First thing’s first. What is the Whole30? That’s what I’ve been asking myself lately. What I’ve found out is that it’s kind of like Paleo, with a few differences in which foods are allowed – and it’s more about resetting your body, teaching it to use food as fuel, etc. By eliminating certain food groups that could be having a negative impact on your health, the idea is that you’ll have increased energy, clearer skin, and you’ll most likely lose weight, too. It’s about eating real food. No alcohol, no grains, no legumes, no dairy, no sugar. It sounds restrictive, and if you’re used to the typical American diet, it is. But it’s only for thirty days, and I’ve heard many say that you will most definitely see amazing results if you stick to it and you’ll probably want to do it again.
The Whole30 website explains everything you need to know, and they do have a book as well. I found that pretty much everything in the book is on the website for free, which for me is a win because I’m much more likely to stick to the program if I can just look my questions up online. As long as you follow the “rules” you should get awesome results. I haven’t started the program yet, I’m thinking next week so I have time to prepare; I like to break it down into steps.
The most important one is changing your mindset. Realize that it’s only 30 days, and as long as you focus more on what you can have than what you can’t have, you’ll do fine. The Whole30 requires quite a bit of planning until you get used to which foods are compliant and which aren’t.
Foods you can/can’t eat
Protein: seafood, beef, buffalo, lamb, elk, venison, eggs, chicken, turkey, pork, rabbit, bacon, sausage, deli meats.
Vegetables: asparagus, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, green beans, greens, kale, leeks, lettuce, mushrooms, okra, onion, pumpkin, spaghetti squash, spinach, tomatoes, zucchini.
Fruits: apples, apricots, bananas, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, grapefruit, grapes, kiwi, lemon, lime, mango, melon, oranges, papaya, peaches, pears, pineapple, strawberries, watermelon
Fats: animal fats, coconut oil, avocado, cashews, coconut butter, macadamia nuts, olives, nuts and seeds
None of this: sugar, grains, dairy, alcohol and legumes
This is NOT a complete list. Whole30 has done a great job of making their plan fool proof so anyone that wants to has no excuse not to be successful. You can download the plans here and even download the shopping list here.
Keep it simple.
Eat protein and fat 15-75 minutes pre-workout. Eat immediately following exercise, including easily digestible protein, plus carb-dense vegetables like sweet potatoes, pumpkin, or beets.
After your first week or so, you might feel comfortable enough to dine out and if you do, you can use this guide to help you navigate.
Remember: It’s only 30 days. You got this.
XmasDolly (linky) says
June 22, 2015 at 10:18 pmThis is a great list, and a marvelous post. I think I want to copy this to my pinterest so I have the list for myself. My memory isn’t all that great these days. Thanks so much for sharing! This will definitely come in handy for me.
Joanne T Ferguson says
June 23, 2015 at 12:18 amWhat a great list and I had never heard of the whole 30 concept or philosophy to date! I think every’s food lifestyle’s may be different but I was glad I learned something new today!
Michele says
June 23, 2015 at 12:32 amI really am terrible at trying to follow these diets–I seem to get so involved with trying to figure out what I am supposed to do or eat when that I totally become obsessed and have to stop!! Strangely enough I was able to control Diabetes with diet–maybe because I did not follow instructions?
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
June 23, 2015 at 2:53 amI am typically not one to follow diets, but I know this works for a lot of people. I have a good friend that lost 12 pounds in a month using this diet plan.
Stephanie says
June 23, 2015 at 3:03 amThanks for this! There seems to be such a buzz about Whole 30 now and I’ve been wondering what it’s all about!
Valerie@Occasionally Crafty says
June 23, 2015 at 7:10 amI’ve done a mini whole food challenge and it was tough- but you do lose weight quickly and feel great. I’m not sure I could do it for a full 30 days!
Cassandra says
June 23, 2015 at 8:02 amMy husband and I started eating only real foods a few years back and quickly saw and felt the benefits. Unfortunately while I was pregnant I caved to my old eating habits as did my husband. This sounds like a good way to kick start ourselves back to that lifestyle! Thank you for sharing as I have not heard of this program…
Wendy says
June 23, 2015 at 10:00 amI so need to start eating better! I don’t know if I can do the 30 days but I will give it a try. This is a great list!
Mykidsguide says
June 23, 2015 at 11:35 amThis is the first time I heard about Whloe30. It’s interesting, so I am going to check this out.
Liz Mays says
June 23, 2015 at 1:19 pmThirty days does sound doable. It sounds a lot like the types of food my daughter eats for bodybuilding.
Danielle K says
June 23, 2015 at 1:54 pmThis is a great list summarizing what to eat and not eat. I’ve debated doing Whole 30 and reading this makes it seem like I can survive for 30 days 🙂
Jacob Fu says
June 23, 2015 at 7:13 pmInteresting! I’ve never heard about this diet. I’ll have to check it out to see if it’s something we can incorporate.
CourtneyLynne says
June 23, 2015 at 9:28 pmi keep hearing fantastic things about this diet! I’m horrible at sticking to diets but I really do wanna give this one a try!
Alison says
June 23, 2015 at 10:31 pmOh my gosh me too! I’m such a serial dieter – like the first couple days I’m a rock star – totally motivated then the first time someone says cake I’m like “one little bite won’t hurt” then it’s all over lol . i’m going to plan like crazy to start this though – part of my problem is I try to wing it with meals and that doesn’t work – I have to make sure I have everything I need so no excuses when I start.
Rebecca Swenor says
June 24, 2015 at 3:05 amThis sounds very interesting to me and I may just have to try this Whole 30 next month. All the thinks you can eat I love anyway or most. I would love to see if this would help me feel better. Thanks so much for sharing. Good luck on your journey.
Sara-Jayne says
June 24, 2015 at 4:17 amI love the idea of this – although I really love brown rice, I’m not sure I could give that up. There are so many diets around and they can get so confusing. I think I need to plan my meals and shopping better!
Lovely says
June 24, 2015 at 7:07 pmMy take-away from this Im going to start eating protein and fat 15-75 minutes pre-workou