My Whole30 Reintroduction Plan #SeptemberWhole30

I can’t believe it is day 25 of the September Whole30! Seriously, where the heck did September go? This round went pretty smoothly. I navigated through some family gatherings (shoutout to my uncle for grilling me up a compliant sausage alongside the hotdogs everyone else ate), and sickness.Unfortunately sickness hit with a vengeance twice. Tis’ the season for flu-like symptoms. Now though, I’m getting pretty excited to introduce other foods into my Food Freedom life (more on that at the end)! This is my third Whole30, and reintro is my FAVORITE part. Why? Because that is when your efforts are most shown and you learn the most useful information. What effects you, how badly, and what is perfectly fine in your life! This round I plan to be pretty methodical, but I’ve got to be careful and make the disclaimer that we start moving on October 9th so things may get crazy. I’m comfortable with my handle on quick Whole30 meals though so I plan to manage and push through. With that said, here is my Whole30 reintroduction plan!

First: Items I am NOT reintroducing for my September Whole30 Reintroduction Plan

The Whole30 book {link!} offers a great simple timeline, but it’s also very important to remember that you don’t have to reintroduce everything if you plan to keep a particular food group out of your life. My recommendation is that you DO reintroduce items you wish to have infrequently, or at least items that may be easily included in other dishes/sauces. That said, for me there are two categories that I don’t want in my life. Those are…

• • Alcohol – a personal choice at this time. I’ve reintroduced it in the past and wine hates me. Note: if you do opt for wine, try to find one low in sulfites. I found mine at Trader Joe’s. Other alternatives could be a hard cider or a cocktail made with a grain free alcohol.
  • Dairy – I’ve known my whole life that dairy is a hard NO. Any time I decide it’s “worth it,” I end up regretting it. Even my beloved Panera Mac & Cheese. *tear*

Day 31: Added Sugar

It isn’t required to do this separately, but since this is my third round I decided that I know my big no-no’s (see above), and I want to fine tune things. I especially want to take note of my energy levels throughout this day because I think that is where sugar gives me problems.

Items I plan to introduce

• A soda made with stevia or cane sugar (TBH I’m not a soda drinker but I couldn’t think of other ways to reintro sugar without adding in other noncompliant ingredients)
• Deli meat that has cane or turbinado sugar
• Paleo Pumpkin Spice Muffins – these call for maple syrup, and are clearly SWYPO, but otherwise all great ingredients. I’ve still got a bag of dairy free chocolate chips just waiting to be eaten, so it’s perfect!

Day 32: Whole 30.

It is important to include in at least a day of Whole30 eating in-between re-introductions. The reason is for cumulative effects. Maybe the sugar didn’t seem bad, but if I did sugar and then something else, would I really know what the problem was? Maybe. But maybe not. After 30 days of being so cautious, why risk it? Make your Whole30 valuable and get yourself the most accurate information possible.

Day 33: Legumes

I suspect soy has been a problem for me for awhile, but it’s time to test the theory.

Items I plan to introduce

• • Edamame (one of my old FAVORITE snacks that looking back I think cause bloating)
  • A sauce that contains soy. Not soy sauce because that’s just TOO obvious and I actually LOVE coconut aminos
  • More edamame, because yum.

Day 34: Whole 30

Day 35: Gluten Free/Corn Free grains

While corn is considered a non-gluten grain, I’ve decided to keep corn separate during my #SeptemberWhole30 Reintroduction because I’ve noticed consistent bloating after eating corn. I highly suggest if you are on a second/third/beyond round that you tweak your reintroduction if you have suspicions about any particular food. Again, make this valuable for YOU. If you have any questions, please, leave them in the comments and I’ll offer my thoughts.

Items I plan to introduce

• Rice noodles! I love vermicelli noodles SO much in Pho or other asian style soups so I’ll be making that for sure. I’ll probably have it twice in one day because I’ve been wanting Pho for all of September and decided to wait for the real thing instead of subbing in spiralized zucchini noodles.
• Spanish Rice or Fried Rice – if Pho doesn’t work out for both meals, or if my hubby asks, I might make fried rice. Growing up, fried rice was a staple “leftover food” in my house. Use up old rice and whatever meat/veggies were in the fridge. It’s a family favorite still so I’m open to this for sure.

Day 36: Whole30

I know at this point it can seem exciting to just try everything, whether because it’s delicious, or because you are impatient. STAY STRONG. Write down how you feel if you need. Talk to someone else (you can ALWAYS send me a DM on Instagram or Tweet me!) about how you are feeling but keep the Whole30 says consistent.

Day 37: Corn (a unique day in my Whole30 Reintroduction Plan)

Like I said above in Day 35, I have a really big suspicion that corn is a no-go for me. In fact, I KNOW it can be a no-go in the form of popcorn and/or tortilla chips. Not only are they a “Food With No Brakes,” but I’ve always gotten very bloated. My whole family (including me)  loves fresh corn on the cob and it’s in season right now. I’m really, really hoping my stomach is okay with it. Because of this, I’m choosing to ONLY reintroduce a single corn on the cob, because that is all I see as an option in my real life. Note: I probably wouldn’t have thought this way during previous rounds but three rounds of Whole30 does offer perspective.  I also think this will be enough to determine if I need to avoid corn on the ingredient lists, or if trace amounts are okay for me.  

Items I plan to introduce

• • Corn on the Cob grilled in my homemade ghee and lots of spices. YUM!

Day 38: Whole 30

Day 39: Gluten

For whatever reason, this day excites me least of all. I think this is because I’ve had some amazing gluten free treats that taste just as delicious. (DC Cupcakes I’m looking at you!) I do know though, that the following weekend (approximately “Day 46”) I will go to an apple market where they make fresh apple donuts and pumpkin donuts. I’ll definitely be enjoying one of those, but that doesn’t correspond to this specific day. So for this actual day….

Items I plan to introduce

• • A bagel or a delicious pretzel roll with breakfast. Whatever I’m feeling the day before. Or maybe some avocado toast?!
  • Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride Tea – this tea has gluten in it. I know, that’s weird right?! But this tea is delicious and I’ve found myself wanting a cup.
  • Couscous with dinner. I have no clue what it is about couscous, but I looooove garlic & herb couscous more than any other pasta. Maybe because it’s typically dairy free? Not really sure, but yum!

Day 40: Food Freedom!

If you haven’t read Food Freedom Forever, just stop what you are doing and get yourself a copy. Whether it’s on Amazon, at your local library, or borrowing it from a friend GET IT. This book is the one I refer to most, and I’ve read (and own) It Starts With Food, Whole30, and Food Freedom Forever. Because while Whole30 isn’t that hard, it is inflexible, and like doesn’t work that way long term. Food Freedom Forever helped me to gain a perspective of if a treat is truly “worth it” or not,” and how to make practical real life decisions. An area I found particularly hard was with free food. The title of my blog is “Budgets & Kale.” I love a good deal, and free food is great. But just because someone brings in nice free donuts doesn’t mean I have to eat them every time. Also, just because my food freedom wants a $8 gluten free cinnamon roll doesn’t make it magically fit into my budget.  It just means I need to think about my food desires and my financial desires simultaneously. The cost of eating Whole30 and/or Paleo are something that I think need to be addressed more by others with a larger platform, but for now, that’s why I’m here!

What is YOUR September Whole30 Reintroduction plan? Or, what food are you most looking forward to incorporating into your Food Freedom? Let me know!

With Motivation,

    Rachel

p.s. I hope this inspired you to consider the value that reintroduction adds into the Whole30 process!

Note: There are some affiliate links in this post. I’ve purchased every single item linked on my own before (also on Amazon) and believe they are worth every penny. Any revenue I get will go to website maintenance. I don’t have that many readers. 😉

Rachel

Rachel is the creator and owner of Fresh Pine Co. and its subsidiaries, including allwavyhair.com = the #1 Web Source for naturally wavy hair information & tips. Rachel received a Breakout New Blogger Scholarship at FinCon 2018. She enjoys writing niche content about budget lifestyle, eco-friendly living, and mental health.