Inspired by a friend, we're going on a "no white food" diet for a couple of weeks- you know, no white bread, white rice, sugar, alcohol- only whole grains. Believe me, I am as shocked as you. I have never once considered it reasonable to deny myself any foods that I want or love for any reason. But, I am actually really excited to try this for a couple of reasons. Why?

• The processed "white foods" and sugar are simple carbohydrates that immediately convert to sugar in your body. They make your blood sugar spike and fall more quickly than complex carbohydrates like barley or whole wheat. A lot of people think that these mini ebbs and flows of energy and blood sugar can exacerbate feelings of anxiety, and that by cutting them out you can reduce anxiety naturally.
  

• There is evidence that simple carbs cause/deepen wrinkles and make your skin break out more easily.

• I am too much in a comfort zone of go-to recipes and foods that I like, and am interested in trying out recipes and products that are more healthy and beyond the realm of things I usually make. I've been looking obsessively at our friend Heidi Swanson's book Super Natural Cooking, and have dog-eared a bunch of her yummy-looking recipes already.

• Some people feel that you have more sustained energy with no simple carbs because the complex carbs take longer to process.
  

• I don't pay enough attention to what's in things because I rarely read labels. I spent a few hours in Trader Joe's reading labels the other day and was surprised to find that essentially everything has sugar in it. I mean, on some level I kind of knew that, but it's interesting to read and see what's in stuff. Michael Pollan says not to eat anything with more than 5 ingredients listed- so that was another impetus and framework for reading labels as well.

• I feel good about cutting out alcohol for a few weeks because it's easy to get in the habit of drinking a couple glasses of wine a night without even thinking about it.

• And finally, as my body ages it permits me less and less to just eat whatever I want and not gain weight. So there is a slight weight loss component as well. This is more pervasive for Ross than for me.

So do I have any proof that any of these claims are true? Not at all. As with most dietary things, the world and the internet is full of conflicting opinions and theories. But I'm excited to challenge myself and try to reflect on whether or not I feel better about it- and if I do, I'll have to decide whether I think there's proof in this whole-grain pudding, or whether it's a placebo effect.

So there you have it folks- I will of course post recipes and tales from the whole grain, no booze front. Maybe my posts will be more cohesive. Or I will have extra energy and be able to make 10 posts a day. On the flip side, maybe I will be so busy admiring my wrinkle-free clear skin and toned thighs in the mirror that I will be unable to post at all. Regardless, the whole thing will be reevaluated at the end of February and I will see where to go from there.