1. What exactly is Whole30?
In short, Whole30 is a 30-day elimination diet that removes grains, dairy, legumes, sweeteners, and any processed food to help you decrease inflammation, find out if you are sensitive to any foods, and create a mental reset of your food habits. After 30 days, each food group is reintroduced separately and you take note of how your body responds to adding the foods back in.
2. Who should do Whole30?
If you are looking for more energy, less brain fog, reduced chronic pain, more control over food, weight management, and the ability to know your food sensitivies, than Whole30 is designed for you!
3. Is Whole30 ok for me even if I don’t need to lose weight?
Yes. Eating a healthy, balanced diet, like Whole30 can help people who need to lose weight, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you will drop pounds if you are not looking to. Because we’re not going super low fat, no carb or low protein, your body will still have all the nutrients it needs to maintain a healthy weight! Be sure to not skimp on the fat. Avocados, olives, homemade mayo, fat based salad dressings, coconut milk, and coconut oil are all good sources of fat on Whole30.
4. What about coffee?
You can have your coffee BUT because we are trying to break bad habits here, even using Whole30 approved ingredients like dates whipped into coconut milk to transform your bitter coffee into sweet caffeine, is not allowed. You can, however, add Whole30 approved nut-milks or make your coffee into a superfood with collagen and ghee.
5. Are snacks made with Whole30 approved ingredients ok?
Well, sort of. You can snack…but don’t fall into a less-than-healthy habit of munching on chips or crackers from the store (even if the ingredients are allowed) because these will trigger a psychological response that reminds your body of your unhealthy habits. You want to overcome these habits and the only way to do so is to cut out as much processed food as possible and only eat whole foods. You are allowed to make homemade snacks, but buying chips or crackers from the store is too much like your old habits.
Instead, choose real food snacks like,
Carrots with almond butter,
Olives straight from the can,
Lightly salted avocado slices,
Hard-boiled eggs,
Tree nuts like almonds or walnuts (not peanuts!) with coconut shavings and raisins.
6. Do I have to exercise to see results?
No. But in general, exercise is great for you. Your diet changes alone will make a huge difference when it comes to your energy levels and mental clarity.
7. Will I spend all my time in the kitchen?
No. Whole30 does require you to eat whole foods which can take time in the kitchen, but if you have a crammed schedule you can easily put together freezer meals beforehand or just meal prep each weekend. If you have kiddos at home this is a great time to get them in on a meal prep day and teach them about real food!
8. Can I use stevia, monk fruit, xylitol or other no-calorie sweeteners?
No! Even though these things don’t contain sugar, we are trying to retrain your habits to seek whole foods and not gravitate toward sweets. If you are using stevia every day as a crutch to suppress sugar cravings you are not re-training your body to be nourished with whole foods. Avoiding all sweeteners helps you learn to prioritize whole, real, filling foods and not fall for desserts and unheathy treats after the diet.
9. Can I make paleo pancakes, muffins, pizza etc?
No, you can’t recreate versions of unhealthy foods even if the ingredients are compliant. Because the real point of Whole30 is habit change, these foods will only tempt you to indulge in the unhealthy versions once your 30 days is over. This concept is explained in the Whole30 rules…
“Do not consume baked goods, junk foods, or treats with “approved” ingredients.* Recreating or buying sweets, treats, and foods-with-no-brakes (even if the ingredients are technically compliant) is missing the point of the Whole30, and won’t lead to habit change. These are the same foods that got you into health-and-craving trouble in the first place—and a pancake is still a pancake, even if it’s made with coconut flour”
10. Can I do Whole30 on a budget?
YES! Here are some tips…
To do Whole30 you do NOT need to buy all organic. Prioritize organic when shopping for the dirty dozen.
If you do want to buy some well-sourced, organic foods always focus on your meats first! Conventionally raised meats contain a lot of toxins and can be damaging to your health whereas grass fed, pasture raised meats have anti-inflammatory properties.
I find when I’m not buying ‘healthy’ convenience foods like chips and snack bars I save money and spend it on foods that will go further like avocado oil, ghee, and vegetables. I still splurge and buy almond butter which is definitely not cheap but if you are on a really tight budget you can make do with just your meats, vegetables, and healthy fats.
I found, what I think to be, one of the most important points, well summarized from this blog post…
“Don’t Go Overboard With the Whole30 Substitutions
With so much on the don’t-eat-that list, it’s only natural that you’ll want to try some of the compliant substitutes. To save you a little time and money here are some quick recommendations:
1. The compliant bacon is pretty tasty, but it’s not cheap. But neither is noncompliant bacon.
2. If you’re looking for sausage, get Brat Hans Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil chicken sausage. Every other brand I tried wasn’t as tasty and was a waste of money in comparison.
3. Coconut Aminos is sweeter than regular soy sauce. For some that might be OK, but I didn’t love it as a soy sauce replacement.
4. The Coconut Aminos teriyaki sauce and garlic sauce from Coconut Secret are both about $10 a bottle, but they are insanely delicious. To me, it’s a worthy splurge.
5. If you’re not going to buy an immersion blender and make your own compliant mayo, just skip it altogether.
I hope this list has gotten you thinking about your unique needs when it comes to food you may be sensitive to or habits that you have concerning food.”
Peter and I are currently half way through my January 2020 Whole30 and are having fun coaching a group of people who are doing it with us.
Have you ever tried Whole30?
Let me know if you’d like to be a part of our next group!
