Whole30 and Autoimmune Disease - Does it Work?

I tried Whole30 after being diagnosed with a chronic neuromuscular autoimmune disease (Myasthenia Gravis), and here is how it went!

So, after having been diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis last year, I have surely been having a crappy time for a few months - I couldn't move, I couldn't see, I had to move into my mum's house because I couldn't take care of myself anymore... You get the jist.

I was put on 80mg of prednisone which led to a 20kg (40 pounds) weight gain in just three months. Now I did not only have no future, but I could not bare to look at myself in the mirror.

“ The image that I had created of myself in the past 28 years was crumbling around me and I was not doing a great job dealing with it. ”

Look at the misery.

So imagine me literally lying around, having lost all control of my life being truly depressed.

In comes Whole30

So in an effort of regaining some control about my physical state I started researching nutrition. Going through the Myasthenia Facebook groups I checked out Keto (lasted exactly 2 days and felt like a walking lump of grease) and briefly considered veganism, but all the information about prednisone and weight gain I had read led me to believe that carbs are evil, and finally landed on It starts with Food by Melissa and Dallas Hartwick.

Whole30 is (very simplefied) based on the following rules

Leading to a restriction diet where you avoid unhealthy foods and eating habits and build your life around three meals a day, focusing on healthy animal protein, vegetables and healthy fat.

Check out the Whole30 community HERE.

So what happened when I went on Whole30?

It gave me something to focus on.

Being physically and mentally restricted in so many ways, it would easily take me the entire day to create three meals. And that was a good thing. It gave me something to do and forced me out of my depression.

I suffered.

Even though I have always known that I have a screwed up relationship with food, cutting all sugars and sweeteners from my diet left me with actual withdrawal symptoms.

It showed me how much emotional eating I do.

The answer is: All of it. I eat when I'm sad, I eat when I'm angry, I eat when I'm happy and I eat when I'm bored.

After about 2 weeks my health improved.

As far as possible with my condition I did feel like I was able to do a bit more than before. Was is Whole30, was is the meds or was it that I was no longer without motivation. I Assume it was the combination.

I started thinking about what I should and should not put in my body

"It kick started my journey to finding the right diet for me."

What did not work for me?

Too many animal products.

Even though the program worked for me I was not convinced that it was the only way I could make an impact on my health. Therefore I can not justify animal protein three times a day. My conscience will not allow it.

The science behind it is not very convincing.

While I still know nothing about insulin resistance and inflammatory foods and wouldn't dare to comment on it, the science behind the fear of gluten and especially legumes is far from convincing. Even the authors themselves admit that the theory is not bullet proof. And yeah... It really isn't. The idea is that legumes might contain particles that work similarly gut-damaging as the particles in gluten, but there is literally no proof to that claim. While the Leaky-gut-syndrome theory is at least partially researched, the "legumes are evil" part has absolutely no proof to it.

It is portrayed as the one diet that cures all.

While when I started I was absolutely oblivious about nutrition, I still knew that it is very unlikely that every type of body needs the same type of nutrition. A professional athlete surely has different nutritious needs than me - someone who NEVER exercises. Equally the gut-health of someone taking over 25 different pills a day, will need different foods to protect it than the gut of someone that doesn't. I'm just saying.

Finally: Would I recommend Whole30 to people with autoimmune diseases?

The short answer is yes.

While I do not agree with many of the principles in It Starts with Food, following Whole30 for 30 days has impacted my life greatly and for the better.

It has finally let to me thinking about what is important to me and that is not necessarily weight loss or restrictive diets, but implementing a dietary lifestyle change that will work for me ethically a well as physically.

Now if you're interested in watching me tell my Whole30 story awkwardly on camera, check out the Youtube video below.

https://youtu.be/0n--ek-4l3E