The first thing I should point out about this review is that it’s not actually a Whole30. It’s more like a Whole21 with a little floundering throughout.
Although I did stick to the premise of the diet for the most part, I decided at various intervals to bring back certain pleasantries given their minimally invasive effects on my health and their maximal improvement on my overall sense of sanity.
So, I’ve had a few glasses of wine, and for the last week I’ve been indulging in 1 teaspoon of Stevia per day, just so I could have that morning coffee. Oh, speaking of which, I’ve also added back store-bought almond milk (for said coffee), and I’ve even had two Pure Protein bars when I just felt like I had to eat SOMETHING with a crinkly wrapper or I might die on the spot.
Other than these few discrepancies, I’ve done quite well and I will admit, I feel pretty damn good, too. I have a steady, consistent supply of energy and I have only had the 3 pm slump once, and that was when I experimented with a morning bowl of oats.
Okay, yeah, I had oats once too.
Switching up My Protein Sources
But overall, I think I’m ready to start experimenting with “potentially toxic substances” like tofu and lentils. I’m so sick of fish and I fear I might have depleted the tilapia population from here to Japan, so I need to start integrating more plant-based forms of protein.
Alcohol is Back In.
I also don’t want to feel bad when I have a glass of wine. I’ve certainly dialed back the volume of my favorite bad habit, but when I do indulge, I don’t want to feel like I’m cheating myself out of some higher level of living as I don’t think a glass here and there is bad for me.
Quite the opposite actually.
What I do think I’m done with is sugar. I haven’t even missed it in the last week. Well, most of the time I don’t miss it. Sometimes as I’m having my wine, I crave something to go with it (hense my breakdown with the protein bar), but that only happened once.
Dairy is out
I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be doing dairy again, but I’ll reserve confirmation of that assumption until I try bringing it back into my daily diet again. As you may recall, dairy is really only a recent thing for me, and to be honest, the more I ate it, the more tired I was. I didn’t realize it at the time, but if that feeling of exhaustion comes back, then dairy will stay out.
I’m also contemplating going without whey protein and sticking with a pea or rice blend like Vega or Sunwarrior. I have learned that my digestion doesn't love the idea of dairy products.
So as I enter this last week of the Whole30 challenge, I’ll actually be testing out my tolerance to dairy, gluten, soy and legumes (oh, my beloved peanut butter, please don’t disappoint me!). Sugar will not be making a comeback, but small doses of stevia here and there are still a-okay by me.
My Perspective on the Whole30
Overall, I would highly recommend anyone giving this challenge a try. Even if you don’t want to go for 30 days (which I personally think is overkill), just trying it for a week might make you take a second look at your food choices, which at the end of the day, is the best takeaway of the Whole 30 program.
Plus, it will inspire you to be a little more creative with your food. Like this cauliflower hummus - who knew you could make a hummus without beans?
Are you interested? You can check it out here.
Caren is a certified yoga teacher, fitness instructor and author of The Fit Habit. Here she shares simple, low carb recipes, quick home workout ideas and practical ways to foster mind + body wellness.
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Just so you know...the sun Won't make your bangs grow. Oh, that it would!! I've had many issues with bangs over the years, but because of a scar...I'm stuck with them! Have a great week!
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The little buggers are adorable and so are your bangs in the first picture. That's interesting about the dairy, and I see how it could have that impact. I'm pretty sure my cheese (i.e. dairy) consumption is the culprit behind why my stomach is not perfectly flat. I see you're cutting out sugar too. That's pretty impressive. Does this mean no fruit either? Or just added sugar?
Have a great week, and thanks for linking up. I need to go and start whipper snapping my flower beds. 😉
Olivia @ Liv Lives Life
Wow, that's so great that you haven't craved sugar in so long! I'm new to your blog, so I'm wondering - does that include fruit? And I've been thinking about using Vega over a whey protein mix, too. I've heard good things about it!
voodiegirl
If I'm craving something sweet (which is rare), I will eat half a banana with a little nut butter on top. However the whole30 program promotes pushing through sweet cravings and not using fruit as a supplement as you need to get past the emotional part of it.
It sucks for the first while, but then it slowly becomes easier. I will say that a gorgeous cupcake was offered to me last night and I was able to refuse without feeling deprived.
I took the wine instead 🙂