Ready to make the switch to all natural, plant-based products? Young Living is a wellness company and has every area of the home covered. Get started here.

Ditch and Switch: Household Cleaners

Ready to make the switch to all natural, plant-based products? Young Living is a wellness company and has every area of the home covered. Get started here.

Are you a huge fan of this trio like I am? It is so, so good for supporting your respiratory system in the spring time.

But honestly, I love to garden, and for those days Lemon, lavender and Peppermint aren’t enough. Maybe you’ve felt the same way.

I’m committed to supporting my body using oils, so I’ve found some really amazing options that I use in addition to my LLP. These are all Young Living blends and oils, which is the brand I use personally:

Snifflease: I had reserved this for my kiddos up until this last round of working in my yard. I apply down the back of my neck and I am now a huge fan of this one. I will never be without it.

Melrose: apply under the toes. This is the vitaflex point on the feet for your sinuses. I find it works much faster and it’s not my favorite smell either, so there’s that.

Breathe Again: This is a beloved YL roll-on. I apply down my neck and on my chest.

Copaiba: I watch this video on lymphatic massage and apply a little copaiba with grapeseed to my fingertips as I do it. https://www.facebook.com/mark.lynch.503/videos/10206744305224990/

Thieves Hard Lozenges: These have been my go to and a real voice saver. Especially if you talk for a living like I do.

Some EO hacks to try with oils you already have:

1. Apply diluted lavender to each nostril so you won’t feel the need to “achoo” as often.

2. Apply a drop of Frank to a q-tip and swab inside each nostril. This helps soothe that area.

3. Cut dairy. Dairy is mucus producing so that’s something I do that helps.

What oils do you turn to for seasonal support?

So, I’m letting myself off the hook for not blogging my meals for the last 7 days. I can give you a little overview, but really it’s become so return, I risk boring you.

My black coffee and banana with almond butter are commonplace.

My lunch is always leftovers from the night before because I’m the only one in the house that will eat them, and I can’t stand wasting.

My afterschool snack go-to is always berries and grapes.

To get past no alcohol,  I’m doing nightly virgin Bloody Marys.

Dinner is what varies. This week, we had burgers (mine was no bun) and hand cut fries, steak and baked potato, pork with kale and apples, chicken and broccoli, and tonight we are having pork barbecue, and it is going to pain me to no end not to have Larry’s homemade potato salad.

But you guys, I’m on day 27! I’m 3 days away from cream and sugar in my coffee.

And the best part, I’ll be done just in time for my birthday on Wednesday. That’s reason for celebration, friends. #icecream #birthdaycake

This morning I had two cups of black coffee, with a dash of cinnamon. More for the smell than the taste.

I had what Madeline refers to as Lion Guard snack: grapes and strawberries.

Lunch was cut steak with sea salt and fruit.

For dinner we ate at our friends’ house who are coincidentally doing a diet similar to whole 30. I had burger with pineapple as the bun. It was yummy. I also munched on fruit and raw veg that they had.

Coffee and banana for breakfast. Surprised? Me neither. I cannot wait for my cream and sugar in 11 days! I won’t lie! Black coffee sucks.

My lunch was yummy leftover steak, which is challenging to eat while grading papers, but I managed. I also had leftover cauliflower. Carrot sticks, fruit, and hard boiled eggs were snacks.

I realized that I’ve spent the past 17 days, sharing what I’m consuming, but that may not be what you want to know.

You might want to know how I feel, why I’m doing this, if it’s a good choice for you. So let’s just stop right there **pause** and I will share my answers to those very good questions.

I feel great. I don’t know if any of you are already aware on some level that you have digestive issues or concerns with gluten or dairy, but I had both. I was diagnosed as being lactose intolerant at 27, and self-diagnosed myself as have gluten intolerance. Every time I would eat any bread or dairy product, I would be doubled over in pain, and my stomach would swell up like I was 3 months pregnant. I like to refer to this tummy bulge as my “dough baby.” I am pleased to report that I have had none of these issues since being on the Whole 30.

I also learned prior to starting Whole 30, that 70% of our immune system is located in the gut. So it made so much sense to take this challenge on with the fall and winter months approaching to give my body the very best advantage I can to defend the inevitable sickness that comes along with these seasons.

I have had many immediately comment, “you don’t need to lose weight,” when I share that I’m on this diet. And I don’t really. It wasn’t my intention. But it was a definite outcome. I’ve lost 7 pounds and all of my pants are falling off. You will see me in lots of elastic waist clothing for the next 10 days!

Is this a good choice for you? I think it’s a good choice for anyone. For one month, it completely strips away “hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups,” considered to be grains, sugar, dairy, alcohol, and legumes. I think with all the marketing and bad eating habits we have developed as a nation, we need to all pay a little better attention to what we are taking in, and if Whole 30 is too radical for you, try cutting soda, or sugar, or just gluten for a period and see how you feel.

Let’s talk about the graphic I’m including. You can and need to eat so much more food on this diet than you’re used to. I am eating a lot of fruits, and veg and nuts for energy between meals that I’m not including in these posts.

As for day 18, my daily diet was coffee, a banana, pork, cabbage, kale, carrots, fruit, steak, mushrooms and cauliflower.