When I first embarked on my Whole30, I had thoroughly read It Starts With Food front to back (truth: the night before my first Whole30, I was so excited to start that I didn't sleep!)...but it was also all the amazing Paleo bloggers out there who got me through my first (and successive) Whole30s. I'm sharing with you some of my favorite blog posts which got me through my Whole30s, as well as some of my own tips.
- 10 Tips for Making Your Whole 30 a Success by Holly; I love this list because it addresses mind and body issues!
- Over at Bartley's Run, they give a ton of simple tips for conquering the Whole30, including ideas on what to carry in the car or traveling.
- 30 Reasons to do the Whole30 by the awesome Melissa at The Clothes Make the Girl!
- Holly's roundup of clean eating blogs...wonderful list for anyone who wants to eat healthy and whole foods!
- Jessica Quirk's Whole30 Review and Tips
Some of my personal tips for rocking the Whole30:
- Be prepared! You will need Whole30 compliant meat (most deli meats are NOT compliant! Some Applegate meats are...but remember to check ingredients!) Since you do need a protein at every meal, plan ahead and cook a bunch of meat so you're never at a loss at a meal.
- Same goes for veggies: buy a ton of your favorites and keep them in the fridge...you will be shocked at how fast you use them up! (I always have zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, avocado, and carrots in the fridge...plus I mix in "fun" veggies I find at the market like bok choy or cauliflower)
- Remember to read ingredients! I screwed up my first Whole30 on day 5 because I used a spray coconut oil with soy lecithin in it!
- Do it with a friend...always helps having company!
- Don't paleo-fy anything--this is one of the tenets of the Whole30--no turning treat-food into Paleo food for the Whole30--remember, this is a mind-body experience! I learned early on that I can't do "paleo pancakes" because even though they're simply made with banana, egg, and pumpkin (or whatever it is), and separate, all of those ingredients won't cause a mental "food food food" reaction in my head--when turned into pancakes, they make me ravenously hungry! It's all in my head...so watch out for that.
- Use the blogs/Whole9 forums...if you're ever in doubt about something, ask! I learned a ton about my Whole30s via twitter Paleo friends and on the Whole9 forums.
Some meal inspiration from blogs!
- Good Cheap Eats documented what she ate for 30 days, with photos, too!
- The Foodee Project's roundup of Whole30 approved recipes!
- 30 Days of Whole30 Recipes from Nom Nom Paleo
- Nom Nom Paleo's Whole30 Pinterest Board
- My Whole30 days from my Tumblr (a random assortment)
My favorite Paleo bloggers (here you'll find lots of meal inspiration and great advice!)
