The Whole30 meal plan sounds like a fun diet. It’s a 30-day challenge to help you get in shape. Needless to say, it became a viral diet program. It’s been featured extensively on health and nutrition sites.
Do you know where it’s also been featured? It made our list of the worst diets for this year.
Why did that happen? The Whole30 diet isn’t what its appearance suggests. Today, you’ll learn why it’s best to stay away from it.
What’s the Whole30 meal plan?
As Healthline defines it, it’s a one-month clean-eating program. Its benefits seem to range from your physical to your emotional health. It came from two sports nutritionists. Its goal is to “reset” your metabolism.
Its foundation is how some food groups can hinder your fitness. Ideally, eliminating these groups relieves the ill effects. People often use it to find food intolerances.
How does it work?
The Whole30 diet focuses on cutting out potentially harmful foods. As long as you consume the Whole30 food list, you don’t have to worry about volumes. It’s not a weight loss program.
What benefits does it promise?
Weight loss isn’t the promise. You might experience fat loss. However, the goal is to improve your sleep, energy levels, and food cravings. It could also improve your emotional relationship with food. The same holds for your taste.
What’s the Whole30 food list?
Like all diets, the Whole30 plan offers a nutrition program. It focuses on prioritizing whole foods. The Whole30 food list is important because it’s everything it offers. It’s not a traditional diet program: there aren’t complimentary lifestyle changes.
However, this program can be too restrictive for most people. Eating disorder patients should stay away from it. It can also interfere with other nutritional plans.
What to eat
You can eat all vegetables and fruits. For meats, seafood and unprocessed meats are allowed. You can also eat eggs, nuts, and seeds. Olive and coconut oil are fine. The same goes for black coffee.
What not to eat
You essentially eliminate processed foods. That means dairy, pasta, bread, and additives. Added sugar, alcohol, and french fries aren’t on the list. Interestingly, you can’t consume grains, legumes, and dairy.
What should you expect from the Whole30 meal plan?
The Whole30 program is highly restrictive. It’s as restrictive as challenging and strict. There’s no flexibility in the program. As such, you must restart the plan if you stray from it. Additionally, your grocery bill will likely grow.
What do dietitians think of the Whole30 meal plan?
Naturally, limiting food groups often disrupts balanced diets. As such, dietitians aren’t too pleased with the Whole30 program. As an elimination diet, it makes proper dieting more challenging.
Your goal should always be a balanced diet. That means not eliminating food groups.
Furthermore, the program instructs you to reintroduce the eliminated food groups. It’s a systematic approach. The goal is to report how you feel as you do so. The Whole30 plan isn’t for weight loss.
The research behind the program
The program lacks scientific evidence—including independent studies. Individual testimonials are positive and negative at times. However, the diet eliminates generally healthy food groups. That’s the red flag with diet programs.
Long-term implications
The Whole30 plan only lasts for 30 days. It might make it easier to adopt. On the other hand, it poses a rebound chance. You’ll likely resume your previous eating habits. Therefore, canceling the benefits is common.
The main issue
The Whole30 food list limits too many food groups. That’s the primary problem with this nutrition plan. It’s fine not to eat processed foods by choice. That said, you must consult with a nutritionist before any major diet change.
The holistic takeaway
Most viral diets are mere trends. With sufficient research, you’ll find that their results are often negligible at best. The best sign is whether it aims to eliminate certain foods from your nutrition. The While 30 meal plan isn’t the exception.
Now, it has some credibility for finding food intolerance. However, there isn’t enough research to confirm its benefits.
Eating balanced meals is the best approach to stay fit. You must get all the nutrients you need. Likewise, exercising and proper sleeping are as important. Instead of disrupting your metabolism, consider proven supplements to aid your nutrition.
0 Comments