Banquo's mid-term report

[Banquo]

I have not found it very difficult to hold to the guidelines. I've probably eaten more macadamias and pistachios than I should, but otherwise compliance has not been a problem.

Nevertheless, I have not had the magical, life-altering epiphanies that seem to pepper the whole30 literature and this forum. In fact, I have headaches more often than I used to, do not sleep well (though I didn't before whole30 either), have not lost any weight (though I know that is not the point of the program) and my energy level is at least as low as it was before. In short, I am left with all the inconvenience and expense of a rigid diet without any of its supposed benefits.

This experience leaves me somewhat skeptical about the whole30 approach, at least in my case. I think if you have cravings for sweets, have been acculturated to a diet of fast and processed foods, aren't used to cooking for yourself, and have generally suffered from the bad "food culture" that is so predominant in America, then whole30 can be an excellent "reset" for breaking out of these habits and learning a new, healthy way to eat. And whole30 can also benefit those seeking to pinpoint a nutritional cause for otherwise inexplicable physical ailments or allergies. But if you already cook and eat healthily and use dairy, grains, and other "non-compliant" foods in moderation, whole30 will probably not do much for you. What it will do is jack up your food bill. A diet so heavily dependent on relatively expensive foodstuffs such as organic vegetables and grass-fed beef is viable only for the more affluent among us who live in areas where things like coconut oil and aminos are available (Whole Paycheck Foods), not for those economic and social groups who are often the most afflicted by the backward culture of the typical American diet.

So maybe my habits just weren't bad enough beforehand for whole30 to make a difference for me. I don't wish to deny other people's positive experiences, and I will still stick with it until the end, but so far I ain't feelin' the magic.