Whole30 Explained

The Whole30 is a 30-day elimination[1] fad diet[2] that emphasizes whole foods and the elimination of sugar, alcohol, grains, and dairy.[3] [4] The traditional Whole30 also eliminates legumes and soy, while a plant-based version of the Whole30 allows consumption of those food groups. The traditional Whole30 is similar to but more restrictive than the paleo diet, as adherents may not eat natural sweeteners like honey or maple syrup.[5] There is no scientific evidence to support health claims made by Whole30 and limited independent research has been conducted on the diet.[2] [3]

Description

Foods allowed during the traditional Whole30 program include meat, nuts, seeds, seafood, eggs, vegetables, and fruits. During the Whole30, participants are advised not to count calories or to weigh themselves.[5] After the program is complete, participants are counseled to strategically reintroduce foods outside the endorsed Whole30 list, document the health consequences and culinary value of these additions, and determine whether the addition is desired.[6] The program's founders believe that sugar, grains, dairy, alcohol, and legumes may affect weight, energy, and stress levels.[7] Losing weight is not a focus of Whole30; calorie-counting and weigh-ins are not allowed.[5]

History

The program was created by then wife and husband Melissa (Hartwig) Urban and Dallas Hartwig in April 2009.[8] [9] They both became certified sports nutritionists; he worked as a physical therapist, and she was working at an insurance company during the day and doing nutritional consulting in her spare time. She quit her job to run the Whole30 business in 2010. They co-authored It Starts with Food (2012) and The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom (2015).[10] They separated in 2015.[11] Melissa (Hartwig) Urban took over the business,[12] and published Food Freedom Forever: Letting Go of Bad Habits, Guilt, and Anxiety Around Food in 2016.[13]

In July 2016, a New York Times article on use of Instagram by dieters noted that participants in the Whole30 program had shared over one million Instagram posts using the #Whole30 hashtag, and noted that those sharing the tag were "one of seemingly endless like-minded communities," comparing it with the over 3.5 million posts under the #WeightWatchers hashtag.[14]

As of 2018, the "Whole30" trademark had been licensed to Applegate, Blue Apron, Whole Foods Market, Snap Kitchen, and Thrive Market.[12]

Reception

No studies that specifically look into the health impacts of the Whole30 had been conducted as of 2019.[15] While most dietitians generally agree with the program's emphasis on proteins, vegetables and unprocessed foods and the avoidance of added sugars and alcohol, some also view the diet as too extreme.[5] [8]

The diet ranked last among 38 popular diets evaluated by U.S. News & World Report in its 2016 Best Diets Rankings; one of the raters, dietitian Meridan Zerner said: "We want behavioral changes and dietary changes that are slow and progressive and meaningful."[5] David L. Katz said of the diet: "The grouping [of banned foods] is both random, and rather bizarre from a nutrition perspective. If the idea is good nutrition, cutting out whole grains and legumes is at odds with a boatload of evidence."[16] It was selected as one of the worst health trends for 2013 by Health magazine.[17]

In 2017, the diet was ranked last (out of 38 diets) by U.S. News & World Report on account of its extremely restrictive nature and likely adverse effects on a dieter's social life.[2] In 2018, the Whole30 was ranked 37th out of 40 by U.S. News & World Report,[18] and in 2019, it was ranked 38th out of 41.[19]

Notes and References

  1. News: Lehmann . Carolin . The top 10 best-selling health, fitness and dieting books on Amazon . www.cbsnews.com . CBS News . January 10, 2022.
  2. News: The Independent . Rachel Hosie . 5 January 2017 . Whole30 is ranked the worst fad diet, health experts reveal - The restrictive plan has been ranked the worst out of 38 diets . 10 April 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190410132803/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/whole-30-worst-diet-fad-health-ranking-health-experts-sugar-alcohol-dairy-free-a7510766.html . 10 April 2019 . live.
  3. News: Miller . Jeff . Here's the skinny on the Whole30 diet that gave Dodgers' Justin Turner a svelte look . 24 September 2021 . Los Angeles Times . 24 March 2021.
  4. News: Rini. Jen. Whole30: is the restrictive diet worth it?. 28 September 2016. The News-Journal. September 19, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20171209173805/http://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/health/2016/09/19/whole30-restrictive-diet-worth/89910878/. 9 December 2017. live.
  5. News: Cho. Hannah. Is the Whole30 diet right for you? Program has ardent supporters but some experts worry that it's too restrictive. 28 September 2016. Dallas Morning News. May 22, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20180307030350/http://www.dallasnews.com/life/healthy-living/2016/05/22/is-the-whole30-diet-right-for-you-program-has-ardent-supporters-but-some-experts-worry-that-its-too-restrictive.. 7 March 2018. live.
  6. News: Whole30: It All Starts with Food. 28 September 2016. WGN TV. June 28, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20180211083844/http://wgntv.com/2015/06/28/whole30-it-all-starts-with-food/. 11 February 2018. live.
  7. News: Cahn. Megan. Why the Whole30 Diet Is Taking Over Instagram. 28 September 2016. Elle. April 28, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20180131232451/http://www.elle.com/beauty/health-fitness/news/a14932/whole-30-diet/. 31 January 2018. live.
  8. News: Medaris Miller. Anna. Should You Try the Whole30 Diet?. 28 September 2016. U.S. News & World Report. December 15, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20161002102619/http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2014/12/15/should-you-try-the-whole30-diet. 2 October 2016. live.
  9. Book: Urban, Melissa . The whole30: the 30-day guide to total health and food freedom . 23 April 2015. 978-1-4736-1955-5. 908510978.
  10. News: Davis-Flynn. Jennifer. The Whole30: A Chat with Authors Melissa and Dallas Hartwig. 28 July 2015. Clean Eating Magazine. https://web.archive.org/web/20150712025100/http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/blog/the-whole30-a-chat-with-authors-melissa-and-dallas-hartwig/. 12 July 2015. live.
  11. Web site: Dallas and I are officially separating.... . https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/4USR8lolVK . 2021-12-24 . registration. Melissa Hartwig on Instagram . en . June 24, 2015. and Web site: Melissa and I are officially separating.... . https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/4UTrMHDNsM . 2021-12-24 . registration. Instagram . Dallas Hartwig on Instagram . en . June 24, 2015.
  12. News: Montag . Ali . The co-founder of cult diet Whole30 was once a drug addict — here's how she found huge success . . 3 April 2018 . 10 September 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180910061041/https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/03/whole30-co-creator-melissa-hartwig-went-from-drug-addiction-to-success.html . 10 September 2018 . live .
  13. Web site: Food Freedom Forever: Letting Go of Bad Habits, Guilt, and Anxiety Around Food. Publishers Weekly. 28 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161014032220/http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-544-83829-1. 14 October 2016. live.
  14. News: Rogers. Katie. Why Dieters Flock to Instagram. 28 September 2016. The New York Times. July 7, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20180612203919/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/08/health/instagram-diets.html. 12 June 2018. live.
  15. News: Johnson . Jon . What to know about the Whole30 diet . 27 June 2019 . Medical News Today . May 9, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190627185132/https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325141.php . 27 June 2019 . live .
  16. News: Willett. Megan. Millennials are obsessed with Whole 30, the 'cultish' fad diet taking over Instagram and Pinterest. 28 September 2016. Business Insider. June 25, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20180215194545/http://www.businessinsider.com/what-whole-30-diet-is-like-2015-6. 15 February 2018. live.
  17. News: Fetters. K. Aleisha. Best and Worst Health Trends of 2013: Worst: Whole30 diet. Health. November 20, 2013. September 29, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161001191148/http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20756061,00.html/view-all#worst-the-whole30-diet-0. October 1, 2016. live.
  18. News: Oliver . David . Health Buzz: Why the Whole30 Diet Is Ranked So Low on the U.S. News Best Diets List . 27 June 2019 . U.S. News & World Report . May 18, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190626235454/https://health.usnews.com/wellness/health-buzz/articles/2018-05-18/why-the-whole30-diet-is-ranked-so-low-on-the-us-news-best-diets-list . 26 June 2019 . live .
  19. News: Whole30 Diet . 27 June 2019 . U.S. News Best Diet Rankings 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190627184855/https://health.usnews.com/best-diet/whole30-diet . 27 June 2019 . live .

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