Do I need to restart...?

[hfowler]

I am on Day 8 of my first Whole30 and I've been 100% compliant.  While my husband is not doing Whole30 with me, he is the one who does most of the cooking and he's been making all of our dinners for the last 8 days (directly from the Whole30 cookbook).  As I write this, he's had the Italian Beef Roast in the slow-cooker all day.

When I went through our pantry on Day (-2), I checked all the beef and chicken stock that was in there.  Fortunately, all the cartons we had were compliant and I told him as such.  However, when he went to the store on Sunday, for some reason he decided to grab another carton of beef stock (even though we have one in the pantry), and while it's the same BRAND as the compliant one we have, it's NOT the same VERSION (we have the low-salt in the pantry and he bought the regular), and has some slightly different ingredients, including RED WINE!

I didn't know he bought more beef stock and he thought he was going on my "ok" based on the brand (therefore assuming there was no need to check the ingredient list because I'm the only one actually eating Whole30) and I only just now noticed the ingredient list because it's sitting on the counter, empty, in front of my face with the rest of the recyclables.  This beef is meant to be used for at least 2 meals this week!  I texted him that it has wine in it and his response was "the alcohol would have burned off".  (I know that's not the point but I didn't argue with him.)

I haven't had any yet but I can't tell him I refuse to eat what he's cooking when he's being so supportive, not to mention how much of a waste of food/money that would be.

Bottom line:  I'm going to eat what he made tonight and for any leftovers that result.  Does this situation require a restart or is it ok for me to add on extra days past Day 30? (Incidentally, I already decided on Day 2 that I am going to make this a Whole45 or 60 or 90).

Thanks for any advice and support!

hfowler

 

[Jihanna]

You're right, whether or not the alcohol would cook off is definitely not the point, and it's good that you realize that even if he didn't. The point is simply that we don't use those types of ingredients during Whole30, plain and simple. That's the bad news.

The good news is that you're already planning to extend your experience, and based on current progress extending to even just 45 days would provide 30 whole days of compliance (assuming no other off-plan stuff happens). I'd maybe mark the first day post-beef in the calendar or food diary so you know when you've moved away from that, but otherwise allow yourself to breathe and progress normally. It's entirely possible that there won't be any ill effects, but it's also possible that there would be (and taking note of any symptoms and such would be a great idea even in times when you're not trying to determine if something caused a problem).

The hard news is that if your husband is doing the cooking and shopping, he's going to have to read labels. If you were doing the cooking and shopping, you'd need to read labels to make sure your "already-approved" items are still approved, and he'll need to do the same. Alternatively, if you've got a local place you'd shop at that does online ordering, he could give you his list and you could put the order in (checking ingredients online, as needed)... but it would definitely be best if he'd take ownership of it, because it means that he knows what is and isn't allowed and is going to make sure you're getting what you need.

Regarding the waste of food -- anytime I've been on round and realized something wasn't compliant after already cooking, I've either allowed others in the family (who weren't on round) to eat that or I've stored it in the freezer for use after my Whole30.

Good luck!

[hfowler]

Thank you Jihanna!  I feel that this is sound advice!

[Alexendra]

 

Hi Jihanna !!!! I am agree with your answer…   Good luck 

[Susan.]

I am on day 13 and have been 100% compliant. I made turkey meatballs for dinner and using coconut oil nonstick spray on the pan. When I reviewed the ingredients, it contained soy lecithin. I noticed the ingredients list after I had already used it. Do I need to restart?

[Jihanna]

@Susan. Soy can be incredibly disruptive, even in small amounts... but when I've realized there was something non-compliant, I generally allow my body to tell me whether or not I need to extend my time to have 20 fully compliant days. I do that by marking my calendar and food log with a note about what wasn't compliant on which day, and then I pay extra-close attention to whether or not I'm feeling bloated, nauseated, etc. for a few days. Then, when I'm reaching my original 30-day point, I determine whether or not I feel as if my body's reached that "reset" point or if I need more time. Usually, I end up giving myself the additional time because I feel it's worth it.

Now that I've finished a few rounds and have two reintro test phases under my belt, I can tell you that in any future round, I will 100% add time on if I've somehow managed to let dairy, legumes, or gluten slip by me... because I know exactly how those affect me, and none of it is conducive to allowing my body to reset on Whole30. Non-gluten grains are less disruptive for me, but that's only known to me because I finished 30 fully compliant days and did extremely in-depth reintroduction of foods (not just groups). Without having that knowledge, though, I'd lean toward adding time by default.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. In your shoes, though, that's what I'd do