Preparing for W30

I did a lot of research last night and bought the Whole 30 Success Guide today.  I actually found TONS of recipes I'm excited to make and am honestly looking forward to starting this challenge.  In fact, I might start it earlier than the 8/1 date just because I'm so excited about it and try to go longer than 30 days so I'll still be doing it with everyone from the gym.  For now I'm starting to make small changes to clean up my eating.  I know they say to jump right in to it, that it's not hard.  And maybe it's not hard, but it can be really expensive to buy all new food for your house.  So for now I am going to use up some of the things sitting around the house, slowly transition from heavy cream in my coffee to coconut milk, from bacon and eggs to veggie scrambles and hopefully start feeling that much better each day!

I learned some interesting things from reading the success guide which differ a bit from other paleo websites.  First, pineapple is actually a preferred fruit, whereas apples are not.  I thought pineapple had too much sugar and was to be avoided, however I'm reading differently, which is great and awesome and I'm excited because Matt and I both LOVE pineapple!

• Preferred fruits include: blackberries, blueberries, cherries, kiwi, cantaloupe, papaya, pineapple, plum, raspberries, strawberries

Also, I see green beans are included on the shopping list of what vegetables to buy, I thought green beans were off limits.  I still don't plan on adding them in, but now I'm curious.  Also, corn is technically a grain, not a vegetable...WOAH!  That changes some thinking now doesn't it!

I knew that fats were important and should come from good sources, however I always considered almonds a good source.  Turns out, they are more of an occasional type of fat source, below are the best fat sources for both monounsaturated and saturated fats:

• Avocado, avocado oil, hazelnuts/filberts, macadamia nuts, macadamia oil, olives, olive oil, coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut flakes, coconut milk, animals fats

Polyunsaturated fats should be eaten occasionally and include:

• Almonds/Almond butter, brazil nuts, cashews/cashew butter, pecans, pistachio

I'm not trying to give away the Whole 30 information for free, however I think it's really important people realize that even when we choose to eat fruits, vegetables and nuts that there are better sources than others, which may differ from what we originally thought.  I am only on page 17 of 85 and have already learned that some of what I thought was a good option may only be an okay option with better ones out there.

I have to say that I am REALLY excited to go to the Sherwood farmers market this weekend, I'll be filling the dog's backpacks up with tons of fresh produce!  If anyone knows of a great place to find CHEAP farm fresh eggs please let me know.  Eggs have been an important protein source for me and will likely increase in importance since they are so easy to prepare and go well in so many different things.  However, it can be expensive to buy organic, farm fresh eggs from the store so I'd like to find a better option if possible!

Also, if you haven't already, you should check out Chow Stalker!  It's a GREAT website with tons of recipes.  It's linked on the sidebar of my blog, so check it out!

I'll be posting some recipes this week, once I try them, with my reviews and revisions if any were made!