Parks Go Paleo | Our Whole30 Journey Week 2 | Orange County Motivational Inspirational Public Speaker

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, we’re at week 2 (or 3 if you count when we first started…before we made a few blunders and ate stuff we weren’t supposed to and had to restart *sigh*)

A little reminder on the Whole30, the Park household is dedicating 30 days to:

NO:

Sugar of any kind (honey, stevia, agave nectars included)
Alcohol (not even for cooknig)
Grains
Legumes
Dairy
White potatoes
Carrageenan, MSG or sulfites
And, to make it harder core than just eating paleo, there’s no paleo-ifying of baked goods, desserts or junk foods

Sooo, how’s it going?

By the way, here‘s week 1 if you have no idea what we’re talking about with this Whole30/Paleo thing.

We bought half a cow!!!!

200 lbs. of grass-fed beef

But why would anyone do that?

Firstly, it’s way cheaper to buy in bulk than to purchase few pounds here and there each week from your local store or farmer’s market. It is a lot to pay at one time, but in the long run saves you lots.

And, secondly, what’s the big deal with 100% grass-fed/grass-finished beef?

These animals were humanely raised on small sustainable farms able to roam freely on healthy pastures, fresh air, clean water and with plenty of sunshine. We’ve seen so many awful documentaries and heard from real life farmers who spoke and shared about what goes on with the animals we typically buy in our stores.
They’re never fed corn, grain or agricultural industry by-products
They’re hormone/antibiotic-free
Even the pastures are naturally-fertilized
Reduces water pollution and improves native biodiversity and our land’s soil fertility

Okay but other than the animals being treated better, is the meat actually better for you?

It’s tastier
Leaner
Lower in calories (read that a 6 oz steak of grass-finished steer has 100 less calories than one from a grainfed one)
The fats are actually “heart-friendly” and brain-friendly as well (omega-3s less likely to have high blood pressure, heart attack, depression, schizophrenia, ADD or Alzheimer’s (and Alzheimer’s is especially prevalent in the Down Syndrome community so we’re being cognizant in incorporating this into Knightly’s diet)
Good source of CLA + 3x more omega-3 fatty acids (may help reduce risks of cancer, shows better response to chemotherapy for people that do have cancer)
More antioxidant vitamins (3x more Vitamin E) which helps reduce heart disease, cancer and actually has anti-aging properties
Plus, E. coli is much more prevalent in non-grass-fed beef (or even in cows who are just grass-finished near the end)

We had a great experience having the grass-fed beef (or you can get pork as well) delivered to us with wonderful service from Full of Life Farm. Their orders start at 100 lbs but if you’d like to get these healthy meats in smaller quantities, check out Hallelujah Cattle Company (our personal friends and amazing people).

week 2 cons

Some days of major tummy issues + bloating | We won’t go into detail but David and I had separate days in a row where our stomachs were not happy with us. We’re told this happens often on days 8-15 as your gut is actually learning to heal and rebalance itself.
Feeling tired | After the burst of energy we experienced in the first week or so, I was surprised to find a few days where I felt completely sluggish – just wanting to sleep all day if I could. Running was really hard so I resorted to yoga or speed walking around Disneyland the past week for exercise. The Whole30 timeline actually anticipates this as your body is switching from using carbs to using proteins and fats as your energy source. I’m told it’ll get better. Let’s see.
This is the hardest week | Stronger than before cravings for desserts, grains, sweets. Extra snacking more than usual because we’re facing the psychological issues of not accessing the food we’ve conditioned ourselves to love (but never needed). Plus, it didn’t help that we had to take a few trips to Disneyland this week with the fragrant smells of kettlecorn, corn dogs, ice cream and the like wafting around everywhere. The Whole30 describes this week as having cravings similar to pregancy. I can believe it.

week 2 pros

Enjoying new amazing recipes | Our all-time favorites we’ve gotten to enjoy this week are:

Thai red curry chicken (AMAZING)

Tuna + Avocado Wraps

Slow Cooker Korean Grass-fed Short Ribs

Learning to survive through healthy snacks | We’ve discovered and our body’s really grown to love new healthy snacks we’ve found through Whole30’s approved list here. These kinds of snacks are available anywhere of course but almost nowhere will you find these kinds of snacks without finding added sugar, MSG, caffeine, etc.:

Gourmet Grassfed beef jerky – David’s favorite go-to snack

One of our faves, especially to bring to weddings/shoots when we’re working – Primal Pacs:

We’ve discovered sauces + seasonings | Actually got to make some of my own homemade mayo as well as enjoy these DELISH sauces that fit the criteria of our diet:

Enjoying restaurant dining again!!! | We thought it would be near impossible but we were able to tackle what we had heard was the MOST DIFFICULT place to find Whole30 approved meals – DISNEYLAND!! And, baby, we found some amazing healthy meals… But SHHHH we’re not allowed to share ’til it gets released on DisneyExaminer in March/April. Stay tuned!

David’s marathon training is up to the next level | David’s body seems to be converting itself sooner to getting energy off of proteins/meats instead of always carb or banana-loading before he runs. He’s running faster and longer and with more mental energy and positivity than he (or I) have seen before!
Body toning | For the 1st time in my life, I am starting to develop toned abs – like the makings of a six pack (but no I’m not going for a six pack). I even had my family poke at my stomach to feel the muscles that are starting! And this is post-baby! Very exciting to see our bodies becoming more toned than they’ve ever been before.

want more?

More details behind The Whole30 here

Check out our first week: