The Whole30 diet is a fairly new trend that as taken the health and wellness world by storm. Created in 2009, the diet utilizes elimination methods to challenge participants to find what eating habits work best for them. This is achieved by adhering to the strict guidelines for a total of 30 days and observing the results. Participants are advised to eliminate inflammatory foods, such as sugar of any kind (real or artificial), alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy, and additives, like sulfites, MSG, and carrageenan.

As with any diet, there are positives and drawbacks to following the Whole30 program. We’ve compiled a list of the most common pros and cons of the Whole30 diet:

1. Pro: Allows a reset

The nice thing about this diet is that it gives your body a chance to rest and recuperate. Because the American diet can be so unhealthy with processed foods that include additives, coloring, sugar, and unhealthy fats. This diet allows your body to heal by processing real food and vitamins after years of damage from unhealthy eating.

2. Con: May deprive you of vitamins

Before starting any diet, it is important to seek the advice of a healthcare professional. That is because, while you may be cutting out many unwanted foods and additives, you may also be missing out on other vital nutrients, such as calcium and vitamin D that comes from dairy or the healthy plant proteins often found in legumes.

3. Pro: Helps identify allergens

Have you always had allergy symptoms, but could never find the cure? It is possible that your allergies could be food related. Due to the nature of this diet, you may find your allergy symptoms beginning to wane, indicating that they are indeed triggered by the types of food you have been eating.

4. Con: May Promote depression and anxiety

An elimination diet of this stature may cause the onset of depression and anxiety in individuals who take the diet too far, or are too hard on themselves for not having followed the diet exactly as they should have. Participants may feel like giving up or feel hopeless due to the severity of the diet’s restrictions.

5. Pro: May relieve certain ailments

Eliminating certain foods from your diet may not only cause allergies to dissipate, but it may help relieve other physical ailments you’ve dealt with in the past as well.

6. Con: Doesn’t apply to all

While the diet boasts of many health benefits, it’s important to note that it likely will not cure your every ailment. Not every promise made by Whole30 will apply to every person. All in all, you should consult your healthcare provider before diving into any diet, especially a diet that is as restrictive as Whole30. With that being said, the Whole30 Diet can be a powerful tool for anyone wishing to reset their body or looking for a way to overhaul of their diet in hopes of living a healthier, more vibrant lifestyle.

7. Pro: May increase energy

As your body begins to absorb the vitamins and nutrients of whole food rather than junk, it is likely to draw more energy from your food sources, thus leaving you feeling happier and more energized.

8. Con: Withdrawal symptoms

Quitting anything cold turkey can be dangerous, including quitting foods like sugar and alcohol. Eliminating foods instead of slowly weaning yourself off of them can result in physical withdrawals, cravings, and body aches. Before beginning this diet, we recommend slowly weaning yourself off of sugar and alcohol for a few weeks prior to starting your diet plan.

9. Pro: May contribute to weight loss

As with any low carb diet where grains and sugars are strictly prohibited and you are very likely to experience weight loss while following this dietary routine.