It's so easy to reach for Aleve or lie down for a nap when you're feeling achy and fatigued. I struggle with this at least weekly until I remember I hadn't had much water. We all think we are drinking enough when you probably are not. I find for me, a good rule of thumb is to is divide your weight in half and that's how many ounces your body is likely to need. So, at 144 today, I need 72 ounces of water. That's nine glasses of water.

Whether you choose to fill up a large bottle or fill a small glass eight times is up to you. I have also read drinking carbonated, sparkling water without artificial sweeteners or sugar may have adverse effects on your body. Carbonated water is acidic however drinking it won't make your body more acidic. It may or not effect the achiness in your joints - I can always tell when I drink more than one carbonated drink a day. I try to make drinking carbonated beverages a special treat once a week. But, it does count! As does, iced tea or coffee, though I prefer decaf. There are many herb teas that are GREAT iced. Check out The Herbal Toad's selection HERE.

To trick myself into drinking more water, I add fruit, vegetables and herbs to my iced water. My current concoction is some sliced and seeded organic cucumber, fresh organic lemon/lime, fresh basil, mint, and stevia from my garden. Sometimes I fill up a gallon jar with a spigot halfway with my veggies, fruits, and herbs with lots of ice. Or, if I'm traveling, I will do the same thing with Mason jars.

A side note ... if you are currently dehydrated - and you may not realize you are - you may find you'll be visiting the bathroom much more ... I promise, once you level off and get properly hydrated, your body will adjust.

So, we were busy on Tuesday so I invited my daughter and boyfriend for tacos. Staying true to my choices I served tacos using grass-fed/grass-finished ground beef and compliant homemade taco seasoning. Typically, Americanized tacos are meat, cheese, and a few tomatoes with lettuce shreds. Mine take tacos to a new level!

First of all, one cannot have enough vegetables so here is my list of taco toppings I made available to my guests:

• red cabbage
• shredded carrots
• sliced avocado
• Spring mix and/or spinach
• Shredded lettuce
• diced tomatoes (omit if you have a nightshade sensitivities)
• homemade compliant tortillas (I offered regular tortillas for those without gluten sensitivities)
• corn chips (for those not sensitive to corn)
• refried beans (recipe below)
• Sour cream (for those without dairy sensitivities)
• Black olives
• Salsa (for those without nightshade sensitivities)
• Avocado dressing (recipe below)

I mixed the rice, refried beans, and a can of Rotel tomatoes with chilies for my own take on refried beans,
I started with a homemade cassava flour tortilla (about 9"), slathered it with the refried bean mixture, some taco meat, and added the veggies I liked (yes, all of them!). I topped the whole thing with the avocado dressing and attempted to fold it in half. Epic fail ... 

The struggle with all diets is change. Change happens and when it does you often have to back up and punt!

I had a plan today, but a last minute decision to go to Dothan led us to eating lunch out. Staying true to my new lifestyle, my only requirement was that I wanted a salad. 

Well, Newk's only had dine in at 1pm ... too late.

We opted to just go home when we passed Full Moon BBQ ... an accelerated attempt to cross four lanes of traffic from the far left straight lane was no challenge for our Tesla and we quickly found ourselves in line for BBQ. While BBQ is NOT on my list of foods, they are accommodating to modifications and I ordered a salad with Angus something or other on lettuce with cucumbers and a side of bleu cheese dressing.

​It's all good ... no pain, no discomfort, no hassle.

It's breakfast time ... Bulletproof coffee. That's it.

Lunch will be either leftover pizza (from last night) or lamb stew (a Bulletproof recipe). 

Dinner is probably going to be a GFGF hamburger patty and broccoli. I play Pickleball tonight at 5:30pm so I'll probably eat about four.

As I slowly add foods I had removed to determine food sensitivities and allergies, I realized something has triggered my "I've gotta have sugar" button in my body. I'm not sure what it is yet and that is my challenge.

I purchased, as I have before, some dark chocolate, and allowed myself to one square (1/3 of a serving size) after lunch and dinner. Well, something has changed, because I am about ready to give my chocolate to my husband to hide from me.  I feel out of control and will readily admit, I'm a bit cranky. Plus, I'm craving carbs!!!

Tonight we're going to Mellow Mushroom Pizza and I will be having pizza. I found a Great White) pizza that has an olive oil/garlic base with three kinds of cheese and whatever I want on top. I usually have Italian sausage, mushrooms, and black olives. I requested their thin crust which is almost cracker-like. It didn't 'bother' me last time (1/2 came home for lunch the next day), but I have to wonder if it really did. Tonight is my test about that!

​

I have linked to both The Butcher Box and CircleC Family Farms on this blog but I am here to share some frustrations. First of all, there is a learning curve about GF meats. No one told me that. Maybe I didn't know to look for more information. Here is what annoyed me and then how I fixed it ... so far. Be sure to read that part ... it's important!

1. Grass-fed and Grass-Finished (here's the difference) are smaller, tougher, and chewier. You must add additional fat since skinny chickens and skinny cows don't have much. After all, they run and play and graze outside in the sunshine to their hearts content! But, you can use ghee, coconut oil, olive oil, etc. to increase the good fats.
2. Roasting isn't always the best way. Oh, how I missed the juicy roasted chickens of my childhood! Reading what Dave Asprey (Bulletproof) says about grass fed beef contradicts my findings. He said, "If you taste grass-fed beef alongside conventionally-raised beef, you’ll notice a difference. Factory beef doesn’t have the flavor complexity that high-quality grass-fed beef has." Well, that's not what I've found, so far - but I'm still learning. I don't personally find much taste difference, but it certainly is chewier ... almost like chewing beef-flavored gum. Yuk! Eating smaller pieces did help, however. ​
3. I can't find a good smoked bacon that is grass-fed and grass-finished. What we have purchased tasted like a pork chop. I have never had to salt bacon in my life and I don't want to. Perhaps when or if I purchase bacon again, I will have my husband smoke it for me, since that's how we like it.

Here's how I've fixed the problem ... so far.

For the first month of my journey I didn't really miss pasta because I was feeling so amazing! But, as time went on I wondered if I could slip in a pasta dish without messing with my success. Well, I wasn't really up to even part of a day of not feeling well so I opted to stay true to the plan.

A couple more weeks of no pasta led me to a Bulletproof recipe using Shirataki "pasta" in an unusual form. Here's the link - you may have to sign up with Bulletproof (for free) to access the link - but you will also find a wealth of recipes and information! Shirataki Noodle Recipes

Now, in all fairness, I have not tried any of these particular recipes, but one of the recipes is planned for today. Stay tuned for my thoughts!

Here's a link to why Shirataki noodles are so awesome, according to Bulletproof.

I will make something using Shirataki noodles for dinner ... lunch will be chicken thighs with cauliflower rice. Recipe.

How easy is it? It's not, but I love doing it so it's easy. Make sense? Once I resigned myself to doing the best I could the building blocks to feeling amazing fell into place. Granted, my blocks tumble now and then, but never fear ... just start again.

With all my ducks in a row, I start planning my shopping list, menus including recipes from both The Plant Paradox and Bulletproof diets adjusting them to my sensitivities and my husband's likes and dislikes. Challenging? Yes, but also invigorating! We were on our way!

Let's go ...​

So, I have been challenged by my decision to follow the Bulletproof diet and The Plant Paradox diet. Allow me to be very clear ... I have read several books from both authors, Dave Asprey and Dr. Steven R. Gundry and finally understand.

I'll make this really simply ... eating this way is not difficult - most of the time - but understanding the difference between low carb / Keto / Paleo / Anti-Inflammatory and Bulletproof and The Plant Paradox is key to success.