Whole30 summarized
So today is the day, it’s the end of the Whole30 challenge and I must say it was great. Not as hard as I thought and I feel amazing. Definitely worth doing. This weeks post is my final summary and best practices to make this Whole30 great and possible to complete!
As a health coach and cooking coach the main issue I see people struggle with is sticking to something. Whether its a diet, or a lifestyle changes are hard as it is human nature to go back to what we know. Even for me, I noticed that I could easily complete the Whole30 challenge but when I think of what to eat, I immediately go back to my favorites (which are not Whole30 or necessarily healthy).
I think the Whole30 concept is great and brings a lot of awareness to what you are eating, and also helps you realize how much crap is added in our food without even noticing. However my personal opinion is that in order for real changes to happen 30 days is not enough. If you are doing the Whole30 as a reboot, or to clean up your diet then great. If you struggle with digestion, allergies, or food intolerances then I say you need to stick to the Whole30 rules for about 3-6 months and then you will feel and see major changes, and hopefully be able to form better habits and break the old patterns of unhealthy eating.
Tips and Tricks to make it Smooth
Overall this experience was positive and pretty easy. There are however several websites, tips and advice I wish I had before I started as it would have made things easier. So that is exactly what this post is about – making the Whole30 great.
The best tips I can give are as follows: make sure you are 100% into it mentally before you start, as it does involve planning, lots of awareness, and a lot of cooking at home. There are no shortcuts here. You need to cook your food, and it has to be real food. No packages or prepared foods.
That said, there are things that can make your life easier. Meal planning and prep is very helpful to avoid temptation of failure. Looking for easy recipes that are compliant, stocking your fridge with only WHOLE30 approved ingredients, and having an open mindset to enjoy the process as you go through it. Just keep reminding yourself it’s only 30 days, you can do it!
Whole30 approved products I love
Here are just a few items I found that were ready made to make life easier and food taste better:
Tessemae dressings and sauces – so delicious and make a great addition to everything. My favorites are the habanero ranch and avocado ranch. I used these 2 on everything from meats to veggies to lettuce wraps. Aside from dressings they also have ketchup, and BBQ sauce and more. A definite must to make this Whole30 great.
Another favorite is Applegate bacon and meats. I buy the organic items and they have a WHOLE30 approved logo on the ones that are ok. I used the Turkey breast, Turkey and Beef hot dogs and the bacon. All delicious and great for snacks, especially wrapped in lettuce.
Of course your pantry should be stocked with healthy fats like avocado oil, coconut oil and olive oil. I also always have almond butter and almond flour to use if necessary. Lastly and most importantly you need tons of vegetables and fruits. Anything and everything you can find.
The rest of the food I ate were fresh produce and protein, and made my own everything. For more ideas on products check this a post. Just be very careful when buying things to always read labels. They sneak sugar in everything, even things you would not imagine like smoked salmon or salami. Here is a chart for all the hidden names of sugar to help you identify the bad guys.
When in doubt….
The Whole30 rules are pretty simple, yet strict. If you cheat you start over so be careful and double check everything. When in doubt I ask Google! There is a great Whole30 forum, and many posts with answers to every question you may have. I asked or Googled almost everyday for the first bit, and found every answer to every question I had. I also stumbled across this great article halfway through the whole30, and it was super helpful clarifying things What can I have on Whole30 List?
What did I eat?
For the most part I ate eggs for breakfast with a protein and some veggies. Lunch I usually made a salad or a lettuce wrap, and dinner consisted of a protein and lots of veggies. A big help is to make a huge pot of veggie soup and have it available in the fridge for snacking. I also made a lot of green juices (mainly veggies with only 1/2 and apple) which are also filling, and I had some compliant kombucha on hand.
When eating out, I ate a salad without dressing, eggs with sauteed veggies, or grilled protein – that’s about it. It’s not so easy when dining out, as you really have to ask the waiters over and over to make sure there is no added sugar, grains, bad oils, extra sauces, etc. and ask for everything on the side. I also chose the restaurants wisely before going making sure there were some options available. I know it’s hard to cook every single meal for a whole 30 days, but the less you go out the better, as you really have more control about what is going in your food.
What will I do next?
Well I really enjoyed this experience and since I did not find it so difficult, I think I will continue. However I will take this weekend to treat myself to the foods I missed (still sticking to the Paleo diet rules) and indulge in a sweet treat that I will bake, and maybe some grain free pizza.
I think the ideal would be do the Whole30 for 30 days, take 1 day off and indulge within reason, and then go back on for another 30 days and so on. This way you are eating very healthy most of the time with only 12 cheat days a year, not so bad. You would also look forward to those days and enjoy the foods even more. I think I will try that for a while and see how I go. If not then at the very least I will do whole30 at home, and when I go out indulge a little but still staying away from wheat and sugar.
Whatever you try give it a chance and see how you feel. If you have questions of need help feel free to ask or comment below.