Reintro conundrum

[GlennR]

So if we're much better after 30 days -- toxins flushed out, inflammations starting to subside, sugar cravings tamed -- does this mean we are, in a way, disabled for, or made more vulnerable to, the regular standard diet? I keep reading about people reacting much more strongly to foods when they are reintroduced than they did pre-Whole30. I remember reading the plaintive post of someone who complained that now he can't even enjoy an occasional cheeseburger the way he used to. If feels like some sort of "immunity" or adaptation is lost after a Whole30.

 

If you can stay on Whole30 forever after, that wouldn't be a problem. But what if there are situations where you have to switch back for an extended period of time? I'm mindful that the next time I take a long trip -- say, back home to the Philippines -- I very much doubt I will be able to eat compliant or even Paleo most of the time. Social pressures, the difficulty of cooking my own meals, and other obstacles would make it very difficult. But I'm imagining being continuously sick or reacting adversely to things that didn't use to faze me -- and during a vacation! -- because unhealthy as they were I was used to them, and I'm not liking that scenario and wondering how to work around it.

[rosestara]

That is a very interesting observation. I haven't read any of the posts that you are referring to but is this reaction at all based on how sensitive they were to these foods in the first place? Or better put. Were they not aware of the effect these foods had on them and then after doing the whole30 they are more sensitive to those things? Or their body is better able to recognize those things as trouble foods after being free of them for 30 days?

 

I guess my point is. What did you discover about yourself during your whole30? Do you thnk that your body will react the same as theirs did? Did you find that you are sensitive to any particular things? I'm only asking because I believe that I am only sensitive to sugar and carbs. I don't think I will have any problem adding anything that I wish back to my diet except for sugar. Of course I won't know for sure until I am done.

 

I know that you finished your whole30. Have you added anything back into your diet yet?

[GlennR]

That is a very interesting observation. I haven't read any of the posts that you are referring to but is this reaction at all based on how sensitive they were to these foods in the first place? Or better put. Were they not aware of the effect these foods had on them and then after doing the whole30 they are more sensitive to those things? Or their body is better able to recognize those things as trouble foods after being free of them for 30 days?

 

I guess my point is. What did you discover about yourself during your whole30? Do you thnk that your body will react the same as theirs did? Did you find that you are sensitive to any particular things? I'm only asking because I believe that I am only sensitive to sugar and carbs. I don't think I will have any problem adding anything that I wish back to my diet except for sugar. Of course I won't know for sure until I am done.

 

I know that you finished your whole30. Have you added anything back into your diet yet?

 

From what I understand, the mucosal lining in your digestive system thins or sloughs off as your body heals, which removes some of the "protection" against the irritating foods. But that means that when you (have to) eat the irritating foods, you now react more strongly to them.

 

I haven't reintroduced anything yet. I don't plan to formally reintroduce grains, legumes, or most dairy -- don't really miss them, can do without them. If and when I do ingest them, I'll note my reactions then. Same thing with the foods I do plan to reintroduce: (very occasionally) rice, potatoes, some butter, some added sugar (mainly as ingredients in recipes), the occasional drink -- things that are usually considered Paleo but not Whole30. I'll note my reactions and gather information then.

 

...I guess I'm slowly answering my own question: figure out what I do react to over time and figure out what to eat during a trip based on that knowledge...

[Tom Denham]

I started with a Whole120 and then remained nearly perfect for almost another year. I went off plan very irregularly. I had one problem the first year. I ate a double scoop of mint chocolate ice cream at a concert and had the squirts in my pants the next morning. I assumed that I had a bad reaction to the dairy. Since then, I have eaten ice cream, cheese, yogurt, goat milk kefir, and unknown dairy in sauces in Indian restaurants. The only problem I have noticed is a little extra sinus congestion the next day. Never another problem with digestion. That has made me question if I was reacting to the ice cream that first time, or something else. The first time I ate good bread in an Italian restaurant, I had pain in my guts for 2-3 days. I assumed that I was sensitive to gluten. Since then I have eaten good bread about 3 more times without having any pain my in my guts. I have felt a little sluggish the next day, but nothing like the pain I had that first time. I now have to question if the pain was due to the bread or something else. 

 

I have been eating Whole30-style 4 years now. The Hartwigs do not eat cleaner than me. I know because they travel a lot and I don't. It just so happens that my diet has been worse over the past month than it has been over the past 4 years. I have felt a little sluggish compared to how I usually feel, but that may have more to do with the pollen count than the unhealthy foods I have consumed. I am not on some kind of junk-fest, but I have eaten more bread in the past month than I ate in the previous 47 months combined. I share this to say that unless you have a special sensitivity to some food, you can eat off plan and not suffer horribly. 

[GlennR]

Thanks, Tom. That is reassuring.

 

Also, it occurred to me that maybe a slow reintroduction of the bad stuff prior to a trip might also be a way to go -- to rebuild my adaptation -- sort of like taking shots before you travel to certain places. (And then clean the pipes after with another Whole30.) Anyway, I'll figure it out.