What Really Happened When I Tried The Whole30 Diet

A staggering number of Americans struggle with issues that are often triggered or exacerbated by the food they eat. There’s a reason why the standard American diet is initialed as SAD: you walk into an airport or gas station and you’re greeted with mummified pork rinds and pastries with next year’s expiration date. Some kids grow up only eating cereal or McDonald’s for a nutritious breakfast before school. And the school lunches? I’ve been a teacher, and my waning patience felt the consequences of that frozen-microwaved pizza and boxed juice concentrate (liquid sugar, essentially).

Processed foods and preservatives are so prevalent in our modern culture and are usually the culprits for inflammation, especially digestive and even hormonal issues. Food dyes such as Red 40 have been proven to cause cancer (hence why RFK will probably outlaw Fruit Loops and Twizzlers), and a study showed that the common additive MSG can cause liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

On the flip side, many people have been able to reverse their condition through diet. With nutrition, food is either your medicine or your poison; it can either assist healing or worsen inflammation, and sometimes the only way to fix a problem or find a root cause is by process of elimination. It’s simple: just get rid of the added problem foods.

What is Whole30?

The Whole30 Diet is nothing new—it’s been around for years. It's essentially the Hunter-Gatherer Diet, and is free from all processed foods, dairy, beans/legumes, corn, grains, additives, seed oils, sugars, and all added sweeteners (including honey, maple syrup, and alcohol sugars like stevia and monk fruit). No chocolate except unsweetened cacao nibs or cacao powder (cue the menstruating girlies’ sniffles).

Think “carnivore diet” but with more options than just protein and allowing whole fruits, veggies, nuts, and seeds, and using ghee instead of butter for cooking. Potatoes and sweet fruits like dates and bananas are allowed (though moderation always applies). Whole30 also encourages one to skip snacking and eliminates the recreation of baked goods, even with approved ingredients.

Note: The Mediterranean diet is often regarded as the ultimate anti-inflammatory diet, but the problem is, at least in America, all the generic grains have been so heavily processed that they often cause digestive problems. Even if you buy heirloom, organic grains, our guts have been so greatly compromised with the exposure and absorption of pesticides, preservatives, and additives that we often lack the enzymes and gut flora to break down grains, even if they’re gluten-free. This also applies to legumes; many Americans struggle to digest beans (myself included), and those whose blood type is not genetically wired to digest beans or grains well struggle even worse (read more on the blood type diet here).

Contrary to popular assumption, Whole30 is not specifically a weight-loss diet; it’s a short-term elimination diet that serves to remove inflammatory foods from the diet for an entire 30 days with the goal of also removing or at least reducing inflammation, primarily intestinal (very similar to the GAPS or AIP diet). Moreover, eating fewer packaged meals, sugar, bready carbs, and junk food ultimately makes it easier to maintain a normal nutrition intake with somewhat of a calorie deficit, which contributes to weight loss.

The 30 days are meant to pave a gateway to a lifestyle of wholesome, simple wellness free of harmful additives and processed foods. These “rules” apply just for that month, and then one can slowly—one by one, ideally—reintroduce the restricted foods back into their diet, testing the waters to see what causes inflammatory reactions. During the reintroduction phase, it’s important to be mindful of one’s bodily reactions after eating each type of food and make note if there are any digestive problems or sensitivities that resurface. One can then reintroduce baked goods again, although using paleo or Whole30-approved ingredients is encouraged to keep your diet clean of processed flours and sugars.

Mentality

Indeed, Whole30 is not just a food diet; it’s a whole mindset and lifestyle adaptation. Maybe you don’t stick to the entire diet once you hit that 30-day mark, but it’s meant to encourage one to adopt a healthier and more mindful routine with food habits as well as with the food itself.

• No weighing or measuring yourself: This isn’t specifically a weight-loss diet, although weight loss is a common result with the simpler diet and reduced inflammation.

• Eat leisurely and mindfully: Sit down, don’t rush, chew well and slowly (as the Italians do in their 3-hour ritual dinners).

• Savor the moments and work on stress management: This greatly affects eating and digestion.

• No snacking (at least most of the time, as encouraged).

So, if you’ve been experiencing skin issues, digestive problems like gas, bloating, IBS, or fatty-liver disease, struggling with low energy or brain fog, feeling sluggish, or having water retention, then you might want to give Whole30 a go. I decided to, after all.

My Whole30 Experience

Now, for background context, I grew up eating very healthy. My mom is a naturopath and is as crunchy as granola and as green as chlorophyll. I always ate the Whole Foods version of a snack food, and even the rare ice cream treat was organic. To this day, I’ve never even drunk a Coca-Cola or any of its relatives.

However, between the stress of college and my first job as a teacher, with subsequent bad eating habits like chewing too fast or munching on the go, my gut started wearing out, and I struggled with autoimmune and GI problems as well as hormonal issues (sound familiar?). I saw a GI specialist years ago, who told me to avoid dairy, gluten, and fried foods and to moderate fiber intake. She also tried to prescribe a steroid to me, which I refused. I proceeded for a while to eat extremely simply, supplemented with a lot of probiotics and enzymes, and eventually improved my gut health. And even though I’ve made progress, I decided to do Whole30 (a) so I could say I did it and (b) because it offered structure and discipline while keeping my diet clean for a spring detox.

I won’t lie, eating Whole30 was hard… at first. And this was especially because I was traveling for my first two weeks (and in NYC, which has some of the best food in the country). So, lesson learned: diet at home and meal prep to make the adjustment easier.

However, as my taste buds adjusted and my stomach rejoiced at its lack of toxic roommates, I realized I was feeling good… like, really good. Here are some improvements I noticed:

• My skin became flawlessly smooth, and even others noticed and would comment on how good my skin looked. I didn’t even have my usual ovulation zits on my chin or hormonal pimples around my period as I had before.

• My face became less puffy and swollen than before; my jawline and chin gained more definition, and my cheeks lost the baby-chub look they’d toted for a little while and actually gained some healthy indentation which softly accented my cheekbones (definitely not hating that).

• My stomach was usually flat, or at least not bloated like I often was before when I looked 6 months pregnant after eating. A huge relief.

• My body overall felt less swollen and puffy; my arms lost some bat wing, I fit into my clothes easier, and my waistline dropped back down almost a full dress size.

• My energy improved and my blood sugar wasn’t on a rollercoaster (as long as I was sure to stay hydrated and eat enough protein each day).

• Intermittent fasting (as I did according to my cycle) became easier, and I usually was able to go through the day without snacking.

• Instead of craving sugar, I’d be excited to eat my daily fruit or a ribeye steak with roasted sweet potatoes.

• I became more conscientious of how I ate (I used to eat rushed and not chew enough), and of reading ingredients. Even though I was already in the habit of this, I became more mindful of sticking to whole ingredients instead of turning a blind eye to the “more natural” additives and extra ingredients.

• I remembered how much better I felt when I didn’t eat grains (I’m already dairy and gluten-free).

• My skin felt less swollen without having pre-packaged foods containing high amounts of sodium (Asian food, Uber Eats, sauces, most frozen meals, deli meat).

• Probably most importantly, I gained a sense of detachment from comfort foods and sweets and became much more self-disciplined in saying “no” to myself and my spoiled taste buds. With all of my traveling over the winter months, plus the holidays, I had grown lax in my diet routine, was eating out more frequently, and had made a travel habit of repeatedly treating myself to a Starbucks chai latte in all its glorious 40+ grams of added sugar.

My Food Budget

Many people assume that it’s expensive to eat high-protein, carnivore, Whole30, what-have-you. But I actually saved money! Yes, buying foods like beef/steak, salmon, and dates are on the pricier side, but I wasn’t buying all the extra trimmings. Because I wasn’t buying snacks, bread products, sweets, baking ingredients, random items on sale (those BOGOs always get me), kombuchas, or eating out (save a few smoothies when traveling) or buying chai/matcha lattes, I probably saved around $150–200 during my Whole30 month. Those extra purchases add up! And a bag of frozen salmon fillets costs between $15–25, which is the price of an açai bowl or chicken salad if you eat out.

Helpful Tips I Learned

• Dress up your water to make good hydration fun: drink herbal tea and lemon water, add berries or lemon slices to your water bottle.

• Stay busy to avoid snacking or thinking about food outside of mealtimes (if you work remotely, don’t work near the kitchen and try to get outside frequently).

• Ask a friend to either do it with you or be your accountability person.

• Think of what you can eat instead of focusing on what you can’t: remind yourself of the delicious food you’ll be eating for your meal.

• Try new recipes to keep mealtime enjoyable and fun (Pinterest is a gold mine for Whole30 recipes).

• Research the nutritional value your food has; look it up on ChatGPT if you don’t know it already.

• Use meal prep hacks like chopping extra veggies or cooking extra meat or sweet potatoes to save time.

• Take food enzymes and probiotic supplements to maximize digestion and help reduce inflammation. I’ve used supplements from Nature’s Sunshine Products, Garden of Life, and Physician’s Choice (a recent favorite).

• Focus forward—don’t think of this as a cleanse to finish and aim to go back to eating whatever you want. Let your mind shift and keep those taste buds adjusted to the cleaner version of eating.

• Embrace cooking at home and even arrange your food aesthetically on your plate to add to meal enjoyment.

Recipe Ideas

After hearing the list of restricted foods, I know the first thing people often think is: “well, what can I eat?” Clean protein is a high priority, so I always ate eggs, fish, or meat with every meal.

Sweet potatoes became one of my favorite foods, and fruit simultaneously saved and killed my sweet tooth. I cooked with ghee, which I didn’t mind, as well as extra virgin olive oil. As a processed legume, pea protein was off the list, so I opted for collagen protein when the need arose. Here are some examples of how I mixed and matched foods:

Breakfast

• Scrambled eggs + onions: First sauté chopped yellow onions in ghee (sometimes I’d add diced green onions or chives), add the scrambled raw eggs, and cook to desired consistency. Eat with avocado and/or turkey bacon and a choice of fruit (I'd usually have kiwi or citrus).

• Soft-boiled eggs + turkey bacon + fruit.

• Bone broth + collagen: Warm 1 cup of beef or chicken bone broth, then mix in a serving scoop of collagen powder (I used my handheld frother which made a solid layer of foam like a cappuccino).

• Fruit collagen smoothie: Blend ½ cup water with about 1 cup of fresh or frozen fruit (I usually chose mango, banana, berries) and a serving scoop of collagen powder.

• Protein-packed egg muffins: I’d add leftover ground taco meat, sausage, or turkey bacon into a greased muffin cup with spinach, sautéed zucchini, and/or diced tomatoes and chunks of sweet potatoes, then pour scrambled eggs over and bake at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until done. Or try this muffin quiche recipe, shown below.

Lunch/Dinner

• Protein: Turkey burgers, taco-seasoned ground beef/chicken, roasted/grilled salmon, steak, or rotisserie chicken (fun fact: buying rotisserie is often actually cheaper than a whole, raw chicken, and I think Sprouts has the best rotisserie chicken).

• Veggie ideas: Mashed or roasted golden or sweet potatoes, sautéed zucchini, avocado, fresh cucumber, fresh or roasted/sautéed grape tomatoes or bell pepper.

• Tuna noodles: Sauté zucchini noodles or artichoke heart noodles (found at Trader Joe’s) with grape tomatoes, olive oil, season with salt and garlic powder, and add canned tuna (or salmon) at the end and toss until mixed and warm.

• Tuna patties or chicken meatballs (Amylu Whole30 chicken meatballs are great).

• Crockpot dinners are also helpful after a busy day.

Drinks

• Pure coconut water, lemon water, herbal tea (no sports drinks, soda, or stevia drinks).

• La Croix is allowed (no flavors with citric acid) but should be kept for rare occasions because the carbonation acid can cause digestive issues and gas.

Eating Out

Yes, it's complicated and difficult to eat out, so I recommend doing Whole30 when you’re not traveling, or at least when you have access to a health food store and a kitchen. If you do eat out, however, you can opt for these:

• An all-fruit/veggie smoothie, add collagen protein if it’s just collagen (no whey or pea protein).

• Lettuce-wrapped hamburger (no cheese or condiments), such as at Shake Shack.

• Grilled chicken, steak, or salmon with steamed veggies or salad (no dressing, only olive oil and balsamic vinegar). Skip the mashed potatoes, as they often contain dairy.

• Chick-fil-A: grilled chicken nuggets or grilled chicken sandwich without a bun.

• Pura Vida (if in NYC or Miami): salmon or chicken bowl with sweet potatoes instead of rice.

• Whole Foods, Sprouts: plain grilled salmon, rotisserie chicken, marinated beets, sweet potatoes.

• Chipotle: chicken salad bowl, no beans/rice/cheese/queso, and add veggie fajitas, pico de gallo, guacamole, and lettuce (double fajitas/pico is free).

• Tropical Smoothie: Island Green or Sunrise Sunset smoothie with no sugar added (yes, all their smoothies come with a big scoop of added turbinado sugar).

Snacks: RX bars (vanilla or berry), Larabars (no PB or chocolate), jerky Chomp sticks, dry-roasted nuts, guacamole and baby carrots, coconut date bites, apple and almond butter, steak strips, or unsweetened, whole, dried fruit (in small amounts). These are best kept for times like sports activities or traveling and not for everyday snacking.

After 30 Days

After the month is over, the goal is to slowly incorporate the restricted foods back into your diet to see how your body handles them. Be warned—even if you technically aren’t “allergic” to certain foods, you still may have a digestive sensitivity to them.

For myself, taking food enzymes and probiotics helped me with the transition. However, I did slowly try some new foods over the first week off. I still will avoid dairy and gluten since I know I don’t digest them well.

For the most part, such as during the weekdays and when cooking for myself, I’ve decided to still mostly eat Whole30 (although I will bring the raw honey back into the kitchen) and specifically eat grain-free. I ate some oats, in my açaí bowl granola and in a protein bar after a workout, and I noticed a bit of bloating. So, I’ll keep treat foods like granola or sushi rice for rare occasions and take enzymes beforehand.

I didn’t have desserts my first week, and I proudly strolled past the ice cream section with multiple sales without so much as a sigh or a drool, but I did try some samples of praline nuts (sugar) and my face broke out the next day (several noticeable zits and red pimples)! My body hadn’t had processed sugar in a hot second, and the inflammation wasn’t wasting time.

Even though my taste buds enjoyed the sweet, I was still detached, and the sugar felt much sweeter—honestly, too sweet. I decided I’ll avoid desserts for the most part moving forward since I’m detached from them anyway, and if I want a weekend treat or “need” chocolate for iron or magnesium during my period, I’ll make my frozen cacao-date treats (now I crave those more than any sugar-packed dessert).

Final Thoughts

Once you adapt, your body will noticeably feel a major improvement. And if you find that a certain food really does affect you negatively, by all means, avoid that food! Once you get used to it, Whole30 is actually not that hard to stick with, at least for the majority of the time.

Millions of people have found relieving success with Whole30 and have used it to step forward with better energy, improved metabolism and digestion, and boosted self-confidence. I know I felt amazing on it, and I want to keep my nutrition clean and beneficial to my body and keep highly processed ingredients out of my menu for good.