Alright you guys, I know some of you are doing your first Whole30 and you’re thinking IT’S SO HARD. I promise, it gets easier…. but lets be honest, eating out and/or traveling on Whole30 can be less than exciting. The looks you get when you tell the waiter what you can’t eat indicate they would rather you dine at home. Yes… I know, just tell me what kind of oil you cook your food in, please.
Whole30: the basics
Hi, Friends!
I was accepted as a Whole30 coach and really excited to star the journey. I am extremely passionate about helping people heal with food and Whole30 was a huge part of my journey with that. I have been getting a lot of question on the Whole30 program so I’m breaking it down the best I can in this blog post.
I’m a fan of Whole30 because it was the first step in my health journey. I was sick most of my life with GI issues due to prolonged antibiotic use and food sensitivities (which neither things I knew until way later). I was in and out of hospitals and had chronic anxiety. After my first full Whole30 – the first one I tried I made it 28 days and caved to some wine 🙂 , I realized after doing reintroductions that gluten and some types of dairy really bother my stomach, and in-turn really increase my anxiety. I have been completely gluten free for 2 years now and cut most dairy out and I feel the best I have ever felt in my life. My GI issues are non-existent, I have sustained energy throughout the day and haven’t been to a doctor in years. Also – I finally found a healthy relationship with food and left dieting behind, and all of this began with Whole30.
What exactly is Whole30?
First and foremost, Whole30 is an elimination protocol. Whole30 is focused on eating anti-inflammatory real foods. During the 30 day elimination period, you will cut out foods that are potentially inflammatory foods for your body – as well as all added sugar and alcohol. After the 30 days, there is a reintroduction period where you reintroduce foods every couple of days to see how your body reacts to those food groups. You eat Whole30 in between those days, so plan on your Whole30 being more like 40 days. Reintroduction is essential… if you skip reintroduction, you’re wasting your time doing the program.
Whole30 aims at achieving “non-scale” victories, like increased energy, clearer skin, fewer cravings, and a better understanding of ingredients in foods and how they affect you. It’s really helpful for people who are struggling with GI issues or people who are looking to understand how certain food groups are affecting their body. Although people could potentially lose weight on Whole30, that should not be your main goal.
The following things are eliminated from your diet: grains, soy, dairy, legumes, sugar, artificial sweeteners, and all alcohol.
Sound hard? It’s worth it. As the Whole30 book puts it, “Quitting heroin is hard. Beating Cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard.” Plus – you don’t even have to drink your coffee black these days with all of the fancy Whole30 products that are out. Although I would encourage you to do so – this is how I learned to love my coffee black and not go back to sweet creamers!
Think about how many diets you have started and stopped and started again. Once you build your “feel good” foods list post-reintroduction, it’s easier to walk by the donut table at work and realize you’re going to feel so much better without it. Between changing your taste buds to want more real food and less junk, and breaking the sugar addiction through the elimination your willpower will be less taxed overall.
Finally, remember Whole30 is not meant to be followed forever. The goal is to find what your body does well with and develop a healthy relationship with food, not to limit yourself from everything that’s not Whole30 forever. If you’re doing rounds and rounds of Whole30 – you’re not actually fixing your relationship with food, you’re using it as a diet.
It’s also not meant for everyone, if you’re not sure if it would be a good fit for you, I offer a free 15 minute call where we can chat about your history and goals to see if it’s the right program for you. You can check that out, along with my coaching packages here.
I am always happy to help, but if you have further questions about the program itself, please check out Whole30.com!
Macros
Macros! You’ve heard this term everywhere, but maybe you’re not EXACTLY sure what people are talking about when they talk about macros. This post should help clear it up.
“Macros” is short for Macronutrients, which refers to the 3 basic components needed in the human diet. These are protein, carbs and fat.