suspect i ate something non-compliant, start over?

[momoftwo]

I am on day 6 of my first whole 30 and have not felt great but assumed this was my body adjusting to the changes. I just returned from a CD release party for a friend. It was held at a restaurant where I scoured the menu to find something whole 30 compliant. Everything was drenched in dairy and/or sugar-laden sauces. I ordered a hamburger (without the bun, cheese, bacon, mayo and breaded onion strings) which was described as "blended with special seasonings" and a side salad. The server was somewhat vague about what was in the "special seasonings" but insisted that it was just regular spices. I ended up eating the salad without dressing because the server was unable to confirm that the vinaigrette dressing did not have a sweetener in it. I feel intensely sick and have a massive headache after the meal. I suspect there was something in the 'special seasoning' that is making me feel ill. Maybe MSG in a seasoning blend? Should I start my whole 30 over?

[GFChris]

Starting over would be a prudent way to go, so you can be clean for 30 consecutive days.

 

Sorry you feel so yucky. For me, a seasoning blend is a red flag for gluten, but yes, it could have been MSG too.

 

For your peace of mind, could you call the restaurant, tell them what happened, and get a definitive on what was in the blend?

 

Also, was the burger dry-grilled or cooked in an oil? If the latter, that could be a culprit too (especially if they used soybean oil).

[Susan W]

Sometimes I feel our strict parameters freak us out more than it should. Lets think about how you could handle this next time. Eat before you go has been my secret.

[lexes42]

Unfortunately, eating out derailed me yesterday too on Day 13.   I think, given you did your best and discovered how hard it really is to be squeeky clean.... you should just make it a Whole 37 and add a week to the end so you get a full 30 days detox.  

 

Don't fret though, you got some good intel (seed oils and/or cheap restaurant spice blends suck for you) early!

[Renee Lee]

The Whole30 Police isn't going to force you to start over here.  You did your due diligence and did everything right, so we aren't going to punish you for it.  

 

However, given that you had a reaction, you have a choice to make. Personally, I'd keep going and then evaluate how i felt on Day 30. If you aren't feeling awesome, then maybe that meal had a bigger impact, and you should keep going.

 

Nobody's Whole30 is perfect unless you're living in a bubble. Don't stress it!