You Just completed Whole30, Now What?
You put so much time and effort into doing whole30. You feel great, your holiday pounds have diminished, and all that fatigue and bloating are gone. But now that it’s over, you’re probably asking yourself, “Now what do I do? Do I have to eat this way forever to feel good? Can I go back to how I was eating before and hope that whole 30 January was enough to get me through to next January?”
Don’t let all of your hard work go to waste! One round of whole 30 isn’t enough to last you forever (or even a year) but if you go back to eating anything and everything like you were before, you might as well go back to December and skip whole 30 January. It’s not going to do you or your body any good to undo your hard work over the past 30 days, but that doesn’t mean you have to be as strict with your diet all the time moving forward.
Healthy eating shouldn’t feel like a hindrance on your social life, or break the bank. Your goal was probably to detox your body and feel better (in addition to all the other benefits you probably gained). Be smart about your food choices moving forward and find a meal plan that works for you! Everyone has different nutritional needs and preferences. The way we eat isn’t necessarily a one size fits all approach, and so your plan coming off of whole30 may not look like everyone else’s either. Move forward in a way that works for you, whether that is continuing this way of eating 50% of the time, 80% of the time, all the time, or not all. Regardless of what you choose to do moving forward, ease yourself out of whole 30 in a way that will set you up for success.
When coming off of whole 30, it’s important to remember a few key things.
1. Go slowly. If you jump back into your old way of eating overnight, your body isn’t going to be happy about it, and neither will you. Your body and organs are probably cleaner than they have been in a while. You wouldn’t get a car wash and then take your car off-roading through the mud, would you? No! So don’t do this to your body either. Slowly reintroduce foods you have been avoiding. This not only gives your body time to adjust, but can also help illuminate any food sensitivities you may have. If you reintroduce multiple foods at once and then notice the return of some of your symptoms from before whole30, you won’t know which foods are causing them and which foods your body can tolerate well.
2. Choose wisely. Pick one of the things you missed the most during whole30 and start there. Add back in foods that are less likely to aggravate first, such as non-gluten grains, dairy, or alcohol. This way you get back some of the food you missed while you were doing whole30, but you’re not over doing it. You may realize that there were some foods that you didn’t miss that much and choose to keep them out of your diet moving forward.
– Non-gluten grains, such as rice, quinoa, and corn, can often be added back in without problems. If you do notice any problems with any of them though, keep them out. This will be true of any foods you add back in- if they cause you problems, you are better off without them!
– Dairy: Hard aged cheeses are typically tolerated better than other dairy products like soft cheeses, yogurt, and milk/cream
– As for alcohol, your liver will thank you for keeping this out of your diet for as long as possible. When you do reintroduce it, choose a healthier option such as red wine, rather than beer or liquor made from grain. If you choose beer, select a microbrew rather than a domestic beer (domestic beers tend to contain multiple grains, including gluten, as well as other additives and chemicals).
Add gluten grains and other whole30 no-no’s to your diet last, if at all. You may find that you feel better staying off of gluten, dairy, soy, and/or sugar, and continue to eliminate one, if not all, of these foods indefinitely. Just make sure to reintroduce each of these items one at a time if you choose to reintroduce them at all, and don’t overdo it when you do. This way, you can figure out which foods your body can handle and which it doesn’t do well with.
3. Monitor your symptoms. As you add back in foods, make sure to take note of the return of any symptoms you had before doing whole30, such as gas, bloating, fatigue, insomnia, indigestion, acne, or weight gain. This is why it’s best to add foods back in one at a time, so that you can figure out which foods are contributing to your symptoms, and which foods your body seems to tolerate well. You may find that your body can handle some foods in smaller amounts, 1-2 times per week or every other day, but not daily. This is common and is a good way to keep the foods you like in your diet without over doing it. Monitoring your symptoms can help you figure out which foods you need to avoid completely and which you can keep in your diet but in smaller amounts.
4. Treat yourself. Limit your treats but when you do treat, make it worth it! Choose something that you really want to eat, and don’t feel guilty about it! You deserve an occasional treat. When you’re eating healthy most of the time, you have earned it!
5. Be flexible. You may decide you want to eat similar to whole30 moving forward since you feel so good! Remember that you don’t have to be strict all the time, and that as long as you are eating well most of the time, you will continue to feel better. A lot of people will try to eat this way 80% of the time and know that the other 20% percent of the time they can be more flexible, and enjoy a treat here and there.
All of your food doesn’t need to be labeled “whole30 approved” to be healthy. Aim for eating healthier overall – avoiding foods that you notice you don’t feel well after eating and avoiding chemicals, preservatives and unhealthy additives like MSG. An easy way to do this is to look at the ingredients before you buy anything and if you don’t know what an ingredient is, then you shouldn’t be eating it. Many foods like condiments have added sugars in them so compare labels when shopping. Look for foods and condiments that are lower in sugar if you don’t have time to make them yourself.
6. Set yourself up for success. Plan out which foods you want to introduce first and plan your meals accordingly. Hang on to your favorite recipes from the past month and use them moving forward. Your goal to eat healthy for 30 days doesn’t mean you can’t continue eat that way, or enjoy the meals that were your favorites while you were doing it.
You are better off eating healthier most of time, even if you’re not eating that way all of the time. So be flexible, experiment with different recipes and foods, and find a plan that works for you. If you are too restrictive or don’t include foods that you love, it won’t be sustainable long term..
Check out the menu ideas at Gutsy & Co for dinner ideas and recipes that are grain, dairy, and soy free, without sacrificing flavor; and make sure to keep checking back for new recipes!