Gearing up for a healthier, happier 2019? Many who are doing the same are into Whole30, one of the least restrictive fad diets that's been around for awhile now.
The premise of Whole30 is simple: Rather than uprooting your entire lifestyle, you're eliminating certain "trigger" foods for 30 days that might negatively affect your body without you even realizing it. That means no sugar, no gluten, and no dairy. All the while, you're eating moderate portions of just about everything else until you've reached the end of the month and can slowly reintroduce what you've eliminated, just to see what was causing problems.
Sound like something you're interested in trying but aren't sure where to start? Without further ado, here's what you can and can't eat while doing Whole30.
Things you can always eat on Whole30
- Vegetables Whole30-approved favorites include:
- Acorn quash
- Arugula
- Asparagus
- Beets
- Bell Peppers
- Bok Choy
- Broccoli/Broccolini
- Brussels sprouts
- Buttercup squash
- Butternut squash
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Collard
- Delicata Sqush
- Garlic
- Greens (beet, mustard, turnip)
- Kale
- Leeks
- Lettuce (bibb, butter, red)
- Onion/shallots
- Rutabaga
- Spinach
- Summer Squash
- Sweet Potato/yams
- Swiss chard
- Tomato
- Turnip
- Watercress
- Zucchini
- Acorn quash
- Fruits Whole30-approved favorites include:
- Apricots
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Cherries
- Grapefruit
- Kiwi
- Melon
- Plums
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Nuts and seeds Limit your intake, and remember: Peanuts are a legume, and therefore aren't allowed on Whole30.
- Meats (processed and unprocessed) Grass-fed or pastured and organic are best.
- Eggs Pastured and organic are best.
- Seafood Wild-caught and sustainably fished is best.
- Fats (cooking and eating)
- Animal fats
- Ghee
- Coconut oil
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Avocado
- Coconut butter
- Olives
Things you can sometimes eat on Whole30
- Ghee and/or clarified butter Ghee is essentially butter that's free of lactose.
- Vinegar—everything except malt vinegar
- Certain legumes
- Green beans
- Snow peas
- Snap peas
- Fruit juice
Things you can never eat on Whole30
- Sugar—real or artificial
- Maple syrup
- Honey
- Agave nectar
- Stevia, Splenda, Equal
- Coconut sugars
- Alcohol—regular or cooking
- Grains—regular and added
- Wheat
- Rye
- Barley
- Oats
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Legumes—including all forms of soy
- Beans
- Peas
- Chickpeas
- Lentils
- Peanuts
- Dairy
- Treats with "approved ingredients." The Whole30 site explains, "These are the same foods that got you into health-trouble in the first place—and a pancake is still a pancake, even if it’s made with coconut flour."
Other things to keep in mind on Whole30
While this may seem pretty lax (or terribly strict, depending on how into it you are), Whole30 asks just a few more things of those who commit to doing this for a month. Firstly, you may not "step on the scale or take any body measurements for 30 days." The people behind the plan insist this is not about losing weight, but that's about making healthier choices.
Secondly, you absolutely may not cheat, or it's all for nothing. In their words:
Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Fighting cancer is hard. Birthing a baby is hard. Losing a parent is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You’ve done harder things than this, and you have no excuse not to complete the program as written. It’s only thirty days, and it’s for the most important health cause on earth—the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime.
On that note, best of luck to you! And happy new year!
