It Starts With Food Book Review

I have a good friend who did the Whole30 with her parents for a month. She said it did help with some health problems across the board (her dad was able to go off his cholesterol meds, her mom lost some weight, her acne cleared up) and depending on the time she was either all about it or hated it haha. I believe they did it in October, and she wasn’t sure how she was going to proceed from there, but she did say at the very least it taught her a lot about food and eating and gave her a good introduction to healthy eating.

But I’m definitely with you on feeling a bit iffy on the elimination thing. When my friend told me everything they weren’t allowed to eat, I wasn’t so sure how I felt about it. Of course, part of that comes from the fact that I don’t subscribe to the idea that every grain ever is the worst thing you could possibly do for your health, so I wasn’t wild about the idea of eliminating all grains for 30 days. It’s definitely an interesting program, but I don’t know if I could do it.

That sound really interesting but like Bethany said above, I’m just not sure I could do it. I’m totally with cutting our processed foods, added sugar, and alcohol for health benefits and to see if you feel better (although, I don’t do this :P) but I don’t think legumes and whole grains are evil. I’m also not sure how I feel about eating a lot of meat. I haven’t read the book so maybe I’m wrong, but other studies have shown that high meat/animal product consumption is detrimental to health and if you’re only eating animal products, veggies, some fruit, and fats my guess is that meat consumption is high?

Like you, I think that there’s a lot of information out there and it’s really confusing. I also think it’s a little bit scary because most of these diets are relatively new and we have yet to see the long term impacts of some of them.

I’m not a fan of things that entirely cut things out and label them as ‘good’ and bad’ or ‘ok to eat’ ‘not ok to eat’ there is SO much crap out their regarding healthy eating that it gets so confusing. I’m all about figuring out what works best for you instead of following someone else’s idea of an elimination diet.

Any diet that eliminates wine is not the diet for me…

What are the author’s credentials? Are they medical professionals or self-proscribed “nutrition experts”? It doesn’t sound like anything they are saying is so off the wall that it could harm you (as you said, it’s only 30 days). But, some of their restrictions are so strict, will it be a happy, realistic 30 days? I’m skeptical…

I was definitely intrigued by this book – but I’m not sure I’d be able to adjust to the diet. I think you’re totally right. It depends on the person and what works for them. I’ll add in some recipes from various diets, but I don’t think I could completely cut out certain foods from my diet…especially if I don’t need to!

Thanks for the book recommendation – I will definitely look into it. I like a lot of the comments above and I think for people who do not have a chronic illness or issue, these kinds of extreme diets are unnecessary for the most part. If I didn’t have chronic migraines, I would not have tried gluten-free, paleo, etc. However, because I have a chronic illness and because I have tried every other thing in the book – daily medications, medications at the onset of the migraine, Botox, yoga, acupuncture, etc. – I have really turned to my diet as something that is (1) free to change/try; (2) doesn’t involve putting another pill in my body; and (3) has a fairly low emotional impact to try. Some of these other things, like trying new medications, can affect your weight, your emotions, and your pocketbook. As such, trying something like a diet change, has been a much better alternative for me, and although I still can’t pinpoint all of the food triggers that cause my migraines, I do believe that food affects my migraines substantially. In sum, for chronic illness, I think extreme diets, such as this book’s diet plan, are helpful and I will certainly look into it! Thanks for the recommendation!

I’ve heard a lot about the benefits of cutting out diary, but I’ve never tried it. I couldn’t imagine giving up cheese, Greek yogurt, and ice cream!

I think I would read the book, because I’m always curious as to read new information and theories regarding health and nutrition. but my first question for this book would be the qualifications of the authors – are they medical doctors or dietitians, or are they self-labelled “experts?”
I don’t think I would ever go on the diet, even for a short period of time – it’s very Paleo-esque, isn’t it? Too restrictive for me.

It’s so funny that you wrote this post, because I have been struggling with the same thing the past few days. Somebody told me about the Whole30 program, and I was intrigued. At first I was like, “YES! I am SO doing this!” But I’m not sure I feel it’s necessary to cut out that many food groups. I’m thinking I might make my OWN program, make a list of “approved” foods, and try 30 days on that instead.

Actually, for the month of January my husband and I are trying to limit our bread/pasta/starch consumption. It’s kind of like paleo or Whole 30 light. I didn’t want to cut out dairy, alcohol or peanut butter and I wasn’t keen on reading every label and scrutinizing it for added sugar. What I have noticed, though, is that it does take some pre-planning and experimenting to find foods that keep us full. And LOTS of veggies. But it’s not hard to do. And I agree that if you have health conditions it isn’t a bad thing to try an elimination diet to figure out what types of foods or combinations of foods make you feel better or worse.

It can all be so confusing, can’t it?! My theory is that too much of anything can be bad for you – it’s all about moderation. I don’t think cutting out entire food groups or types of food is natural or healthy either. At the same time, you have to do what’s best for you and your body.

It sounds like an interesting read & might have a lot of info for people who suffer from symptoms like you do, but I am always VERY against any diet or way of eating that cuts out ANY food group. Labeling food ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is always a red flag to me–not a healthy way of eating, in my opinion. I’ve never been healthier than now (and I eat mostly really delicious, healthy foods –that includes carbs & dairy- with a sprinkling of ‘fun stuff’)! 🙂

Since this is an elimination diet program then it makes sense that it would be cutting out a lot of stuff in order to reintroduce it back so you can figure out what gives you more problems than others. It’s just another self-experiement to see how you react to foods, so I think that is a good thing. Learning about your body is always good. I also understand, sort of, why it doesn’t cut out meat, because it is about digestive health, and that is the focus, not all health necessarily? Though, I have found that my tummy got heavy, slow, and unhappy when I ate meat. I don’t know how much of the meat and eggs they say one should eat on the program, so I will mostly keep my personal opinions about that more or less to myself. I’ve followed a lean “shred” eating program once, heavy on the grilled chicken breasts and oatmeal, and I felt awful. I eat vegan normally (that change was the biggest benefit to my tummy issues), and right now I’m trying out a grain-free, no refined sugar, minimal added salt, no caffeine experiment. I feel so great on it, but I eat plenty of nuts and beans and lots and lots of veggies. Rice was reintroduced and doesn’t seem to have a negative effect. I think oats and wheat might be issues for me. Every body and every person is different. That’s the fun of these experiments.

I really want to read this. I have always been skeptical about paleo, but I think if it were explained to me scientifically I might feel better about it.

i read this book over my winter break! at first i was like ‘i should totally do this plan’ but then i realized it wasn’t right for me. i don’t have any sort of digestion issues and i don’t like restricting what and i can and can’t eat. not to mention that it would be impossible to follow whole30 while on a college dining plan! instead i’m just doing my best to eat more fruits and veggies, and less processed carbs. so far, so good!

I don’t know how I feel about this (granted, I haven’t read the book), but based on your review, I would probably (personally) not go forward with this.

While they say it’s not a diet, it definitely seems to be that. It reminds me so much of Atkins…cut out grains, etc. etc., then slooowly reintroduce. I live under the philosophy that NOTHING is off limits. I always find that whenever I tell myself I cannot have something, that’s suddenly ALL I want, then I would end up binging on it, feeling bad, restricting again, then binging, etc. Bad cycle.

I read the book “Intuitive Eating” about a year ago, and it seriously changed my life. It’s all about listening to your individual body and what it craves/needs. Every single person is different, one way of eating/dieting is going to look and feel different for every person. Personally, I don’t think it’s a good idea to cut out all grains and dairy for 30 days…(no OATMEAL?!?! i mean, seriously?!) I definitely get that some people (like you, and myself) cannot eat certain foods…whether it be gluten, dairy, or whatever….then it is 100% appropriate to make dietary adjustments, as needed.

Whew, this is alot! I’m sorry! I just feel very passionately, through my own experiences and those of others I’m close with, that making huge restrictions like this, unless medically necessary, is not a healthy way to approach food.

I definitely recommend checking out Intuitive Eating. This book helped me come to a place where I am at peace with food and my body. I totally get that all this food/dietary information can be overwhelming and confusing…I’ve been there. But the thing with food is that it’s not supposed to be confusing. I think society makes it that way.

I could go on and on, so I will stop 🙂 I’ll be curious to hear about what you decide!

I have never heard of the Whole 30 program but it sounds interesting. I think I would just continue cutting out all forms of gluten from my diet and maybe start eliminating dairy from my diet because my skin is starting to act up.

I have been dying to read this book, you kind of secured it that this will be my next pick

I have not done this one, but it does sound intriguing… and a tad bit similar to a low-carb or keto style of eating (which is what I’ve been doing). I did notice it’s cleared my skin up, I’ve lost weight, my digestion is great, I have less mood swings… but, I’m starting to miss some of those extra carbs & sugar. I know they don’t make me feel good though.

i completely know what you mean about the elimination of a food group raising red flags & not knowing which is the right way to eat. I have thought a TON about this too, and I’ve come to the realization that we are all built/made differently & what works well for someone, might not be so good for another. We’re all individuals, just gotta eat the way that your body feels best & healthiest.

I just started reading this book yesterday…It’s interesting so far, but yes, it’s all so confusing about what’s “right.” I like reading about different ways because I think that’s the best way to find information (get a variety of perspectives), but I just can’t get behind cutting out legumes. I also get really grossed out by meat (other than seafood) so I don’t know how I’d do that…anyway, it’s definitely interesting!

I’ve read about the Whole30 ‘thang’ here and there over the past 5-6 months and have been intrigued… I do like the idea of a rest/pause for the system, given that I too have had an array of digestive issues for the past 6-8 years including celiac; I keep getting stuck on trying to balance out what I’d eat vs what my guy would eat if I did this plan (for me that = excuse). Katie, one suggestion, you might check out a few first-hand stories to get a sense of how it plays out to try the program, one that I suspect you might enjoy (her style/philosophy) is from a blogger who has ‘today’s letters’ try a google on today’s letters whole 30, I think she did a nice job describing the good, bad, frustrating, etc., and some recipes. cheers:)

Hi katie, i was paleo for a year, then ‘primal’ – introduced dairy, 100% chocolate (sugar free) cheese a few times a month, sprouted buckwheat… the re-adjustment of turning my body into a fat buying as opposed to a carb burning machine impacted my energy levels, mood and workouts, however i actually used the programme as a way of recovering from anorexia- two ears eating no grains, sugar, and my only dairy really being yoghurt- i had recovered the weight, however, signs were occurring constantly that something wasn’t right. Still struggled to get periods, skin all throughout was peeling and dry, palpitations in the night, stomach issues, anxiety… But every time the issues flared up i just thought ah its because i should really cut out yoghurt or its those sprouted buckwheat cereal i had LAST WEEK need to be more strict/more paleo- etc. I had read all of the literature and completely mentally soaked up all the paleo blogs as pretty much the answer to the ultimate diet in the world for good health- but i was a living contradicting example of that not being the case. I made myself so ill possibly because the ‘buzz’ of what felt like an ‘elite’ programme for an eating disordered person or even for my carb-adapted body to adjust to was just too mentally and physically stressful. Secondly, putting a lot of thought into lunches that are portable or gearing myself up to eat meat or fish and salad for breakfast became the norm eventually but it was hard and not great for any more entail space to be used up around thinking about food when really convenience of something nutritious was then set option for me. This is all subjective and my personal experience, but i couldn’t just sit quiet when the whole 30/paleo thing got me on the bandwagon to fear certain foods but eventually believe i was allergic to them. The paleo/primal movement is a big movement and that’s because it can work for a lot of people- but you go to the vegan world and they too will hold as firm beliefs as paleo and primal do have about grains- but about meat and animal fats- and both sides will believe their diet is healthiest. The paleo argument is that humans are not adapted to grains much the same as the vegan argument is we are not adapted to digesting meat- both say grains and meat cause various health problems- the biggies like cancer, diabetes etc.But essentially I really do think it is about-as other people have commented- your experimentation, intuitive eating, what you run best on, knowing your body, and not too much of anything. I think looking at the western price foundation- looking at healthy countries that ate grains but prepared them probably- soaking/sprouting, or look at the ‘akea life david buettner’s blue zones’ and see that longevity and health are high in countries that do eat dairy/grains and meat and fats- basically a little of everything- but its the way it’s prepared or sourced. I personally think healthy eating comes down to two things- listening to your body/ what it wants/ knowing what you feel ‘best’ on, incorporating a little bit of everything so your body knows to keep a bit of resistance, and buying locally or failing that organic produce thats cooked properly. It’s personal experience but I have gradually re-introduced certain thing like oats, oat groats, sprouted buckwheat, rice so far and honey, peanut butter occasionally- and theres a definite change for the better in mood stabilisation- which sounds funny but high protein high fat maybe wasn’t completely fabulous for my state of mind- and I am looking to eventually get over my fear of bread- it will be sourdough or rye and legumes- will try to incorporate hummus and beans because all these stuides show (listed previously) that cultures of good health and who lived long ate these. I do believe the saturated fat causing heart disease is a myth however, which is what I am grateful to the paleo movement for- I believe the butter and cheese and meat eating french have lower heart disease rates than americans and uk and certain countries who eat lard have low correlations with heart disease.. I think its the wrong oils that food is fried in/ goes rancid easy and overused in industrialised products that contribute to ill health which basically leads bak to?- going back to the basics! fresh produce, seasonal is poss, organic if poss, real food, prepared lovingly 🙂 and eaten with a good attitude and listening to your biddy’s wants/needs throughout. after two years of meat eating etc I lot my way with listening to my body and realised over consumption of even SALADS and organic proteins etcwas taking its toll on my skin- developed severe red patches/peeling- etc. SO… sorry for the essay but i just thought as a person who has tried this for two years- because of GI issues- I have come to realise its trial and error and listening to your body. I know you have a gluten allergy, so you have to act accordingly. However its the fundamental belief that grains are not to be digested by humans that I know struggle with after research that contradicts it- I think when you cut out one food group you end up relying on another…. also, i am allergic to some fish, some nuts, and randomly apples- does that mean they are bad for all humans? no… its trial and error and seeing why KATIE thrives on! best of luck, sorry for essay, its not a rant its PASSION! good luck with your health !