SOCIAL MEDIA

12 March 2015

What I Learned from Whole30

the "most excellent" homemade, Whole30 approved chicken salad


I didn't start Whole30 to loose weight, I started it as a guideline to get back to basics and to cut out the small amount of processed foods that were still in my life. Yes, in the beginning it was a little harder than I had expected. For a few weeks, I battled the sugar demon and not because I sought out sugar prior to this diet. I just didn't realize how much food I once thought was good for me contained so much sugar. Honestly, I am still baffled by the fact that a lot of companies feel the need to add sugar to foods that don't need it. I mean they're adding sugar to bacon! Really? Bacon? Either way, I made it through my first Whole30 and I feel great. The only food I really craved during those thirty days were milk and my beloved Ezekiel bread.

When my thirty days came to an end, on March 4,  I was extremely picky as to what I wanted to reintroduce back into my diet. Keeping in mind the author's suggestions I only introduced foods that I was still craving. Obviously, dairy and Ezekiel breads were at the top of my list. What I found out was that I am fine with milk in moderation. However, cheese and I do not get along at all (and honestly I don't miss it as much as I though I would) and gluten is 100% fine with me. I also reintroduced soybean oil and found that it gives me an upset stomach.

I ended up losing a total of 10 pounds! That's pretty impressive since I wasn't starving at all during those thirty days. The biggest thing that I learned from this "whole" experience is that my previous nagging suspicions of sugar being a culprit for a lot of my troubles (both physically and mentally) were indeed correct. Sugar and I do not mix. Not only does sugar leave me feeling bloated/puffy but it makes me extremely sick to my stomach. For experimentation purposes, after I finished my reintroduction, I tried half a glazed donut and half a cupcake (on separate days - and several days apart) and I found myself emotionally agitated and buzzed in the worst way possible. It was also rather bland and way to sweet, if that makes any sense.

Foods I'm Keeping In Moderation
1% milk and half & half
sprouted grains
homemade whole wheat breads
nut butters (without added sugar)
chickpeas
rice
gluten, in the form of whole wheat bread

Foods I'm Keeping In Extreme Moderation
raw honey
turbinado sugar
sprouted soy but only in Ezekiel bread
alcohol

Foods I'm Staying Away From
processed sugar of all kinds
a majority of processed foods (I will still eat KIND granola bars every once in a while)
corn and corn oils
soy (except what is in Ezkeil bread)
soybean oils
any and all white bread
cheese (unless I have an uncontrollable craving)


I plan to continue eating whole foods and making the majority of our meals at home. I love the protein+veggie+healthy fat dynamic of Whole30 and are going to stick with it. As far as eating out, I've been to Chipotle a few times since finishing Whole30 and thankfully I haven't noticed any adverse effects from the rice bran oil that they use. Outside of Chipotle, I don't foresee eating at any chain restaurants ever again. I didn't really dine at these places that much before, but now, after knowing all the unnecessary ingredients that is added to otherwise healthy food, I will definitely be sticking with family-owned restaurants and focusing on the ingredients that are being used.


If you would like to read about what Whole30 is head over here.


Have you tried Whole30? If so, what are some of the things you learned from the experience....

6 comments :

  1. Crap. Did it again with the wrong account. Ha!

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  2. This is so very interesting that you will able to determine your food triggers!
    So what do you put in your coffee? Before I stopped drinking iced coffee. I just asked for the flavor with no milk or added sugar.
    Every coffee place is different. I wish that dd had a soy milk option.
    That's great 10lbs not even trying!
    You know what - steve & I eat a lot of cooked food at home & when we eat out like fast food, we feel gross.

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    1. It has really been a godsend. I've found what things don't work well and it has made a big difference. I wasn't suffering from anything major prior to this but I've noticed how my body reacts to loads of sugar and dairy in the form of cheese.

      As for what I put in my sugar, now I use a small amount of half and half and not even a teaspoon of raw can sugar.

      I don't know about your local Starbucks, but ours has soy milk.

      And yeah, fast food is the devil!

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  3. that chicken salad looks incredibly yummy! i would totally be willing to try this, i like the sound of everything you experienced. also - is there some where i can find that recipe!?

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    1. It was to die for. As for a recipe, I'll post one on here shortly!

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