Day 10: Finally Friday and a Question About Gum

Well, we've made it finally to the end of the week! Yay, to Nicole, Eileen, Ashley, myself and all those others out there who are now 1/3 of the way through the 30 days. And a big hurrah to Jaclyn who is actually on day 16 of 40! I'm actually really looking forward to the weekend to relax, run, and spend some time with friends! It's the first time I will see some of them since I started the Whole30. I'm feeling results: I feel more energetic; I'm sleeping better; my face seems a little clearer; my clothes fit better already; I'm proud of myself; and, I really believe in the Whole30 framework. I've bought in completely! It's exciting! I've tried so many new foods in the past 10 days, prepared the same foods in different ways, and found some really good foods that I may not have tried otherwise. But how do I share my new knowledge with my friends this weekend without causing a ruckus? I mean, not everyone wants to hear or is ready to hear that grains are forcing our bodies outside of their healthy functioning processes, sugars are killing us, and that dairy can cause an immune response. Not really party conversation...

So, I'm going to follow the advice given in It Starts With Food. I'm going to try to lead by quiet example. At the end, my Whole30 results will speak for themselves. I may not be able to completely stay away from some discussions about food but I don't intend to spend the whole day/night talking about food (although that probably is what I'd really like to talk about). I don't need to run around exclaiming the benefits of Whole30 and the resulting lifestyle changes to everyone I meet. I will calmly explain why I am not eating that garlic bread, pasta, or dessert and let my friends make up their own mind. If they want more information they will come to me. Especially when they start seeing the results that I'm already feeling - just wait until September!

I do have a few close friends who have been aware of my Whole30 journey and who have been supporting me from the beginning. They have also been asking questions. Which is fantastic! Even if they aren't ready to give up bread or beer, they are curious, they are intrigued! And that's awesome! Anything that gets us thinking about our health is a good thing. Read more, ask questions, but most of all LISTEN to your body! And recognize that sometimes we need to relearn to trust the signals we are getting. But if you are feeling crappy and tired all the time, exercise is daunting, digestion issues are the norm, and you suffer from chronic inflammation, maybe it's time to really start thinking about how you are treating your body. This was the rut I was in when I decided to go for the Whole30; when I decided enough was enough and I needed to do something! Maybe for you, or my friends, it's not the Whole30, maybe it's something else, but the important thing is that you are working to better your health. Nicole has a quote on the bulletin board in her office that really hits home with me now: "You are a perishable item. Live accordingly". Powerful huh? Think about that for the night.

So, one of these close friends has been asking me questions about what I can and can't eat on the Whole30. Today she asked me if I could chew gum. My response without thinking was a resounding no, followed by "think of all the sugars and all the unnatural stuff that's in gum". But then I realized, I didn't know exactly what was in gum, so how could I make that exclamation. So I did a little research. Wanna know what's in chewing gum?

What's in your Excel Peppermint gum:

 

Maltitol - sugar based alcohol which can cause digestive disruptions (think gas, bloating, diarrhea) in large quantities
Gum Base - we don't even know what this is because it's recipe is protected by trade secrets but generally it could be elastomers (rubber), resins, waxes, fats (from vegetable oils - also a no-no for W30 as they can be inflammatory and unstable given oxidation), Emulsifiers (lecithin - which usually means soy, which means lots of phytoestrogens. Our body recognizes phytoestrogen as our own which can fool up all kinds of hormonal reactions), fillers (such as talc), and antioxidants - and not the good kinds, the kinds like BHT which has been linked with hyperactivity in children and cancer)

Sorbitol - sugar based alcohol which can cause digestive disruptions (think gas, bloating, diarrhea) in large quantities

Glycerin - a syrupy liquid chemically produced by combining water and fat, usually used to make soap and lotions (think Fight Club).

Gum Arabic - a natural gum composed of sugars

Natural and Artificial Flavors - this can pretty much mean anything and no one really knows what it means. It's kind of a carte blanche for adding whatever the company wants to increase the perceived yumminess of their product... which probably means more sugar.

Mannitol - another sugar alcohol

Color - No idea what this is made of or where it comes from. There is no law saying that companies need to identify their coloring on the packaging.

Aspartame - artificial sweetener (as if we didn't already have a ton of sugar in there...) it is not a carbohydrate specifically but it is a chemical the pitfalls of which we've all heard: headaches, intestinal cramping, liver failure, seizures...

Acesulfame-Potassium - like aspartame, an artificial sweetener

Carnauba Wax - wax derived from a type of palm tree, typically used in car washes and shoe polish.

Still want a piece?

Food Diary:

Breakfast: two slices of pork belly and the last of the sweet potato casserole

Lunch: can of tuna fish (remind me not to do that again, I was a little desperate for a protein and didn't have time to prepare anything), leftover broccoli curry slaw.

Supper: a nice BBQ prime rib steak, grilled asparagus, yellow peppers, and fried green tomatoes. 
Snack: a handful of almonds and banana ice cream that Barry made for me this afternoon. Thanks babe!

Exercise Log:

- 4.4km run this morning. It was hot, humid and there wasn't a breath of wind. I almost died...

- 150 wall pushups.