrooms, carrot, leek, left over braising steak, ginger, garlic and fresh coriander
Green tea

Snack (there was probably too little protein in the lunch)
1 hard boiled egg
Cinnamon tea

Dinner
Brisket in pressure cooker, adapting Jamie Oliver's recipe, by substituting red wine with 100ml balsamic vinegar and homemade stock
Roasted beetroot and butternut squash
Stewed red cabbage with apple cider vinegar