Self Care and Clean Eating: a Whole30 Review

 

A couple months back I took on the Whole30 diet, which is 30 days of clean eating: no alcohol, dairy, grains, legumes or added sugar. It was a rough start, since I do love bread and cheese, but then I quickly appreciated how my body felt and how much energy I had without these foods. I kept a food diary and focused on the great meals I actually was having that were tasty and truly nourishing.

I ended the 30 days in late May, then promptly went on vacation to France... of course while there I consumed plenty of rosé, cheese, bread, and desserts (on top of the fresh fruits, veggies, meat and seafood that I love). As much as I savored those treats while on vacation, now that I'm back home I am working on going back to (and maintaining) a mostly Whole30 way of eating. Here's what I learned from that experiment that I am trying to keep in mind:

• The Whole30 made me realize that my body was addicted to sugar and grains which I did not expect. Even though I rarely added sugar to my food (sometimes to coffee), I had to start paying attention to ingredients and now don't buy anything with sugar listed. I also had to think of other things besides rice and bread to include with my meals (cough cough, veggies, cough).
• Overall I had to put more effort into preparing my own food, which is something I had fallen away from in the past year. (I still remember this Michael Pollan op-ed, pointing out how our culture is all for watching cooking shows but not actually cooking). Making sure I could make some meals myself has been as big a part of self care as the quality of the food itself.
• I want to move away from mindless snacking and grazing to having real, structured meals. (Getting away from my desk for lunch is a big priority.) Whole30 cautions you away from snacking by having bigger meals, but that was a harder habit for me to adjust. So for now I just pay attention to what I snack on, being careful to stock nuts/trail mix instead of chips or candy. 
• Finally, going through the diet was a challenge, especially since I basically stopped some of those ingredients cold turkey, but it was never impossible. I started it when I did because a couple friends were doing it at the same time, but fortunately I was already aware of the teachings around it. All that helped me be prepared mentally to take it on, knowing that I had a support system. But in the end, it felt good to know that I really could do this. 

Some further reading if you're interested:

NYmag on breaking bad habits

Vice on the myths of clean eating and wellness (such a popular blog topic these days)