slc_melissa

I'm sorry you're finding it so challenging, and especially over special family holidays it can be rough. Here are some strategies that I've used. (Also, I'm single, no kid, so I'm not cooking for anyone else.) Are you trying to have your kid also be whole 30 (it might be too challenging at this point.)? What are your goals/motivation for doing the Whole30? Keep those in mind. If you make soup, make some extra and freeze it for future meals. Same with casseroles/egg bakes type thing. I don't suffer from food boredom and I don't need something new everyday, so I'm a huge leftover fan. I'll often roast a tray of veggies on my top oven tray, bake a tray of meatballs at the same time on my bottom oven tray. While eating those for dinner, I'll have two more trays going for leftovers. One time cooking, multiple meals. Depending on grocery stores in your area, rotisserie chickens can be available with only compliant ingredients, but watch your labels. Your meals don't have to be instagram-worthy or even look like someone else's idea of a complete meal. It also depends on what type of resources you have at work/home, but assuming a freezer and microwave: A package of frozen vegetables, some coconut milk, some canned chicken or salmon: Microwave for 5 minutes, add salt and pepper: Easy delicious soup! I've done some sauteed onions, add a can of diced tomatoes and a can of tuna, simmer until hot: Easy meal. Can top with some olives. Things I often use for traveling, no refrigeration or prep: package or can of salmon, some baby foods of sweet potato puree. (Ideal? No. Do-able? Yes.) Yes, rotisserie and canned foods can be more expensive, but they are far less expensive than dining out. Always read labels! Somewhere along the way I bookmarked this thread: https://forum.whole30.com/topic/53037-30-meal-prep-for-5-breakfasts-and-5-lunches-in-45-minutes/?tab=comments#comment-483813 Good luck!

Cut out nuts and RX bars.

I also have Hashimoto's, and I do way better with cooked vegetables vs. raw vegetables, and especially if I eat a good pile of cooked vegetables at breakfast. No guarantees the same effect would happen for everybody. Also, you may want to potentially watch the nori wraps - they tend to be high in iodine which can affect thyroid function. (I've heard both that it can help and it can hurt, soooo....I guess it just depends on amount and how it affects you!)

Have you looked at any of the citations/papers in "It Starts With Food?" I can't remember off the top of my head if there was a specific chapter about allergies, but it had plenty of stuff to look into that might get you onto a path. Robb Wolf may be another writer/blogger to look into. Can't say for sure he's done anything on allergies, but you never know. Good luck!

Pre-cooked hard boiled eggs. (Lots of grocery stores and convenience stores have 'em.)

Cool, thanks for the clarification.

Hmm, the whole 30 kombucha link that pops up in a google search, unless something has been officially updated after this post, seems to imply that any listing of sugar is out: https://whole30.com/2016/08/kombucha/ And for the people who aren't going to actually read the link and say something about sugar before or after the fermentation process, here's a key excerpt: _______________________ So I rely on the black-and-white rules. If there is sugar on the label, it’s out. Period. Which means Health-Ade is out, but GTs is in. Is this fair? No. Is it the best way I know to implement the Whole30 rules? Yes. Now… if you can drink GTs kombucha because of their labeling practices, how can I say, “This kombucha is okay, but you can’t make your own kombucha at home, because you’re adding sugar?” I can’t. Which means there’s a loophole here in the strictest sense of the Whole30 rules. If you’ve followed along thus far, you can see how managing the Whole30 program can be complicated at times. Please know I’m doing the best I can. I have to make the rules easy to follow, and in the case of kombucha, it’s the FDA’s laxity in labeling laws that is making my job hard. And I guarantee I’ll be criticized no matter what I do, so I’m going to stick to my guns and make the call that I think is in the best interest of the program, and your results. The Final Word If you make kombucha at home and don’t add sugar after the fermentation process, is that Whole30-compliant? Yes. If you buy store-bought kombucha and sugar is not in the ingredient list, is that Whole30-compliant? Yes. If you buy store-bought kombucha and sugar is not in the ingredient list, but you do see fruit juice, is that Whole30-compliant? Yes. If you see store-bought kombucha and see any form of sugar (including stevia) in the ingredients, is that compliant? No.

You're asking a general internet forum to answer a question that would need a very specific scientific study behind it. Funding, hypothesis, test subjects, control subjects, peer review, etc. Some random stranger on the internet hopefully isn't going to recommend you eat something that could send you into anaphylactic shock. I stand by recommendation that you can do your own experiment on yourself - do two whole 30s (while closely monitoring, working with doctor about the allergies). Or, do three - one without mammal meat, one with, one with + Zyrtec. Only way to know is to try it. Also, what works for one person might not work for you specifically.

Well the moderator said that kratom has never been specifically addressed, but here's a screenshot of the link she sent regarding cannabis usage in case you're not on facebook:

That's way beyond the scope of this forum. The Whole30 is all about finding out what foods work for you. You could consider doing two Whole30s - one with Zyrtec and one without and have the data for yourself.

I would also add a non-food or drink related strategy to deal with cravings - go for a quick walk, do some pushups, read an essay, have something in mind to do instead of dwelling on a craving.

I'm assuming you're post-Whole 30 based on the section you posted this in.....in which case, there are no rules for what you're eating and no such thing as cheat days. Whole30 is about finding out what how foods affect you and your relationship with food, and guilt has no part in it. If you're doing re-intros and are mixing "types" of food, you may not get as clear a picture about what foods affect you and how.

Also watch out if they use oil on them, and if they give the "plain" ones "just a light dusting of flour."

I'm gluten intolerant, and we used to do some family dinners at Red Lobster. No matter how carefully I ordered and what I requested, I got sick every time (I don't go to those family dinners anymore). So many of their dishes have gluten/dairy that cross-contamination is a real issue. However, it might have just been bad days at the place I was at, they could have changed recipes/procedures since then, but in my personal experience Red Lobster is the worst place I've ever eaten for allergies.

@zesty_ruffles: Did you make your own falafel? I ask because a lot of prepared falafels have wheat in them as well. But tempeh and tofu destroy me the exact way you're describing, but soy in the form of edamame, like at a sushi restaurant, are a lot less bothersome to me.