Tinareads Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 I'm on Day 28 of my Whole30 and plan on continuing for at least another 30 days. I've found I'm becoming even more picky about ingredients than is required by the Whole30. I'm even starting to question the "citric acid" in my canned tomatoes! (Is it really necessary? Can I find canned tomatoes without it?) But I digress -- I know natural flavors are allowed on the Whole30, but I find I increasingly don't want to eat stuff when I don't really know what it is. I feel like adding "Natural Flavors" to an ingredient list is just the manufacturer wanting to hide something, which makes me think I shouldn't eat it. Am I taking this Whole30 thing too far and becoming paranoid? What do you think? How do you find a comfortable balance between the "rules" and "real life?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ShannonM816 Posted August 23, 2015 Moderators Share Posted August 23, 2015 It's good to pay attention to what you eat, but it is possible to take it too far. Do you by any chance have any history of eating disorders? I hope not, but I ask because one thing that can happen to people who do is that they may trade one way of disordered eating for another, and if this is part of your history, you may want to talk to a professional and make sure you're not heading into unhealthy territory. You might want to read this article. Here's what I think: If you want to not buy foods that list "natural flavors," and you're still eating a variety of foods and not finding Whole30 too hard to do without those foods, go for it. BUT, if you find yourself afraid to eat in a restaurant, even after conferring with the staff and doing your very best to ensure you're not ingesting anything non-compliant; or if you find that by limiting these foods you're making your Whole30 nearly impossible to do; or if you at any point just feel like you're making yourself crazy looking for "perfect" foods -- then you really need to stop and reconsider what you're doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinareads Posted August 23, 2015 Author Share Posted August 23, 2015 Thanks, Shannon. No, I don't have a history of any eating disorders (other than just eating more than is good for me). Although, I have given up eating at restaurants. Where I live, restaurant food is just really unhealthy. They think "Atlantic" salmon is wild and margarine is butter. So no, I don't really trust just talking to the server. I asked one manager about trans fats, and he said, this is the South! Truthfully, I don't think he even knew what trans fats were. Prior to starting the Whole30, I will admit I ate out many times per week. In fact, probably at least once a day. Once I finally realized (thanks to this program) that I really was capable of cooking three meals per day on my own (I have to admit, I really didn't think I could do that), I started not wanting to eat restaurant food. Is that really an eating disorder? And I will admit that, I think other than canned tomatoes and coconut milk, I haven't opened a single can. I've cooked everything fresh. I do plan on relaxing things in a little while. I'm on Day 28, and although I would like to continue this eating style for an additional 30 days, football season is starting soon (and tailgating -- Go Vols!) and that's going to be a little more difficult. I will probably start trying to re-introduce a few foods just to see if I have any negative reactions, but I intend to try to stick as close the the Whole30 as I can for as long as I can, and take as many compliant foods to our tailgates as I can manage. But I don't want to be a pig-in-a-blanket about it. (Oh man, pigs-in-a-blanket -- I don't imagine there's any way I can make those compliant.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsMarks Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 It's good to pay attention to what you eat, but it is possible to take it too far. Do you by any chance have any history of eating disorders? I hope not, but I ask because one thing that can happen to people who do is that they may trade one way of disordered eating for another, and if this is part of your history, you may want to talk to a professional and make sure you're not heading into unhealthy territory. You might want to read this article. Here's what I think: If you want to not buy foods that list "natural flavors," and you're still eating a variety of foods and not finding Whole30 too hard to do without those foods, go for it. BUT, if you find yourself afraid to eat in a restaurant, even after conferring with the staff and doing your very best to ensure you're not ingesting anything non-compliant; or if you find that by limiting these foods you're making your Whole30 nearly impossible to do; or if you at any point just feel like you're making yourself crazy looking for "perfect" foods -- then you really need to stop and reconsider what you're doing. I appreciate this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators SugarcubeOD Posted August 28, 2015 Moderators Share Posted August 28, 2015 . Once I finally realized (thanks to this program) that I really was capable of cooking three meals per day on my own (I have to admit, I really didn't think I could do that), I started not wanting to eat restaurant food. Is that really an eating disorder? And I will admit that, I think other than canned tomatoes and coconut milk, I haven't opened a single can. I've cooked everything fresh. Hi Tina; Not wanting to eat in restaurants is definitely not an eating disorder. I started my Whole30 journey almost three years ago now and I still don't need to take my socks and shoes off to count how many times I've been inside a restaurant. I think I channel my Grandma when I think about eating in a restaurant. I figure I can make it better, cheaper and healthier than any restaurant... Canned tomato products and coconut milk, oils and olives are pretty much the only thing I have to open a commercial container to get at aside from spices... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annc3333 Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 "Natural flavorings" is on the no-list for those very sensitive to glutamates so I don't think it is taking it too far. My husband started getting severe migraines to sulfites, nitrates and glutamates 25 years ago and we've learned the hard way that you can't trust any additives or prepared foods no matter how they label them. I have Interstitial Cystitis (painful bladder syndrome) and I can't tolerate any citric acid. I think if you are looking for clues to strange health issues it is very important during the Whole 30 process to avoid pretty much anything that isn't just fresh natural food. If you aren't suffering from weird symptoms and such then maybe you don't have to be as OCD about it all. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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