Why Whole30 Wasn’t For Me

I know it’s been a while since I did my two-week stint with Whole30, but I really wanted to take some time to compile all my thoughts before I gave you a recap, and I’m really glad I did. The title of this post may have given me away, but I discovered that I don’t stand by Whole30 as much as the true believers out there… but I want you to hear me out! I have my reasons.

There are a TON of wonderful benefits from following this “diet” – especially if you tend to eat a lot of packaged/processed foods and takeout. Or even if you don’t! For me, as an avid label reader and borderline health nut, I was surprised that I couldn’t wait for it to be over. And since I took some time to figure out the “diet” that works best for me, I’ve realized one simple truth.

I prefer a plant based diet.

To avoid babbling on and confusing you, let’s break it down into my Pros & Cons:

Whole30 Pros

• It forces you to not only think about what you’re eating, but how it fits into your day.
  • I tend to graze a lot throughout the day, but Whole30 made me think about how to create a filling breakfast, so that I wouldn’t be hungry again until lunch… and then a filling lunch, so I wouldn’t be hungry again until dinner… you get the idea.
• It reminds you to read labels. ALWAYS.
  • This one is so important. It’s so easy to have a misconception of what is “healthy” and what isn’t based on what commercials and ads have told you, or even what your parents have told you! Whole30 forces you to look at the ingredients in EVERYTHING. Wait, my “all natural” juice or nut butter or PASTA SAUCE has high fructose corn syrup in it and HOW MUCH added sugar? Yeah… it can be upsetting, but it’s a valuable wake up call. Which leads me to…
• You not only learn to eliminate desserts, but unnecessary sugar, too.
  • Sugar is super addictive, but America hasn’t become addicted solely because of candy. Sugar is hidden in soooo many items, and it’s important to be aware of how much you’re consuming besides the piece of chocolate you crave at night ?
• It taught me how to meal prep/plan a little bit better.
  • This doesn’t really come naturally to me – I like to cook what I feel like cooking/eating in the moment! That being said, even just making sure I had adequate groceries in my fridge helped me. When I made my egg muffins, I always had something for breakfast. When I had frozen fruits/veggies and almond milk, I could always make a smoothie for lunch. And when I had cauliflower rice, fresh veggies and chicken on hand, I could whip something up for dinner. Even that simple level of planning has changed the way I grocery shop.
• It encourages you to have some fun in the kitchen!
  • You have an excuse to spend time in your kitchen because you are dedicating time to your health. It becomes less of a chore and more of an investment. Also, chicken and broccoli can get old real fast, so it’s in your best interest to have a little fun, get creative, and try new recipes!
    *Example: I always used to make Stuffed Peppers the same way, but when cheese and rice were off the table, what else could I use? Now, my Whole30 Stuffed Peppers are one of my favorite weeknight meals. BOOM!
• I’ve discovered some cool new food brands.
  • Tessemae’s is probably my favorite Whole30 discovery – they make amazing salad dressings and marinades with clean (and compliant!) ingredients. And since my two week stint, I’ve discovered more paleo/healthy brands that I never knew before. I’ll talk more about those in the cons section, though… ?

Whole30 Cons

• There are a lot of healthy foods that aren’t compliant.
  • This frustrated me a lot. Why am I not allowed to eat things with proven health benefits, yet I’m allowed to eat bacon? What?? And listen, I get it – the restrictions can be helpful for some people, or it can help them figure out their food sensitivities. You might find this really  helpful, but for me, it just meant that I really missed oats, quinoa, chickpeas, tofu, lentils… I could keep going!
• “Everything in moderation” doesn’t really apply with these rules.
  • Maybe if I ate more meat (or ate red meat at all), I’d feel a little differently – but I got sick of a lot of foods. At one point, I was getting really bad stomach aches and I started doubting my body’s ability to process sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes! Now that I’ve taken a step back, I think I was probably just eating too many sweet potatoes in one sitting; or my body was just responding to the fact that…
• You need to eat a lot of meat.
  • You might be catching on to my aversion to too many animal products… and Whole30 made that more apparent than ever. If anything, it proved why I’ve been following a plant based diet for so many years. I’ve gone back to a more conscious version of this approach and I feel SO much better than I did during those two weeks AND all of those weird stomach aches are gone. I’ll never tell anyone how to eat, but for me, I just feel better when I’m not eating meat every day.
• I missed bread and pasta.
  • Does this one need an explanation? Haha so many of my favorite food memories revolve around carbs, so swearing them off forever is too much for me. I will say that it made me more conscious of what kinds of bread and pasta I buy, though. It goes back to reading those ingredients!! I’m really loving Barely Bread products, Eat Banza, and pasta made with quinoa flour right now. They all satisfy the cravings in a more nutritious way.
• Even things with a little agave, honey or the wrong kind of oil in it are off limits.
  • Ok yes, I might be referring specifically to the Spicy Cashew Dressing at Sweetgreen in this particular instance… ? But this really goes back to moderation. I understand the “detox” element of Whole30, but it also got frustrating when I wanted a shortcut.
• There are very few shortcuts.
  • Let’s say you’re super busy and majorly stressed. The last thing you want to do is cook every meal… but honestly, you kind of have to! I discovered that Sweetgreen’s lime cilantro dressing is compliant, but most other takeout options are a no go. It’s lovely to try to prepare every meal yourself, but life happens sometimes to disrupt that. It just does!
• I missed my coconut creamer or Ripple milk in my coffee.
  • This is super silly and small, but I just don’t like almond milk in my coffee. That being said, this new Califia Farms Better Half product isn’t far off from being compliant – and it’s my new fave!
• I’ve discovered some cool new food brands.
  • I know this was a pro – but I’m listing it under cons too, because there are a ton that aren’t quite complaint, but still awesome and healthy!! Simple Mills makes the best almond flour crackers, which are a great alternative to a wheat based snack. Siete Foods makes grain free tortillas and tortilla chips that are surprisingly AMAZING. Kite Hill makes a cream cheese style spread made from almonds instead of dairy. Hail Merry makes insane paleo cookie dough bites. I’m not sure I would have discovered any of these if I didn’t venture into the Whole30/paleo world. Definitely a win!

So… what now??

Now that you’ve read my pros and cons, I encourage you to read up on Whole30 yourself. Maybe it would be AMAZING for you! I know plenty of people who swear by it, so I definitely don’t want to discourage you.

As for me, I’ve tried to be more mindful of what I’m eating and how my body feels… and it’s working! ? For example, I still eat Whole30 approved meals all the time, but I don’t tie myself to it every day. I’m even more vigilant about reading labels. I don’t eat meat every day, or even every other day. I’ve started eating quinoa and oats and legumes and all those healthy foods that I missed so much. And the best part? I haven’t had a bad stomach ache since I stopped my little experiment with Whole30. Phew.

Moral of the story: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!

The thing is, for every study about the effectiveness of Whole30, there are also studies about the effectiveness of a plant based diet. (Forks Over Knives is my favorite documentary, if you’re looking for one!) Regardless of what speaks to you, I believe that everyone is different and you need to listen to your body. So, just try to eat REAL food. Read ingredients so you aren’t putting crap in your body. Limit your sugar. Cook for yourself as often as you can. Eat to nourish. And most of all, eat what your body needs and what makes it feel good.

Top: Athleta | Sweatpants: Athleta | Mug: Crate & Barrel | Glasses: Warby Parker

Have you guys tried Whole30 before? Did you love it/hate it?
I’d love to hear about your experiences!!

photos by Jules Kennedy