Whole 30 Food is Gross!

[tashalynne19]

I'm only on Day 7, and while I've miraculously managed to avoid most of the negative physical side effects I was expecting (like headaches and fatigue), my main problem is that I just don't like any of this food I'm eating. It all tastes like cardboard. I've never liked vegetables, and I'm having such a hard time forcing myself to eat them. Even the few Whole 30-approved foods that I like (certain meats and fruits) are starting to taste terrible. Since Day 1, I've been having to force-feed myself and choke it all down, and after almost every meal, I feel like I'm going to throw up. I thought maybe it would get better, but I'm a week in, and it's just getting worse.

 

I know I'm not eating enough, but I'd rather be hungry than eat food that tastes terrible. Last night, I just lay in bed for hours, unable to sleep because my stomach was growling and I was crying at the thought of waking up in the morning and having to eat disgusting food again. I'm forcing myself to eat 3 small meals, but my taste buds and stomach really hate Whole 30 food.

 

I know the first suggestion I'd probably receive is to try some new recipes, but I don't have the time and money for that. I've spent hours looking through Pinterest and other websites, but I can't find any recipes that look good and sound doable. I need really easy meals -- not recipes with 20 ingredients that take 2 hours to make. I'm also a terrible cook-- nothing ever turns out right. I even failed miserably at trying to make my own Whole 30 mayo-- it just ended up a liquidy mess.

 

I don't want to quit, but I can't help but think that, even if I get results, as soon as I'm done with the 30 days, I'll go right back to the way I was eating before, so I'll re-gain any weight I may or may not lose and go back to chronic pain, insomnia, and all the other things I'm hoping Whole 30 will help with. So what's the point?

 

Any suggestions or advice? Will my taste buds really "get used" to this? I know most people experience "food boredom", but this seems way beyond that. I've been experiencing it since day 1, and I really can't take it anymore. Please help!

[Carlaccini]

Sorry to hear your frustration.  

 

Since eating is such an enjoyable experience it is also very important that our food tastes good as well.

 

Lets start off with - what you have been eating.  If you could list a couple of days worth of meals out for us it will give us a starting off point.  Also let us know specifically what is going wrong for you.  What you don't like, what textures don't work etc.

 

Also if you could please also include some ideas on what types of flavours you like.  Then we can point you in certain directions.

 

Keep in mind that cooking is simple, but most often time consuming.  I get it. Things do need to be tasty but definitely not complicated.

[tashalynne19]

Here's what I've eaten the last 2 days:

 

Breakfast: 1 banana, a cup of Kirkland organic applesauce, and 2 hardcooked eggs

Lunch: About a dozen chicken meatballs, a few spoonfuls of guacamole, handful of baby carrots, and a handful of fruit (honeydew, strawberries, raspberries & grapes)

Dinner: Piece of salmon, an avocado, a few baby carrots, and a cup of Kirkland organic applesauce

 

Breakfast: 3 fried eggs over spinach, a few spoonfuls of guacamole, & a handful of fruit

Lunch: 2 Applegate chicken apple sausages, a cup of Kirkland organic applesauce, & a handful of baby carrots

Dinner: Bowl of chicken vegetable soup (organic chicken stock, chicken, carrots, potatoes, green onions, and a few spices) & a few bites of fruit

 

Like I said, I already know I'm not eating enough & not really following the suggested meal template. I know I'm supposed to eat more vegetables... I ate more the first few days, but I'm just too sick of them now.   

 

The only Whole 30-approved thing I genuinely like is salmon.  The chicken apple sausages are ok, too. I used to like spinach, but now the texture and taste are just making me sick. Carrots are ok (althought they'd be much better with ranch dressing...), but those are literally the only vegetables I can stand. I used to like most fruit, too, but I'm also tired of that. It's starting to taste too cold & sour.

[ultrarunnergirl]

I bet if you cut back on the fruit you will begin to like the taste of veggies much more quickly. Fruit is a wonderful food but it is very sweet and it will make other foods seem less sweet in comparison.

 

I highly recommend Well Fed. It's simple as can be, and gives you great prep tips for quick, easy meals and flavors that are out of this world. She shows you how to take different proteins & veggies and make it Italian, Greek, American, Indian, Morrocan. You could never eat the same meal in a month if you wanted.

 

One other tip right out of the gate - toss your veggies with fat, sprinkle with salt (and maybe another spice or two if you like) then roast at 425 degrees. Always turns out amazingly tasty.

 

Aidell's Chicken & Apple Sausages sliced and pan fried then cooked with some veggies, especially sweet potatoes - always a winner.

 

Frozen broccoli, cooked, salted, and drizzled with homemade mayo and Frank's hot sauce - also delicious.

 

Grilled or pan fried steak with potatoes and a salad. Can't go wrong there!

 

Roasted spaghetti squash, meat of choice sauteed with garlic & spinach and topped with tomato sauce - my favorite comfort food. Roast two at the beginning of the week so you always have some on hand for a fast meal.

 

You can do this! Embrace the kitchen and try some new recipes, I bet you will find some you really like.

[MeadowLily]

You can't knock yourself right out of the saddle before you ever ride the horse.

 

It doesn't even matter if you're not a chef or a cook.  

 

So what's the point....

 

Do you want to find the balance between immediate visceral pleasure and the mental peace that comes from moving towards a long-term goal that is important to you?

 

In our youth, we can thrive on the free wheeling approach to eating.   We can get away with anything.     Donuts and chocolate milk,  chocolate chip cookies and milk,  potato chips and popcorn.    Pizza and falling into bowls of pasta and garlic bread..   Taco Tuesdays at the local joint.

 

Then comes the tipping point.  It usually takes a health scare or crisis to really appreciate the lack of mental drama surrounding food.  The point when we no longer want thrill or binge eater to be our default setting.

 

If I was fresh out of high school or college and only knew what I know now....the half has not been told how happy I would've been.

Since food stuff tends to occupy almost all of the brain space of the thrill eater...breaking these cycles while you have the rest of your life ahead of you is going to give you a leg up.

 

One day, you'll look back and say, that was the best decision of my entire life.

[GlennR]

What kind of food is delicious for you?

[tashalynne19]

My favorite foods are pasta, rolls, french fries, and cheesecake.... unfortunately, not Whole 30 approved, or this would be a breeze

[GFChris]

Ok, so the reality is, the Whole30 doesn't include your favorites.

 

I suggest taking a step back: what are the reasons you decided to take on a Whole30?  Make a list, and then review it and decide if eating Whole30 style for 30 consecutive days is worth it to you - you've received lots of good advice for avenues to explore.  

 

Make herbs, compliant fats and seasonings your friends to add tasty flavors.

[MeadowLily]

A couple of questions....

 

Do you prefer mostly raw vegetables?   Are cooked vegetables too mushy for you?

 

Do you eat mostly chicken?    Are meats and fish something that you don't want to do?

 

Are nuts and dried fruits more enjoyable than proteins, vegetables and good fats?

[ladyshanny]

On first glance, besides the odd avocado, your meals look like they are lacking in fat.  Fat is the "tastes good" nutrient.  

 

A favourite in our house is a hash style breakfast (warm, can be seasoned as you wish and highly customizable).  I always start with either lard or bacon fat for the initial flavour base.  This week I fried some ground pork and then threw in some shredded red cabbage, sliced carrots, chopped green beans.  Some ginger, garlic, S & P (the spices are all powdered for ease first thing in the morning).  Put a lid on it and go get dressed while the veggies steam.  Remove the lid and "burn" off any excess liquid and then turn out onto a plate and then baste 2 eggs in the same pan. Throw the eggs on top, dash some Frank's Red Hot over it and done.  It's about 10 minutes from start to plate (even quicker if you pre-slice the veggies on the weekend).  You can sub whatever meat and veggies you like, all the same process.  You can also put nearly any seasoning on it also.

 

I find that if you can start with a big, warm breakfast that it will set you up for the day's eating.  I think I would be really bummed out if I had what you had for breakfast.  Food is care and a hard boiled egg and a banana isn't necessarily the kindest way to treat yourself.   Further, undereating as you have been doing can cause nausea and stomach upset/aversion to food....so try to get those template meals in and hopefully you'll start to feel better!

[ladyshanny]

Sorry, I just say your "my favourite foods" list.  So ultimately if you break that list down you get "carbs, carbs, fat & carbs, fat".  Eating too lean or too low carb when you aren't used to it is going to be beyond challenging, it's actually unnecesary.

 

Grab some starchy veggies and roast them up and then start adding fat to your foods.  That should go a LONG way towards helping!

[Carlaccini]

Sorry I can't help with you with any of that stuff

 

Your food is going to taste as good as the effort you put into it.  So if most times if you put in minimal effort, your food will have minimal taste.

 

Here's what you could do:

 

Google taco seasoning to make your own - honestly it takes about 5 minutes to put together.

 

Take some ground meat and season with said taco seasoning. (usually 1 to 2 tbsp per lb of meat)  Brown it.  Either buy a ready made salad, or make your own.  Get a large bowl and put a heaping amount of salad in it.  Add a chopped up boiled egg, guacamole, salsa whatever.  Put a palm sized amount of taco meat on top of the salad.  Squeeze some citrus (I would say maybe lime) over top and you have a pretty decent salad.

 

I was trying to Google the recipe for Nom Nom Paleo's Salmon cakes.  I had no luck. But you will need mayo for them.  

 

We have all experienced a mayo fail.  Take the mayo that is all runny and make salad dressing with it.  Hints for mayo - make sure your egg and lemon are room temperature.  DO NOT USE Extra Virgin Olive oil.  Your mayo will turn out runny and very strong bitter tasting.  Yes I made this mistake in the beginning.

 

I follow this recipe: http://theclothesmakethegirl.com/2010/06/03/the-secret-to-homemade-mayo-patience/

[tashalynne19]

Do you prefer mostly raw vegetables?   Are cooked vegetables too mushy for you?

Yes, raw is usually better, although I probably need to try some cooked and try to get used to it.

 

Do you eat mostly chicken?    Are meats and fish something that you don't want to do?

I like most meats, except for steak. Fish is fine (especially salmon).

 

Are nuts and dried fruits more enjoyable than proteins, vegetables and good fats?

I don't like nuts at all (at least not plain-- in some things, they're ok). Dried fruit is ok.

[tashalynne19]

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. I'll try some of these ideas for sure.

[MeadowLily]

Do you prefer mostly raw vegetables?   Are cooked vegetables too mushy for you?

Yes, raw is usually better, although I probably need to try some cooked and try to get used to it.

 

Do you eat mostly chicken?    Are meats and fish something that you don't want to do?

I like most meats, except for steak. Fish is fine (especially salmon).

 

Are nuts and dried fruits more enjoyable than proteins, vegetables and good fats?

I don't like nuts at all (at least not plain-- in some things, they're ok). Dried fruit is ok.

I thought you might prefer raw vegetables, dates and tomatoes.    

[Hannlib]

I think that whole 30 foods can taste plain and bland if you don't know how to season and enhance them.

Eg steamed brocolli - meh. Roast brocolli tossed with ghee, black pepper, salt and lemon juice -epic.

If you're not a cook you may need to stock your cupboard with exciting spices. Just decent black pepper in a grinder and good quality salt makes a difference. Season your food. Processed food is jam packed with salt. Whole 30 food is not, you need to add it.

[Hutlifr]

You seem to be an extremely picky eater and you probably never got to experience the good taste of veggies growing up. A salad and grilled or sautéed salmon do not take two hours to prepare, cooking pasta takes way more time. Your generalized statement that "whole30 food is gross" could not be further from the truth. I am wondering if you may be suffering of a gustatory disorder given "it all tastes like cardboard"... Guacamole, eggs and carrots can't possibly taste the same.

[MeadowLily]

I don't want to quit, but I can't help but think that, even if I get results, as soon as I'm done with the 30 days, I'll go right back to the way I was eating before, so I'll re-gain any weight I may or may not lose and go back to chronic pain, insomnia, and all the other things I'm hoping Whole 30 will help with. So what's the point?

 

Any suggestions or advice? Will my taste buds really "get used" to this? I know most people experience "food boredom", but this seems way beyond that. I've been experiencing it since day 1, and I really can't take it anymore. Please help!

 

It may take many Whole 30's before some make significant changes.    

 

 

 

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[MeadowLily]

I don't know the percentages of dieters that come here looking for another diet.   They might believe this is a periodic diet.   Diet for 30 days and get a free pass to return to sugar, pasta, bread, potato chips and brownies.  They hope that their metabolism and pancreas will process their old faves like it was broccoli or cauliflower. 

 

A T1 or T2 diabetic or even pre-diabetic knows that 30 days without sugar does not suddenly cause the pancreas to react differently to all processed sugar.   Perhaps, after a year...you might find some positive changes.   But yo-yoing back and forth from high carb to low carb is not going to benefit the metabolism or pancreas.   That's not reality.

 

A dieter can subsist on 5 berries, 2 dates, 3 cherry tomatoes, 10 cashews.   Maybe the same dieter can twist off on the weekends and eat french fries and potato chips.   If they've been starving all week long, cheat meals might just work.   It's possible to get by like this for a long time, maybe even years.  

 

Like the poster says, there will be consequences.   We are not free from the consequences of our choices.

 

A dieter can keep on with the periodic dieting until a health crisis appears.   Then crap hits the fan.  It's panic mode.  The meager diet foods are not enough to assist the body with healing.  Dieting no longer works and diabetes may show its face in full bloom with some serious consequences.    

 

It often takes a health scare before people take their choices seriously.   That's human nature.   People can point the way but until crap hits the fan...it's easier to rationalize that "gross"  whole foods  may be the reason a person returns back to a counterfeit diet of refined foods....hoping for a different result.

 

The counterfeit always comes before the real thing does.    It's true.   If you're not discerning, you'll fall for the counterfeit and lose grasp of the real thing.   It will slip right through your fingers.   Discernment is a gift.

[amieK]

When I saw the title of this post I was like "Whole30 food is gross??? How can that be?? Isn't Whole30 food, just, um . . . food?!!!"

 

I guess I understand better now having read the previous posts.

 

Whole30 doesn't tell you that you have to eat certain vegetables, or else. If you really hate broccoli or any other vegetable, you don't have to eat it. Or if something allowable makes you feel bad, you don't have to eat it. For example, I like sweet potatoes/yams (allowable) but I don't eat them anymore because they feel like a lump of lead in my tummy and make me feel bloated. But I discovered that I can tolerate squash, so when I feel the need for something a little more carb-y, I'll cut up a butternut squash into cubes, toss with olive oil and salt & pepper, spread the cubes on a cookie sheet and roast .

 

However, I don't think you can do Whole30 with "just certain meats and fruits". You're going to have to expand your horizons a bit when it comes to vegetables in order to do this program in a healthy fashion. Except for the spinach that you had for breakfast one morning, you aren't eating enough green things. And now you say even spinach is making you feel sick. 

 

And you're going to have to do some cooking to succeed with Whole30 (or else find someone to cook compliant meals for you.) Cooking doesn't have to be complicated involving "recipes with 20 ingredients that take 2 hours to make." You've been given many fine examples in the posts above. Just because your homemade mayo didn't turn out the first time you made it, doesn't mean you won't succeed the next time. But maybe mayo is not the place you should start. How about making a simple green salad with home-made olive oil vinaigrette? Do you have a good knife and cutting board? If not, invest in them.

​Another good investment is an oven-proof meat thermometer. It makes roasting a chicken super-easy. Otherwise you can calculate cooking times online based on the weight of the bird.

 

Roast chicken accompanied by a big salad loaded with lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, avocado, matchstick carrots, olives & tossed with vinaigrette - that's a typical meal at our house. Personally, I find cooking this way a lot less time-consuming. But it does take some planning. You have to be willing to buy fresh ingredients and you have to think ahead and take frozen meat, fish, or chicken out of the freezer in time to thaw for when you'll need it.

 

You can't expect to just pull a box or package out of the cupboard or freezer and end up with a nutritious Whole30 meal. It's just not going to happen. 

 

​Maybe you're not at a place in your life where you're ready for this kind of change. Maybe you're busy with work and/or school and you just don't have the time to plunge in and go whole-hawg Whole30. And that's ok. But if you want to start investing in your health, you really ought to start taking some baby steps towards eating better. And you're just going to have to re-educate your taste buds to enjoy a wider variety of vegetables. Maybe on your days off, you could make a point of spending some time in the kitchen trying a few new simple recipes such as the ones that were shared in the posts above.

[Lyolya]

From what I read you're stressed out. That's too bad because Whole 30 is aimed to promote health and stress is no health.

Re. mayo. I know there is a gazillion of hints on how to do mayo on this forum, but we prepare mayo and garlic mayo (allioli) all the time at home and we never store it for long, so let me share our recipe. You squeeze juice ouf of 1/2 lemon (I don't like vinegar too much but I encourage you to use vinegar if you do), add salt and egg and then you take a stick blender into your dominant hand and a bottle of a light (!¡) oil in your non-dominant hand. You dip your blender into your egg, turn your blender on a slow speed, start pouring oil in very-very small amounts letting it slowly but constantly drain into your mayo-to-be and move your blender up and downwards, slowly (!¡), not changing your speed of motions and having the blades immersed in the mayo. 40 seconds to 2 minutes and you got it.

As for inspiration, check Melissa Joulwan's blog. It's just wow (so as her books)!

[christinaorso]

Hey girl,

 

Sorry you think the food is gross. Your palate might adjust eventually and you will learn to love the foods, not just for what they're doing for your body, but for the actual taste!

 

I have a healthy living/food blog and have been posting whole30 approved recipes on it. Check it out! I promise there are some really delicious ones. Good luck!!

 

www.hungrymeetshealthy.com

[RuthintheDesert]

Are you eating bacon?

[tashalynne19]

I've looked at several stores but haven't been able to find bacon that isn't cured with sugar.... so, no.

[Maureen Boyle]

I hope that things improved and you were able to stick to your Whole 30.  If not, might I suggest a KindaSorta 30?  Instead of just having pasta, have it with vegetables.  Get used to the idea of cooking and paying attention and making deliberate choices before you give up all the foods you're used to.  Try for one compliant meal per week, then a few, then one a day.  Once you've expanded your palate and your skills, try the Whole30 again.  It'll be a lot easier.