From April 5th to May 4th, I completed my first Whole 30 experience. A month has passed since my experience, and now that I've been able to digest (great pun, Josh!) my thoughts, it's time to share them via a copmilation of questions I've been asked:
What is the Whole 30 Diet?
This pic sums it up pretty well!
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| The quick rules for Whole 30. |
Why did you try the Whole 30 diet?
If you haven't noticed, I've been somewhat bored, even apathetic, about my life in recent years. I've gone on numerous road trips, traveled across the continent, cycled for 500+ miles in a week, and ran a marathon. Hell, I even packed my bags and am traveling the country for six weeks at this very moment! I'm pretty open to figuring out ways to get more energized and get the juices flowing.
Thus, I had been thinking about tinkering with my diet for several months. What if my diet was the secret ingredient (pun!) to feeling more focused and energized? I was looking forward to feeling better and trying/learning different recipes and alternatives. I was really just trying to figure out what foods my body does and does not appreciate, and learn some tricks along the way. (No, it wasn't to lose weight... I'm skinny).
A few of my friends had tried and mentioned Whole 30, so I figured why not give it a shot!
When is the best time to try Whole 30?
It's very important to take into consideration the timing of when you want to try the Whole 30 diet. In sum you want to try it when you are in a stable, consistent routine. I specifically break the ideal timing into three parts:
1) Choose a month when you aren't traveling. Eating out is impossible at worst and very inconvenient at best, and thus Whole 30 is really only feasible if you yourself are shopping for and making your own food. Turning down good food and drink, especially when seeing family and friends you haven't seen in a while, isn't the best mantra when traveling either, and can be seen as impolite. So if you're planning to travel, more than a few days in the month, it's probably not the right time for Whole 30.
2) Choose a month when you have enough time to prep food: Food prep takes a fair bit of time while on Whole 30. You don't have a lot of convenient options in going out to eat so you're going to spend a lot of time prepping food. Additionally, most of the food you prep on Whole 30 takes longer than normal food you prep, so you need to plan even extra time. It wouldn't be rare (these food puns don't get old!) for me to spend one, two, even three hours prepping food for the day or week on any given night.
3) Choose a month in which you have financial security: While it is debatable that Whole 30 may be in an investment in your health and even finances in the long run by cutting medical costs, there's no denying that the upfront costs, assuming you are a reasonably conservative spender of groceries, is significantly greater than a normal diet. If you're tight on cash or are trying to be frugal with your spending, I'd say save Whole 30 for another time because grains and carbs are the cheapest calories you can get -- you're not going to find a box of pasta for a dollar to keep you full for several meals.
How much did Whole 30 cost relative to your normal diet?
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| In the long run, Whole 30 costs about the same. |
Purchasing groceries solely for Whole 30 was undoubtedly more expensive relative to my normal grocery shopping; my every other week grocery bill came in between double and triple the cost of my normal spending. That'll happen when instead of purchasing five boxes of pasta for $5, you only get two small spaghetti squashes for the same price.
However, if you take into consideration all of the money you save on Whole 30 by making your own food, not eating out nearly as much, and eliminating your alcohol consumption, it is reasonable to argue that spending is equal, if not less than what you'd normally spend on your food consumption. All those $20 meals and $7 drafts add up. So in sum, I'd say the net spending is comparable.
What was the worst part(s) of the Whole 30 diet?
1) Eating out is a pain in the ass. There are very few places that you can actually eat out that have Whole 30 approved meals, when taking into consideration ingredients and oils used. Even if you find one, you usually have to be "that guy" who is a pain in the ass with ordering. Salads aren't even a sure thing, as most of them have meats (prepared with or cooked in banned oils) cheeses, oils, beans, croutons, or the like, so you have to get special treatment on most occasions.
I once ordered a "Fried Chicken Salad with no dressing, no cheese, no croutons, and instead of the chicken an avocado." It was not fun or tasty for that matter.
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| Picture this. Without the chicken.... or croutons.... or cheese... or dressing. |
What were the most noticeable benefits of the Whole 30 diet?
1) Healthier Skin: My skin was noticably more vibrant, luscious, and clear. I didn't really notice any issues at the time, which says enough. I don't think it was a coincidence that a week after ending Whole 30, a experienced a small breakout and heat-rash like rash and redness on my neck and face.
2) Increased Athleticism: Whether I was running running, biking, or playing ultimate I felt quicker and springier,and in general had a better mindset and had more endurance. I felt more energized in competitions and workouts, and I simply was more motivated to workout and be active.
3) Increased focus and energy: In general, I had a good month while on Whole 30. I didn't have any days where I was particularly stressed or felt like shit. While I couldn't pinpoint the best days that I felt at the time in regards to focus, energy, and performance, I can say that I felt very consistently good. I surely did not have the usual lows of stress and lack of motivation and focus, which I occasionally had at times before trying Whole 30 and also occasionally had in the 30 days since ending my diet.
4) My shopping cart at the grocery looked baller:
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| This isn't actually my grocery cart. But mine did look like this, I swear! |
What were your go-to foods while on Whole 30?
Avocado: In addition to being the key part of guacamole, which I've learned is by far the healthiest good tasting topping/condiment, avocados are great on burgers, sushi, salads, with chips, and much more. They are really high in healthy fats and very filling. I probably consumed 4-5 per week, if not more, and they're a staple of my normal diet still.
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| Avocado = Lifesaver |
Eggs: Like avocado, a healthy, nutritious, tasty food that is flexible. Scrambled, hard-boiled, or fried eggs could go great with or part of several meals, including breakfast frittatas, in soup either hard-boiled or as egg drop soup, fried on top of burgers, hard-boiled with salads, or scrambled with breakfast or in a stir-fry. I'd get two dozen eggs per my weekly trip to the supermarket.
(Homemade) Beef Jerky: Okay I cheated here, I've made homemade beef jerky before, multiple times, actually. But it's healthy, delicious, and easy to make. Literally cut the meat (with the grain!), put some spices on them--I prefer a mix of garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes-- and pop them on 175 degree heat with a cracked oven door. It's fantastic. Way better and cheaper than any store created beef jerky you can buy.
Fruit: Fruit is very yummy and healthy. apples, oranges, asian pears, bananas, you name it. special shout out to freezable/smoothie friendly fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, bananas, mangoes, and pineapples.which saved me for breakfast.
Instant Pot and Sous Vide: I know, they aren't foods. But had to give them a shout out. Two very clutch cooking appliances for the Whole 30 diet. The sous vide was great in cooking meats--steaks, burgers, chicken, pork, and with a special shoutout to being able to create salmon sashimi. The instant pot was great in creating stocks, soups, and chilis. The best part about both of these items is that after initial set up and preparation, they require no active monitoring--just set it and forget it.
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| Instant Pot |
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| Sous Vide |
Which foods disappointed you?
Potatoes: Ah yes, my archnemisis, potatoes. With bread, noodles, rice, and virtually all other grains/starches banned by the Whole 30 diet, I was banking on potatoes to carry the carb load train for me, especially given its low cost and general flexibility.
I soon found however, that potatoes weren't all as I hyped them to be. Potato flexibility isn't as easy or tasty as one would hope, as many of your favorite ways of cooking potatoes (baked, mashed, etc.) require toppings, cheese, cream, or butter to be tasty. It turned out that most of my potato options ended up being some sort of sauted/baked/home fries type of potato with the same generic go-to spices such as oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning, etc. It all ended up tasting the same.
Spaghetti Squash: Like potatoes, I was hungry to try integrating spaghetti squash into my regular diet (stop this food pun madness, Josh!) . I had tasted spaghetti squash before and was pleased with its potential to disguise itself as a yummy grain.
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| Spaghetti squash left me disappointed. |
All that said, spaghetti squash isn't terrible--I even got one once since--but it's simply just not great, or even good, which was disappointing given my expectations.
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| The burger wrap became a staple of the diet. |
What were your go-to meals?:
- Turkey or Beef Burger Lettuce Wraps (with avocado, fried egg, tomato, onions, garlic),
- Salmon Sashimi, with sous vide prepared salmon, mushrooms, avocado, over a mix of arugula, spinach and lettuce
- This egg casserole frittata for breakfast
- Pork bone or Chicken bone stock, added vegetable noodles, egg, and veggies.
- Ribeye Steak, served with grilled/steamed asparagus, cauliflower, or brocolli and potatoes.
- Fruit smoothies, a combination of berries, bananas, pineapple, and mango usually
- Homemade Potato Chips
- Homemade Beef Jerky
Did you slowly re-introduce foods back in like you're supposed to?
In sum, no. I took two shots of alochol as the clock struck midnight on my 30 days at our house's Cinco de Cuatro party (It was Pj's going away and Sean's birthday). I immediately reintegrated vegetable oils so I could eat grainless foods a restaurants, and eat bagged plain potato chips. I also immediately reintegrated seemingly arbitrary banishments such as corn, corn chips, legumes, peanuts, etc. and the like--stuff that seemed not-so-processed and reasonably healthy. But within a few days, I was pretty much back to my old habits--pastas and rice were back in--albeit with a more conscious awareness on what is not ideal for you.
Today I'm back to what I normally eat, but with an objective of thinking about the menus at restaurants, reading my labels a bit closely on packaged foods, buying more fruit than usual, and limiting sugars, processed foods, and alcohol consumption.
Any other main takeaways from the Whole 30 diet?
1) People were so helpful and supportive. Close friends, friends I haven't seen in years, co-workers, even random high school classmates I haven't spoken to in years shared with me their favorite recipes and tips. And while I was on the diet, most people were very supportive of my attempt to better my health. It was also helpful that one of my roommates tried to improve his health and do the diet with me--the support was very helpful during those first few days.
2) Whole 30 is a socially acceptable excuse to not drink. While I do enjoy drinking, I've been trying to cut back my alcohol consumption for a while, ever since I went dry in February for my marathon and felt great about it.
Since drinking is such a casual and social connector in society today, I've found it difficult to turn down getting a drink in many social settings with peers, despite my efforts to do so. I think that doing so can be impolite at times--difficult to be that guy who doesn't drink when everyone else is. I always feel a bit judged when I decline a drink simply because I don't want one.
But pulling the "I'm on Whole 30, so I can't drink, sorry" card was very seamless, and actually seemed like people gave me a aura of respect, like I was trying to better myself.
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| Whole 30 becomes routine after a couple of weeks. |
4) Staying full while on Whole 30 wasn't a problem (for me). Many people who have tried Whole 30 mention that they were always hungry. I honestly didn't find that to be much of a problem. Even limiting grains, oils, sugars, etc. I like food (meats, eggs, veggies) enough that I was always happy to eat enough until I was full. Yes, I would have to actively a bit more than usual to get there, but say I had to eat an extra pear or banana or egg... it wasn't really a big deal. After all, I like eating!
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| Running a marathon is much more difficult than Whole 30. |
Do you recommend trying the Whole 30 diet?
In short, I recommend it, yes.
I think anyone trying to experiment with food and recipes should give it a shot. Or someone trying to lose weight, promote healthier eating habits, or feel more energized. I certainly felt better and learned a lot in the process, and overall had a positive experience, despite the fact I'm currently back on my normal starchy diet.
But Whole 30 is not for everyone, you need to time it correctly (see above), and you definitely need to have the right mindset going into it. I was fortunate enough that my diet already depended on little banned substances -- sugars, alcohols, processed foods and drinks -- such that the transition was not bad. A roommate of mine had a bit of difficulty with such transitions -- he enjoys his soda -- and he did not have nearly as fruitful an experience trying Whole 30. (The pun game is getting ridiculous, Josh!).
A thought I've had though: I undoubtedly felt better while on Whole 30, but correlation doesn't equal causation. Was it really the Whole 30 diet really what caused me to feel better? Or was it simply not eating out at restaurants as much? Or not drinking alcohol at all? Or eating mostly fruits and vegetables instead of cookies and cream? Or was it the fact that I worked out 3-4 times a week during this month in prep for ultimate season? Was Whole 30 really the reason I felt better, or was it the better habits that I enacted on while on Whole 30?
Perhaps more important than which one of these positive habits caused me to feel better during my 30 days of Whole 30 is why it was so much easier to have these habits. Why was it easier for me to turn down alcohol? Or eat more fruits and vegetables? Or cook more? Or workout 3-4 times a week?
Was it the desire to accomplish a tangible set goal? The fear I'd face in telling someone I didn't do it? The thought that if I did NOT work out while on Whole 30 that it'd be a waste? The thought that failure wasn't an easy way out, that I was holding myself accountable, so I was more able to stick to a healthy plan?
All that said, it is unclear whether or not these benefits were caused by the Whole 30 diet. But the fact that it was in fact easier to do all of these positive things is a testament to Whole 30 in itself. Give it a shot if it's right for you!
Will you try the Whole 30 diet again?
Honestly, yes. I'll probably try it once a year, as a cleansing of sorts. I definitely did feel better, although it is unclear whether that was due to the actual Whole 30 diet or due to better/health habits.
While I enjoyed the Whole 30 diet and will likely give it another shot in the near future, I'm more likely to first give veganism a try in the autumn to see how that measures up with Whole 30.
--JTF
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