Whole30 is a 30-day elimination diet with guidelines that include eliminating alcohol, sugar, legumes, grains, dairy, and all processed foods. Those who followed the diet noted that in addition to weight loss and energy increase, problematic foods were also identified. So what are the disadvantages?
Some downsides include Whole30 side effects such as digestive issues, worsened food cravings, and decreased nutrient intake. The diet restricts certain foods and food groups; this can cause nutrient deficiencies if followed over the long term. Here’s what you need to know.
In the Whole30 diet, a person eliminates certain foods or additives for 30 days. After dieters complete Whole30, they enter a “re-entry” phase that lasts 10 days.
During the re-entry phase, you add the foods you avoided for a month to your diet, one by one. The purpose of this stage is to help people identify food groups that do not serve them. For example, if someone eats a bowl of yogurt after Whole30 and suddenly gets bloated, it could be a sign that dairy isn’t going well with them.
What Can You Eat?
The Whole30 diet mainly focuses on lots of whole food and protein options, such as:
- Eggs
- Fruits and vegetables (including juice)
- Foods with simple or recognizable ingredient lists
- Herbs, spices and spices
- Meat and seafood
- Natural oils such as olive oil, avocado, nuts (except peanuts) and seeds
- Vinegar and botanical extracts such as vanilla or lemon, except malt-based vinegar
What Can’t You Eat?
While you have a few options to eat, the list of things you should avoid is longer. Foods you can’t eat while on the Whole30 diet include:
- Real or artificial sugars added
- Alcohol
- Carrageenan (a type of plant-based sugar) or sulfites
- Commercially prepared chips or fries
- Dairy products except clarified butter or ghee
- Foods recreated with allowed Whole 30 ingredients (for example, coconut milk ice cream)
- grains
- Legumes other than green beans and most peas
Other Rules
Whole30’s no-food rule is all about scales and measurements. You don’t need to keep notes on your weight or use a tape measure to keep track of whether you’re losing inches. The goal is to focus on your food intake.
There isn’t a lot of research on the benefits of Whole30. The following benefits are listed on the Whole30 website but have not been scientifically proven or fully researched. These results are self-reported:
- Better mood, self-confidence and self-esteem
- Fewer attacks of discomfort such as seasonal allergies, migraines and asthma attacks
- Improved blood pressure, blood sugar regulation, brain function, energy and sleep
- Reduction in GI and premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms
- Stronger hair and nails
Doing the Whole30 diet can cause problems with your digestion because the diet bans beans. Legumes are excellent for gut health. Rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber, beans are critical for a healthy gut microbiome as they help nourish the good bacteria in your gut.
Whole30 doesn’t allow beans, based on the idea that they contain “anti-nutrients” like phytates. Phytates are compounds found in plants that can potentially interfere with the body’s absorption of important minerals such as magnesium, iron and calcium. If you’re someone who has difficulty digesting FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols), reducing your bean intake may help with bloating, gas, and digestive symptoms.
In reality, the health benefits of beans far outweigh this potential interaction. This is because phytates are largely destroyed by food preparation methods such as sprouting, soaking and cooking.
Since the Whole30 diet is basically a month-long exercise in avoiding certain foods, you may start to crave the foods you eliminate more. One review noted that short-term avoidance of foods may increase cravings for those foods.
“When you overly restrict the diet, unhealthy eating behaviors and attitudes can occur,” said Sharon Palmer, RDN, nutritionist and author of “The Plant-Powered Diet.” Health. “If you’re feeling deprived, the diet will encourage you to have strong cravings for ‘forbidden’ foods.”
Additionally, if you have a history of disordered eating, this side effect may be a trigger. If you’re considering trying Whole30, talk to a mental health professional.
You may miss out on important nutrients by not eating whole grains while on the Whole 30 diet. From whole grains, you get many nutrients that play a role in a variety of body functions, from thyroid regulation to immune system protection. These nutrients include:
- B vitamins such as thiamine and folate
- dietary fiber
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Selenium
A few other challenges the Whole30 diet can bring are:
- Cost: Because Whole30 focuses on many whole foods like fruits and vegetables, trips to the grocery store can get expensive. Food costs, like grocery prices, are constantly rising, and healthy foods in particular are associated with higher costs.
- Flexibility: Because the diet restricts many foods (even some healthy ones), there’s almost no flexibility in what you’re allowed to eat. For example, you’re not allowed to eat Whole30-eligible foods or create foods to replace things you can’t eat on the diet.
- General feelings about food: “When you overly restrict your diet, unhealthy eating behaviors and attitudes can occur,” Palmer said. “If you’re feeling deprived, the diet will encourage you to have strong cravings for ‘forbidden’ foods.”
- Sustainability: The diet doesn’t have to last forever. “The diet is supposed to be something you can maintain throughout your life,” Palmer explained. “It should prepare you not just to lose weight for a while, but to live a healthier, more vibrant life.”
The following suggestions were made as tips in the diet program:
- Follow the rules and don’t bargain. For example, a person may say to himself: to be do the diet instead to try in order to do.
- Set and maintain food limits, even on special occasions. This means eating what you can and sticking to the plan.
But Palmer suggested focusing on the core principle of Whole30 (eating more whole, unprocessed foods) rather than following the entire program. This way, you don’t have to focus on an all-or-nothing approach to eating changes.
You should also consult a healthcare professional or registered dietitian before starting any diet or making any changes to your food. Whole30 isn’t right for everyone. People with a history of eating disorders or who are at risk of developing an eating disorder should not try this diet.
While there are some good aspects of the Whole30 diet (namely that it encourages minimally processed foods), it also has drawbacks. You may be craving foods that you have eliminated, and ultimately this is not a sustainable diet. If you have questions about whether Whole30 is right for you, contact a registered dietitian or healthcare professional.