Whitney said that the main benefit of the Whole30 diet is eliminating foods that can be harmful to your health such as overly processed foods, sugar, and alcohol, and instead focuses your diet around whole foods, including fibre-rich fruits and veggies. This is healthy, "however, it unnecessarily cuts out healthful food groups such as grains, legumes including beans, lentils, and peanuts and peanut butter, and dairy," said registered dietitian Jessica Levings, MS, of Balanced Pantry. Whitney added, "beans, legumes, and whole grains, are staples in diets of some of the healthiest populations around the world."
"Additionally, research has shown that excess animal protein, which makes up the bulk of Whole30, may be harmful to our health and increase the risk of a number of lifestyle diseases including heart disease and cancer," said Whitney.