What does "some fruit" and "nuts sparingly" mean to you?

[kamico]

I'm on Day 9 of the Whole30 and think I may eat too much fruit and nuts. I do feel that I eat a lot of veggies and protein and fats, but I still feel like i'm relying too heavily on fruits and nuts (probably 3 fruits and 1-2 servings of nuts daily) to feel satisfied. I can't find any suggested servings of either one on the site - how much of these do you tend to eat daily? Thanks!

[CraftyCarnivore]

I usually limit fruit to 1-2 servings per day. Definitely no more than one piece of whole fruit; the rest is ingredients in a salad or cooked dish.

If I have nuts, it's a single serve pkg of almonds or pistachios, or a spoonful of nut butter (with an apple). I really need to kick this habit though.

The point is, don't reach for an apple if you are hungry (feeds the sugar dragon) the way we are used to snacking on fruit. And don't take "nuts are compliant" as a reason to binge on nuts, for obvious reasons.

Did that help?

[annabel]

You're not really meant to snack at all while on the Whole30. The meal template http://whole9life.com/book/ISWF-Meal-Planning-Template.pdf answers the question about how much fruit/nuts to include with your meal.

In the last 18 days I've had 1 apple, 1/2 a banana and about 10 meals where I included a few strawberries, grapes or raspberries. (And by a few, I mean 2 strawberries or about 6 grapes/raspberries.) Oh, I had a couple meals of pork where I included a few pineapple chunks. I tend to only have fruit with my meal when I feel like it's going to add something to the flavour of the dish.

I put nuts/seeds on my salads very occasionally and never eat them by themselves. (I managed 3 or 4 nuts earlier this week when I needed a portable snack, but I don't much care for them as a snack)

[elle_croft]

I'm on day 4 and relying a bit more on nuts than I'd like to - but at this stage I'm trying to just get through the sugar cravings and hunger without cheating. I think by about day 10 when (hopefully) I'm feeling more sated I'll try to cut down. Today, for example, I had a handful of almonds and a handful of blackberries as part of my breakfast - I don't plan to have any more fruit or nuts but if I get to the point where I either reach for a banana or a bar of chocolate, I'll choose the banana.

[Kirsteen]

Elle, I like your attitude. Yes, the W30 discourages snacking or suggests a mini meal instead and fruit is best served with a meal but it's also a massive learning curve. As long as we're sticking to compliant foods and not eating anything noncompliant we don't have to get the rest perfect right at the beginning. Sometimes we babystep our way there Sometimes trying to be too perfect right away just stops all progress.

Robin made a brilliant post here http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/5580-dont-over-think-this/ I particularly love this bit You don't have to address every food related issue you have, break every bad habit, and shun every food that gives you comfort to succeed with your Whole30.

Yes by all means aim to cut down on too much fruit but, as you say, if it's a choice between a banana and a bar of chocolate, the banana is definitely the right choice. good luck and let us know how you're doing by day 10

[Tom Denham]

Some fruit means that you might have one serving of fruit per meal once or twice per day. Vegetables are always prioritized over fruit, so eating no fruit is a good thing. You should not eat more than two servings of fruit per day because that would involve eating fewer veggies than you should. I go weeks at a time without eating any fruit, but have eaten four champagne mangoes over the past two weeks because they have looked so good when I have been shopping at Whole Foods lately.

Nuts lead to more over eating and binge eating than anything else on the Whole30 menu, so we invite people to be cautious with them. A cup of nuts can be about 1000 calories, so eating nuts several times per day can easily increase your calorie intake above daily needs. We highly recommend they never be used as a snack, but used as an ingredient in a meal as a way of boosting fat content. My favorite use of nuts is to add a closed handful of nuts to a stir-fry of chopped onion, fresh greens, and pulled roast or ground meat with a handful of dried cranberries. The nuts are especially helpful when cooking with a low-fat protein like ground turkey to give the overall meal enough fat.

[kamico]

Thanks everyone. That all makes sense. I don't eat fruit or nuts alone - they are typically a part of a meal - but I have definitely used them as a tool to survive this past week or so. I do feel more confident this week in my resolve and have better planning. I know I can ease up, especially with your input. Thanks again!

Kate

[Beets]

Elle, I like your attitude. Yes, the W30 discourages snacking or suggests a mini meal instead and fruit is best served with a meal but it's also a massive learning curve. As long as we're sticking to compliant foods and not eating anything noncompliant we don't have to get the rest perfect right at the beginning. Sometimes we babystep our way there Sometimes trying to be too perfect right away just stops all progress.

Robin made a brilliant post here http://forum.whole9life.com/topic/5580-dont-over-think-this/ I particularly love this bit You don't have to address every food related issue you have, break every bad habit, and shun every food that gives you comfort to succeed with your Whole30.

Thanks for this link. I should have read it right off the bat because I over think everything.

Also I've been beating myself up the last couple days because I've gotten hungry before dinner after being fine with three meals last week. I think it's a combo of bad planning and hormones but in any case thanks for the learning curve reminder.

[LadyM]

When I noticed that I reached for fruit and nut butters as dessert after a meal and nuts as snacks I decided I would only eat fruit and nuts as small parts of recipes. I haven't always kept to it, but the self-imposed guideline has helped slay the sugar dragon and rein in binging tendencies.

[ekgmedia]

Well Crap, I just can't seem to get Full so I have been shoveling Cashews like crazy, and it sounds like that is the worst thing for me to do.

My secondary issues is I have an under active Thyroid, and I have to take Synthyroid to regulate my Thyroid Levels. Perhaps now that I am eating better and not living off of Sugar, I might need to see the doc about reducing my dosage. After all, I'm at the weight I want to be so it seems that if I back off to a normal amounts of food, my new Fat Burning Engine will either have me bankrupted by my Food bill, or wayyyy under weight.

I will go dig around the Medical Condition Forum and glean for some wisdom.

[barrenone]

I agree with LadyM. I cut out all fruit (except a tablespoon or two of raisins in cauliflower rice pilaf) and nuts for this Whole30 to see how my body would react, and I think it has helped me slay the "sugar dragon" and the "mindless eating" dragon and the "need to eat something after dinner that is sweet" dragon... But that's me, as nuts were a "food without brakes"...eating fruits and nuts in moderation didn't work for me because I would just keep going...! I am happy to say on day 10 that I don't miss them at all at this point.