Time to Begin Anew!

Today, Alex and I went grocery shopping, list and meal plan for the week in hand. We started off on journey to recover health and discover true nutrition. I've talked about a low GI diet here before and we plan on doing something similar again. This time, however, our focus is on eating "whole foods".

We are adopting our diet from the rules outlined on 100 Days of Real Food. Taken from their webpage, these are the rules:

What you CAN eat:

1. Whole foods that are more a product of nature than a product of industry
2. Lots of fruits and vegetables (we recommend that you shop for these at your local farmers’ market)
3. Dairy products like milk, unsweetened yogurt, eggs, and cheese
4. 100% whole-wheat and whole-grains (find a local bakery for approved sandwich bread and check the Understanding Grains post for more info)
5. Seafood (wild caught is the optimal choice over farm-raised)
6. Only locally raised meats such as pork, beef, and chicken (preferably in moderation)
7. Beverages limited to water, milk, all natural juices, naturally sweetened coffee & tea, and, to help the adults keep their sanity, wine and beer!
8. Snacks like dried fruit, seeds, nuts and popcorn
9. All natural sweeteners including honey, 100% maple syrup, and fruit juice concentrates are acceptable in moderation
10. Also check out the Recipes & Resources page for a more detailed list of meal options including links to recipes

What you CANNOT eat:

1. No refined grains such as white flour or white rice (items containing wheat must say WHOLE wheat…not just “wheat”)
2. No refined sweeteners such as sugar, any form of corn syrup, cane juice, or the artificial stuff like Splenda
3. Nothing out of a box, can, bag, bottle or package that has more than 5 ingredients listed on the label
4. No deep fried foods
5. No “fast foods”

 Right now, we're in somewhat of a transition phase. We've pledged to no longer buy anything processed, sweetened, made with white flour and non-organic dairy and meats but we also are using up what we have left in our fridge in pantry. We're already good about not buying junk food, using mixes, etc., so the transition should go fairly smoothly.

I'm hoping that combining this with a lower glycemic index food plan I can begin to see serious changes in mine and Alex's health. This goes beyond even PCOS and our fertility issues. Proper nutrition can truly revitalize the body, help it to heal itself (no more being sick yeah!) and prevent many common modern-day diseases. Reproductive issues are only the tip of the iceberg, but as anyone with PCOS knows, it is all body disease.

So for right now, I am not temperature charting or doing anything specific to assist ovulation, etc. I want to see if truly redefining the way we eat brings my hormones back to normal. I've not had a period in three months and I'd like to see if they will start back on their own. I will be continuing to take supplements (adding magnesium and fish oil). I'd like to see better stress handling, improved mood, less fatigue and more energy. Can proper nutrition be the answer? That's what we'll find out!