The whole30 program or "paleo-extreme diet": what changes can it cause in our body?

A paleo diet adapted to our reality and properly planned can have great health benefits. However taken to the limits its effects can change a lot. The whole30 program also known as "paleo-extreme diet" today is placed under our magnifying glass to show the changes that can cause in the body.

What is the whole30 program?

With some modifications to the paleo diet that many know, the whole30 program is proposed as an alternative to change the lives of people with the help of food. It promises to eliminate diseases without effective cause or treatment, to solve the absence of energy, to correct hormonal imbalances and even to help to lose weight.

It is (according to its creators) the definitive solution to a poor quality of life that only needs to be carried out during 30 consecutive days in which, foods with sugar and sugar proper, sweeteners, alcohol, cereals Whole grains) and their derivatives, legumes, white potatoes, dairy products and all that have sulfites, nitrates or transgenics.

The diet is then gluten-free, with no added sugars and very reduced in processed foods, because although they are discouraged, specific products such as clarified butter, oil and coconut milk or canned olives can be included.

Unlike the traditional paleo diet in which nuts and seeds abound, this variant does not allow quinoa or amaranth, any kind of legume except green beans, and the nuts are so nutritious for the body.

In addition, traditional paleo-style preparations are not allowed, ie we will not be able to create a paleo pizza, or paleo bread or the like, but we should try preparations that do not imitate junk food with the permitted foods.

Finally, the diet does not indicate amounts and prohibits weighing or taking any bodily measures during the 30 days of the program. It should be followed to the letter if we want to see results.

What changes can it make in our body?

It is not an extreme diet compared to low calorie, but the whole program is extreme because of many restrictions it imposes and to eliminate whole groups of foods that are often widely consumed.

A diet with these characteristics can undoubtedly produce changes in our body, but probably not in the direction promised, since the restrictions do not contribute to normal eating behavior but they interfere with the relationship we have with food and can generate emotional alterations And moody.

In addition, eliminating food groups such as grains that are generally pleasant and socially accepted can hurt us and render the proposal unsustainable as well as not flexible because it prevents us from eating and sharing food with others.

In fact, the whole 30 program itself states that the first two weeks (half their duration) will be really hard and that is due to the total absence of everyday foods that are good sources of energy as well as to the lack of culturally accepted preparations and Very common in our diet.

The absence of hydrates will not benefit those who practice sports for example because this nutrient is key to correctly perform and care for the neuromuscular system, as they constitute the energy fuel par excellence.

On the other hand, not indicating quantities of each group of food allowed may give rise to an unbalanced diet in which fiber and protein absent or vice versa. Even when these types of diets are proposed ad libitum, they can alter blood lipids.

It is an extreme diet that can alter our body internally and adversely affect from the organic functioning of it to our emotions and mood.

Can you offer some benefit?

As the whole30 program raises, it is a diet that eliminates the main sources of carbohydrates, and if we do not abuse fruits it can be transformed into a low carb diet that favors the loss of weight and even benefits the cardiovascular system.

Also, a greater amount of protein can contribute to the gain or maintenance of lean mass, especially if we accompany the diet with the practice of regular exercise. And this clearly benefits the metabolic rate and away from diseases such as obesity, diabetes or others.

On the other hand, this diet may offer the possibility of permanently moving away from sugar and other nutrients of processed foods like sodium or trans fats that harm health.

When it comes to diet it is not healthy to fall into extremes, therefore, the key would be to find a middle ground in which we can reduce processed foods and include pleasurable and everyday foods in adequate amounts

However, beyond these positive aspects of the whole30 program, because it is a paleo-extreme diet, we do not recommend its practice. It eliminates healthy food groups without any scientific basis, such as legumes and other popular foods such as cereals, which we can consume as long as we select correctly.

The key would be to find a middle point in which we reduce processed foods and sugar, but do not forget to include dishes or pleasant foods, a source of quality and very daily carbohydrates at our table. Just taking into account particularities and considering that it is not healthy to fall into extremes when it comes to diet, we can achieve a diet that benefits our health in full.

Bibliography consulted | International Journal of Exercise Science 7 (2): 128-139, 2014; Food Organization of the United Nations, Role of Carbohydrates in Exercise and Physical Performance;