The following post is sponsored by Fitfluential LLC on behalf of Grain Brain.
After I finished the Marine Corps Marathon, I was given the opportunity to review the book, “Grain Brain” and also participate in a 4 week challenge where I focused on:
* Eating healthy fats along with taking supplements (Omega 3 Fish oil, Resvida, DHA, Vitamin D)
to fuel my brain
* Avoiding his Glycemic Index foods such as high sugar fruits and vegetables (carrots, sweet potato)
* Avoiding all foods containing gluten
* Healthy amounts of sleep each night for rest and recovery
* Exercise to keep my brain and heart healthy
So, how’d I do?
Surprisingly well – but no one’s perfect 😉
In regards to EAT: I learned to enjoy some new foods that I wouldn’t normally try to eat as healthy carbs:
MMMM Kombocha squash!
I felt awesome and full of energy after the intial ‘shock’ to my system of the dietary changes. I took the DHA, ResVida, Fish oil, and Vitamin D supplements as recommended daily. I felt like I did very well with avoiding sweet potatoes and starches…until we went to Vegas. At first I was able to avoid grains, even starchy root vegetables, but then began to crave a french fry here and there. I may have had some chocolate, too, when I gave into the craving. Since I’ve always lived healthier by abiding by moderation, I let myself cheat. I found it tough to food prep, with everything going on at the time (no excuses, I should have just DONE it!) so when I was on the go, I was more tempted than when I had my own food with me. I didn’t want a full meltdown to take place. When drinking, I did have cider beer and red wine while we were out – I wasn’t 100% bad, even though I shouldn’t have had those things at all – oops.
In regards to SLEEP: Let’s just say that I lived up to my grandma-ness even when we were on vacation! I’ve made sure to get 7-8 hours of sleep since marathon training, and haven’t stopped that habit. We tried to go out at least once in Vegas, but ended up in bed by 11pm at the latest – no partying for us. I don’t regret it, though, as a healthy sleep pattern has kept me sane!
In regards to MOVE: I never stop moving, but you already knew that. With marathon training coming to an end, I kept up light running to get through the RNR Vegas Half, and also re-incorporated Insanity and strength/circuit workouts back into my life. Boy have I missed it! I feel strong and make sure to leave the gym drenched. The first week of this challenge I felt tired and not working to my full potential at the gym, but now feel I have even more energy to get moving!
In regards to my BRAIN: I have always had a weird knack for thriving in chaos – having a million things going on at once and feeling bored if I’m not that way. I’d learned to give each task more thought, though over time, so that I don’t spread myself too thing. During this challenge, I worked on 2 fitness certifications, obtained a 2nd job, kept up my blogging schedule, worked like I usually do, and took a racecation on top of it all. I did very well on my certifications and feel like I’m progressing nicely at my new CPT job, learning more and more each day. Do I attribute a lot of the positive results to this challenge? I think so? Not only do I feel like I have the brain power to take it all on and do the best I can, but I feel energized and not weighed down – no tummy issues help a ton – so that I can bounce from one thing to the next!
Will I continue this way of eating and looking at food?
I’ve definitely felt a lot better overall – my tummy doesn’t feel any weird issues when I eat this way and I feel way more energetic than I did before. I’ve always lived by the WORK HARD. PLAY HARD. mantra, so will indulge here & there but definitely in MODERATION. I know that 90% of what I eat will be grain free and soy free if I can keep it up! G has even noticed a difference and tries to mimic my eating habits since he’s felt the positive effects of Grain Brain eating.
If we can do it anyone can!
Would you try Grain Brain?
Check out the #grainbrain and #GBChallenge hashtags to see how others did with the challenge too!
Have you gone grain free and felt the positive effects of it?
for me this way of eating is PERFECTION.
Im energetic.
I can THINK more clearly.
I dont think it is for everyone–but it is definitely for me.
and the husband 🙂
if only he’d realize.
I try with my hubby too but he’s taking baby steps lol
I may have to give this a try! Thanks for sharing your experience Kat!
It’s worth a shot after the first week of adjusting Mindy!
Glad you got such positive results! I bet it was tough to stick with it in Vegas! Can you have alcohol during the challenge? That was the hardest part about the Whole30. No wine!!!
I saw that red wine and gluten free beer with low sugar was allowed after the 4 weeks so I’m golden 😉
I practice many of these principles day to day. It makes me feel good overall 🙂
You definitely do! It’s tough to go back to the other way!
Grain Brain is on my list of upcoming reads… I have quite a few right now but I’m working on catching up 🙂
You’d love it Cori!
Great review! I have been reading the book and I am thinking of giving it a try!
It’s great after the adjustment period for sure!
I wasn’t perfect either, but I do find myself continuing to eat a bit more along these lines than I used to… it definitely made my stomach happy!
I know some people don’t like this, but I am definitely interested in trying this out! Thanks for sharing your experience!
Glad to hear your experience with this was a good one! I am still stunned by how much my body liked this.
I know I could not do this because my husband would never go along with it I fully admit to loving sweet potatoes, red wine, chocolate. Congrats for giving it a try. I think moderation is the key to healthy living and I try to keep my cheats to a minimum every day.
I’m always up for trying anything just to see how I feel. It definitely sounds interesting!
WAHOO! I am glad you had a good experience! 😀 Grain is such a pain – LOL see what I did there?
I know people do great on this but as much as I have great strength in what I do, I can’t do that – life is too short for me. If the doc said I had to then I would – like for health reasons but till then, nope.. I do the best I can.. 🙂
Yes! Eliminating gluten has changed my life, and the Grain Brain Challenge helped get rid of my migraines. Win!
Way to go
It’s interesting to keep hearing how gluten can really affect your GI system. I’m tempted to try to eliminate it, but at the same time, I’m a huge bread fan 🙂 I know it would just be different versions of foods I enjoy, but it still seems overwhelming to me!