It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 12 weeks since I completed the Whole30. I wanted to do one final recap of where I’ve landed a few months out from my Whole30. I received quite a bit of feedback in my reader survey about a long-term Whole30 lifestyle not seeming realistic or relatable and I think that some of you thought that I was on track for Whole-restofmylife. I wasn’t. It just took time to bring the pendulum back to the right balance after going through such a radical and eye-opening experience. I wanted to be super careful to re-introduce things in a way that would really allow me to understand how certain foods impact my body and mind.

The short answer is that I’m back to eating pretty much everything I was eating pre-Whole30 minus dairy. The reason for the continued omission of dairy is: SKIN! I cannot believe the impact that cutting out dairy has had on my skin. I haven’t had a single deep, cystic breakout on my face since finishing the Whole30. (Note, it took a good 4 weeks for it to clear.) Pre-Whole30 my skin was breaking out like crazy. I blamed switching my skincare routine but even after discontinuing the products I was using it was TERRIBLE. Now that I look back to the end of last year, I was eating/drinking more dairy than I had in years. Cheese daily, greek yogurt every morning in my smoothie and I’d started drinking 2% milk in my lattes months prior instead of almond or soy. I’ve since started using the skincare products again and they are working wonderfully for my skin.

I thought that giving up dairy would be really hard but I honestly don’t miss it given the benefits it’s had for my skin. I don’t stress about having a little here and there but at this moment I don’t plan to go back to daily consumption anytime soon. I have also cut WAY back on soy and have pretty much eliminated processed soy products from my diet. I’m also a more careful and aware label reader these days. I’m still so glad that I did Whole30 and would recommend it to anyone looking to really dive into clean eating and understanding how the foods we eat impact both our physical and emotional health. I have had tons of readers, friends and clients do Whole30 after reading about my experience and I’ve heard great feedback from many of them.

Remember my #1 piece of Whole30 advice, READ THE BOOK! Knowledge is power!

So here are some recent eats 12 weeks after the Whole30.

BREAKFAST

Scrambled eggs, paleo banana bread muffin with cashew butter, fruit.

Still OB-SESSED with sweet potatoes for breakfast. Sweet potato breakfast bowls were probably one of the best discoveries of the Whole30! Recently with melted coconut cream on top with the nut butter.

More sweet potatoes (topped with some of my dad’s homemade granola), scrambled eggs and coffee. BIG thanks to the Whole30 for finally breaking me of my hatred of eggs in the AM. I kept trying and finally figured out that I can do plain scrambled eggs. I don’t want them fried or with veggies or any other way…just plain scrambled.

LUNCH

Salads, salads and more salads. Spinach, apples, canned salmon, tomatoes, cranberries, almonds, avocado and balsamic/olive oil.

Arugula, spinach, quinoa, tomatoes, avocado, hummus.

Remix Salad from Namastay Kitchen add chicken and avocado with vegan coconut milk ranch.

Quinoa cooked with broccoli, avocado and an egg.

Spinach, arugula, tomatoes, deli turkey, avocado, apples, pecans, cranberries and a piece of my dad’s buttered sourdough.

DINNER

Island pork tenderloin, smashed potatoes and roasted broccoli.

Green coconut curry over jasmine rice.

Salad topped with blackened grouper.

“Perfect chicken breasts” with leftover quinoa/broccoli along with sautéed zucchini and tomatoes and hummus.

Bronzed grouper over balsamic roasted veggies with collards braised with bacon.

ETC

Morning glory muffin and almond milk latte from Sunflour Baking Company.

A big plate of oysters!

Pecan pie.

Coconut milk peanut butter chocolate ice cream with homemade chocolate sauce.

Very welcome additions back into my diet include: sweet treats (but I’ve cut WAY back!), wine, my dad’s sourdough and grains. I really, really missed rice and quinoa. They were some of the first things I re-introduced and have been great for me.

So there you have it. Life 12 weeks after Whole30 feels like a really nice balance. I’m super happy with where I’ve landed. Let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Fellow Whole30 Graduates, how long did it take you to transition back to normal and how did your normal change? Did you cut anything out long-term? 

Anyone else dairy-free? What are your reasons? Has anyone else experienced skin improvement when cutting out dairy?