Whole30 Follow-up

So. My Whole30 officially ended a couple of weeks ago and I figured I'd circle back to update about the reintroduction phase as promised.

The reintroduction protocol as recommended in It Starts With Food is to reintroduce a certain food group for a day, then back it out and go back to totally compliant Whole30 eating for two days, then reintroduce another food group, etc. I followed their recommended order of dairy, gluten, non-gluten grains, and legumes. 

In summary, I want to do more testing to be sure what's going on, but at first pass the only group that seemed to cause me any noticeable trouble was gluten. I'm not super surprised by that, but I am a little surprised about the exact symptoms that made me think it was giving me trouble. 

Not only did I feel more fatigued during the days after reintroducing it, but I felt emotionally more out of control. Irritable, antsy, and somewhat depressed. Everything seemed overwhelming, and I just wanted to quit on Whole30 despite the fact that I really did want to finish strong and complete what I was so close to accomplishing.

Thanks to Husband and Roommate's pep talks, I made it through and finished all the reintroduction steps, but that experience made me really evaluate the role that gluten should have in my diet. The answer, I think, is not a very big one.

 I still have some work to do as far as making a gluten-free life sustainable for my particular lifestyle/budget/work situation, but the more I think about it, the more I think it's probably a good choice for me. In addition to the suspicions of how it immediately affects me, I've heard enough about links between gluten and thyroid issues (something my family tree is laden with) to make me want to stay away on a regular basis. Now, I'm not saying there won't be pizzas and cookies here and there on special occasions, but I'm talking general lifestyle choices here. 

Any of you have experiences and tips for going gluten free?

Once the reintroduction phase ended, it was kind of a free-for-all for a while there. The day just after I finished, I left for a weekend away with my mom and sisters, which included fondue, the best pancakes ever, pumpkin spice lattes, and a whole host of other not-great-for-you things. Once I got back, I decided to give myself the rest of the week to relax and eat what sounded good, and then plan well to be able to eat paleo for the coming weeks. 

This week's meal plan is ready to go and I'm excited to get back on track. I felt less than stellar all through last week's indulgences (coincidence? I don't think so), including lots of uncomfortable bloaty feelings. And you know what, nothing I indulged in was really all that great anyway despite my cravings for them (except for maybe the pancakes). Amazing how your perspective changes. 

It is nice to be able to have "treats" that weren't allowed during the strict Whole30 days, such as this recipe for fall pumpkin goodness. 

Finally, I can pumpkin all the things like the rest of the world this October!