There is a Whole 30 Revolt in My House (can low carb affect mood?)

I could do the Whole 30 forever it seems. I am not bugged by the lack of baked goods, rice or sweets. Ryan and Colson are rising up and I am trying to prevent a coup. Actually, it isn’t that bad. They have both done superbly following the Whole 30 guidelines, but they are reaching their limit.

Ryan is demanding baked goods and came home with a gluten-free baking cookbook. He tried really hard to find a way to get healthy baked goods, but I know too much about the recommended ingredients and just can’t use it. The gluten-free items in the cookbook are inflammatory, which won’t help Ryan’s cholesterol or formerly aching back and they sure as heck won’t help Colson breathe better. I am taking that $27 book back.

Interesting thing for Ryan on the Whole 30. The back he unknowingly fractured in two places while in the Army and stationed in Haiti (to overthrow Baby Doc) in the 90s no longer hurts him. How is that for a Whole 30 victory? Seventeen years of back pain ERASED. Hah! Not to mention that his ridiculously out of balance cholesterol normalized in SIX WEEKS! See Cholesterol Victory for Ryan and Must Listen Cholesterol Information. But he wants baked goods.

Colson is another case. He wants rice. I wonder about his demand for rice. I noticed that he has been a real crank for about a month. Then I read somewhere (I don’t know where because I read so much and didn’t think to note it) that in some cases low carb diets can affect mood. I asked some of my Simplicity Group friends about this (they are full-on healing foodies) and my friend Maria said that Paleo eating, which is a lighter form of the Whole 30, is great for people who lead physical lives, but that people who use a lot of heavy duty brain power require some additional carbs. Colson won’t eat sweet potatoes (paleo), so he gets by on fruit and veggies. And he has become a crank.

Maria explained that no carb affected her and her husband,Dmitri, immensely when they were in grad school. She went no carb to address a health issue, and no carb eating addressed it, but when her courses started, she and her husband crashed hard the first day. She called her nutritionist who explained that heavy brain work requires a carb boost. Maria and Dmitri are REALLY BRILLIANT mathematicians and heavy brainwork is their thing. Maria knows Colson well, as she facilitates math with him twice a week, and she said that his cranky mood could be due to a carb deficit. If you do an Internet search for “Low Carb Diet Effects on Mood” you will see that it is widely discussed, with some of the discussion being research based.

This week, in response to Colson’s crankiness and strong desire for rice, I let him have some white rice. Today is day three of rice reintroduction. It hasn’t affected his breathing, but he did have a bit of loose stool. I am not sure if that is related to the rice or not. His mood is much improved.

As I read and learn more, I see that another possible solution for Colson could be supplements – L-tryptophan being one possibility. I am not a big fan of supplements, and if Colson can eat some white rice a few times a week without adverse effects on breathing or gut health, I think I will go that route, but I will check in with my doc just in case supplements are a better solution.

Now back to Ryan and his need for baked goods. He used to eat the coconut flour baked goods I made a bit grudgingly. It has been A LONG TIME since I have made them, and a longer time for coconut flour muffins in particular. I made some muffins yesterday (see Recipes,) and I used about half the honey called for (2 T). Ryan was happy with them. Amazing the perspective that eating the Whole 30 way gives you. Even Colson liked them, and he never, ever liked them.

The only non-paleo problem with these muffins is the honey, but if 2 T of honey spread over seven muffins keeps Ryan sane, I will take it. Today I revised the almond flour brownie recipe by cutting the honey in half, and it is too sweet for me. I almost can’t handle honey anymore. It will be interesting to see what Ryan thinks.  

Send us the good vibes, please, because I actually bought brown rice flour (totally un-Paleo) and tapioca starch in case the coconut and almond flour baked goods aren’t good enough and the boys totally rebel. I REALLY don’t want to open those packages – they are a Pandora’s box. I can tell Ryan to just suck it up, but an eight year old boy can run out of patience with being so “different.”

Fortunately, the eight year old has always regrouped when becoming upset about being in a group of kids and being deprived of normal kid food. Luckily it doesn’t happen often, and if I say “high fructose corn syrup” he immediately jumps back on the healthy home program. If it isn’t a high fructose problem, then he can get upset. He understands that many of the kids have the same food sensitivities and just don’t know it or their parents aren’t doing anything about it, but that doesn’t make it any easier for him. I have to be patient and understanding, as he is only eight and I can be like a robot about the Whole 30 and never look back.

Comments

[Melissa Hartwig]

I'm a little late to the party, but Dallas and I wanted to say congratulations on your Whole30 success! I'd love to hear more about Ryan's experience with back pain - we've got a few folks doing the Whole30 right now in the hopes of helping manage chronic pain. Would you be open to sending me a quick email with his (short) story? Please contact me via email directly - and thanks for sharing your family's Whole30 story!

Best,
Melissa