Hi there, it's been awhile, huh? I could bore everyone with all the reasons why, but it makes me tired, so let's move on to something else. Speaking of tired, that's one of the reasons I "did" Whole 30. Perhaps you are wondering, "What is Whole 30, and why would anyone do that, anyway?" Whole 30 is this ridiculous eating plan (I don't like to use the word "diet" because it implies the desire to lose weight, and that's not the premise of the idea behind Whole 30) where you basically can't eat anything that brings you joy. Maybe you've read Jen Hatmaker's experience. There is some truth to her review, plus it's funny.
It's easier to explain what you CAN eat, because that list is way shorter than what you can NOT eat. You can eat:
meat
veggies
fruit
some oils (no canola or vegetable)
nuts (but not peanuts)
coffee (black)
That's kinda it. You can consume many types of nuts as "milk" and fruit as juice (as long as there is no added sugar). If you want to see all the details just google it.
So why did I do this? Well, after a year of eating my feelings and 10 days in Hawaii I thought I needed to reset, reprogram, and clean up my eating. Whole 30 is good for that.Whole 30 is not good for saving time in the kitchen or socializing. I'm also tired all the time and have seasonal allergies, and I was hoping that a clean diet would help. Plus for real, I wanted to lose the few pounds I added after my hedonistic, denying myself nothing for a year eating.
Take aways: according to the Internet, I'm the only one on the planet who didn't drop multiple pounds and feel GREAT! I did drop a few legit vacation pounds, and I guess that's probably good enough (yes, I know, I don't NEED to lose weight). I was still tired, and it didn't affect my allergies. Boo. Plus I felt cranky because I "couldn't" eat all those delicious foods like bread and ice cream. And for crying out loud I only use a splash of milk and ONE measured teaspoon of sugar in my coffee. Plus there is LOTS of food prep and cooking and I like to enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail while I'm in the kitchen. But, big surprise, no alcohol allowed!
To be fair, I didn't "do" purely Whole 30. I kinda feel like it's an elitist diet because some of the foods are expensive. I relaxed the "no sugar" when buying bacon. Sugar is in nearly all bacon. When you find some without sugar it is $8 or more compared to $4. Sugar is listed as an ingredient but shows as 0% daily allowance. I couldn't justify the expense. Almond butter costs twice as much as peanut (which we didn't eat). Almond milk costs more than cow's. I had a handful of forbidden items (glass of wine, one beer, 2 servings of ice cream) over a period of 30 days. But for me WAAAAAY fewer than normal, so I counted it as a win. Could that be why I'm still tired? I don't really think so.
Perhaps since I didn't have that far "to go" with my awareness of healthy eating I didn't see as drastic benefits as others might. I'm already hyper aware of how much sugar is added to prepared foods (like ketchup, mayo, bacon, salad dressing...)so many things that it's totally unnecessary. I read labels. I bake my own bread (not ALL of my bread). I grow herbs. Whole 30 felt like a chore on top of my already heavier than normal workload of unpacking our house (it's like we moved after our remodel).
BUT: the food is FANTASTIC. Fresh, flavorful, delicious. And healthy. The kids didn't participate fully, but they did eat all the dinners (because that's the rule-I don't make 2 dinners). And I felt mentally healthy because I wasn't berating myself for eating a dozen cookies or anything else that doesn't fuel my body. I found all my recipes on Pintrest and even found some restaurants we could enjoy. That helped.
Now that we are officially off Whole 30 we are still very much on, which I think is the point. Habits form after 30 days, so we are used to making healthy choices and like it. I'm also relaxing the rules. Making all my own sauces is delicious but time consuming (the MESS in the kitchen, ug!) but doable on occasion. I'm incorporating some of the principles but also eating ice cream and cookies!
Should you do it? I dunno. It's not for everyone and it's tons of kitchen work. I think for some it's not a realistic option, but being aware of the food you eat and eating healthy is always a good thing.
