Cutting Down on Sugar {Whole 30 Reintroduction}

After our 30 days of eating very clean -following the Whole 30 guidelines {read about our 30 days here and here} we were able to give our systems a chance to see how some of our old favorite foods would make us feel. Basically during this time one type of food is reintroduced then you eat Whole 30 compliant for two days and monitor how you feel - both emotionally and physically.


How it went for us...


Non Gluten Grains: we ate gluten free bread, tortilla chips, and rice

The day of reintroduction: we both felt off pretty much all day - I was dizzy off and on all day and my husband had an upset stomach all day.

The next two days (of eating Whole 30 compliant): I had a hard time getting out of bed and was still a little foggy and my husband was on the mend.

We are going to try a few other gluten free grains - one at a time to see if there are any that we are able to eat without negative effects.


Legumes: we ate black beans, peanut butter, chick peas, and soy milk

The day of reintroduction: we felt great all day - no headaches or stomach discomfort

The next two days (of eating Whole 30 compliant): J felt fine, I noticed that my nose was stuffy and my ears had started popping (which happens to me often, but it went away during the second half of our Whole 30 days - which I didn't notice that specifically until it came back... I just kept noticing my head felt so clear); I also still wasn't back to just hopping out of bed in the morning like I did the final few days of the Whole 30.

Dairy: J already avoids dairy like the plague that it is, so he did not reintroduce... but I ate a bit of cheese on two salads

The day of reintroduction: I felt fine.

The next two days (of eating Whole 30 compliant): I was noticing some strong sugar cravings the next few days. I don't know if this was because of the dairy or just I was ready for something sweet.



Gluten: We both reintroduced gluten. However, most days (for about 18 months prior to Whole 30) I severely limit gluten as I believe that I have a slight sensitivity that manifests in bloat and tingling hands (when I wake in the morning specifically). Both of these sensitivities seemed to have disappeared over the Whole 30 month. For reintroduction - we ate half of a bun on a burger and I had croutons on a salad.

The day of reintroduction: We felt fine.

The next two days (of eating Whole 30 compliant): J was totally normal and pumped to consider eating some gluten again. I felt foggy and my hands were asleep in the mornings. I didn't get the bloat I was expecting though.


*Alcohol: this isn't on the Whole 30 reintroduction schedule but we love to go to the brewery so it was on ours... we drank less than a beer {shared a flight of seven samples between 4 adults}

The day of reintroduction: We were extremely caught off guard by the negative feelings we had that night. Within a few hours of our tasting we were bloated, uncomfortable and in bed about two hours early. The next morning I felt very stiff and tired. Even the following morning I woke up super stiff. We actually did an extra day of Whole 30 prior to evaluating a different food.

Other things I noticed during reintroduction:

*I was either really thirsty for water or very tired of having water during our reintroduction phase. I made lots of iced tea those few days just to have something different that didn't have added sugar or anything else I was currently not reintroducing.

* About a week after the reintroduction schedule I noticed that I was having strong sugar cravings and some mood swings. I am considering trying a Whole15 or a second Whole30 to see if I can shake it.