- The whole30 diet is an elimination diet meant to identify foods you may be sensitive or allergic to.
- Many people, however, have adopted the low-carb Whole30 diet as a way to lose weight.
- Whole30 bans a lot of foods making it difficult to get enough nutrients and sustain long-term.
- Visit Insider's Health Reference library for more advice.
The Whole30 diet is just what it sounds like — 30 days of eating whole foods that haven't been processed or refined. At the same time, you cut out dairy, grains, and added sugars, to name just a few. What's left ends up looking pretty much like every other extreme low-carb diet.
The inventors, Melissa Hartwig Urban and her ex-husband Dallas Hartwig, describe the diet as a type of elimination diet. But largely due to social media, people are adopting Whole30 as a weight-loss plan, not an elimination diet.
While many personal accounts claim that Whole30 helps with weight-loss short-term, some experts aren't impressed with the diet. Here's what you should know before trying the Whole30 diet.
What to eat and avoid on Whole30
The Whole30 diet involves a lot of restrictions. The website even includes guides to help people navigate some of the more specific bans. The main points of the diet are:
Don't eat:
- Added sugar (applies to honey and artificial sweeteners as well)
- Alcohol
- Grains (bread, rice, oats, corn)
- Legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils, peanuts)
- Soy
- Dairy
- Additives like carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites
Do eat:
- Meat
- Seafood
- Eggs
- Fruit
- Leafy greens and vegetables
- Nuts and seeds
- Natural fats (olive oil, coconut, avocado)
Whole30 is an elimination diet
The Whole30 website says that dieters should not focus too much on weight loss. In fact, you're advised not to weigh yourself or take body measurements for the entire 30 day period.
Instead, according to the inventors' theory, you stop eating many different types of food at once to "reset" your body. When it's over, you slowly add back each type of food group and observe how your body reacts.
For example, if you add milk back into your diet and start getting stomach aches again, it is possible that you have trouble digesting lactose.
However, some critics of the Whole30 diet say that it may not do what it intends, as taking a break from certain foods can cause you to react badly to them when you add them back to your diet.
Why Whole30 is not sustainable
One advantage of the diet is that it encourages people to cook more and move away from highly processed foods, says Carrie Dennett, MPH, RDN, a registered dietician nutritionist.
However, "this diet also makes it difficult to enjoy meals with others," says Dennett. You may have a hard time keeping it up without becoming socially isolated.
Moreover, the US News & World Report's panel of medical professionals report that the diet's highly restrictive nature is another mark against it, calling it the "antithesis of a long-term healthy dietary pattern."
In fairness, the Whole30 diet is only meant to be done for 30 days. No more, no less.
Whole30 may not be safe for everyone
There's no published research that evaluates whether, or not, the Whole30 diet works or is even safe in either the short or long-term.
It is concerning that the Whole30 diet can potentially lead to nutritional deficiencies, say Dennett. "The reality is that the more foods or food groups you take 'off the table,' the harder it is to meet nutritional needs."
Dennett also advises that people should only do elimination diets under the supervision of a registered dietitian who can help you determine the best elimination diet to follow for your specific needs since food sensitivity and allergies are different for everyone.
Insider's takeaway
The Whole30 diet has morphed into a popular weight-loss plan but its original intention is to help identify food sensitivities and allergies via a process of elimination.
Due to the restrictive nature of the diet, dietitians and nutritionists don't recommend Whole30 as a long-term sustainable eating plan.
Therefore, if you're looking to lose weight, it's better to adopt an eating plan that you can stick with long-term.
If, on the other hand, you're looking to identify food sensitivities or allergies, speak with an expert who can help you follow an elimination diet safely and effectively.