Paleo...and NaPro

List 1: Sugar. Sweets. Peanut Butter. Bread. Pasta. Bagels. Cereal. 

List 2: Health. Future. Self control. Knowledge. 

Patience.

The past week has added more changes  to my life in this ever changing, wonderfully blessed year. A week ago I sat in my new NaProTechnology Doctor's office and learned I would need to give up everything on list 1. What  I didn't realize until moments ago was all that I would be gaining in the process (check out list 2!).

I started charting with the Creighton Model two months ago. The Creighton Model is a system that a couple can use to track the times of fertility and infertility during a woman's cycle (as well as understand anything abnormal or unusual going on). In my first few months of tracking I learned there was a lot going on in my cycle that wasn't normal...which is why I ended up in a NaProTechnology Doctor's office early last Tuesday. 

As I sat down with the Doctor, showed him my chart, and shared my medical history he told me that he works towards a root cause analysis. The first steps towards that analysis? Changing my diet (and getting bloodwork :/ on day P + 7 of my cycle). 

So I have begun the process of saying goodbye to anything processed, sweetened, or dairy as I transition into a paleo diet. It's been difficult so far but I realize now that my struggles (changing my diet overnight) will ultimately be rewarding (see list 2 again:) ). Anything worth doing is going to take time and patience. Paleo, charting, relationships, and love. 

I made paleo "bread" today. It didn't have much flavor and the ingredients were expensive. I had to make it from fresh ingredients  in my cupboards and refrigerator. I couldn't just buy the loaf off the shelf that would have been quicker and easier. A quick fix and instant gratification can never be rewarding in the long run. It is our continued pursuance of something better, something worth putting effort in for that is truly rewarding. Whether it is our health, our work, or our relationships, we are fulfilled by what we put into it. 

Everyday we must bear the crosses we have been given (a paleo diet isn't the cross, it's more of a blessing) because we are given our struggles for a reason. Everything we encounter in our lives is there for a reason. It is there to help us grow, to help 

us learn, and to help us trust in all the wonderful, crazy, scary, confusing, and joyful plans God has for our lives.  I'm thankful for the lessons of yesterday, the blessings of today, and the journey ahead.