What Is The ‘Whole 30’ Diet: Is It Safe And Does It Work?
While the "Whole 30" diet may be relatively new, the concept behind it is not. The diet is built around the idea that the foods you eat have a direct impact on your health and energy levels. Strip these negative foods from your diet and you will feel more energetic, healthy, and happy. While the premise is similar to many other diets, the more important questions is, does it actually work?
What Is It?
As its name would suggest, the diet is short term, meant to last for (you guessed it) 30 days. The program aims to eliminate certain potentially problematic foods from your diet and introduce more healthy options. As a result, you are restricted from eating/drinking dairy, grains, added sugar, alcohol, and legumes, to name a few. On the other-hand, according to the diet's website, dieters are encouraged to eat meat, seafood, eggs, “tons of vegetables,” fruit, as well as oils, nuts and seeds. The site recommends sticking to foods that are pronounceable, natural and unprocessed.
Is It Safe?
Although there are many restrictions, the diet does not eliminate any important food groups, nor does it restrict your daily calorie intake. In addition, although the diet eliminates many of your favorite foods, it places a heavy emphasis on proteins, vegetables, and unprocessed meat, USA News reported. What’s more, after 30 days you are allowed to slowly reintroduce the eliminated food groups back into your diet.
Read: Best Diets 2016: 10 Weight Loss Programs That Work
Does It Work?
According to Self writer Lindsey Lanquist, who recently wrote an article after she tried out the diet for herself: Yes. Lanquist reported to have followed the diet, and stuck to it completely (with one exception), and claimed it not only changed her physically, but also mentally. Lanquist writes that having to think so much about what she put into her body forced her to make more conscious and healthy decision about what she ate. In addition, she also reported having more energy, fewer digestive issues, and she even lost weight.
Still despite its praise, Joan Salge Blake, a registered dietitian in Boston and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told US News, that like all short-term diets, any weight lost on the Whole 30 will likely come back once you resume your normal diet.
However, for those who have followed the diet, such as Lanquist, the benefits last even after the 30 days are up. For example, Lanquist writes that although she is no longer on the Whole 30, she still tries to think through her food choices, as she did while on the diet.
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