Tips to Simplify your Whole30®for success!
OK, but what is Whole30?
The Whole30 program was founded in 2009 by Dan & Melissa Urban over a healthy “bet”. A bet that if sugar, alcohol, and processed foods were removed from their diet for an entire month, that would certainly improve their health and performance, right? That one experiment was the foundation for what we now know as the Whole30.
The Whole30 is designed to change your life in 30 days—but it’s not a diet, a detox, or a weight loss program. It’s also not a low-carb diet. Think of it as a short-term reset, created to help you curb your cravings and bad habits, boost your metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and calm your immune system.
For more information about all things Whole30, visit www.whole30.com
My Whole30 experience:
My 1st Whole30 was back in 2019. The Standard American Diet was not serving me. My sleep was poor, I had terrible digestive issues, I was anxious and had low energy – just not feeling great overall. Dr. Ham suggested trying the Whole30 and I decided that I would commit to it.
Oh gosh – what in the world did I just agree to?! Well, here is what I agreed to:
· No added sugar, real or artificial
· No dairy
· No alcohol in any form
· No grains
· No legumes
· No carrageenan or sulfites
· No recreating baked goods, “treats”, or junk food with approved ingredients
· No stepping on the scale or taking measurements
To be honest, my first Whole30 was HARD! I didn’t know what I was doing or where to start. I quickly learned that sugar is in EVERYTHING – salad dressings, condiments, bacon – yep, bacon! I quickly became a pro at reading labels, out of necessity, not joy. Grocery shopping took me twice as long and figuring out what meals to make was so time consuming! This was not fun, like, at all!
Regardless, I stuck with it – after all, I WORK with Dr. Ham – she sees what I eat for lunch (not that she would EVER judge my food choices, it was just extra motivation to be accountable to someone).
What I learned from that 1st Whole30:
· I can do hard things.
· How to use a garlic press!
· How to make my own sugar-free ketchup.
· I made homemade salad dressing for the first time – delicious!
· Pinterest is a God send for recipe ideas!
· Dairy does not agree with me.
· Alcohol affects me more than I realized, especially my sleep.
· Gluten does not have an adverse effect on me.
· Proper nutrition can help me sleep – sleep quality was amazing!
· Bonus – I lost 14 lbs and my bloating went away!
How to simplify your Whole30 – tips that helped me streamline my W30 experience:
I am currently on day 16 of another Whole30. This is my 5th or 6th W30, my husband and I typically do one each year as a reset, sometimes more than one if we feel as though we have really fallen off the wagon. This is the easiest W30 to date and here is what I did differently this time around.
· Since it’s not my first rodeo, I get to apply all the knowledge I gained from previous W30s.
· I know what to expect and the pros outweigh the cons in spades!
· I know which meals/condiments/spices were a hit and which ones were a miss.
· I picked my 10 favorite meals and rotated them 3 times – I even made a grocery list by meal and when I meal plan for the week I just add the ingredients to my cart.
· I keep the meals SIMPLE!
· I make 4 servings at dinnertime so that whatever we eat for dinner, we have for lunch the next day.
· I make sure there are always fruits and veggies cleaned and prepped in my fridge and/or sugar free meat sticks or jerky to grab for quick snacks.
· I keep my fridge stocked with “fun” drinks such as Zevia, La Criox, etc. to make mocktails or just something different than water and coffee.
The Whole30 isn’t meant to be a lifestyle, after all it’s NOT a diet. It’s meant to last 30 days and help you understand your body’s relationship with food. Once you reintroduce and begin to understand which foods trigger certain responses, you can have food freedom and eat accordingly. That’s not to say you will never eat a “triggering” food again– I still eat dairy at times. But, later when I get bloated and have an upset stomach, I know WHY and to me, that is pretty empowering.
If you decide to try Whole30, I want you to know if I can do it, so can you! XO, Jen