My Whole30 15 Day Update

I have hit the mid-point of the 30 day Whole30 journey! It is getting easier and easier every day. My meals are very simple and I repeat the same foods often. Luckily, I love the foods that I do eat and I’m feeling pretty great. I have noticed a few improvements and a few uncomfortable symptoms that may be alleviated with time.

I am beginning to think that I will likely stick with the Whole30 diet beyond 30 days instead of binging on my favorite foods immediately afterward.

Whole30 Improvement

I was feeling pretty healthy when I started Whole30. My alopecia universalis is cosmetic and can easily be hidden, so while I want it to heal and improve, it hasn’t done so with other elimination diets in 30 days or even 90 days. I don’t have seizures on a daily basis and haven’t had any on Whole30, so it is very difficult to tell if I am heading in the right direction or not. I’m going to be positive.

The one thing that I can say for certain is much better is my morning congestion is going away. When I started the diet, I was having some mild congestion upon awakening. It would usually clear up with a few exercises or some bone broth and I could breathe easily through the rest of the day. I do think that eating cheese and crackers contributed to the congestion. I’m glad that I have broken my addiction to grains and dairy.

Continuing symptoms

The symptoms that haven’t cleared up are alopecia. There is no hair regrowth, but even if I have enough healing, it takes a long time for hair to grow even when you are healthy. So, I’m living with a bald head and a wig for now. I have done it for ten years. I do think that continuing with the Whole30 diet combined with the cod liver oil to raise my vitamin D levels will help. That is something different than I had done in the past.

I do seem to have gas and bloating from time to time. It correlates with eating too many vegetables or my monthly cycle. I had a bunch of fruit yesterday and my tummy just seemed really upset last night. That is unfortunate, but I know I can tweak the amounts and check for improvement. Along with the bloating, I have noticed a slight bit of constipation. I’m going to test out different amounts of fats and carbohydrates to see if it makes a difference this week.

Whole30 breakfast menu

You may be wondering what the heck I have been eating. Eggs have been a staple in my diet. I did find out that bacon has added sugar during the curing process, so I had to cut that out. The following are some of the things that I have been eating for breakfast on my Whole30 journey.

  • Boiled eggs
  • Scrambled eggs
  • Hamburger and squash hash
  • Egg, spinach, mushroom, and sausage bake
  • Apple slices
  • Grapes

Whole30 main dish menu

Lunches and dinners are very similar. I use the same foods for lunch or dinner. I have just barely enough variety not to get bored and the foods tend to keep me full. I tend to mix and match and choose a vegetable to go with a meat dish.

  • Soup and salad
  • Bone broth
  • Hamburger
  • Pulled pork
  • Steamed vegetables
  • Sauteed meat and veggies
  • Salad
  • Salmon patties

Whole30 snacks

I try not to snack too often. I am usually full and snacking is only due to boredom. It is tough working from home right now and taking a break. One of the easiest places to go is to the kitchen and grab something to munch on. Below are the snacks that I have eaten on Whole30.

  • Carrot sticks
  • Boiled eggs
  • Almonds
  • Apple slices
  • Grapes

 

Give it a whirl

The Whole30 diet is one of the easiest elimination diets. I feel that it is a gateway diet into Autoimmune Paleo or GAPS. You get used to less processed foods and the idea of cooking more. GAPS and Autoimmune Paleo have a few other restrictions that would be hard initially. For example, Autoimmune Paleo eliminates eggs because people with autoimmune conditions can be sensitive to eggs. That would take out my snack foods. GAPS has a whole structure of reintroducing foods that can be very challenging to follow. The Paleo-Ketogenic diet eliminates all plant foods, which can be unnecessarily hard. I’ve done all of these diets before usually for about 3 months. Right now, I think Whole30 combined with the cod liver oil makes me feel the best.