I just remineralized my daughters cavity. We cut way back on grains and used the butter oil and fermented cod liver oil. I am still in shock it really worked. I think this proved to me how we should eat and that we are all lacking vitamins and minerals due to our diet.
Zeela
I can't tell you how much I love your blog! Your recipes are so delicious and easy to follow, and your workouts have helped me drop 3 pounds in just 2 weeks (MUCH more effective than the chronic cardio!). My entire family is benefiting from all of your wonderful and helpful info--my kids actually enjoy eating veggies now! Thank you for all that you put up on here and keep up the good work!
Abby
I have lost 139 pounds in the last 18 months. It took the sudden death of my dear wife to wake me up.
Thanks to your site and others like it I have turned my life around. I feel great and am sharing my story with others.-Dan
Hello! I loved all the contests that you had going during this past month! Thank you for doing that! I started going grain-free, refined sugar-free and dairy-free (except butter) in April of this year, so the diet part of the challenge was not new for me. It did make me get rid of a few more "refined foods" in my cupboards though and that was a great thing. And I loved all the recipe ideas people gave on the meat challenge! I'm excited for all the people that started this for the first time and hope that they saw some great results! I have seen enormous benefits in my own health since cutting out grains and refined sugars. Thanks again for this great challenge!
-Jennifer
I love your website!!!! I can't believe all the information you have put out there and I am so very grateful. I have struggled with my health considerably since a bout with Mono and countless times of being put on antibiotics from a previous doctor almost 5 years ago. Thanks to my wonderful new doctor who doesn't rely solely on Western Medicine I am doing much better. A lot of the stuff she has taught me I have also found on your website.
I love your recipes and this week I tried the weekly planning menu. It was so helpful to prepare on Saturday afternoon. My husband is also enjoying that I am not scrambling to put stuff together at the last minute. I have a 2 year old son, so I have really tried to model healthy eating for him and this seems to be the best site I have found with recipes we all like. We had the leftover Chili for lunch today and my mom came over and also really liked it. I hope to continue on this path and wanted you to know how much I am truly grateful for your practical advice...I can't believe it is free! My next goal is to try making the kefir water. I sometimes really want soda which I know is horrible, so this sounds like a great alternative.-Catherine
I just have to tell you how ENTIRELY thrilled I am to have stumbled across your site! My husband and I had a dear friend and nutritionist who held to many of the same values and principles you help others with. He moved recently and we have been sticking to things he has taught us, but we have only known so much. Now, being pregnant and looking forward to our first child I plan on using your site as my handbook for all my health questions!
Thank you so much. If you have ever doubted if your site is effective, well let me tell you it is! I will recommended it to all my friends!-Robin
I stumbled across your site when i was, ironically, looking for the 'healthy' way to replace butter with oil in baking so i was making healthier stuff for my family... oh how i love your information! ok, so i do love bread but this rings very true to me as i have often thought about the fact that humans have only recently been farming and must have had very little grain through most of our history.
I had 5 surgeries in 4 months, each with their own fun set of complications and finally a hysterectomy. since then, i have been healing and i can't seem to shake the exhaustion. yes, i went through a huge trauma and a HUGE amount of pain through the preg and recovery, but i still know the astounding healing capabilities of the human body and i am a very positive thinker, so i have been finding it a bit difficult that i feel so rotten still. it seems you have provided me with the answer! and i thank you so much for that!-Liz
Hi Katie!
About 6 years ago I got into a bad habit of eating a lot of junk food and hardly exercising. I'd just gotten married, bought a house, fixed it up, moved, had some major changes at work, and I ended up gaining about 60 pounds in one year. I decided to train for a marathon to lose the weight, and joined weight watchers at the same time. After two years of literally running myself ragged, and practically starving all the time on a low-fat, high carb diet, I'd lost just 20 pounds. I was so exhausted, and had so little to show for so much effort and sacrifice.
Then, I started seeking advice from a friend who operated a CrossFit gym on his Marine Base. He introduced me to the Paleo lifestyle, and taught me this completely revolutionary way to look at nutrition and exercise. I jumped in with both feet. I lost the last 40 pounds in only 8 months! I looked and felt better than I could have ever hoped for, and it was so much easier!-Reverser
i have been doing the wellness challenge for 12 days now. and i have lost 5 lbs. where before, no matter what, i haven't been able to lose weight. my calories are always "over" what my calorie counting website says it should be, by a good 500 or more. but i've been tracking my protein, fat and carbs on it. and i'll admit, i have to force myself to get enough protein and fat, very new to me. but i'm not starving anymore, i sometimes have more energy (still working on this), feel good for the most part and have been losing weight. can't get too much better!
-Cecilia
Thanks so much for all of the information you posted during the challenge (and continue to post). This wasn't my first time going grain free, but it was the first time I had a community of support. I indulged over Easter - mostly because we were staying with family and I didn't want to be difficult. I was soooooo sick the day after eating enchiladas, rice and beans. Now I'm back on the grain free wagon and feeling much better already! Unfortunately my husband is not interested in going grainfree, but my toddler isn't terribly picky so she is mostly grain free. I will definitely do my best to stick with it! I'll keep checking out your newsletter and website.
Thanks again!
Veronica
PS - I lost 7 pounds during the challenge :)
-Veronica
God blessed me several years ago to embark on a healthier eating routine. I'm always looking for input and improvement as I move ahead, hence my signing up for the grain and sugar fast, neither of which do I eat much of anyway. However, I wanted to see the results of totally fasting both. There's no question, I notice a definite difference in my abdominal area; less full, easier mobility. If God blesses me to be here this June, I will be 73. By His Grace I take no medicine and am healthy and strong. My exercises of choice are Crossfit, rebounding and occasionally bike riding. Katie, thank you for being there. I have copied many of your receipes and enjoy using coconut products. I'm not shy so forward your wisdom to many in my circle, especially my children who are raising my grandchildren! I will definitely continue to stay in touch with you through your website
-Caroline
Thanks for all your articles, recipes, etc. throughout Lent. They were very helpful! I think what I'm going to do is stick with grain-free as much as possible, especially with what I make at home. However, if I'm going out or traveling I'm not going to feel guilty if I eat something that's not grain free (but I am going to try and eat healthy when possible).
I will say that I just noticed a week or two ago that I've stopped craving a lot of the things I ate before (pizza, fries, etc.). It could be because it took me a couple weeks to really get going on the grain-free diet because I was traveling right at the beginning, but at least it finally happened!
Overall I don't feel much different being on grain free, but I have noticed a better change in my complexion. I haven't broken out like I usually do which has been great! I've also noticed some good changes with my stomach; I've always had gastrointestinal problems (I had my gallbladder taken out a couple years ago), so I usually react differently to things than most people.
So overall this has been a good experience. I've been eating more fruits and vegetables and obviously less fried or processed foods. So, I'm definitely going to try and continue doing that.-Sarah
Just wanted to drop a quick line of thanks. I'm a single guy who has finally started to see the light of proper dieting. I spent 6 hectic (but GREAT) years in the navy and separated in august. I finally got into a routine of cooking for myself regularly but only recently (last 60 days or so) have I become conscious of how I prepare what I eat. After cutting out bread and grains from my diet I began to crave them more than ever. It was quite rough to find a substitute until I found your website so I just wanted to drop a line of thanks!
-Eric
First off, I did lose about 5 lbs. - it's hard to be specific since my weight fluctuates by time of day, water content, etc., but my "range" is now about 5 lbs. less than it was a couple of months ago. Granted, I'm 15 weeks post-partum so one could argue that that had something to do with it, but this was the "extra" 5 lbs. that I was expecting to hang onto as long as I keep nursing, so I'm very pleased.
Secondly, I can tell that I feel generally better. I haven't been able to entirely cut grains out of our diet, but I've been avoiding serving grains in our at-home diet, so it's been a mostly grain-free month+. Twice in the last month I did eat grains - once I made some whole-wheat crust pizza, and once I made angel hair alfredo (with whole wheat pasta). These were both staples of our diet before I found your website, featuring at least every week or two. Both times I felt some abdominal discomfort afterwards, which I'm pretty sure could only be related to the wheat intake. Eating the occasional cookie (only to express solidarity with my husband, of course!) did not seem to affect me as much. I wonder whether I'll ever be able to enjoy a grain-heavy meal again.
Things are a little chaotic with our life right now, but once things settle down a bit I'd like to try a complete grain-free and sugar-free diet for a time. It wouldn't be such a stretch from where we are now. For the last few weeks, it's been nice to ease into this different approach to eating, trying out new recipes and relying more on fresh fruits and vegetables. I love having a salad almost every day, and I love having sweet potatoes as such a staple of our diet. Mainly I miss the convenience of bread as a snack for hungry children. I don't really find myself craving any carbs, specifically.
I really appreciated you leading this challenge. We took a laid-back approach to following it, but it worked for us, and I'll easily be able to sustain this level for some time. I look forward to more recipes and ideas!-Rose
I'll be celebrating by wearing clothes in a brand new size!!! I've officially hit the 15 lb mark since Jan 1 and I feel great! I'm down to that final 5 lbs which I'm sure will be gone soon.
-Mel
Hi Katie!
I just wanted to email you about how life has been for me while going grain-free! I didn't really work up to going grain-free until about two weeks ago. In the meantime, I was researching on marksdailyapple.com and some other websites. It has been hard to buck the whole grain mentality! I have always used almost 100% whole grains and thought they were so good for us. I also wanted to be comfortable with the idea because I have a 2.5 year old and am nursing an 8 month old and introducing solid foods to him. We have always had "healthy" diets and I can literally count on one hand the desserts my 2.5 year old has had. We have homemade meals almost every day and I have always meal planned for each week.
I have been cheating a little bit as I get used to having all of the foods on-hand. So, a leftover nutri-grain bar here, some leftover homemade granola, there. I also have eaten two Olga's 3 Cheese Olgas (nutrition: http://www.olgas.com/downloads/olgas_nutritional_info.pdf Whoa!) in the past two weeks on Fridays when I realized I didn't have fish thawed (we're Catholic) and have had some cherry rhubarb pie and ice cream for the past two Sundays (I had made it for my Sunday Lenten treats and had frozen pieces of it). But, even with all of that, I have lost 7 pounds in two weeks. Yes, 7 pounds. And, this is ridiculous because I was not obese to begin with! I was weighing in around 152 in the morning on average and I am 5'6". I haven't been able to shake around 10 post-baby pounds (I weighed a little more than I wanted to before conceiving #2). But, for the past couple of days, I have weighed 145 or 146 in the morning! All of my pants are loose and my legs, arms, and stomach are much leaner and stronger. I haven't done any actual workouts yet, but am planning to start those soon. The most I have done is normal baby-lifting and walking around museums on rainy days with the kids. Also, our family just moved 3 hours away in mid-March. I think that I was relying on quick carb-laden meals at that time and asthma symptoms (shortness of breath, coughing) were flaring up even though I was consistent with my asthma medicine. Since going grain-free, those symptoms are gone. I am considering going off of my asthma medicine for a few weeks to see how I feel. It would be amazing to be medicine-free!
Other changes:
The toddler: Wow. He has been a lot better behaved! Fewer meltdowns and less whining. I think that his glucose is at a steadier level. He also isn't a bottomless, carb-craving pit at meal times. I am making sure that he has plenty of protein, more veggies, and a good fat source at each meal. Awesome!
The baby: I was nervous about my milk supply, but it seems steadier than before! If I would eat a late lunch, my afternoon milk supply would have suffered. Now, it is relatively steady and I feel good about sending those healthy fats his way! I had also introduced barley and oatmeal to him before going grain-free. Both had seemed to constipate him. Since going grain-free, his BMs are much more regular.
The husband: He has suffered with microscopic colitis for a few years since starting a stressful job. Since moving for his new job (and getting rid of the old, stressful job) and integrating less grains, he has been almost symptom-free. I'm looking forward to his being 100% symptom-free so that he can truly enjoy life again!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your blog! I wouldn't have known anything about this without it. I believe that I learned about your blog from www.conversiondiary.com, so you might want to thank her for the link! :)
Thank you so much for changing my life!
Karen-Karen
First of all, I really enjoy your website. I have copied quite a few of your receipes, especially the grain free ones. As a "mostly vegetarian", I hardly eat any grain or sugar. I do like my Ezekiel Sesame Bread toast occasionaly with a cup of tea, so I have missed that. As a CROSSFITTER, I try to eat healthy. That is part of our program. Actually, that's how I was introduced to your website; one of my coaches forwarded an article on agave as we were having a discussion about its benefits or not. I've also forwarded some of your articles to my daughters-in-law as they are trying to eat more healthy in their families. Thank you again for a wonderful service to the greater community. As I read you must have your hands full with children as well as serving us. May God continue to bless you and your family as you reach out and bless us.
-Caroline
Your website has been an absolute Godsend for me the last couple months. Thank you so much for doing it. I have gotten so much info and so many recipes that have helped me stay motivated. My goal was not to lose weight, but I have already lost 17 pounds in about 7 weeks, which was definitely needed. And the other health benefits have been wonderful. It has also been just what I needed to break the cycle of a very destructive eating cycle that I have been on for years. I thank God for you every day! Please keep up the great work.
-Colleen
Thank God I found you! I stopped eating all grains (as well as starchy vegetables and starchy fruits) 28 days ago and never felt better in my life. No more cravings - what a wonderful relief - and a 12lb weight loss without a moment's hunger. I never want to eat starches again, but assumed that must surely be detrimental to my health since we are constantly told how good for us whole grains are. Then I came upon your website and discovered for the first time that it is possible to NOT eat grains and still be healthy. Phew! Looking forward now to a craving-free and healthy life. Thank you for your website.
-Joan
The challenge has been fantastic! I've lost weight - I don't know exactly how much in just this past 40 days, but since the first of the year I've lost 15 pounds. I had already started following a Paleo diet in January, but this challenge and your website has made me so aware of sugars in items. I have no interest in adding back in sugar and all this junk in my life. I'm working to eliminate as much as I can from my 3 year olds diet as well. This is more of a challenge, but we're working on it! I will be celebrating by fitting into clothes for Easter in a smaller size and wearing jeans that haven't fit me in 5 years!!!! I just can't describe how much healthier I feel since making these diet changes - I'll be continuing with this hopefully forever!!! I had a few bad days along the way where I cheated and honestly it wasn't worth it - I felt so awful the next day from putting that junk in my body it made me not want to do it again.
Thank you so much for this challenge and all the wonderful information your website has provided. I feel so great and am so inspired to continue to learn more that I've started looking into going back to school to get certified to help others!!! I love telling people about my success as crazy as some of them think I am, but I let my results speak for themself. Please continue all the great information - your website has been invaluable and I'm sure will continue to be.
Thanks again!-Melinda
When I signed up for the 40 Day Grain-Free Challenge (thank you Wellness Mama!), it was really just to help my husband lose weight. He did lose some, but the biggest thing to come out of it was a TOTAL CURE of the rather severe hypoglycemia that had plagued me for years. With this came a modest weight loss (I wasn't really overweight to begin with), greater energy, emotional stability, and mental clarity. Not only did I cut out all grains and beans (a huge part of my former diet), all processed foods, canola, soy, and corn oils, and milk, but I cut WAY back on my fruit consumption. Following some of the paleo advice, I limited myself to mostly low GI fruits, mainly berries and citrus. I also cut way back on coffee and tea, but found myself substituting 90% dark chocolate to a degree.
There is no way to describe the change in me. Before I would get sick after drinking two cups of coffee on an empty stomach, but after about three weeks on the challenge, I could (and still can) drink several cups - I know, not good - without getting sick. I have only experienced low-blood sugar or hyperinsulinemia episodes on a few occasions around and after Easter when I was indulging in sugar and junk, kind of experimenting to see if all this was real. It is totally real.
What I have learned is that fruit is something that can definitely be abused. It gives you a big sugar high, but you don't necessarily realize that until you go off of it. At first I had major problems with fatigue and sugar cravings. It took about a week and a half for the drugged out feeling to go away, but the sugar cravings still hit me. A bit of dark chocolate or some berries, avocado, or coconut milk helped me with the cravings, but I had to remember to cool it, and not go overboard. I had to up my fat intake quite a bit to compensate for the lost carb energy. I really believe that I was on my way to diabetes big time, burning out my beta cells with all that fructose and lactose. I had NO IDEA. On a side note, the weight I lost (remember I wasn't overweight according to the scale, or clothing size) was ALL BELLY FAT. After seven children, I have my waist back! I still love fruit, I just don't abuse it anymore. Good luck! And thanks again Wellness Mama!-Sherobin
I gave up eating white sugar and grains that aren't soaked or fermented a year ago and lost 28 lbs so far, no more joint pain or stiffness and my skin looks great! I am 58 and have never been healthier!
-Deborah