HERE’S WHAT I LEARNED FROM DOING THE WHOLE30

I did it – I finally finished the Whole30 and the reintroduction days! It was definitely an enlightening experience that I suggest everyone try at least once. It will totally change the way you look at food. Below are a few things I learned from my experience.

Sleep
I was totally shocked at how my sleep was affected – for the better! About 5 days in during the Whole30, I noticed I was sleeping like a rock. I get up often in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and usually struggle to fall back asleep. During the Whole30 I had no problem falling back asleep immediately. I also felt that it was easier for me to get up in the mornings. I felt well rested and it was so much easier for me to get out of bed.
During the reintroduction phase I noticed that it wasn’t as easy for me to get up in the morning. I was still sleeping heavily, but I felt more tired when waking up. I’m not sure if this was because I was reintroducing legumes, grains and dairy back into my diet, but I would assume there has to be a correlation.

Hidden Sugar is Everywhere!
When doing the Whole30 you really have to be aware of the foods you are eating. I was always checking ingredients to make sure things were compliant. It really opened my eyes seeing how many ingredients that are added to foods you wouldn’t expect. For example, there are very few brands that sell Canadian bacon or smoked salmon that don’t have added sugar in them. Sugar is a no no on the Whole30 so it made buying things very difficult. If I lived by a Whole Foods it probably would’ve been easier to find compliant products, but unfortunately I don’t.

Brands will try and trick you by saying that there are 0 grams of sugar, but if you check the ingredients sugar will be listed as an ingredient. So be careful! If you’re thinking of doing the Whole30 it is essential that you read the ingredients of everything you eat. You all know my cashew story.

Certain Foods Don’t Like You as Much as You Like Them
It’s a tough pill to swallow but unfortunately it’s true. I learned this about bread, (you can check out my blog) my long time friend that I have given up this past year. During my reintroduction phase, I was disappointed to learn that dairy doesn’t agree with me as much as I would’ve hoped. I was convinced that grains were bloating me, but it turns out it is dairy. Not something I’m ready to give up yet, but definitely something I need to watch. I’m looking into trying some alternative options such as kefir.

You May Feel REALLY Good
The one thing I read numerous times before beginning was how great you’re going to feel during the Whole30. I thought this might be a bit of phony baloney but hoped for the best. Turns out it’s true. After my adjustment week in the beginning, I had felt the best I ever have. I physically felt better and I was also so much happier. After the reintroduction days I could feel the physical benefits slowly dwindle. I feel like I’m carrying a bit more baggage on my belly compared to when I was doing the Whole30.

Final Thoughts
Overall, I really enjoyed my experience doing the Whole30. Yes, it can be very difficult at times when you are trying to eat out or all of your friends are drinking, but it’s totally worth it in my opinion.

I do enjoy the ease of not having to worry what exactly restaurants are cooking with, but I will continue to eat a lot of foods I was eating during the Whole30 on a regular basis.
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