Chia Seed Pudding with Mixed Berry Coulis

Today I recommended that a friend try the Whole 30 program to reset her health. She’s probably the fiftieth person I’ve suggested it to in the past six months and every time I do and they do it I get so freaking excited for them! Why? Because I know how darn good they are going to feel at the end (or is it just the beginning?) of it. The best part is it won’t even take full 30 days to starting reaping the benefits. I know because I felt like a rock star after a week.

I’ve been through Whole 30 (who am I kidding, I live it every day) so I always like to share the little tibits of wisdom I’ve picked up along the way. My numero uno piece of advice for success: “Be prepared!” Make sure you have LOTS of the food you will be eating on hand. When you open your refrigerator door it should look like a tiny version of your local market’s produce section. When you have good food on hand, you’ll eat good food and you’ll feel good. However, if you have crappy food (carb and sugar laden) on hand, because that’s what you’ve been eating for years and conventional nutritional ideology has told you that’s what you should be eating, your brain is going to insist that is what you want. So you’ll eat your sandwich made with a multi-grain wrap or whole wheat bread and you’ll have a bowl of fruit salad for lunch. Then your insulin levels are going to spike and then, inevitably, crash and you’ll be right back where you started: hungry, tired and suffering a major case of brain fog. So then you are going to grab your “healthy” snack like a chocolate covered granola bar or a muffin or trail mix with sweetened cranberries and blueberries and before you know it you’ll start the “I’m hungry, I’m tired, I can’t focus” cycle all over again.

If it seems like I’m belabouring this point, I am. It is very important that you understand why you feel the way you do (if you are someone who has already got their gut and health in order, awesome. Now, go forth and share what you know). It’s what you are eating. OK, that’s not the only thing but it’s a huge part of it and because it is so easy to change it’s the best starting point I can think of.

The other sage advice I can give is this: eat lots of good for you fat. I’m not talking vats of it in a day but incorporate a little into each meal you eat. It will fill you up and keep you feeling that way. This is one of the biggest mistakes people make when they try Whole 30 or any “diet” with the intention to lose weight. They get stuck in the “fat makes you fat” mantra. I am hear to tell you it doesn’t and I know this for a (fat) fact because I eat fat at every meal and I am still shedding fat. Sugar makes you fat. And sick. And tired. Wow! Sounds brutal when you put it like that.

So if you have penciled Whole 30 into your “Things I Can Do to Take Care of Me” journal, YAY! I’m so excited for you. It’s one of the best decisions you are ever going to make because it is going to set you on a course destined for living the life you want to live because you are going to feel so freaking good you will be unstoppable.

Now, go make this pudding. Do yourself a favour and double or triple the recipe for those moments when you are about to reach for a bagel or a chocolate bar or a bag of chips and grab this instead.