Congratulations on finishing your Whole30 elimination phase! You feel better than ever and secure in your new healthy habits, but are still excited to bring back some of your favorite foods.
We want you to get as much out of your Whole30 reintroduction as possible. After all, this phase provides the second half of your Whole30 learnings, and is the key to lasting food freedom! But there are a few common reintroduction mistakes that could sabotage your Whole30 results, wiping out the last 30 days of dedication and commitment.
Let’s talk about four common mistakes during Whole30 reintroduction, and what you can do now to avoid these pitfalls.
Reintroduction mistake #1: Not reintroducing
We’ve hammered this point in so many articles, but it bears repeating: Your Whole30 is not finished until you’ve completed reintroduction. And without reintroduction, there is no food freedom.
It might seem tedious to spend another ten days following a careful schedule and continuing to avoid some of the foods you’ve been missing, but this is where the magic happens. Reintroduction is where you learn which foods may have been contributing to negative symptoms and which foods work well in your system.
In fact, this phase will teach you how to avoid the energy slumps, relentless cravings, chronic pain, or digestive issues that brought you to the Whole30 in the first place just by making some small dietary adjustments.
You’ve spent the last 30 days giving up many of the foods you love. Don’t blow it now by skipping reintroduction.For more on why reintroduction is the key to food freedom, read this.
Reintroduction mistake #2: Rushing through it
You’re committed to reintroduction—nice work! But you’re also wondering if you could get away with combining food groups, or skipping the two to three days of Whole30 elimination between reintroduction groups.
Rushing reintroduction is almost as result-spoiling as skipping it entirely. Our reintroduction schedule is carefully structured to bring back just one food group at a time into an otherwise Whole30 environment. If you combine food groups (like non-gluten grains and dairy) into one day and your skin breaks out, your digestive system revolts, or your joints swell, how will you know which food group contributed? You’ll have some idea, but not enough information to effectively employ this knowledge in your food freedom to keep feeling your best.
Skipping the “back on elimination” days in between can lead to the same issue. If you do have negative symptoms after reintroducing one food group, we want you to have enough time to let those symptoms subside before bringing in the next group. Reintroducing one group right after the other can compound your symptoms, or make it hard to tell which foods contributed to how you’re feeling. (With food sensitivities, symptoms may not appear immediately—it can take a few hours or even a day for your body to react.)
The fix here is to commit to a proper reintroduction following our carefully outlined schedule, including the “back to Whole30 elimination” days. We promise those extra few days will make a huge difference in your awareness, your Whole30 results, and your food freedom.
Reintroduction mistake #3: Having preconceived notions
Reintroduction bias can derail your “findings”—and it works both ways. First, if you went into the Whole30 thinking the foods you eliminated are “bad” or “unhealthy,” then you may expect to see a negative response when you reintroduce them. This influence can be powerful! It may even lead you to assume that you can’t tolerate bread, black beans, or yogurt, even if your body handles them just fine upon reintroduction.
Conversely, if you really miss beer, pizza, or ice cream, that can influence your reintroduction results too. You may try to convince yourself that your body handles them just fine—even as your stomach bloats or your allergy symptoms return.
Remember that you didn’t eliminate these foods because they’re bad or unhealthy. These foods can be problematic (to some degree, for some people), but you won’t know how they work for you until you eliminate them, reintroduce them, and compare your experience.
Go into reintroduction with an open mind. Do your best not to anticipate your response to any food, positive or negative. Track your experience without judgment, recording as many objective observations as possible (like, “my stomach bloated an hour after lunch, stayed bloated for the rest of the night,” or “energy stayed high, focus was great, fell asleep easily”). And as you’ll soon realize, reintroduction is a life-long process!
Reintroduction mistake #4: Thinking of reintroduction as “one and done”
The reintroduction phase can provide a wealth of information about how various foods work in your unique body. But 10 days, even if you proceed carefully and conscientiously, often isn’t enough to grasp the full picture.
You may not notice any effects after eating gluten with one meal, but when eaten daily, your digestion suffers or your joints swell. You may think oatmeal didn’t have a negative or positive impact, but eating it a few more times may confirm it actually helps your energy levels and performance in the gym. Or perhaps your dairy reintroduction didn’t go well, but with regular exposure to small amounts, your body starts producing more digestive enzymes—and you learn to tolerate it better. (Happy day!)
In addition, “cheese” or “oats” aren’t just one food. In your food freedom, you may discover hard cheeses work better than soft, or slow-cooked oatmeal works better than an instant maple packet. You may find that eating gluten one day isn’t a big deal, but three days in a row leads to anxiety or breakouts. And we wouldn’t be surprised if having a glass or two of wine on vacation feels easier on your body than having a glass or two at home on a stressful weekday.
The lesson: Reintroduction is a life-long process. In your food freedom, you’ll continue to pay attention when you have food or drink from a reintroduction group. This will help you identify the nuances in how various foods affect you based on the quantity, variety, context, and frequency with which you consume them. This also serves to strengthen your food freedom plan, helping you answer “Is it worth it, and do I want it,” with more accuracy.
Reintroduce like a pro
Reintroduction can be the fun part of the Whole30! In this phase, you get to bring back the foods you’ve been missing and see how much you can “get away with” while still feeling as good as you want to feel.
Don’t skip or rush this phase, keep an open mind, and remember that reintroduction is a life-long process. The next 10(ish) days can set you up for huge learnings, and pave the way to the lasting food freedom you’ve been seeking. Avoid these reintroduction mistakes and enjoy the process—compared to elimination, this phase is going to fly by.
