After my Whole30, I didn’t start reintroducing food according to their suggested reintroduction plan. Instead, I decided to keep Whole30 for as long as I could because I was feeling really good and I was hoping to keep losing weight. I was, for the most part, successful until this past weekend. We threw a party for my daughter’s first birthday, and even though I planned paleo treats and mostly Whole30 meals, I allowed myself to try other foods.

Today I’ve been having joint pain in my knees, my tummy hurt for several hours, and judging by the rings on my hand, I’ve got some bloating going on.

The cast of non-Whole30 compliant potential irritants:

• Paleo chocolate cake—It was delicious and I was fine the first day I tried a tiny piece, but I had some today, and I think I had a bit too much. My tummy was upset for several hours. Still, make that cake. And have a tiny piece. When you re-introduce properly.
• Wine—I don’t think this caused it because I’ve had a glass or two of wine since I stopped Whole30. But anything is possible.
• Potato chips—Organic, fried in sunflower oil, with sea salt. Not the best choice, also not the worst.
• Hot dogs—I’m pretty sure most of the ones I ate were the Apple Gate Farms Grassfed Beef dogs with none of the bad additives. But, a lesser hotdog might have snuck in when I had leftovers yesterday. Sigh.
• Cheese—I ordered a salad at a restaurant on Sunday and asked for no cheese. They didn’t get it right and instead of sending it back, I picked off most of it off because I was starving.

I really can’t tell you what I’m reacting to because I didn’t reintroduce foods one at a time. And if you are going to put the effort in to do the Whole30, then reintroduce properly! At the very least, if you have a special event coming up, plan for it. Give yourself enough time after your Whole30 to reintroduce, one at a time, some of the foods or drinks you know you might have at your special event.

I plan on getting back on track with Whole30 eating this week, and I’ll get a couple of strict weeks under my belt. Then when I know I’ll be able to gauge any reaction, I’ll start reintroducing foods the right way. I’ll probably start with wine. Then I guess I should try chocolate.

Resources:

• Whole30.com: Reintroduction
• Paleo Chocolate Cake by My Heart Beets
  How mine turned out: