What to Expect When You're Whole30-ing!

So, Jenny and I talk a lot about doing Whole30s, and how they've changed our life...and so forth...but a lot of times people look at us blankly and ask, "Yeah, but what is it?!"

So, here it is: the Whole30 is a reset, a re-charge, and an evaluation. It is a time to look at yourself from the inside out and see what makes your body healthier, or not healthier...

In the words of Dallas and Melissa Hartwig, founders of the Whole30:

 Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat – even the “healthy” stuff. So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you? 

Strip them from your diet completely. Cut out all the inflammatory, gut-disrupting, calorie-dense but nutritionally sparse 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. The most important reason to keep reading? This will change your life. 


And, like we've said, it has changed our life in many ways. I've never felt healthier in my life. I was in the middle of a Whole30 when I became preggo and I didn't have one ounce of morning sickness; that's not a fluke. There's something to be said for eating foods which...make you healthier!

So, here's the outline of the Whole30 program. It's not a diet. There are no cheat days. There are no "I'm at a party so what the heck" days. There are no "I'm feeling sad so I will eat ALL THE FOOD" days. The Whole30 isn't about your physical body alone, it's about you as a person, as a human. It's mental and physical (for me, for example, it's extremely mental!)