Week 3 on Whole30: Torture at a Food Festival

This is what torture looks like. All photos: Rachel Tepper

The day after I started the Whole30, I went to a wedding with an open bar. I did not drink. It was… interesting. Although I had fun, I couldn’t help but feel a little left out as my friends twirled around me on the dance floor, a bit tipsy as they slurred “A little bit louder, now!” A good buzz definitely isn’t a prerequisite to a good time, but, I realized, it certainly doesn’t hurt.

If that experience was challenging, then this past week was nearly my Waterloo: I attended the Bite conference in Silicon Valley, which examined the intersections of food and technology. It also featured a grand tasting event that was, as advertised, grand. There was nitrogen-frozen ice cream, bourbon-spiked ice cream, and intriguing frozen corn ice cream popsicles sprinkled with Parmesan. There were tacos. There were burger sliders. There were incredibly cool 3D-printed candies that came in intricate geometric shapes. Everywhere, attendees quaffed glass after glass of high-end wine.

On top of everything, being on the road requires eating in restaurants, which made finding Whole30-compliant fare an interesting challenge.

Aren’t these 3D-printed candies awesome?!

So how did I fare? To put it mildly, the grand tasting event at Bite was physically painful. There was almost nothing I could eat, and I was starving. I had at least packed a few snacks for myself — pistachios and a banana — so I nibbled on them while shooting envious looks at the revelers around me. After the event, I scurried back to my hotel and ordered room service. A steak, medium-rare.

This photo was taken before I left for the trip, but I think it expresses my general sentiment for the duration.

Here’s where I confess: I did take half-bites of forbidden foods where my job required. (Yahoo Food was a media partner for the conference, and I was there to cover the event.) That nitrogen-frozen ice cream? It was made by Smitten Ice Cream, which we write about from time to time. The same goes for the 3D-printed candy, made by 3D Systems. I needed to know what both tasted like.

Whole30 gurus Melissa and Dallas Hartwig may frown on my decision, but I think they’d agree that a big part of the Whole30 is learning how to incorporate its teachings into one’s everyday life. My everyday life happens to be that of a food writer, and tasting things is part of my job. That said — and I’m not just making excuses here — I took a nibble and discarded the rest. I didn’t restart the 30 days as the Whole30 book requires. I don’t really feel guilty about it either.

(Side note, here’s Smitten Ice Cream’s super cool technology:)

Here’s the other thing: I can tell that despite my few deviances from the strict Whole30 plan, it’s clearly working for me. I’m down a full pants size. I feel less bloated and more energetic. Even though the Whole30 isn’t a weight-loss regimen, as several readers have pointed out, I’m excited to hop on the scale in a few days and see how much I’ve lost. I know that I’m down a few pounds at least.

I did eat some delicious Whole30-approved things this week, too. Fresh seafood is a godsend, and I scarfed down more than my share of oysters on the half shell:

Mmm, oysters — one of the delicious options on the Whole30 diet. (Photo: Rachel Tepper)

Also, I’ve discovered that Californians can teach us East Coasters a thing or two about salads. Here’s one, served with grilled chicken, avocado, salsa fresca, and a creamy tahini dressing.

A salad in a sea of burritos, the latter of which I did not eat. Promise.

The last two weeks have been a struggle, and I’m coming to the realization that eating this way will never feel, as I’d hoped, like second nature. But it does feel like third, and I can live with that. I certainly feel better for it.

I will probably always make this face around chocolate chip cookies, though.

Other Whole30 stories:

My first week on the Whole30 diet

Week 2 on the Whole30: The misery has begun

‘The Whole30′ wallops the rest for Amazon book sales (again)

Would you ever try the Whole30? Tell us below!