Earlier this week I had a couple of days where I did not quite feel like myself. My patience was wearing thin, I was grouchy and irritable, and I was generally not all that fun to be around. I believe that the underlying cause of my acute case of the crankies is that for the past eleven days, I have been following a rather strict nutritional program called the Whole30. The Whole30 is a nutritional program designed by the folks at Whole9 that lasts for 30 days, as the name would imply. It is designed to help people reset their bodies to a healthy state of being and develop a healthier relationship with food.
One of the potential side effects of eating very healthy food after years of eating unhealthy food is crankiness. I knew this going into the Whole30, and I still decided to do it. I even stuck it out for four days while I was feeling like a major crankypants, and I am committed to following the program through for the entire thirty days. Fortunately, my mood has improved and I’m back to my normal self again.
While I was in crankypants mode, I questioned whether it was worth it to be doing something that made me cranky and irritable. After all, I strive to be the best mom that I can be, and part of that involves being able to be patient and kind as often as possible. Was I harming my kids by being grouchy for a few days?
I decided that my answer is yes, it is worth doing, and no, I am not harming them. It is worth doing because in these thirty days I am not only learning a great deal about how food affects my body, I am learning how to prepare very healthy meals for myself and my family. It is worth doing because I am setting an example for my boys, and I hope to raise them with an appreciation for healthy food. It is worth doing because I am doing it for myself, to give myself a nutritional fresh start and repair my relationship with food. Children benefit from seeing parents take care of themselves. What’s more, I want to be healthy so that I can enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle with my boys.
Photo by hotblack on morguefile.com.