TODAY IS THE DAY: Day 6

(click here to read day 5)

I realized this morning that I've been so focused on my persistent stuffy nose, that I have failed to mention my digestive health, or other issues. I can say for certain that my digestive health has improved! I used to feel so bloated after eating, and often times would experience a rumbly (gassy) tummy. After Day 1, I've only experienced this mildly a time or two, which happened to be when I had gone too long in between meals, and then eaten. If I snack in between meals that may be spread apart quite a bit, I am just fine. So, I woke up this morning feeling stuffed up again, but realizing that my tummy feels good - seems like a step in the right direction.

As far as being on my "own plan", I can see a big improvement in my energy level, just by adding a few extra fruits and/or veggies! I have been used to eating a lot of fruits and vegetables, and it seems my body has just been craving more the past few days! Day 5 extras were Carrots, Cucumbers, Pears, and another superly awesome creamy sweet potato. Day 6's extras were Strawberries, a tad bit of Honey, and fresh Cherries.

This small change has made a HUGE difference in my motivation to continue on with this challenge.

I will be honest though...there are many times throughout the day that I am thinking about eating cookie dough*** , peanut butter, bacon, and other various foods that either are - or are made out of - items on the list of 15 commonly problematic foods.  ***(Check out this cookbook by Lindsay Landis, also author of the blog Love & Olive Oil - I CAN NOT wait to own her cookbook...and drool over it...and make every recipe...mmm.)

BUT

I am going to continue on...6 days...6 DAYS! I thought Day 5 may have been the end for me (especially when I started thinking about Papa Murphy's Pizzas for dinner, while hubby and I were out and about with the kiddos grabbing a few groceries...mostly fresh produce) but at this point I am feeling that I have made it this far - how can I just give up? And, now that I've realized how much better my digestive health is, I will have a better indicator (besides my stuffy nose, that I still have) as to whether or not the 15 foods are affecting my body in an adverse way. Hopefully making up some of my own rules doesn't affect any results that I may discover (or NOT discover, because of breaking the rules!).

Here is what I ate on Day 6*:
Breakfast: Cream of Rice with Cinnamon
Snack: Apple
Lunch: Hamburger with Dry Mustard
Snack: Fresh Cherries
Dinner: Ground Beef/Green Bean Casserole; Cucumbers
Snack: Smoothie (Strawberries, Unsweetened Coconut, Honey, Coconut Milk)

*I also drink at least 2+ quarts of water throughout the day.

Ahh...Day 7. The first day of the Reintroduction Phase. Citrus will be up today...