Back On The Sugar Detox!

Well, I said I'd have a decision by today. And, I do.  I'm going back on The 21-Day Sugar Detox.  I've spent the last couple of days spiraling downward in my health.  This has made my decision very easy.

The only foods I had added back to my diet were fruits, pecans, almonds, dark chocolate, and raw dairy.  I think the natural sugars in the fruit have cause my Candida to act up.  I noticed the dark chocolate had not only sugar in it, but also, soy lecithin ( which can cause allergic reactions in some people). And, although I thought I could get away with eating raw dairy products, it appears that is not so.  It does seem, however, I can tolerate goat and sheep milk products.  The nuts don't seem to cause a reaction either, thankfully.

So, tomorrow, I am starting The 21-Day Sugar Detox again.  I didn't want to start today because I had to juice the rest of my fruits, so I wouldn't waste them.  My husband agreed to eat the bananas.  I also needed to restock my grass-fed meats, organic chicken, and veggies for the week.  My shopping trip led to an awkward accident with a shopping cart which you can read about in my post on Facebook.

For this go-round of The 21-Day Sugar Detox, I'm doing level 3 again. But, I'm not doing all of the Autoimmune modifications.  I'm going to allow myself egg yolks, pecans, almonds, sheep and goat dairy, and cooked tomatoes.  If any of these foods cause a reaction, they're out.

Sometimes, the journey to healing takes longer than we hoped.  This can be extremely discouraging.  But, the key is to pick yourself up and do, what you know in your heart, is right. I know now that it's going to take longer to reintroduce foods into my system.  Bottom line is, I was on the right track.  I felt much better than I had in a long time. In reality, The 21-Day Sugar Detox could turn into the 365-day sugar detox.  Or, it could even be the lifetime sugar detox. It's okay. I'll do it as long as is necessary.

I'll fill you all in, as I go along. I'm not going to post updates every day because, who knows how long I'll be doing this detox thang.  Plus, I have so much stuff I want to share with y'all.  Like, did you check out the photo above, of my Super Bowl spread? It was so awesome. I had slow cooker Asian style wings, lettuce cup nachos, and Paleo chicken strips. Yum!  For dessert, I made paleo brownies and frozen banana, mint chocolate chip "ice cream".  Dessert was terrible!  It proved, not everything can be made paleo. Blech!

Besides going back on the detox, I've been creating new pieces for my Etsy shop.  I just love when I get to be creative!  My new line is the Wicked Collection, which is a little more Victorian gothic.  And, I added a couple of vintage pieces, too.  You can see them at Boho and Mo.

Even with so much going on, I still always have time for your comments and emails. Let me know if you have any questions, or want me to cover a specific topic. 

Goodnight and God Bless!

Did I Stay? Or, Did I Go Paleo?

So, after blogging for 22 days in a row, I figured I deserved a couple of days off.  Although, it was nice to have the time to work on other things, I missed writing.  Besides, I have been getting tons of emails asking whether or not I stuck with a paleo diet after my 21 days was done.  The answer is YES. I stuck with it.

The only foods I've added, so far, are some fruits and Dark Chocolate Bar.  Happily, I've been able to make my fruit and veggie juice again. And, I'm able to enjoy my bananas, too!

On Saturday, it will have been thirty days since I stopped eating nightshade veggies.  I can then start adding them back into my diet, one by one.  I've already decided to start with cooked tomatoes, since they're the least inflammatory.  If I don't have a reaction, I can keep them in my diet.  But, if I do have a reaction, I have to remove them and try again in three weeks.  We'll see how that goes.

I've decided to stay paleo, for the most part.  I will try to add some raw dairy or goat and sheep milk products from time to time. I actually bought some goat milk cream cheese and sour cream in preparation for when I'm ready.  I'll be using them to make some treats for Super Bowl Sunday.  That night should be a real test whether or not I can handle eating those foods.

Since finishing The 21-Day Sugar Detox, I have no desire to go back to my old way of eating.  I have felt so much better, I don't want to feel sick again. The program taught me to eat within certain parameters.  It taught me to appreciate the foods I am allowed.  At the same time, it showed me I could live happily without the foods that hurt me.  For that, I am grateful.

I'm going to take tomorrow off from blogging. I will return on Saturday with some yummy recipes for a paleo Super Bowl Sunday.  For tonight, I'll leave you with some photos of some of the meals I've cooked this week.  I'm working on compiling a cookbook with recipes I cooked during my detox.  Those of you who asked for the recipes should have them soon.

As always, should you have any questions or need my help, email me or COMMENT below.  Tmoperillo@gmail.com

Goodnight and God Bless!

The 21-Day Sugar Detox- Day 16

Wow! Two days in a row of feeling good can really make a person happy. Even though I didn't sleep well last night, I still had enough energy to get through my busy day.  So many times, I wondered if I would ever feel better. I have to say, I'm getting a little nervous to add foods back into my diet in five days. This just reassures me that I'm going to need to take things slow.

I've learned so much over the last sixteen days. Most importantly, I've learned that I can still eat tasty foods with all of my restrictions. I understand I have to live without grains forever. Before I started The 21-Day Sugar Detox , I didn't think that was possible. But, I took this time to learn new recipes to fill my carb cravings. As I wrote in my post from day 1, I didn't really have a sweet tooth. Sugar was not my poison. Pasta, bread, and chips were my downfall.  To find out I couldn't have any of those foods anymore was devastating. Now, I feel okay about it. I know I can make pizza crust from cauliflower, pasta from zucchini or spaghetti squash, and chips from zucchini or sweet potatoes. And they taste great to boot! I get excited about creating new ways to cook my old favorites. If something doesn't taste quite right, it's back to the drawing board.

One of my favorite meals, I've discovered, is lettuce wrap sandwiches. I love them! I love that I can taste all of the ingredients, not just bread. I've learned how to wrap a pretty mean lettuce sandwich.

Lunch today was a roast beef and avocado lettuce wrap. I heated a cup of turkey bone broth on the side to warm me up. It was a cold one today!

That was the last of my bone broth; so, I will be making more on Thursday. I've been saving my chicken bones and freezing them for that occasion. Yum!

This afternoon, I had a bit of a headache. I put two droppers of White Willow Bark tincture in a little water and drank it down. Worked like a charm!

I began cooking dinner early. Since tomorrow is one of my busiest days, I prepared my dinner for that night as well. I won't get home until after 8 PM. I know I won't feel like making dinner then.

Tonight's dinner was Italian Sausage Stuffed Chicken Thighs wrapped in Bacon, served on a bed of wilted Arugula. Can you say DELICIOUS?

The flavor in this dish was amazing. My butcher makes his Italian Sausage with no sugar, preservatives, or artificial flavors. He only uses the finest meats and herbs. It's the best!

If I can eat this well, I can live on this program forever. I have definitely decided to adopt the primal diet after I finish with this program. I say primal because I would like to incorporate some grass-fed, raw cheeses in my diet. You can't do that with paleo.  However, if I find my body doesn't tolerate dairy, I am prepared to go full paleo. I will be a little sad, though. I heard Nutritional Yeast Seasoning is what vegans use to make foods taste cheesy. I guess I'll have to give that a try. Oh well, no use crying over spilt milk. I cross that bridge when I come to it. How many sayings can I fit into this paragraph? Goodness!

So, it's down to the final 5 days of The 21-Day Sugar Detox .  If you're still thinking about starting a detox program, I hope you do it. You could feel better than you have in years! I'm living proof of that fact! Let me encourage you. Why should you spend one more day feeling horrible?

Comment below or email me. I want to know how y'all are doing. 

Tmoperillo@gmail.com

The 21-Day Sugar Detox- Day 14

What a glorious Sunday! I slept amazingly well last night. And, since I attended church yesterday, I got to sleep in. It was beautiful! It's also helpful that I felt pretty darn good today. The aches and pains that usually fill my day were at an all time low. I felt better than I have in years. I'm so glad I started this detox! It's certainly one of the best decisions I've made.

On a side note, that has nothing to do with my detox. My little nephew, Grayson, was baptized today.

Unfortunately, the christening was in Louisiana. So, I couldn't be there. But, isn't he precious?

Okay, back to The 21-Day Sugar Detox. I really didn't get hungry at all today. For lunch, I ate leftover Cajun Dirty "Rice".  Typically, we eat dinner at 6 PM. I wasn't hungry at dinner time; so I cooked a very small amount of food. I sauted bok choy, slices of beef, and red onion with zucchini noodles. For flavor, I added Coconut Aminos, lime juice, and a dash of Fish Sauce. I would have loved to add some toasted sesame seeds; but, no seeds for me. Avocado with a little salt and black pepper served as my side dish.

The rest of my night was, frankly, spent pampering myself. I deep conditioned my hair with Coconut Oil, Organic Jojoba Oil, and Organic Rosemary Essential Oil. Then, I washed my hair with my no poo method. It seems so many people have an opinion about the no poo method, especially people who have never tried it. All I know is before I used it, my hair was falling out by handfuls. After I started using it, my hair stopped falling out. I'm sticking with it! It's uplifting for me to see my hair growing back. I'm not giving that up!

So, now I'm sitting here, writing this blog, all relaxed and clean. I feel great today. I am really happy I chose this detox. As rough as it's been some days, if I can feel like this for more days, it will all be worth it. I can't wait to see how I feel tomorrow.

If you are also doing a detox, drop me a comment to let me know how your day went.  I can only hope you felt as good as I did. If not, hang in there. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Until tomorrow, have an awesome night!