Whole 30 seems riddled with BS amid otherwise decent principles...

nvmomketo · July 2015

If the skin issue is a result of a food senistivity (versus an allergy) be aware that foods quite often need to be removed for a few months to see results. The reaction is not as fast as an IgE regulated one. Plus when you reintroduce the food, a reaction can start within minutes or up to 72 hours later.

tomatoey · July 2015

Get checked out by a doctor. Food allergies are nothing to toy with. A friend of mine developed an allergy to bananas well into adulthood - found out when his throat and mouth swelled up. later turned out to have also become allergic to mangos and walnuts, which I don't think had triggered the same response as the banana. Anyway, if you are now allergic to one or more things, you don't want a surprise like that.

elleelise · July 2015

Thanks for all the feedback. What I have been suffering from, since childhood, is closest to folliculitis (basically looks like acne, but is deep and often forms into large painful welts and sometimes is clustered.) I get these on my thighs, low stomach, butt, and side.

I don't have health insurance at the moment, so seeing an allergist is out.

And I've tried a TON of solutions over the years, topical and oral. I think the problem definitely has to do with either a reaction to food I'm ingesting OR perhaps as someone mentioned, a deficiency.

dipitie wrote: »

A lot of it is just to break the mind-food issues you may have. You can have smoothies and be on a whole30 but they recommend you eat rather than drink your calories. Not making "paleofied" versions of unhealthy food really forces you to deal with any food issues you have and breaks the sweet tooth connection to these things. I get your point about vanilla extract, but it has alcohol and usually sweetener which are both not on the plan. Maybe their use of the word "toxins" is a little strong, but sulfites, carageenan, etc. can absolutely affect your body, and it usually takes a minimum of 30 days for the effects of those additives to be gone. Plus their explanation of hormones is spot on.

My issue with the program is that having worked with an intuitive eating therapist for two years, learning to listen to my body and learning extensively about food psychology, these types of "willpower/tough love" diets don't actually break mind-food issues. In fact, I've thought more about food in the last few days than I have in over a year. Just three days has been enough to make me feel cravings and generally nutty around food. Cutting out food groups in general is not something I endorse.

For these reasons I've decided not to follow the Whole 30, but rather, begin a symptom log and hopefully find correlations over time.

dipitie wrote: »

By the way, you're not supposed to track on whole30 as part of the process. You are supposed to follow the guidelines and then listen to your body. Listening to your body is a lost art form.

I am aware of this. I wasn't intending to do a strict Whole30... the point of this post was to vent how some of the rules are outrageous. And as someone who worked on intuitive/mindful eating with a counselor/nutritionist for over two years, you're preaching to the choir. I've listened to my body and mind these last few days, and it definitely does NOT like the Whole30. In fact, I find it counterproductive to developing a healthy relationship with food.

CharlieBeansmomTracey · July 2015

Have you looked up "looks like acne, but is deep and often forms into large painful welts and sometimes is clustered" and see what comes up in the search and then research it? if not its worth a try and then maybe youi can narrow it down or maybe figure out what it could be and then take that info to your Dr and go from there. sounds like it may be(im not doctor) Dermatitis Herpetiformis- look it up.the locations you mention also sounds like it could be that but, like I said Im not a dr.

LeenaGee · July 2015

elleelise wrote: »

Cherimoose wrote: »

Those vanilla extract hangovers are just too much to handle.

Just curious - how do you know you have food allergies? Have you been to an allergist?

Ha! Seriously...

No, but I get huge welts, hives, breakouts all over my body. Tried treating it topically and using antibiotics. I am 99% sure it is food related.

Not sure if this of any help or not but when my daughter was little she suffered badly from hives and huge welts all over her body. She is asthmatic and has various food allergies and we tried various doctors and specialists to solve the problem, all at great expense, I might add, and all totally useless.

One day, my aunt who had suffered asthma and allergies all her life told me my daughter is reacting to extremes of heat and cold. Now this was the key for us. I researched it and documented when my daughter got the hives. It has a name, some call it cold urticaria and I just can't remember the other name. Anyway, once I knew that it all fell into place. If she stood with her backside to the fire - she would come out it welts. If she overheated in bed at night, she would come out it welts. If she went in the ocean and it was too cold, she would come out it welts. She feels the cold badly but her body seems to have trouble adjusting to extremes of heat and cold - "leaky histamines" or some such thing. It was all a long time ago and I have forgotten about it until you mentioned it.

Hope this helps.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/skin-and-beauty/the-best-relief-for-cold-induced-hives.aspx

snickers061703 · July 2015

I love how everyone is dismissing this program and haven't even researched what it is, how it works, or know anything about leaky gut. This program does work, but you have to stick it out past the first 2 weeks when your gut flora are crying out for a sugar fix. I am on day 18 right now, and am seeing improvements. There is so much new data coming out about the microbiome and leaky guy and most people, including doctors, have no idea about them. Feel lucky my doctor keeps up with the scientific journals. Nutrition is at the root of most chronic diseases. Try getting 'it starts with food' from the library, and it will help it all make sense, and is backed by the medical journals.

msf74 · July 2015

elleelise wrote: »

Am I the only one??

Nah, it is a bit cringeworthy.

However, an elimination diet (which is what it is really) could help isolate food to which you have an intolerance and possibly aggravate / cause your symptoms.

Start with the base diet, add things in a step at a time, assess how you feel.

I did it a couple of years back and it turns out...I can eat all the foodz. Go me!

dubird · July 2015

I would honestly see how much an allergist would cost you and save up for it. If they know you don't have insurance, many doctors will work with you for payments, even if it's a small amount per month. This way, you would have a much better idea of what you need to work with going forward. It'll also be more accurate than keeping a food log since some foods you might not react to right away, and some foods it will depend on quantity. For example, I can eat tomatoes in small quantities, but if I pig out, I get hives. Having an allergy test, even if you only go there once to get the test done, will be very helpful for working with your eating habits in the future.

elleelise wrote: »

I am aware of this. I wasn't intending to do a strict Whole30... the point of this post was to vent how some of the rules are outrageous. And as someone who worked on intuitive/mindful eating with a counselor/nutritionist for over two years, you're preaching to the choir. I've listened to my body and mind these last few days, and it definitely does NOT like the Whole30. In fact, I find it counterproductive to developing a healthy relationship with food.

You know, this sounds a lot like the Eat Right for Your Blood Type that came out years ago. My mom and I tried it and discovered it's more of a general guide to seeing how your body reacts to things rather than a strict diet. It was helpful and it was interesting that the trends it talks about for blood types was noticeable in my parents, but it's something you have to experiment with and work out what's best for you.

ManiacalLaugh · July 2015

LeenaGee wrote: »

elleelise wrote: »

Cherimoose wrote: »

Those vanilla extract hangovers are just too much to handle.

Just curious - how do you know you have food allergies? Have you been to an allergist?

Ha! Seriously...

No, but I get huge welts, hives, breakouts all over my body. Tried treating it topically and using antibiotics. I am 99% sure it is food related.

Not sure if this of any help or not but when my daughter was little she suffered badly from hives and huge welts all over her body. She is asthmatic and has various food allergies and we tried various doctors and specialists to solve the problem, all at great expense, I might add, and all totally useless.

One day, my aunt who had suffered asthma and allergies all her life told me my daughter is reacting to extremes of heat and cold. Now this was the key for us. I researched it and documented when my daughter got the hives. It has a name, some call it cold urticaria and I just can't remember the other name. Anyway, once I knew that it all fell into place. If she stood with her backside to the fire - she would come out it welts. If she overheated in bed at night, she would come out it welts. If she went in the ocean and it was too cold, she would come out it welts. She feels the cold badly but her body seems to have trouble adjusting to extremes of heat and cold - "leaky histamines" or some such thing. It was all a long time ago and I have forgotten about it until you mentioned it.

Hope this helps.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/skin-and-beauty/the-best-relief-for-cold-induced-hives.aspx

This is interesting! I've always gotten hives and welts to various things I'm allergic too (animals and mold are my huge triggers), but the worst single rash I've ever gotten was when I went out and brushed snow off my car in just a t-shirt. I thought I was going to have to go into the hospital, but as soon as I warmed up to a normal temperature, they started going away. I wonder if this is more common than people think...

lemurcat12 · July 2015

OP, you might find this interesting:

https://nutritionasiknowit.squarespace.com/iswf/2015/5/8/it-starts-with-food-critical-review

I looked into it at one point and rejected it for similar reasons to what you mention -- specifically, the reasoning given for banning potatoes from the plan (lots of people eat them as chips or fries, basically) didn't make any sense to me at all, as someone who prefers them (usually) roasted with a bit of olive oil and was being told they weren't acceptable in any form. I could certainly give up potatoes for 30 days, but it made me wonder why that would be beneficial to me, and I couldn't come up with an answer. And then I started being just as critical of the rest of it.

Unlike you, though, I didn't really have a reason to try out an elimination diet anyway, as I had no reason to think I have any food sensitivities to the foods at issue, and I also don't need a special diet to focus on eating vegetables or cooking at home, so those rationales didn't resonate for me either. I realized that I was being drawn to it just because it was a challenge and I wasn't so sure that actually would help my relationship with food vs. the reverse (although I figured I'd lose weight over the 30 days since I'd likely cut calories, but I can do that while tracking too, and I would want to track anyway since I'm a data nerd). Anyway, I don't see any harm in people who want to do it doing it, but so many seem to claim that we all should because we all might have hidden food sensitivities (or because they think it's a "detox") and those are bad reasons, IMO.

levitateme · July 2015

OP have you been tested for Hydradenitis Suppurativa? It's a genetic skin condition.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hidradenitis-suppurativa/basics/definition/con-20027334

Whole 30 seems riddled with BS amid otherwise decent principles...

Replies

Categories