So, you're thinking of embarking on the Whole30. Well first and foremost, I will congratulate you on making the decision to take your health to the next level.The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom
What is Whole30
Here is a quick synopsis of the Whole30. For a whole 30 days, one eliminates all gluten, dairy, grains and legumes from their diet. After 30 days, you slowly introduce the aforementioned food groups one at a time. As you slowly add in a food group, you wait to see if you have any reaction to the group. The premise being that we may have food sensitivities causing inflammation in our bodies. When we eliminate and then reintroduce a group, it should make the sensitivity more apparent. Initially, people may be intimidated by the restrictions but once you get the fundamentals down, the rest is a breeze.
My Whole30 Experiment
Having suffered from numerous unidentified stomach issues for the past 10 years, I have had nearly every test done as well as seen every specialist available without any success. Trying to find my own answers to my issues, I stumbled upon The Whole30.
I decided that trying the Whole30 would be my last resort. Although I had tried FODMAP and other elimination diets in the past, I had never stuck to them for longer then a couple of weeks. I would give up as I never really felt any better. So, last year, I am proud to say that I officially completed the 30 days.
The Whole 30 did not seem that intimidating. My diet has always been relatively clean without many grains or cheese. My only weaknesses are my love of sweets and wine. Since feeling already so restrictive with my diet, it seemed daunting to eliminate the only 2 things left that gave me pleasure! However, I just kept telling myself that it is only 30 days and if this worked, it would turn out to be the best 30 days of my life.
I began my experiment and was shocked as I slowly began feeling worse! After some research, I thought that maybe this was my body's reaction to the elimination of toxins. I held on and carried out the 30 days.
By the end of the 30 days, I was so miserable that I called my doctor and scheduled an appointment. After several more tests including a gastric emptying study, I was officially diagnosed with gastroparesis.
What is gastroparesis
For those of you who have never heard of the term, gastroparesis is a condition where the vagus nerve that innervates the stomach is not functioning properly. For most people, the food they eat in a meal is typically digested after approximately 4 hours. In my case, 82% of my meal was still in my stomach after 4 hours.
No wonder I was feeling so terrible! By the time dinner would come around, my stomach was still so full that there was no more room for food.
Whole30 has a very strong emphasis on eating A LOT of vegetables. In general, vegetables are high fiber foods and are known to be difficult to digest. Add gastroparesis to the equation and you have a recipe for disaster! Heartburn, severe bloating and nausea were all symptoms I experienced during my 30 days due to the undiagnosed gastroparesis.
Although it sounds terrible, doing the Whole30 challenge was the best thing I have ever done. I was amazed with my will-power and my ability to easily live without sugar or wine. I truly did begin to see and utilize food as fuel.
Another benefit was that I actually stopped and read every ingredient on food labels. It was amazing how many additives that I have never even heard of were secretely in simple spice mixes and sauces!
Conclusion
Many people have asked me if I would ever do the Whole30 protocol again and the answer is YES!
Although I did not have the euphoric experience that many of the Whole30 community talk about, I did learn a lot. Without the Whole30, I am not sure I would have ever have gotten to the diagnosis of gastroparesis and for that, I am grateful. I highly recommend that everyone try the Whole30 challenge at least once in their lifetime...besides, it's only 30 days. What you may gain could be worth a lifetime of optimal health.
PS - To make things a little easier for you, feel free to check out a post I wrote on Tips for a Successful Whole30 Challenge.
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