Dear Melissa,
How do you work your Food Freedom plan? Are you striving to feel “Whole30 good” all the time? Is it even reasonable to think I could keep feeling that good while eating the foods I love? I’m not sure where that balance should be—help? —Finding food freedom
Hi Finding,
I can summarize your question with one of my own: “How much can I get away with and still feel as good as I want to feel?” That is the essence of food freedom! Your Whole30 elimination gave you a baseline for comparison. For most, how you felt at the end of this phase was vastly better than you’ve felt in a long time (maybe ever). That becomes your new “normal,” and the yardstick against which you’ll measure how you feel in your food freedom. (We’ll call the top of that yardstick “100% Whole30-good.”)
When it comes to deciding what’s worth it in your food freedom, you’re asking, “Can I measure up to feeling Whole30-good while eating worth-it foods in my food freedom?” The answer is yes, it’s possible! But you may not want to work your food freedom plan with the goal of feeling 100%.
Everything costs something
In my food freedom, there are a few foods that actually improve my health, performance, and how I feel. (Not many, but a few!) Those include rice, plain oatmeal, and peanut butter. When I include those three foods in my diet, my energy thrives, my running and hiking improves, and my digestion is smooth as silk. I can eat those foods every day and still feel Whole30-good! (And I do!)
You may have discovered a few foods that fit this description—but chances are, they’re not the foods you’d consider super-fun. It’s highly unlikely that wine, pizza, ice cream, or fast food will keep you feeling 100% Whole30-good. Sometimes, even small servings of these foods (especially alcohol) can provoke a massive hit to your energy, sleep, mood, digestion, and overall well-being.
Finding food freedom balance
However, you may be able to get away with smaller or less frequent doses of at least some of your favorite foods with minimal impact. Let’s call that 90% good. I’d consider that a fantastic trade-off! You get to enjoy the foods you love while still feeling darn close to your best. For me, this is sourdough bread (one hearty piece with breakfast, once in a while), ice cream (a small serving infrequently), or potato chips (a serving, not a whole bag) served with lunch. I indulge in some or more of these just about every week. When I do, I don’t notice much of a negative effect, and if I do, it’s short-lived.
Other foods may provoke a bigger hit, especially in the quantities you want to enjoy them. If your favorite meal is a burger and fries, you’re going to eat a top and bottom bun. If it’s pizza, you’re probably going to have a few slices. If it’s wine, you’re likely going to want more than one small glass. These foods, at this quantity and/or frequency, may leave you feeling 75% good.
Still other seasons, like going on vacation to Italy or visiting your parents over the holidays, may present so many opportunities that you’ll find yourself feeling 50% good—or less—for multiple days in a row.
So now I’ll ask you: Is that still a good trade-off? Hint: There are no wrong answers when it comes to finding food freedom, because it’s your food freedom.
Run your own experiments
There are a number of factors that play into this discussion. Before you decide what’s worth it in your food freedom, you’ll want to take into account your health, the set and setting, your responsibilities, and your upcoming plans. As an example:
- If I’m healthy, relaxing over the holidays with family, and have no big trips coming up, I might be comfortable feeling 50% good for a week while I indulge in some truly special and worth-it foods.
- If my concussion symptoms are flaring and I have to travel next week, very little will be worth it! I want to head into this stressful time feeling 90% good, at minimum, so my Food Freedom plan is pretty tight.
- If I’m in Italy on vacation, I’m going to aim for feeling 75% good. I don’t want to spend my trip feeling sluggish, constipated, and brain foggy! But I also don’t want to pass on pasta, gelato, and red wine, so I’ll say “yes” to those in a way that doesn’t feel too disruptive.
When finding food freedom, this is why you might not want to set a goal of feeling “100% good.” The things you’d have to give up to squeak out that extra 10-25% might be too big of an ask. Do you really want to skip the fresh pasta in Italy? Do you really want to pass on your favorite kind of birthday cake? Do you really want to skip a slice at your favorite pizza spot? The answer is probably no—at least, not all the time. In which case, aiming for 100% isn’t actually the right goal.
One last reminder
I’ll also remind you that your food freedom decisions and “worth it” definitions should be fluid. What’s worth it today might not be tomorrow, if your context changes. (And vice versa.) That’s also why I emphasize that your food freedom goal is feeling “as good as you want to feel.” Sometimes, it’s okay that you don’t feel your absolute best! Especially if that means sharing a meal of pasta, wine, and gelato with loved ones in Italy.
Decide how good you want to feel in this moment, given your context. Use your Whole30 elimination and reintroduction to make educated decisions about whether the foods you love will be worth it, given how good you want to feel. Then, modulate how much, how often, or in what context you enjoy those foods in a way that fits your goals. This is how you find food freedom—whatever you decide that should look like.
Best in health,
Melissa
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