Whole30 is a 30-day elimination diet with rules that include cutting out alcohol, sugar, legumes, grains, dairy products and all processed foods. Followers of the diet have noticed weight loss and increased energy, along with the identification of problem foods. But what are the disadvantages?
Some disadvantages include Whole30 side effects such as digestive problems, worsened food cravings, and decreased nutrient intake. The diet restricts certain foods and food groups, which, if followed long term, can lead to nutrient deficiencies. Here’s what you need to know.
For the Whole30 diet, a person eliminates certain foods or additives for 30 days. Once dieters complete Whole30, they enter a “reintroduction phase” that lasts 10 days.
During the reintroduction phase, you add the foods you have avoided for a month back into your diet one by one. The goal of this phase is to help people identify the food groups that are not serving them. For example, if someone eats a bowl of yogurt after Whole30 and suddenly feels bloated, this could indicate that dairy is not a good fit for them.
What can you eat?
The Whole30 diet essentially focuses on many whole food and protein choices, such as:
- Eggs
- Fruits and vegetables (including fruit juice)
- Foods with simple or recognizable ingredient lists
- Herbs, spices and seasonings
- Meat and fish
- Natural fats such as olive oil, avocado, nuts (except peanuts) and seeds
- Vinegar, except malt-based vinegar, and botanical extracts, such as vanilla or lemon
What can’t you eat?
While you have a few options that you can eat, the list of what to avoid is longer. Foods you can’t eat when following the Whole30 diet include:
- Added real or artificial sugars
- Alcohol
- Carrageenan – a type of vegetable sugar – or sulphites
- Commercially prepared French fries or French fries
- Dairy products, excluding clarified butter or ghee
- Foods counterfeited with permitted Whole30 ingredients (e.g. coconut milk ice cream)
- Cereals
- Legumes except green beans and most peas
Different rules
A non-food rule of Whole30 involves scales and measurements. You don’t have to keep notes on your weight or use a tape measure to keep track of whether you’ve lost inches. The goal is to focus on your food intake.
There isn’t much research available on the benefits of Whole30. The benefits below are listed on the Whole30 website, but are not scientifically proven or fully researched. These results are self-reported:
- A better mood, better self-esteem and self-confidence
- Fewer episodes of conditions such as seasonal allergies, migraines and asthma attacks
- Improved blood pressure, blood sugar regulation, brain function, energy and sleep
- Reduced symptoms of GI and premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
- Stronger hair and nails
Following the Whole30 diet can lead to problems with your digestion because the diet prohibits beans. Legumes are great for gut health. Beans are rich in both soluble and insoluble fiber and are crucial for a healthy gut microbiome because they help feed the good bacteria in your gut.
Whole30 does not allow beans based on the idea that they contain “antinutrients” such as phytates. Phytates are compounds found in plants that may block the body’s absorption of important minerals such as magnesium, iron and calcium. If you are someone who has difficulty digesting FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols), reducing your intake of beans can help with bloating, gas and digestive symptoms.
In reality, the health benefits of beans far outweigh this potential interaction. That’s because phytates are largely destroyed by food preparation methods such as sprouting, soaking and cooking.
Because the Whole30 diet is essentially a month-long exercise in avoiding certain foods, you may start to crave the foods you’ve eliminated. One review noted that avoiding foods in the short term can increase cravings for those foods.
“Restricting the diet too much can lead to unhealthy eating behaviors and attitudes,” explains Sharon Palmer, RDN, nutritionist and author of “The Plant-Powered Diet.” Health. “If you feel deprived, the diet encourages you to have strong cravings for ‘forbidden’ foods.”
Additionally, if you have suffered from eating disorders in the past, this side effect could be a trigger. Talk to a mental health professional if you’re considering trying Whole30.
You could be missing out on important nutrients if you don’t eat whole grains while following the Whole30 diet. You get several nutrients from whole grains that play a role in various bodily functions, from thyroid regulation to immune system maintenance. Those nutrients include:
- B vitamins such as thiamin and folic acid
- Dietary fiber
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Selenium
A few other challenges that may come with the Whole30 diet are as follows:
- Cost: Because Whole30 focuses on many whole foods, like fruits and vegetables, grocery shopping can get expensive. Food costs, like grocery prices, are steadily rising, and healthy foods in particular are associated with higher costs.
- Flexibility: Because the diet restricts many foods — even some healthy ones — there is almost no flexibility regarding what you can eat. For example, you are not allowed to eat or make foods with Whole30-eligible foods to replace things you cannot eat on the diet.
- General feelings about food: “Restricting the diet too much can lead to unhealthy eating behaviors and attitudes,” says Palmer. “If you feel deprived, the diet encourages you to have strong cravings for ‘forbidden’ foods.”
- Sustainability: The diet is not meant to last forever. “A diet should be a way of eating that you can stick to for the rest of your life,” Palmer explains. “It should set you up for a healthy, more vibrant life, not just a period of weight loss.”
The diet program made the following suggestions as tips:
- Follow the rules and don’t negotiate. For example, a person may say to themselves that he or she can do the diet instead of them attempt to do it.
- Establish and adhere to food limits, even on special occasions. That means eating what you can eat and sticking to the plan.
However, Palmer recommended focusing on the core principle of Whole30—eating more whole-grain, unprocessed foods—rather than following the full program. That way, you don’t have to focus on an all-or-nothing approach to eating changes.
You should also consult a healthcare provider or registered dietitian before starting any diet or changing your eating habits. Whole30 isn’t 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 beneficial aspects of the Whole30 diet that are good – namely that it promotes minimally processed foods – there are also disadvantages. You may be craving the foods you’ve eliminated, and ultimately it’s not a sustainable way to eat. If you have questions about whether Whole30 is right for you, contact a registered dietitian or healthcare provider.