[Just got braces and cannot chew!]

This is a situation where smoothies could be fine. I'm not sure of any particular pre-made kind that would be Whole30 compatible, but you could make them yourself. Try not to use too much fruit, try to include leafy greens, canned pumpkin, or cooked sweet potato.

You could also do soups. Blend them up and they should be drinkable. This will probably be an easier way to get protein and vegetables. Maybe scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes or other vegetables cooked very soft and mashed?

Definitely find out from your dentist or orthodontist if this is normal. Hopefully if it is, it's something that won't last very long.

[Is the Whole30 safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women?]

2 minutes ago, Jim Baunach said:

@Melissa Hartwig "Defer" means to postpone.  You will always postpone to my doctor?  Did you mean "refer"?

"Defer" means postpone, but "defer to" means to allow someone else to choose.  Check out the definition from Merriam Webster: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/defer to 

[What A Serving of Eggs Looks Like]

3 hours ago, Anhe said:

I can hold easily 4 (quite large), and not so easily 5. But more than 3 plain eggs, seems impossible for me, and if I eat any other protein, I just do 2 eggs plus meat/fish.

 

If your meals are keeping you satisfied 4-5 hours at a time, you're good.

Often, we see people who come from a background of calorie restriction who continue to limit their meal sizes the way they would if they were counting calories, sometimes purposefully, sometimes subconsciously. Mostly, this was a post to encourage those people to eat as much as they need to eat, even if it seems like a lot of food, and to say that it is okay to eat more than what they may be used to, if that's what it takes to stay satisfied and avoid snacking between meals.

[What to Expect Calendar (Symptoms)]

6 hours ago, JAK95 said:

This is my first Whole30 and it feels like I’m about 1-2 days ahead of the schedule.  Prior to trying the diet, I had already cut out almost all added sugar, and only ate ultra high fiber bread goods.  My alcohol intake was moderate: 1 glass per day.  Is this typical for people who have already started eliminating things from their diet?

The calendar is just a general guideline. Some people follow it exactly, some not at all, and some follow parts of it bit not all of it. Eliminating some items before you start can make a difference in the symptoms you feel or put you a little ahead of the timeline.

[Headaches]

You should work on making your breakfast meet the meal template as well. You're very heavy on fruit and fat and need at least one more egg, probably two, to meet the recommendation for protein, and of course, some vegetables. Also note that chia pudding is not permitted on the program.

If you're staying satisfied 4-5 hours between meals, then you're probably eating enough. If not, then you may need more. 

If you've been eating enough, and drinking plenty of water, but you haven't been salting your food regularly, that's probably the main thing causing your headaches. Obviously if you're concerned, or if you up your salt intake and they continue, then you'd want to talk to your doctor to be sure there's not any other cause for them.

 

[Headaches]

1 hour ago, CPinPHX said:

I’m on day 15 and pretty fed up with waking up every morning with a headache and fogginess  in addition to making several bathroom trips in the night, which is not normal for me.  I’m guessing I’m dehydrated as the lack of salt is allowing liquids to flow right through.  I try to remember to add salt and I’m eating lots of great meals, but I don’t feel so great so I’m in a perpetual bad mood.  Maybe this isn’t for me, although I like that my clothes fit better.

Definitely salt your food. That will help a lot.

What do your meals look like? People are often surprised by how much they can and even need to eat on whole30. Try to make each meal meet the meal template -- a palm-sized portion or two of protein, or if eggs are your only protein, as many whole eggs as you can hold in one hand; a portion or two of fat from what's listed on the template, typically in addition to any oil you cook in; and a bunch of vegetables, like 2-3 cups or more. Occasionally have fruit if you want it. At least once a day, have a fist-sized serving of starchy vegetable, like potato, sweet potato, carrot, parsnip, beet, rutabaga, winter squash (like butternut or acorn or kabocha squash) or plantains. Some people do okay with less than this, some need more than this, but a serving a day is a good place to start for most people. 

You can download the meal template here: https://whole30.com/pdf-downloads/

[Let's talk (non-traditional) breakfasts]

On 7/1/2019 at 4:28 PM, logicallie said:

Today was my first day on Whole30, and I made sweet potato toast with almond butter and bananas for breakfast.

 

This is compliant, but we really, really recommend you make all your meals match the meal template. This meal is lacking protein (almond butter is  a fat), and is pretty light on the vegetables. Maybe try sweet potato toast topped with taco-seasoned ground meat, guacamole, tomatoes, and if you like a little spice, some jalapenos. Or sweet potato toast topped with smoked salmon, avocado, tomato, and red onion. 

[Don't over think this.]

13 minutes ago, Shanyn S said:

Is GT kombucha Whole30 compliant? 

This is the official word on kombucha:  https://whole30.com/2016/08/kombucha/

It has been a while since I checked the labels for any GT's, so definitely check for yourself to be sure, but as far as I know, it is.

[Changes in Menstrual Cycle]

5 hours ago, mmilliken17 said:

I did the Whole30 starting February 1. I had my normal February period the 6th through the 12th. I’m on the pill and take it fairly regularly and on time. Then I had another period starting on the 22nd that has not stopped yet, meaning I’m on day 23 of this random period. Thoughts anyone? I’m assuming it’s from the Whole30 diet change. We did the reintroduction and are really still eating relatively similarly, but I’m not sure when this period will end or when I should be concerned.

I would probably at least check in with your doctor and let them know what's going on, just in case, and see if it's something they feel you should be concerned about or if there's a length of time when they'd start to be concerned.  

[Whole30 Sample Reintroduction Schedule]

10 hours ago, Kelsey L said:

I am on Day 23 of my first Whole 30. I am looking ahead and planning my reintroduction. The book says to wait a couple of days after re-introducing a food to notice effects. If I reintroduce rice and it goes okay, can I then have rice the day I reintroduce dairy (think Chipotle burrito bowl)? Or am I supposed to introduce each food group and then try mixing them? Thanks!  

Do each reintroduction separately, and regardless of how you react, don't have the reintroduced food again during reintroductions. 

Here's the article about reintroductions if you want to review:  https://whole30.com/step-two-finished

[Kombucha Makers Unite; Where to ask and be answered]

13 minutes ago, Stfnebrown said:

Does anyone test the PH of their kombucha. I know you can get botulism from it if not prepared properly. I was making it and got pregnant and was advised to only use store bought kombucha. Not pregnant anymore and want to start making again.

When I first started, i had bought a kit with my scoby and some other stuff, and it came with ph strips, so I used them, but once I figured out how it tastes when it hits whatever level it was supposed to hit, I quit doing that. So if it makes you feel more secure, go for it -- be sure you get ph strips that will work with kombucha, I remember reading that some don't have the right range to show the level kombucha is supposed to get to.

[What A Serving of Eggs Looks Like]

10 hours ago, adayinaz said:

Yes good clarification!  I definitely meant green beans.  They're one of my favorite veggies so I eat them a lot.  I tried to edit my post to reflect that but the edit option doesn't show up now!

You can only edit a post for about 15 minutes after posting and then it's locked. 

[What A Serving of Eggs Looks Like]

34 minutes ago, adayinaz said:

(kale, squash, broccoli, or beans, etc),

Just to note for anyone who is still doing Whole30, beans are not okay to have during your Whole30 (unless you're talking green beans?). 

 

35 minutes ago, adayinaz said:

for some people, it might be better to plan a half serving of eggs and a half serving of meat rather than a full serving of eggs!

Yes, this is definitely true for many people. It's also a matter of experimentation -- I technically can hold four eggs, but never actually finish four eggs. Three eggs and a plate full of veggies, or two eggs, some sausage, and a plate full of veggies does keep me satisfied 4-5 hours, so for me, that's what I go with. But I did try four eggs to see how it worked, more than once, to figure that out for sure.

[Kombucha Makers Unite; Where to ask and be answered]

2 hours ago, Natalie Suzanne said:

Hi guys! What kind of sugar do you use during whole 30 when making kombucha? And any reccomednations on tea? I’m starting whole30 today and a friend is giving me a scoby on Sunday. (Yay!) I want to make sure I do it right. Any tips would be very much appreciated. 

 

Thanks everyone!! 

You have to use actual sugar, and it's fine to use whatever kind you normally use. I've used plain white sugar and organic, sugar in the raw type of stuff, though not that brand. I mostly settled on a mix of those two. I have heard of people using things like coconut sugar or honey or maple syrup, but from what I've read the results with those were inconsistent. For some people they worked out fine, for others they didn't. So if you try something different than you usually use, be sure you have an extra scoby or two in case you need to start again from scratch -- look for information on starting a scoby hotel, for when you get to the point that you have extra. Kombuchakamp.com is a good source of information. 

For tea, any black, white, or green tea is fine. I wouldn't do flavored ones as sometimes the oil from the flavors can damage the scoby. Don't use herbal teas, as they don't actually have real tea in them, they're just herbs or fruit dried and boiled like tea.

[Changes in Menstrual Cycle]

2 hours ago, Kelle said:

Im on day 5 of whole 30 and still feeling really bloated and water retention, is this normal.  I have been sticking with the rules but feel like I'm putting on weight because I'm eating my meals but my body really isn't hungry.  Anyone have any feedback for me?

 

Bloating and other symptoms are pretty common in the first week or so, especially if this is a pretty big change from how you ate before. If you hang in there, it'll probably get better in a few days. 

If you're eating a lot of nuts, cut back on those (try to have not more than a closed handful every other day or so). If you're eating a lot of raw vegetables, try cooking them for a few days, or if you're eating a lot of cruciferous vegetables (like cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower), maybe cut back on those and eat some different vegetables for a while. Also be sure you're drinking plenty of water, aiming for 1/2 oz per pound of body weight, so a 120-lb person needs at least 60 oz a day.

[Whole30 Sample Reintroduction Schedule]

@Fernsk there's no hard and fast rule, so just whatever makes sense to you, I guess. Think about how you'd use these things in a typical meal -- if you're having bread, and you'd mostly just want a piece or two at the end of the meal to sop up the last bit of sauces on a plate, you might just have slightly less of everything  so you wouldn't be too stuffed to have the bread. If you serve something over rice, even though rice is not a vegetable, for the average person, it's kind of taking the place of vegetables, so instead of having your food over cauli rice or over a potato, you have it over rice. Just try to eat these things the way you normally would want to have them and do the best you can to build your meal around that.

[What A Serving of Eggs Looks Like]

13 minutes ago, Joe6452 said:

Oh thanks for the info. I never read the label because they were on the approved list.  Lol. 

Be careful with information found anywhere other than the official Whole30 site or books or the official Whole30 social media accounts -- there's lots of stuff on the internet that says it's Whole30 that isn't.  Always read your labels, even if someone else tells you something is okay. 

 

 

[What A Serving of Eggs Looks Like]

13 minutes ago, Joe6452 said:

Hi. 

I was a little hungry and tried one of these approved protein bars. It was pretty good 

Larabars are not really protein bars. They're dates and nuts with some other fruit for flavor. If you have a sweet tooth at all, you probably should avoid them, because they're as close to candy bars as you can get on whole30. Even if you don't have a sweet tooth, they should really just be for times when you have no other options available.

[What to Expect Calendar (Symptoms)]

6 hours ago, AliS said:

I'm on Day 10 & last night started maybe my "hardest days" as in my HUNGRIEST days.... SO HUNGRY..... and I am eating! I'm also getting within a week of starting my monthly cycle...... usually I get hungriest 2 days before I start.... hmmm.... 

Eat. Even if you feel like you're eating based on the meal template, it is okay to eat more if you're hungry. In the week or so leading up to their period, some women find they eat twice as much as they normally would each day. You may or may not need that much, but definitely eat more, there's no reason that you need to feel hungry. It can help to include extra starchy vegetables and extra fat at your meals.

[Changes in Menstrual Cycle]

15 minutes ago, mf1988 said:

I just completed my first whole30 and my experience was nothing like I had hoped for. On Day 8 I started my period and I am also on birth control which keeps me from having monthly cycles. Right around the same time I started having really bad dizzy spells multiple times a day and felt really weak as if I was going to pass out. This continued for 3 weeks along with the bleeding. The bleeding finally stopped on day 30. I reached out to my doctor and he said that because of the bleeding I developed anemia which in return made me dizzy and feeling weak. Because of this I also had a really bad migraine for a week and didn't sleep well for the last 3 weeks. Now that whole30 is over I feel like I failed because of all the issues I had along the way. I read so many articles on how others had great experiences and lot weight and I was so hopeful that was going to be me but it wasn't. Would it be safe to do whole30 again just to see if I can get the benefits it offers? 

There's nothing about eating lots of veggies, protein, and healthy fat that would be unsafe, but what we do see a lot is people not eating enough -- maybe not enough fat or not enough starchy vegetables or just flat out not enough in general. Or we see people not salting their food, so they end up with their electrolytes out of balance,  which can result in tiredness and dizziness. If you do decide to try Whole30 again, I'd  recommend following not just the rules, but the recommendations as well, and hanging out here on the forum to get feedback on your meals early in your 30 days, before you start having major issues.

More on rules vs recommendations:   https://whole30.com/2015/01/rules-recommendations/

[Whole30 Sample Reintroduction Schedule]

1 hour ago, Nisha said:

Is it ok to reintroduce things of the same group on the same day? For example, I want to reintroduce hummus and black beans. Should I do them on separate reintro days or can I do hummus at lunch, black beans at dinner, and then evaluate my reaction for the next 2 days? This question stands for all of the groups being reintroduced. I want to know how things make me react, but I don't want to be in the reintro phase forever if everything needs to be completely separate. Any insight is welcome!!

Yes, as long as they're all from the same group, all legumes or all dairy, so not beans cheese on the same day, but hummus and peanuts one day, cheese and milk another day. 

[Some notes about using the forum]

Hello everyone and welcome to the Whole30 forums.

We welcome everyone to join the forum and have discussions about Whole30 -- just please be sure you follow the rules. 

If you're not sure you want to make an account, feel free to browse as much as you want while you decide, but please know that if you want to post on the forum, you do need to make an account. You will also need an account to report posts that you feel don't meet the forum rules as well as to send private messages to members and mods.  Signing up is free and easy to do; you don't even have to tell us your real name if you don't want to, just make sure whatever name you choose complies with the forum rules linked above.

 

 

[Don't over think this.]

1 minute ago, Mimis said:

Hi! I'm on day 5 of my whole30, with the flu, and have been overthinking what I can or cannot take to help me get over the flu symptoms. I saw some suggestions for ginger tea and chicken soup. I could not fall asleep all day yesterday, despite trying really hard to...so I gave in and took Nyquil to help me sleep. I think I might just extent my 30 days to an extra week in the end since I'm still at the beginning of it to maybe make up for that. Anyways, I was also wondering about the sugar content in the type of foods we purchase. Are we looking for the sugar content that is listed in the nutrition facts? Because the approved coconut milk for whole30 has sugar listed in the nutrition facts, but is still said to be whole30 approved. If it lists sugar0g...is it still whole30 approved?

Sometimes you do have to take medicine. Extending your Whole30 is an excellent way to deal with this, and I hope you're feeling better.

You're looking for sugar in the actual ingredient list. Any plant-based foods have naturally occurring sugar, so coconut milk (and tomato paste, and even raw nuts) will have some grams of sugar. That's not important. What's important is the ingredient list. If the ingredient list contains any sugar, honey, stevia, or any other sweetener (or any other off-plan ingredient like sulfites or carrageenan), it is not allowed. It is possible for food manufacturers to make a food that lists sugar in the ingredients but has 0 grams in the nutrition info -- they can make the servings small enough to get the number down to 0 -- but because there is sugar in the ingredients list, it would still not be okay for Whole30. 

[Changes in Menstrual Cycle]

6 hours ago, Kelly J. said:

I am 53 and haven't had a period since May (5 months.) I assumed this was just menopause. Now on R1D7, I just started my period! Could this new way of eating have impacted my hormones this quickly?

I'm not a doctor, but my understanding is that it is not unusual for women who are approaching menopause to sometimes have a period even if it's been a couple of months since they had one, and that you won't be considered post-menopausal until it's been a year since you had one. I do not know if seven days into a whole30 would cause this, it seems a little soon, but that doesn't mean it's impossible. 

If you are ever concerned, you should talk to a doctor, or at least maybe call and talk to a nurse at your doctor's office to see if they think it's something you should be concerned about. They'd be better able to tell you what to expect.

[Kombucha Makers Unite; Where to ask and be answered]

3 hours ago, anniejean83 said:

Quick question, I am a newbie and am curious whether people prefer buying a kit (found a great kit on Amazon with five star reviews on the result and ease of use) or just doing your own thing! 

This kind of depends on you and your comfort level. I bought a kit (from Kombucha Kamp) because 1) I was a little intimidated by the process and didn't want to screw up, and 2) I didn't want to wait any longer than I had to (growing your own scoby takes at least a couple of weeks, plus then waiting for the first batch to be done on top of that. With a kit, you just have the waiting for the first batch to be done). So are you more the type who is willing to wait longer to do it all yourself, or are you more the type to want things to be done as fast as possible? Lots of people have had good luck doing their own from scratch, and now that I know more about it, if I needed to restart, if I lost my scoby or something, I'd be okay with starting from scratch without the kit.