DISCLAIMER
This information is based on personal experience. I can only tell you the things that I’ve done and the outcome that I got. If you have health concerns, see a nutritionist/doctor.

In April of 2024, I started researching the ingredients in foods and the chemicals used in clothing fabrics. The information I discovered sent me on an entire life reset. (I’ve posted about this in previous posts, so I won’t drone on about it.) Before I get into it, here are a few things that I discovered:

Clothing

Polyester, nylon, acrylic, spandex, and pretty much any other fabric that isn’t cotton, wool, cashmere, or linen is petroleum based and coated chemicals that are harmful to your endocrine system. The micro plastics also get into your skin causing hormonal imbalances.

Food

Bread on the shelves is full of glyphosate. Glyphosate is a weed killer that is also used to dry wheat. Glyphosate is classified as group 2A carcinogen, meaning that it causes cancer in animal experiments but has “limited evidence of cancer in humans.” Here’s my philosophy: If you need to test it to make sure it’s safe for humans and animals, it shouldn’t be used. Period. Wheat has also been cross bred and is more difficult for people to digest than one hundred years ago.

Vegetables are sprayed with sprout inhibitors and coated with other chemicals to keep them fresh and brightly colored.

Seed oils are destroying your health in every way. (We can get into that more later). All of this information I’m about to give has everything to do with PMS. Just bear with me!

Why I Did It

I have been diagnosed with several health conditions. You can read that here: https://lifeoflouann.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=21&action=edit
The main reason I did this was for insulin resistance and to eat more nutrient dense food. I wasn’t overweight, but I was having food cravings and could never get satisfied, which is a sign of insulin resistance and nutrient deficiencies. Having those two things can wreck your health and cause numerous health conditions. I’m healing myself while preventing further damage. My kids are also excited about the healthy food, and I can tell that they feel better. Sidenote: you may experience gas and soft stools until your body gets used to more fiber. Hang in there. It’s worth it!

What I Did to Turn My Health Around

In 2024, I cut out foods like crackers and cereal. I also cut around 50% of the bread and pasta that I was eating. I stopped putting anything on my body that I wouldn’t eat.
Here’s the link for that:
https://lifeoflouann.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=411&action=edit

About a month ago, I took it a step further. I decided to cut out processed foods all together. I cut out processed (added) sugar, grains, seed oils, dairy, corn, soy, and caffeine. (With the exception of 85% dark chocolate and butter). I started taking a B complex vitamin, D3 with K2, zinc and probiotics. Bread is fortified with artificial B vitamins. You’ll want to make sure you’re getting the missing nutrients. Here is how it played out:

Days 1-14 (ish)

After the first week, I noticed that my body felt less inflamed. Several of the aches and pains that bothered me every day were either gone or fading. I didn’t wake up with back pain, which was a huge relief. But one thing was for sure, I felt hungry. I was so used to snacking all day because I consumed grains and added sugar that would raise my blood sugar and then cause me to crash. During these hunger episodes, I ate foods like green beans, shrimp, cucumbers, apples, nuts (that don’t contain seed oils), bananas, eggs, and bacon. Here is what my meals started to look like:

Breakfast:
1. Bacon, eggs, broccoli, nuts. (Or something along those lines)
2. Eggs, brussel sprouts, bell pepper, spaghetti squash
3. Eggs, collards, bacon
4. Almond flour pancakes with eggs (Super filling but didn’t last too long. I’ll add more protein and fats next time)

Lunch/dinner:
1. Fresh green beans cooked with carrots and mushrooms, shrimp
2. Salmon, asparagus, butternut squash
3. Meatballs, green beans, spaghetti squash

Snacks:
Carrot sticks, apple slices with two ingredient peanut butter (Peanuts, salt), nuts, and anything left over from other meals.

One of my biggest problems before this change was constantly waking up hungry. I would eat within ten minutes of waking up.

I was hungry and eating a lot during the first week but after that, I realized that I needed more carbs and added butternut squash (with maple syrup and cinnamon) and spaghetti squash and it helped with the hunger. I also drink herbal mint tea a couple of times throughout the day.

I lost five pounds during the first week. I can only assume this is because I had water weight and cut out too many carbs. I’m 5′ 2″ and went from 133 lbs. to 128 lbs. (I have a feminine but slightly muscular build). I didn’t do it for the weight loss, but it happened. You can see all of my abdomen muscles without the slight jiggly appearance lurking over the top of them. I look less rounded and puffy, for lack of better words.

Days 14-30 (ish)

During this time, the morning hunger pangs went away. I could wake up and cook without shaking and craving food. I even started postponing breakfast for when I was hungry. I’d get up and do morning chores like normal and eat when I felt like it.

On day fourteen, I had my first period since the diet change. I had no warning that it was about to start. I had no breast tenderness, pelvic pain, thigh pain, fatigue or cramps. It happened on a Sunday morning right before church. I don’t take medication for my cramps anymore because with the changes that I made last year, but I dreaded church because the pain had still been a 1-2. I went to church as usual and waited for the pain to start. It never did. After we got back home, I could tell that my uterus and hips were noticeable. That’s the only word I know to use to describe it. It wasn’t pain. It was the slightest, almost unnoticeable pressure that lasted only an hour or two. The bleeding was much lighter. I’d say it was probably half of that usually comes out. Incoming TMI. I usually bleed A LOT, to the point that I have to strain to get it all out because I get tired of sitting on the toilet.

Around day twenty-five, the food cravings stopped. One day while working, I noticed that it had been five hours since my last meal and I was only beginning to feel hungry. The hunger didn’t come on suddenly. It was more of a warning. I let the warning ride out for an hour to see how I’d feel. I didn’t shake or have any cravings, but I did get a little lightheaded. That’s when I realized that my body was shifting towards fat burning instead of craving glucose. After the hour, I ate until I was full (Which was about half of what it was three weeks before), and I felt satisfied for another several hours.

Don’t Let the Price of Whole Food Discourage You

Forking out loads of money in a single grocery trip may hurt. But what hurts more is forking out money over and over for foods that aren’t filling, which makes you buy more and more food. I did a price comparison on Walmart.com (although I don’t shop at Walmart), and this is what I found:

A ten-ounce bag of Lays chips is $9.99, and an eight-ounce container of cashews is $6.27.

Salmon is $8.57 a pound and a TV dinner is about $5 per pound. Salmon is filling and full of nutrients such as omega 3 fatty acids. TV dinners are designed to make you crave more. Overall, you’ll be spending less if you just purchase the salmon.

Five pounds of frozen mixed vegetables is $6.92. Five pounds of frozen fries is $7.37.

A three-pound bag of apples is $5.97. A 1.21 pound of mini chocolate candy bars is $9.96.

When you look at the prices and compare the nutrient content, to me, there’s no excuse to not choose the healthier option. I think people don’t do it because they’ve been told over and over again that whole foods are more expensive. While some are, there are options that are affordable. Grass fed, organic beef will cost ten to eleven dollars for a pound. That’s one of the options that’s more expensive but it tastes so much better and I only ate three meatballs with my green beans and spaghetti squash before I felt like I was going to explode. Once you start eating nutrient dense foods, you eat less. Once you start eating whole foods, you aren’t eating nutrient void sandwiches, bowls of cereal, candy bars, soda, or chips, or inflaming your body with loads of dairy. You’re eating fiber, fats, protein, and you’re satisfying your hunger. I spent $300 at the beginning of the week on whole foods to cook for myself and my two kiddos (Husband was out of town). I still have $75-$100 of it left. I also have some greens growing in a winter garden to keep costs down and have greens with more nutrients that haven’t been setting on a shelf wasting away.

Just Start

The next time you do to the grocery store, just start. Look up a few recipes and go get the ingredients. I’ve found a store brand spaghetti sauce that I like that has only tomato and spices in it. I use it to dip meatballs in. Aldi also has a few organic salsa options. I like to add it to shredded chicken and make wraps. Don’t focus on brands. Focus on ingredients. I bought einkorn flour, almond flour, and coconut flour to replace modern wheat. I’m going to start making all of our bread, wraps, and any other bready food myself. I’ve only tried the almond flour, and I wasn’t a huge fan. I’d use it if I had to. I have a lot of learning to do. I’m excited to make my own noodles with equal parts einkorn flour and eggs. I just have to keep hinting to my husband that a pasta maker would make a cool Christmas gift.

Thank you so much for reading! Have a blessed day!