I made it. I completed the Whole30 challenge earlier this week. Was it worth it? Am I glad I passed on grains, dairy, legumes and sugar for a whole month? Absolutely.
First of all, I have to say that I’m really proud of myself. Seriously, like patting myself on the back, “you go girl!” kind of proud of myself. Foregoing brownies and black bean burritos isn’t going to change the world, but it can change my world. I made a goal and I stuck to it. And I’m totally giving myself props there.
Also, I have to say that as much as I kicked around “things I am going to be able to have again when this is all over,” the big day of re-introductions came and went without me actually eating anything noncompliant. As a matter of fact, I sat down to meal plan for the next two-week cycle and, behold… most of the meals I selected fit the Whole30 criteria. Go figure.
So, what did I learn? What makes me say that this whole foods experiment was worth missing out on one of the most beautiful wedding cakes I’ve ever seen as well as grimacing through a cup of black Starbucks coffee while the smells of caramel macchiatos hung around me?
I felt really good. TMI here, but I have suffered from chronic gastrointestinal issues since the removal of my gall bladder in September of 2015. When I say “chronic,” what I mean is “daily.” During the entire month of July, I had exactly two episodes of unpleasantness. I also had only two very mild headaches (both of which were hormone-related), and I slept remarkably well for a woman who has been struggling with insomnia for a few months.
And sometimes, I felt really bad. On two separate occasions, I became shaky, my heart started pounding, and my head got foggy. Both episodes occurred after my meal tip-toed up to 40 grams of carbs. Boom. That was the sign I was looking for to let me know that yes, I need to restrict my carbs in a very severe way. I hadn’t been able to really feel the effects prior to the Whole30, primarily because I think I was hitting that level regularly and it was my normative state.
Now that I’m finished, do I have any words of wisdom for folks considering either trying Whole30 or radically overhauling their diets? Well, since you asked…
Summer is the season. It felt like our garden started producing on July 1, and I was grateful every single day. I ate cucumbers and zucchini at just about every meal I think. The local stores and markets are bursting with fresh, colorful veggies, and I took advantage of them all. Also, having the grill as a cooking option made even repeat items “different” enough not to get boring. Since summer isn’t typically a time when I think pasta, breads, and comfort foods, I’m pretty sure I avoided a lot of the pitfalls I would have felt in say, November.
It really does take a month to reset your taste threshold for “sweet.” I still haven’t tried anything with sweetened with honey, maple syrup, sugar, etc., and honestly, I’m thinking that I’m going to just let that dragon sleep. Dates and bananas are huge treats right now, and I’m open to experimenting with recipes to maintain this hard-won victory. I’m not looking to jump on to the alternative sweetener bandwagon, either. I’d rather stick with whole foods, and train my kids’ palates to enjoy subtleties in flavors as well.
There are some great recipes out there. I love to cook, and Whole30 actually shook me out of meal planning doldrums. I was forced to tap into my creativity and do my homework. I shared some recipes last week, and all of them were hits. Our favorites by far this past month:
- Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Whole30 Banana Muffins
- Three Ingredient Bacon & Egg Breakfast Muffins
- Sauteed Zucchini and Carrots
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes (with Coconut Milk)
Just do it. I’m glad I didn’t really overthink this challenge before wading in. I’m pretty sure I would have given myself 800 reasons to quit when the going got tough. (Just being honest.) There’s plenty of negative reviews and feedback available on the web; nothing works for every single person, and that’s fine. But having personally met a Type 1 diabetic with perfect numbers for the first time since her diagnosis at age 2, and a mother who said Whole30 completely weaned her family off of pre-packaged foods and the requisite additives and preservatives, as well as a busy executive who said she just felt like her body needed a detox, I think it’s worth a try. Is it hard? Yes. But then again, isn’t your health worth “hard”?
