Paleo and Whole 30
Many of us have food sensitivities that we might not even be aware of. Completing a Whole 30 is a great way to discover the way your body reacts to the food sensitivies that you have. Or, if your lucky, a great way to discover that you don't have any food sensitivities. A Whole 30 eliminates certain foods for 30 days and then slowly reintroduces one at a time, allowing you to see if your body reacts to them.
I completed a Whole 30 about a year ago and I felt great. After the 30 days, I reintroduced dairy and sweets, one at a time. I am able to eat dairy occasionally, and have fallen into eating too many sweets. I know that I feel better if I don't eat sweets, and that is something I'm working on. With a Paleo lifestyle, I do not eat gluten, grains, or legumes. I do eat lots of lean protein (chicken, turkey, venison, fish, seafood, eggs, etc.) and vegetables, and some fruits, nuts and seeds.
Paleo works for me, but I don't think that one approach is right for everybody. If you have an autoimmune disease, leaky gut syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, or inflammation, you probably have food sensitivities, and a Whole 30 is a good way to find out.
Books I recommend:
Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo was one of the first books I read as I started my Paleo journey and it is a book that I continue to refer to frequently. It explains the science of food and the digestive system in easy to understand terms. It also has meal plans and great recipes!
It Starts with Food by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig explains how to complete a Whole 30 and much more
Against All Grain by Danielle Walker is my "go to" for gluten free, grain free, dairy free recipes. I've tried most of the recipes and have found them all to be delicious.