Off we go!

The challenge officially starts tomorrow, we had a great little impromptu get together last night at a neighbors house where we shared a couple of challenge friendly meals and answered questions people had.  It was a great group of people and they are excited about getting started.

A few last reminders as we head into the next 30 days

We are going to do one last push for comments.  So far we have had none, although we know for certain more people are doing this challenge than any in the past.  Don't feel bad, I follow about 6 blogs regularly and have left only 3 or 4 comments in my lifetime.  I understand, but it really does make things more enjoyable when people are sharing recipe ideas, successes and challenges and it helps us direct our posts to individual needs.  Here is a link on how to comment.  If we don't get any traction with the comments we will not do check in posts, we will just sprinkle in posts throughout the week.

We will focus more on the what and the how, rather than the why, this challenge with "day in the life posts"  where we will track what we do throughout the day and how we eat clean while doing it.  We have a tailgate coming up on Monday, should be interesting.  We hope this is helpful, but if you ever want to know the "why" let us know and we will be happy to explain.

Hope you are ready to go.  Here is a link to a post about how we shop for the challenge.  It has been updated to include our increasing dependence on farmers markets and better sources of meat.

Suggested Grocery List 

Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
Chicken Breast Turkey Breast Ground Turkey Veal Beef Ground Beef Canadian Bacon Corned Beef Ham Lamb Pork Calamari Catfish Clams Crabmeat Salmon Shrimp Tuna Eggs Soy Burgers Tofu	Artichoke Asparagus Alfalfa sprouts Bean sprouts Beet greens Bok choy Broccoli Brussel sprouts Cabbage Cauliflower Celery Collard Greens Cucumber Eggplant Green beans Lettuce Iceburg Romaine Mushrooms Spinach Salsa Tomato Apple Blueberries Squash/ Zucchini Grapes Orange Pineapple Strawberries Watermelon	Almonds Avocado Canola oil Macadamia nuts Olives Cashews Walnuts Olive oil Tahini Guacamole Vegetable oil Mayonnaise Sesame oil Sunflower seeds Lard Vegetable shortening Vinegar & oil dressing Pumpkin seeds Coconut Coconut Oil Flax oil Flaxseeds Herring

Let us know if you have any last minute questions and we hope to hear from many of you in the comments.

It's time for a 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge!

It's time ladies and gentlemen.  We will host our 6th official 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge starting on September 1st and run it for the whole month of September.  Several of us have let our nutritional practices slip with the carefree days of summer and now is a good time to get back on board.  Many of you already know what is in store, but, for the sake of the new people, we will outline what it means to complete a 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge and why it just might be the most important thing you do in your life. 

It is our, somewhat biased, opinion that all of our past posts are worthy of a re-read, but we have linked to some of, what we feel, are the more helpful ones, throughout this post.  Be sure to follow the links for a better understanding of the challenge.

What is a 30 Day Clean Eating Challenge?

A 30 day clean eating challenge is a very strict elimination diet.  We will remove all foods that have been known to cause problems with blood sugar dis-regulation, gut irritation, allergies, and a whole host of other auto-immune issues.  30 days gives your body time to regulate it's hormone levels and time for your gut to heal so that you can then reintroduce some of these eliminated foods and see if they cause you problems or not. Click Here for a post on a day of clean eating.

I don't have any problems with my hormones or gut, why would I want to do this?

Our bet is that you do have an issue that you are not even aware of.  Many people have been consuming foods that cause these issues for so long that the bloating, reflux, irregular bowel movements, inconsistent energy levels, and  brain fog have become a part of life.  It is not until these foods are stripped away do they realize what affect these foods are really having on them.  If you truly have no problems with your gut or hormones the challenge is at the very least an exercise in self discipline and who could not use a little more of that?

So what are these foods that have been known to cause all of these problems?

The foods we are looking to completely cut out for 30 days are grains, dairy, legumes, sugar, and alcohol.  We will link back to previous posts to help explain why these foods cause problems, but each has their own issues.  Here is what we are going to eliminate from our diets for 30 days.

Grains - Bread, rice, pasta, cereals, oatmeal, quinoa and yes even those "heart healthy" whole grain products  Here is a post about Why Carbs are So Bad", but it should be titled "Why Grains are So Bad"  We are not looking to vilify carbohydrates they are an important part of any sound nutritional plan.  It's the grains, especially the processed crap, that are the issue.

Dairy - Milk, butter, cheese,  & yogurt  Click Here for a post on why we feel milk is a no no.

Legumes - Beans of all kinds including, edamame, lentils, and peanuts (they are more bean than nut)

Sugar - This one seems obvious, but you need to be careful. Sugar is hidden in a very large percentage of the products you will find at the grocery store.  This also includes artificial sugars, stevia, truvia, (no gum) as well as the natural sweeteners of honey, agave, syrup etc.  Click Here for a post on sugar.

Alcohol - Beer, wine, liquor, cordials.  Anything with alcohol.

Alright now for what you will eat for the 30 Day Challenge

You will eat whole, natural, unprocessed, preferably local and organic, real food.  This includes meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and plenty of good fats.

Meat - Beef, chicken, pork, bison, elk, deer, turkey, rabbit, etc.

Seafood -  Fish (wild caught, not farmed), crabs, shrimp, oysters, clams, scallops, etc.

Eggs - cage free, preferably fresh from the farm.

Vegetables & Fruits - Organic, local, and seasonal when possible.  If weight loss is a major goal fruit should be limited considerably.


Nuts & Seeds - Whole, raw, not roasted, unsalted nuts and seeds.   Again, if weight loss is the goal they should be limited.

Good Fats - Avocado, coconut oil, olive oil, ghee, lard, tallow

Click here to see some of these foods put together in meals.  Click Here if you are wondering about fiber.

Alright, I have all of the what to eat and what not to eat, but it sounds like a lot of work?
Compared to the convenience of a drive through or pizza delivery it is more work.  But, your health is worth it and the rewards are endless!  We will be here to help with shopping guides and tips, meal plans, recipes, and emotional support.  It is hard at first because what we are asking you to do may be radically different that what you have been doing for years and years.  Change is never really easy, but almost always provides us an opportunity to grow.  Here is a previous post about some of the more challenging aspects of participation.

Remind me again of why I would want to do this?
The obvious improvements will be in your health, weight loss, more energy, better mental clarity, better skin complexion, disease prevention etc. But there are less obvious benefits as well. They include the confidence grown from gaining control of the addiction that many of us have to processed food and sugar. An addiction that can be just as strong as one to alcohol or drugs and just as hard to break. Your relationship with food and your body will change as you begin to take notice of the effects certain types of food have on your body. This 30 day exercise in self discipline & self denial will have a positive impact on many more areas of your life than just physical health.  We have said it before and will say it again, this experience will change your life.  Click Here for the top 5 reasons to jump in on the challenge.

I am convinced, it's only 30 day's right?  What do I need to do to get in on the challenge and how much does it cost?

Making the commitment is the first step.  We have found from previous challenges that  public accountability is a powerful motivator.  We ask that you leave a comment in the comment section of this blog and let us know you are in on the challenge.  In the past we have created an online community of help and support where we share ideas, tips, tricks, mistakes, hardships, etc. We hope to do the same with this challenge.  We will provide posts along the way to inform, motivate and educate you about nutrition and health.  We will also have weekly check ins  for you to report on your progress.  There is no cost for participation, other than the cost of real, unprocessed, fresh, whole foods.  Unfortunately, these foods do tend to be more expensive but are well worth the extra cost.


We look forward to hearing from you in the comment section and leave you with a quote we have used the past about making a commitment to begin something.  It is so true.

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back-- Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now."

Goethe