The "Ultimate" Challenge!

Can I do it? Can I go a year or longer without sugar or refined carbohydrates? If you would have asked me that question just a month ago I would have told you absolutely not! I grew up with desserts. They are an intrical part of almost every meal. And saying no to warm, crusty french bread? Never!
Well,now my body is speaking to me demanding a change in my diet in order to heal a compromised digestive tract. Two choices stare me in the face: strong medication or PWFD-Perfect Whole Food Diet. I've chosen the later.
This is day one of a whole foods diet; eating whole foods being defined as foods that are whole, that have no parts removed, and avoiding all refined foods, which are foods that have had something taken out. This is a TOTAL avoidance diet requiring reading labels, to avoid ingesting ANY foods that would compromise the diet's purpose. I believe diet is not an appropriate word because many people associate this word with weight loss programs-attempts to lose weight by temporarily changing eating habits. The Whole Food Diet is meant to support your health and hopefully heal a chronic digestive condition and produce a lifestyle change in eating.
I spent the morning cleaning out my kitchen cupboards and refrigerator of all "foods", including condiments, that won't fit into this new eating regime. Did you know Morton's salt contains sugar? All but one of our cold cereals bit the dust as did most of the baking supplies, even the pastas and all our crackers. After hours of cleaning and reorganizing, my cupboards look bare. Branden and Brooke are the recipients of lots of "food stuff".
Brooke is my inspiration for this journey. She was on a similar diet for over a year when we first met. She has had digestive problems for a number of years but is so much improved I take hope in her recovery. She is now more liberal with her diet as I hope in a year I can be too.
I will keep you updated on my progress. Any words of support would be welcome. I am thankful that I have a husband who is always by best cheerleader and willing to eat only what I eat, except maybe a cup of coffee and some chocolate now and then. Yes, that's right-I can have NO chocolate for a year! Could there be anything worse? Ha!