Hello everyone,

Oh my goodness, I cannot even believe how long it has been. For that, I apologize. I think somewhere along the pandemic, I lost my way a bit and just felt the need to be silent. But I am back!

I hope that you are all doing well during these uncertain times. I think that we are all surviving this in our own way and I have decided that I am going to use the remainder of it to become the best, healthiest and happiest version of myself (how much more time do we have?).

While trying to better our lives, Andrew and I have adopted a puppy and I am also now about to embark on a 60 day experiment to improve my health (so, I hope!)

Let me tell you more about The Starch Solution and why I am about to try it for the next two months.

WHAT IS THE STARCH SOLUTION?

The Starch Solution, by John McDougall, is essentially a way of eating that has lead many people to better health with significant weight loss. At a snap shot, it is a high carb, low fat, whole food plant based diet. In essence, your plate should be 70% starch, 0% meat and dairy, 10% fruit and 20% non starchy vegetables.

The book is incredible, filled with scientific evidence and resources as to why we should be eating this way. Basically, McDougall shows that humans are designed to eat this way (we use starch for energy!) and by doing so we will achieve our ideal weight and will transform our health.

WHY AM I TRYING THE STARCH SOLUTION?

Now if you know me at all, you know that I am already vegan and mostly eat a whole food plant based diet (except for the occasional Beyond Meat Taco). But did you know that because of my fitness background, I have basically been obsessed over protein for my entire life?! Every meal has always been centered around protein and even as a vegan, I am eating more than my body’s requirements for protein. So why make the switch to a high carb diet?

Well, while I feel mostly well, I have had some strange (and small) health problems show up. My blood has been tested (and is impeccable). However, my hair has started thinning like crazy and I have almost completely lost my eyebrows. In addition, (and stop reading now if you are squeamish about smells….) I have had this crazy body odor that I cannot seem to get rid of (I actually had a little girl tell me last week how bad my puppy smelled, not realizing that she was talking about ME!). When, I started looking into the body odor, all of the articles stated that I could be low in carbohydrates and eating too much protein.

Hmmmmm…..so you are telling me that my protein shakes, excess tempeh, and elimination of good carbs weren’t beneficial to my health?!

SO, WHAT’S THE PLAN?!

For the next 60 days I am going to try The Starch Solution to see if I can get back on track. I am so excited to not stress about protein anymore and to eat the foods that I love (did someone say potatoes and “cheese” sauce?!).

I will try to post at least once a week to give you a synopsis of how things are going: am I losing weight, has my hair and the odor improved, how’s my energy and what am I eating?

I have to be fair and admit that I have been mostly following a low fat diet for some time now. Also, I have been experimenting with this diet for about 5 days but won’t be jumping in 100% until tomorrow.

What will I be removing from my diet:

My beloved protein shakes
I will be minimizing my tempeh and tofu intake
I will also be eating less avocado
I will only be eating processed food with oil once a week for a “cheat day”
No smoothies allowed

What will I be adding to my diet:

Whole grains: brown rice, quinoa (occasional white rice)
More potatoes (sweet, white, red)
I will be adding a tablespoon of flaxseed per day and a small handful of nuts (these are not on The McDougall program but are highly recommended by all the plant based doctors).
Veggies, veggies and more veggies!

I think that about covers it. Also, I should quickly note that I am not doing this for weight loss. I am very comfortable with where I am, but will see what happens. I will occasionally weigh myself so that we can get a clear picture.

I am very excited about this endeavor and I hope that you will follow my progress. Please let me know if you have any questions or if you want to join me <3. I look forward to falling in love with carbs again and seeing if they have the healing powers that people say they do.

See you soon!

<3, April

CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW MY 60 DAY EXPERIMENT