Alcohol and Bread and Bonking

[JillC]

I have a few seeming remedial issues/questions to throw out on this forum. Here goes: I'm on Whole30 (Day 11 wrapping up) and I'm just wondering what the basis is for not having alcohol--as in a glass of dry white wine, which according to my research, has 4 grams of carbs and less than 8 grams of sugar in a glass and 100 calories. I'm fine not having it for 30 days but when I go back to "normal" I'm thinking of what I may want to add back in and wine is definitely at the top of the list. So it got me questioning what is wrong with it in the first place? Is it bad for you if you have 1 glass a few times a week, generally speaking? I thought it had tons of sugar in it, but apparently most dry whites don't. And I have a local wine store that I shop at where they pretty much know the vintage, etc, so I can get some personalized service when I am done with Whole30. I guess it can depend on a lot of factors, which is why knowing the vineyard, vintage, etc (via the wine store owners) is key. 

 

My other question is bread. Without it I am hungry all the time. Which is a different issue (below), but my question is, why is bread the devil lately? I know so many people who are gluten free, but bread has been around for the ages. Do we just eat more than our ancestors did? Or do our bodies just not process it the right way anymore? I was thinking, once Whole30 is over, I would start making my own bread. Is that a better option? Is everyone anti-bread because it's so processed these days? My kids love their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and it's one of the staples for their lunch. So before I go giving up on bread in my house, I want to know the reasons why everyone is on the gluten-free bandwagon, even if you don't have gluten intolerance issues? No one in my family has gut or gluten issues. We have pretty iron stomachs. I'm happy to make my own if it's bad because of over processing. And pasta that is whole wheat and organic? Is that "bad" now? Because in Italy I'm guessing most kids still eat that every day (probably not even whole wheat) and it is another staple in our diet. I'm trying to sort out which foods my family should avoid. I know with weight loss bread is a big one to avoid, but if the rest of us (not including my husband) digest things fine, then is it wrong to eat it? If not, then how many servings are okay a day?

 

Now onto my hunger: I'm doing this because, while I eat pretty well, I think I could eat healthier. But the main reason is to support my husband because he wants to loose some pounds (like 10-15). But I don't want to lose any. I'm already on the thin side. Today I had Chia Pudding, 2 eggs and sweet potato cakes for breakfast and was still hungry.  I ate a big lunch, a huge chicken salad (Whole30 approved), charred zucchini, then a cashew-banana-vegan smoothie, then had a spoonful of cashew butter and while at the gym, I still bonked. Total sugar shakes, etc. Luckily I had a Lara bar with me but that barely did the trick. I felt like I was going to pass out. I'm feeling worse by the day on Whole30. Is it possible my body just doesn't have the reserves to do this? I have always had a very high metabolism so I'm wondering if i'm burning through everything too fast, and if so, how to fix it? 

 

I know I threw out a lot here so thanks in advance for anyone who wants to take on my questions! 

[ShannonM816]

For the whys of the program, your best source is really to find a copy of It Starts With Food -- it goes into the science of why they recommend what they recommend. You may be able to find a copy at your local library if you don't want to buy it, but I'd highly recommend it. There are other books like Wheat Belly and Grain Brain that talk about why grains specifically can be bad, but I'd start with ISWF.  For just a basic overview on these two topics, try the Grain Manifesto and the Alcohol Manifesto. 

 

You'd also be surprised by the number of people who have eaten grains all their lives and thought they were fine with it, only to do a Whole30, start feeling a whole lot better, and then discover during reintroductions that grains were a big part of what was making them feel less than optimal before. They can cause digestive issues for some people, but many people also find that grains negatively affect their mood or make their blood sugar levels erratic. The point of Whole30 really is to figure out how you, personally, feel best. You may be able to eat some grains sometimes and not have any problems, or you may find that if you eat even a little bit of them and feel bloated or tired or irritable.

 

 

Now onto your food.  Actually, first, let me say that it's really common to have less than stellar workouts for the first week or two of a Whole30. You're trying to get your body to go from primarily relying on carbs for quick, easy energy, to burning fat more easily, and it can take some time for that to happen. That said, the sugar shakes thing is not something that should be happening and is probably a sign you need to eat more.

 

Have you seen the meal template? 

 

For every meal, have :

• 1-2 palm-sized portions of protein (length, width, and depth of your palm), or if eggs are your only protein, have as many whole eggs as you can hold in your hand. That's probably 3-4.
• 1-2 thumb-sized portions of fat, or a heaping handful of olives or coconut flakes, or a half to a whole avocado, or occasionally a closed handful of nuts or seeds. Cooking fat often stays in the pan and isn't consumed, so go ahead and add more.
• 1-3 cups of vegetables, more than that if you're just having raw leafy green stuff because they pack down to nothing as you eat them and just don't really stay with you as well.
• occasionally, have some fruit -- limit it to not more than two fist-sized servings a day, always with a meal and not on its own. Fruit is totally optional, you never have to have any.

Most people feel best if they include a fist-sized serving of starchy vegetable each day, and some people need more, especially people who are active, who are prone to anxiety or depression, or women who are nursing, pregnant, or in the week or so leading up to their period. I'd also say that as someone who needs to not lose weight, starchy vegetables are more calorie-dense than other vegetables, so even if none of the other reasons point to you needing more, you may want to try having more and see how you feel.

 

Don't forget to salt your food, too -- when you're not having processed foods, your salt intake can go way down, and we do need some salt in our diets, so salt things as much as they need to taste good. Sometimes lack of salt can cause blood pressure drops which can lead to dizziness or weakness.

 

So, taking all of that into account, for breakfast try having 3-4 eggs for protein (if you don't want that many, have some eggs plus some other protein -- leftovers or sausage maybe). Your sweet potato cakes are okay, but instead of the chia pudding, add some other vegetables, and be sure to add fat in addition to what you've cooked your food in -- have some avocado or olives or make some mayo to dip your sweet potato cakes in. 

 

For lunch, how huge a salad are we talking, and what was in it? I see you had zucchini on the side, but you can also add denser vegetables to your salad in addition to leafy green stuff, if you're not already. Try some beets in it, or jicama, bell peppers, radishes, snap peas -- just make sure it's really a good, hearty salad. And be sure you add some fat. Diced avocado or sliced olives in it, plus some dressing. And remember that the template lists a range for protein as well -- if one palm-sized portion of chicken isn't enough, have more than that. It's okay. 

 

Instead of the smoothie or the Larabar, if you're hungry between meals, have a mini meal of protein, fat, and vegetables. Hard boiled eggs are easy to keep on hand, or just leftovers, or cans or pouches of tuna or salmon. You can find premade guacamole that's compliant if you look -- I know some varieties of Wholly Guacamole brand are okay. Those would be handy to keep around for a fat source, or packs of olives. If all else fails, just drizzle olive oil on whatever meat and vegetables you're eating. The reasoning behind this is that smoothies and Larabars can both cause temporary blood sugar spikes, but then you'll have a drop in a little while -- eating more balanced meals/mini meals that contain a mix of all three macronutrients (protein, fat, carbs) keeps that from happening, and when your blood sugar is more stable, you're less likely to be suddenly tired or to feel the need to snack more later.

 

Pre-workout, have some protein and fat. Post-workout have lean protein and starchy vegetables very soon after your workout (here's some explanation of why).  Both of these are in addition to your other meals. Of the two, post-workout is most important, so don't skip it. 

 

You may find this article about keeping weight on during a Whole30 helpful as well.

[jmcbn]

I have a few seeming remedial issues/questions to throw out on this forum. Here goes: I'm on Whole30 (Day 11 wrapping up) and I'm just wondering what the basis is for not having alcohol--as in a glass of dry white wine, which according to my research, has 4 grams of carbs and less than 8 grams of sugar in a glass and 100 calories. I'm fine not having it for 30 days but when I go back to "normal" I'm thinking of what I may want to add back in and wine is definitely at the top of the list. So it got me questioning what is wrong with it in the first place? Is it bad for you if you have 1 glass a few times a week, generally speaking? I thought it had tons of sugar in it, but apparently most dry whites don't. And I have a local wine store that I shop at where they pretty much know the vintage, etc, so I can get some personalized service when I am done with Whole30. I guess it can depend on a lot of factors, which is why knowing the vineyard, vintage, etc (via the wine store owners) is key. 

Shannon has given you some great & thorough advice above, and the manifestos cover most issues you queried, however I would just add that knowing the vineyard, & the vintage etc does not deter from the fact that alcohol is a toxin, and when you drink it your body focuses purely on banishing the toxin and does not therefore process ANY food that you eat alongside said alcohol until said alcohol is gone, meaning that for the most part ANY food you eat alongside the alcohol will be stored as fat - and this is regardless of the calorie content of the alcohol or the food involved.

With regard to the bread/pasta again the manifesto covers most issues, however a serving of bread (according to current nutritional guidelines) is one slice. So by having a sandwich you are already having double the recommendation, plus your filling. A serving of pasta (or rice, corn, quinoa, buckwheat etc) is fist sized - NOT the bowlful often served up in the typical western home, again plus meat/toppings/sauces/cheese.

 

[MeadowLily]

The bread of our ancestors is not the bread we are eating today.  It's Roundup Ready, GMO and highly engineered to be craved.  

[praxisproject]

The toxin part for alcohol is also important if you have any internal organs already under strain (illness, etc), alcohol can be something they just can't handle without having to drop another ball.

[JillC]

Wow, thank you so so much everyone. This is all so fascinating and helpful. Thanks especially to the moderator for taking the time to go through all the issues with me. Okay, I already understand it better. Onto Day 12! Many many thanks.

[JillC]

Quick question: if you make your own bread with all whole, organic ingredients, is that *more* acceptable? I just don't know what to feed my kids if pasta (and rice, right?) and bread is out of the equation. 

 

Also, my husband doesn't eat eggs, and he is burning out on the bacon and sweet potato cakes thing. Any suggestions? No way will he eat fish for breakfast, so I'm running out of options. 

[SugarcubeOD]

Quick question: if you make your own bread with all whole, organic ingredients, is that *more* acceptable? I just don't know what to feed my kids if pasta (and rice, right?) and bread is out of the equation. 

After your Whole30, you can make bread and pasta and whatever you like.  It's not acceptable for the Whole30 in any form.  For kids however, because they don't (usually) have the same emotional ties to food we do, if they can tolerate it, you can make them paleo pancakes and bread but wheat and other grains are still out.

 

For breakfast, can he have dinner leftovers? Is it fish and eggs or nothing? Are you pescatarian?  I wouldn't eat fish for breakfast either but I just ate green beans, mushrooms, sundried tomato and chicken with olives.

[laura_juggles]

One of my favorite breakfasts on Whole30 when I burned out on eggs was steak and green beans. Chili for breakfast was really good too. 

[madness]

Quick question: if you make your own bread with all whole, organic ingredients, is that *more* acceptable? I just don't know what to feed my kids if pasta (and rice, right?) and bread is out of the equation. 

 

Also, my husband doesn't eat eggs, and he is burning out on the bacon and sweet potato cakes thing. Any suggestions? No way will he eat fish for breakfast, so I'm running out of options. 

 

My husband and I are doing the Whole30 (well, *I'm* doing the Whole30 WITH him and he is pretending to follow it...) but my young kids are not. I am doing no sugar for them (for the health benefits!) and no legumes as well (just convenient). Breakfast and dinner are almost always Whole30 for them but packed lunches include sandwiches and pasta. I do get "healthy" versions of this that are freshly made. I usually make my own but I ain't baking bread if I can't eat it!

[Donna 793]

a nice spaghetti squash cooked in the oven .. (350 for 1 hour) can be shred with a fork and its eats just like pasta! very helpful that the kids (grandkids) and my non-whole 30 friends loved it! make a red sauce to put on it or  i like to make a curry chicken (coconut milk, chicken cubed and curry) throw in some onions and carrots and its great!

 

good luck.  

[praxisproject]

As I can't have gluten (makes me sick) I have discovered a lot of alternate starches: plantains (I was surprised how much I love these, they're not a common food in Australia), sweet potato, white potato, carrots, zucchini (I love them in zoodles and soup form), pretty much all the root veggies, asparagus is a starchier green veg 

 

If I'm not doing a Whole30 (these are not compliant), I have some occasional white rice (brown gives me a stomach ache unless it's a very small amount), buckwheat pasta or paleo bread. If you're avoiding gluten, anything packaged read ingredients carefully, some of the GF products are just awful.