Dear Melissa,
I have been on the Whole30 program for 60 days! I am sticking to the advice in The New Whole30, and my body is changing in very positive ways. My family and friends are so proud of me. My question is this: Can I stay on the program for the rest of my life? I’m 53 years old, and am now the picture of health, and I don’t want to stop! I look forward to any advice you can share. –Louise, Boston MA
Dear Louise:
First, congratulations on your Whole30 success! You should be really proud of your efforts, and I’m glad to hear you are reaping the benefits of your hard work. Now, on to your question: Can you do the Whole30 for the rest of your life? I’ll give you my two-part answer.
The theoretical answer: Yes, you probably could.
Barring any health complications that would preclude you from continuing with the program, you could do the Whole30 for the rest of your life. Unlike quick-fix weight loss programs, the Whole30 doesn’t restrict calories or portions, encourages you to eat to satiety, and provides you with an abundance of the vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber essential for good health.
You may require some targeted supplementation. You’d also have to meal plan using a wide range of Whole30 foods, for nutrient diversity. But technically, you could remain in the elimination phase indefinitely and continue to thrive. This position is backed by our professional endorsements, including those from medical doctors who say the Whole30 elimination phase is both safe and healthy even beyond the initial 30-day period.
But even though you could… I really don’t think you should.
The better answer: Please don’t.
There are a number of reasons I’d discourage you from following the Whole30 Program Rules for an extended period of time. From a practical perspective, following the Whole30 rules every single day could get stressful. Sure, some things would become second nature: grocery shopping, label-reading, avoiding added sugar. But what about going on vacation, dining out, or taking a business trip?
Do you really want to go through the Whole30 Program Rules with every waiter you talk to for the rest of your life? Or every caterer at every wedding or business function you attend? Or every friend who invites you over for dinner? Eventually, this would get exhausting, and cause more stress than it resolves.
Doing the Whole30 for the rest of your life would also eliminate the opportunity to indulge in some truly special foods. Think fresh pasta in Italy, churros in Mexico, an ice cream cone at the beach, Gram’s lasagna at New Year’s… I want you to eat these foods. At the very least, I want you to have the option to eat these foods, and decide for yourself if they’re worth it for you. It would be a shame for you to say no to a culturally significant dish, a family favorite, or something that looks and smells incredibly delicious just because you were following my food rules.
The most important point, however, is that eating 100% according to the Whole30 Program Rules isn’t necessary for you to continue to feel like a million bucks. I guarantee you could eat regular ketchup or maple bacon and still feel just as good as you feel today. I also guarantee there are foods within the elimination groups that you’ll discover work just fine for you during reintroduction. These foods will either bring no negative symptoms, or could even make you feel better. More energetic! Happier! More satiated!
Even if some of the foods you love bring on negative symptoms, I also bet you can find a way to include them in such a way that you get to enjoy the experience and keep feeling as good as you want to feel. Maybe that means eating them less frequently, or in smaller portions, or making a gluten-free version. The point is, you can still feel as good as you want to feel and enjoy the foods that bring you pleasure, connection, and tradition.
I want you to have as broad and expansive a diet as possible, for your own joy and satisfaction.* You deserve to eat a wide variety of foods that are worth it for you, not just the limited foods available to you during the Whole30. But you’ll never discover which foods work best in your body until you leave the elimination phase and begin a careful, thorough, systematic reintroduction.
*The longer you stay on a program as restrictive as Whole30, the more likely you are to swerve into disordered eating territory. This is another reason to reintroduce and expand your diet beyond the elimination phase.
Your food freedom
Remember, the Whole30 wasn’t designed to be a part of your everyday life. It’s a short-term elimination and reintroduction program designed to lead you to lasting food freedom. You may discover during reintroduction that some foods don’t work well for you, and choose to eliminate those from your diet. But you’ll be doing that trusting your own body and making your own decisions, not following someone else’s food rules.
You will also discover foods that work great for you, and choose to bring them back into your everyday meals. You may also discover some of your favorite foods work less-than-great, but decide they are so delicious or special that, given the right occasion, they’re worth the consequences.
This is your food freedom, and that is the whole point of the Whole30. Sticking to the Program Rules forever is not freedom, and not what I want for the rest of your life. At some point, you have to take the things you’ve learned on the program out into the real world and make your own decisions. And you can’t do that effectively until you move into and complete reintroduction.
Take that step. Figure out how broad and expansive you can make your diet and still feel as good as you want to feel. Bring back that sense of food discovery, adventure, and joy. You deserve that, and the full Whole30 program (including reintroduction) is designed to lead you there.
Best in health, Melissa
