getting ready for the whole30, part five

Looking at my series of posts, you'd think this is a daunting process, requiring all sorts of advance work. It is not. I just prefer shorter posts. The Whole30 is about as uncomplicated as you can get. Seriously.

And while we're talking complicated, what about living in a house with others---spouse, children, partner, parents, roommates---who are not up for a Whole30 right now? That's a bit of a complication, especially if you're the one cooking for everyone. It's a complication, but it's certainly not an insurmountable one. I live this way, and I think we're doing pretty well. When asked how to handle  people with special requests on one of his cooking shows, Bobby Flay used to say, "You're cooking it; they're eating it." I have always loved that line. Let me be perfectly clear here; this is not in reference to foods that could cause illness or discomfort. It is not in reference to allergies, other medical issues, or moral conviction. I would no more serve GK a pork chop than a fried clothes line.

No, we're talking here about the little stuff, the stuff we can manipulate in ways that do no harm and make everyone happy much of the time. In our house, I eat what most would consider a Paleo diet virtually 100% of the time. My diet is not Whole30 compliant all of the time, though it would probably register about a 95% without trying. I've mentioned we have an I cook, he cleans arrangement. The "he" in this case, GK, does not profess to follow Paleo guidelines and would eat a vegetarian diet 80% of the time, if he were choosing every dish. His foods of choice, if I were to ask, are likely to be beans, potatoes, more beans, cheese, more beans, and oatmeal. My diet is decidedly not vegetarian. And though meat does not comprise a huge percentage of the foods I eat, sometimes it seems like it does just because it's there. Like so many things in living with others, finding the overlap, the middle circles of the Venn diagram, the place where what I like and what he likes come together, has made all of this so very simple.

When I'm cooking, I don't ask if he'd like beans or pasta or bread or cheese sauce---ever. The only dairy products we keep in the house are heavy cream for his coffee and frozen, pastured butter that neither of us eats. No cheese, no sour cream, no ice cream. What I do when I'm cooking, usually, is make dishes that are just as good with a little meat as they are with a lot. I'm cooking; he's eating. I do cook foods he enjoys. I cook foods I enjoy. Most of the time those foods are the same. Not always. We stock up on the foods, vegetables, fruits, and meats that we both like.

There's some room, too, for different meals. I might serve him a larger quantity of vegetables without meat as a main course while I have them as a side dish. Occasionally, I'll buy humanely raised, uncured bacon. I would never serve that to him. And occasionally, he'll drop a loaf of Ezekiel bread in our shopping cart. He keeps this in the freezer and eats some, though not very often given how long it stays in the freezer, when I'm at work. I like to cook eggs in bacon fat, sometimes, and I do that for myself. I never, ever cook his in it. I don't even use the same pan. It's a courtesy and it's easy.

With children, it's just a little different. Still, you're cooking it; they're eating it. Most of the foods we'd be asking them to forgo by following a Paleo program are not really foods at all. One decided advantage of leaving boxed cereals, crackers, bread, lunch meats, peanut butter, and canned foods on the store shelves is their relative high cost when compared to unprocessed, whole foods. Still, start with the familiar foods that will either fit with the Whole30 or be easy to serve with just a slight variation. Though you may not prefer to steam a few cups of rice while the rest of dinner is cooking, it does not take a lot of energy or warrant a lot of expense. I'm sure Paleo Parents would have many more ideas than I in this regard. Check here and consider getting Eat Like a Dinosaur when it comes out later in March.

One rather interesting development in our household is a shift I've noticed taking place. GK has stopped eating bread when he goes to lunch with his friends. He says no to potatoes---even French fries. And he's complaining less about meat and fat. I still don't think he's ready for a Whole30, but that's his choice.

getting ready, part four

Before we can get all creative with our new food, we need to create some space for it. The best way I know to do that is to clear out the foods we won't be eating in the next 30 days.

A good starting place is the refrigerator. Some of us (I'm thinking about myself here) tend to let open jars and bottles accumulate on shelves in the fridge. I am so used to them at times, I don't even see them. Best practice is to pull all of these out and then one by one decide what goes back. Throw away without regret anything that's old or immediately questionable. Next look at each label, carefully. You don't want anything in there with sugar or its counterparts, ingredients you can't easily pronounce, dairy, grains, or anything that doesn't sound like food. You'll be the judge of what you keep. If it's a product you'll want after your 30 days, put it on a low or back shelf, preferably in a box, so you won't accidentally grab it in the next month.

For the freezer, you'll use the same method, pretty much. If you have frozen dinners or entrees, they really need to go. Give them away if you can. When you're tired or stressed, it's too tempting to grab something familiar just because it's there. And you'll want that space for the good stuff, anyway. Look at anything that has a label with suspicion. It may be fine, but you'll want to be sure. Be ruthless.

In the pantry or kitchen cabinets, remove cans, boxes, and jars. Apply the same criteria you used in the refrigerator. Either put foods you won't be using this month in a box for later or give them away. Be thorough here and you'll be glad later. Read every label or decide to remove anything with a label. I have so much less food in my pantry now, and I have spent most of my life stocking and organizing shelves, feeling good about having lots of cans and boxes and bottles and jars. It's amazingly freeing.

The thing about all of this, too, is that you don't have to do it all at once. A few minutes here and there are perfect. Too much at once is overwhelming sometimes. When you finish, though, you should be looking at shelves that will support you, not tempt you. Let me rephrase that. Any temptations will now be healthy temptations. We want nothing less than every bit of food we serve and every bite we take to be sheer temptation.

Other people living in the house who aren't doing the Whole30? We'll talk about that next time. In my experience, it's a lot easier than it sounds.

getting ready, part two

The two things I focus on when preparing for a Whole30 are (1) getting the foods I need and (2) getting rid of those I won't. That sounds simple enough, right?

Let's start with getting the foods we'll need. It's much more fun than step 2. I'm guessing most of us have started diets or detoxes or training programs and discovered we don't have the raw materials on hand. No amount of good intention is going to make up for a refrigerator devoid of vegetables when you need to fill your plate with them.

For me, protein was the easiest thing to have on hand. You can freeze meat and poultry for one thing. Cans of tuna and salmon and sardines stack easily in the pantry. Eggs will last weeks in the fridge. But fresh vegetables? Not so easy. And not so forgiving.

A few days (or hours if you plan like I do) before you start, head to the store to stock up on frozen (we'll get to fresh soon) veggies like broccoli, spinach, squash, green beans---whatever you like. If you don't pretty much love them, don't buy them. This is critical. Also buy several onions, whole heads of garlic, half a dozen sweet potatoes, a jar of coconut oil and one of olive oil, and a few of your favorite spices and herbs unless you're fully stocked already. If you can handle dairy, get a stick or two of pastured butter to clarify. I, personally, would skip this one. It's pricey and a bit of effort, but a lot of people love it. This is your getting ready to get ready shopping trip. I know, at this point we're all seeing dollar signs, so may I mention briefly the things you will NOT be buying this month? We're skipping prepared foods, breads, cheese, milk, cream, yogurt, ice cream, potato chips, and pricey "gluten-free" foods. If this plan is starting to sound expensive, I challenge you to start adding up those products we're skipping. I cringe at the thought, myself.

During this first round of your shopping, you could also pick up canned protein that you love. This is dangerous territory. You have to read these labels like your life depended on it. Oh yeah, it does. Why anyone would put gluten or sugar in canned fish is beyond me, but they do. They also add some yucky oils and seasonings sometimes, too. Just read your labels. Yes, fresh, perfectly raised meat and fish may be a better choice, but you need a safety net. In your pantry. Just in case. Grab a few dozen eggs while you're at it, if you can.

One of the hardest things for me to follow, initially, was their suggestion that sticking with organic, grass-fed, perfectly raised, local, etc. not get in the way at this point. While you won't find Whole9 suggesting grocery store, factory farmed pork (quite the opposite, in fact), they say for now, for the most part, it's your food choices that matter. Eat the chicken breast or thigh, not the frozen "chicken dinner." Don't worry about organic, necessarily. Don't worry about grass-fed, necessarily. These words are hard for me to write, but this latitude makes these 30 days much more approachable.

Next post, we'll talk fresh stuff.