Now that my Whole30 challenge is two weeks behind me I wanted to check in on what I’ve learned and how life with no restrictions is going.
I tried to follow the reintroduction process and closely as possible, however thanks to some travel and work commitments I didn’t have control over what I was eating. I noticed how sweet everything tasted and I felt really yucky.
- Legumes: I had expected to have issues with legumes but felt okay after eating them. I’ve only tried beans though, no lentils yet.
- Dairy: I was so exited to have chocolate milk for the first time! And…I felt bloaty in the afternoon. 🙁 I have tried chocolate milk again since then and I haven’t noticed feeling bloating on those other occasions so I’m guessing chocolate milk is okay? I have not tried yogurt and have only tried a small amount of parmesan cheese.
- Non-gluten containing grains: I’m a little fuzzy on this one. I haven’t eaten rice since Whole30 and only a small amount of corn.
- Potatoes: Haven’t tried them yet.
- Gluten: I’ve had pasta a few times and initially didn’t notice any difference.
- Alcohol: I feel like a cheap drunk now! A glass of wine and I’m feeling it!
So I’ve had no real responses to individual food groups apart from my initial reaction to dairy, but that doesn’t mean that it has all been smooth sailing. I have had a few reactions to something I’ve eaten, but unfortunately I can’t nail down what it is. I’ve tried all individual components with no issues but taco night and possibly overnight oats soaked in milk have caused me issues.
So what does this mean for how I plan to eat from here on out? We are still cooking mostly Whole30 and Paleo friendly recipes at home because we just feel better eating that way. So long as milk doesn’t give me any issues I will happily enjoy a chocolate milk after a workout. When we go out for dinner I’ll order what sounds delicious to me though and not worry about eating within constraints. That being said we will be minimizing how much we go out! I will also probably try to bring my own food more often even if I know meals are being provided at work events. I just feel better being able to control what I eat.
Have you tried a Whole30? How did it affect your eating habits after your challenge was over?
I haven’t tried the whole 30, or paleo, or any other kind of diet. Still, it’s very interesting reading about how food affects us. So far I haven’t run into anything I can’t eat, as opposed to things I won’t eat, such as Brussels Sprouts. But something that does concern me is how food has changed over my lifetime. When I was a child, during the summers almost everything I ate came from the farm. The only exception I remember is some packaged cereal. We’re trying to get back to that by buying from the Farmer’s Markets when we can. But products like wheat and corn are not the same as what was grown 50 years ago. Genetic modification started happening long before then of course, but it’s the artificial modification, inserting genes for specific traits, that has me wondering.
In a related thing, we didn’t eat out much the year I wasn’t working. Then once I started working again, we had no desire to. Linda can cook as well as what gets served in all but the most hoity-toity restaurants, and we know where it came from, and what went into it, to say nothing of it costing a fraction of a night out, and don’t get me started on wine!