Monday's Food

As Dr. Wahls suggests, keeping a diary of foods and tracking the effects or any improvements in health is a good idea as we endeavor to implement the Wahls Protocol. I'm by no means fully into the protocol at this stage, only "leaning into" the changes for now as my system catches on. As a four-year vegan, certain parts of the protocol are surprisingly difficult to implement. I explain more in The Back Story. For now my priorities are to avoid gluten altogether and add carefully chosen bits of animal protein as I can tolerate them. Luckily, dairy isn't an issue for me. I've been dairy-free already for four years and see no reason to ever go back.

Though I've been dabbling, adding things here and there since beginning to read The Wahls Protocol, Monday 4/14/14 serves as the first documented diary day. I started the day with a cup of ruby chard sauteed in coconut oil. I didn't think I would like the flavor combo, but the coconut is shockingly tasteless. I quickly fried a couple of grass-fed, organic eggs in the pan juices. This was lovely and satisfying.

For lunch I sauteed collards, purple cabbage, mushrooms, onion and almonds -- again in coconut oil. Multi-colored and sulfur veggies are represented here.

Knowing I should incorporate more animal protein, for dinner I opened a can of wild-caught tuna and ate it atop raw spinach with capers, a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Also, at the Natural Foods Warehouse I found some delicious potato chips cooked in avocado oil (!) and flavored with lime -- I had a small handful of those fabulous morsels.

The eggs are now working out fine for my system after a dubious start over a week ago. I am still challenged with fitting in 9 cups of veggies per day. I need to better understand the measuring system of Dr. Wahls, who measures after cooking. Does this mean this cup of raw spinach only counts as half a cup? If so, on this day I only ate 3 and a half cups! Obviously the potato chips were a needless filler, but I still blame the slower rate of digesting animal proteins for not being able to process more food. I love vegetables, I'm just still accustomed to eating smaller amounts throughout the day. The tuna was very good and energetically grounding.

I miss my juice and what it does for overall well-being, and had to go there on Tuesday. I know Dr. Wahls does not count juiced vegetables in the 9 cups, but as I am currently unable to consume the 9 cups anyway, I really feel I need a jolt of veg in a form that is easier on the digestion from time to time. Homemade veg juice is one of my favorite things -- I am bristling just a tad at the thought of giving it up. We shall see how it goes.