Whole30: What is It?

By now you’ve probably heard of The Whole30, but you might not be completely sure of what it’s all about. Briefly explained, Whole30 is a 30-day eating plan based on the book “It Starts with Food,” cutting out sugars, grains, dairy, alcohol, legumes, and other processed foods for the entire month. You eat large meals of whole foods, each consisting of protein, vegetables, and fats. Your first reaction might go something like this: That sounds hard. But I can’t live without bread! I can’t do it. Believe me, I thought the same things. But there are real physical and psychological reasons for the elimination of these foods, and real benefits to investing in your health in this way.

Taken directly from whole30.com: “Cut out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing. Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making. Learn once and for all how the foods you’ve been eating are actually affecting your day to day life, and your long term health.” 

So what finally got me on board? I read more about it, heard the stories of other people, and a few things just seemed to set this plan apart from all the other fad diets. It’s not a quick solution, just a way to jump start healthier lifestyle choices. But what tipped the scales (literally) for me, is that it isn’t only about conquering the physical aspects of health, it’s also about understanding the psychological aspects of eating related to our habits, emotions, and cravings. It takes the power away from your scale and returns it to you. Following Whole30 and its reintroduction plan has helped to reduce the inflammation in my joints, helped my pregnancies and recoveries be easier, empowered me to take control of my health, and allowed me to feel better than I have in years. To learn more about it, visit www.whole30.com.