Almost done with my reintroduction and had some questions please

[sylvie3355]

Hello! I just finished my first Whole 30 on 1/30/20 and I'm almost done reintroducing things. 

I followed the sample from W30 book

Day 1: legumes/2 days W30

Day 4: non-gluten grains/2 days W30

Day 7: dairy/2 days W30

Day 10: gluten/2 days W30

 

Okay, so I'm on my gluten reintro today.  My question is I haven't noticed a significant change in my digestion except corn tortilla chips sent me into wanting to eat sugary foods and I was bloated first, then constipated. However, I have still had a lot of bloat and constipation/diarrhea while on the W30.  Is this due to the fact that I'm healing my gut and it takes time?  I was a former sugar addict so I'm guessing it's my gut trying to bring itself back into balance. I have a functional medicine doc appt at end of March.....

Also, once my W30 is over on Thursday 2/13, I was planning on keeping a food diary for a couple of months so I can see what is really going on with my digestion.  My intuition tells me it's okay to add back in everything but with great caution and care, so sprinkle in all the foods (except corn) here and there but rely heavily on the W30 template.  Is that a good plan?

Lastly, sugar.  I haven't added back in any sugar. Now, today with eating a piece of whole wheat toast I didn't bake myself, it has 2 grams of added sugar so now I have.  When I move forward with this food freedom forever I'm guessing it would serve me well to pay very close attention to these sugar numbers to keep me from going overboard? And according to the AHA below does that mean no more than 25 grams of added sugar or because W30 has a different philosophy, I should limit that even more?  And are added sugars the same thing as sugar in fruits/veggies?  I'm guessing no? Since being on W30 I learned how to read labels and replace my old condiments/food with ones with no sugar so that's an easy one to keep but I guess I'm looking for a little more guidance on this sugar thing since I have addictions to it.  My plan was to stay away from sugar for as long as possible...

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends no more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of added sugar per day for women

 

Thanks for all the guidance and support!

 

 

[Maria45]

Hi.  I am not an expert; I'm only on Day 28 and have not even started reintroduction.  However, I read your note and wanted to mention a few things:

1. Congratulations on completing a Whole30!

2. Sounds like you are doing great with watching your sugar consumption!  That's awesome!!

3. Sugars in fruits/veggies are not the same as added sugars, although you may have fruit that does wake your "Sugar Dragon" because of the natural sugars or even carrots for some.

4. Stay away from corn... as you realized.  It is good that you discovered this issue.

Your plan sounds good to me after reading Food Freedom Forever, but - again - I'm not an expert and I'm hoping another person with more experience with send you a note.

Good luck!

Maria

[Jihanna]

I'm not positive on this, either, but my guess is that they mean added sugar in terms of how it's labeled on nutritional panels as well as anything you specifically add to your serving of foods and drinks. So eating a banana or some pork cooked with apples wouldn't count as added sugar, but putting sugar in your coffee or having a snack cake would count as added sugar.

I couldn't tell you how the AHA's recommendation would translate into a real-food diet, though

For me, I've learned that I function best when I just avoid the processed stuff entirely and keep sugars to a minimum, including fruit. Avoiding fruit (apart from in actual cooking, like to help flavor a meat) also means I can enjoy a spoonful of honey with my morning tea, which is slightly less palatable with the sweetener  Whole30 philosophy technically applies during Whole30 rounds... after you complete your round, reintro included (so you have the knowledge you need to make informed food decisions), then it really comes down to what your personal philosophy shapes up to be. Food freedom is about building a "WholeMe" type of plan, which means it might include foods that Whole30 (or even Paleo) wouldn't normally include because they work well for your unique body.