What is Whole 30?
The Whole 30 is an elimination diet designed to figure out what is impacting your overall health. The basis: get a particular set of foods out of your system, then slowly reintroduce to see which ones have an impact. It was created as a way for people to find out how foods effect their body by eliminating for a month, then slowly introducing back.
Most people eliminate headaches, fatigue, bloating and drop around 10 pounds. On the flipside, since you’re probably a sugar addict right now. Do you see how sugar puts you on a hamster wheel like cocaine? It causes disabling fatigue, fibromyalgia, nervousness, insomnia, chronic headaches, irritability, and more. You have to go through the same steps as other drug addicts. You will feel like crap for a couple days as your body detoxes the bad and gets the good in. Endure that and you will feel amazing!
To truly get the best breakdown of the program, you’ll need the Whole 30 book by the program creator, Melissa Hartwig Urban.
Is There a Good Way to Track Food on the Whole 30 Food Plan?
There are many ways to track food, how you’re feeling, exercise and overall progress. One of the most popular is a physical journal. Below is a link to a great one. I’ve, also, tried to track digitally with an app on my phone. I like MyFitnessPal for this, but will say that even though it was simple it didn’t make me think about the food and be as mindful as when I had to physically write it down in a journal.
How do you Meal Prep for Whole 30?
The best way to stay on track with Whole 30 is to be prepared. If you have good food around you then you are more likely to make good choices. I prefer to make sheet pan meals and use all my kitchen gadgets. This is mainly because I’m a busy Mom and having kitchen gadgets that I don’t have to monitor makes my life easier. Plus, I don’t burn the house down…
Sheet Pan Meals
What are sheet pan meals? They’re probably the easiest meal you’ll ever make. Grease a pan. Cut up meat and vegetables, coat in coconut oil and seasoning and throw it in the oven on 375 degrees for about 20 minutes. Just like that you’ve got multiple meals for the week. Plus, almost every vegetable taste great baked and seasoned.
Instant Pot Meals
I know a lot of people are scared of the Instant Pot. If you just give it a try you will find that it is very easy to use. I like to use it for meat that I forget to thaw out. For example, put a couple pounds of frozen venison or hamburger in, shut the lid, close the vent, choose the meat function and run it for about 50 minutes. When it’s done let it vent on it’s own and then you have meat for taco salad, sloppy joes and more. I just mix everything up and put it in the fridge for the week. Simple to grab out and have ready for a busy family.
Chicken, hard boiled eggs, roast, steamed veggies and so many other items are great in an Instant Pot. You can even make yogurt or desserts! Here’s a link to a great cook book that might just get you hooked on your Instant Pot.
Air Fryer Meals
The air fryer is usually my go to for heating up meals and making them nice and crisp. I can make my potatoes (or veggies) seem like a fried treat, when they’re actually good for me in this device. It’s not really the best for meal prep. However, I have cooked chicken breast and potato sheet pan meals in mine. Here’s an air fryer cook book for some great ideas.
Results
Whole 30 wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. Once I had all the rules I realized that I love sweet potatoes, meat and vegetables. Those foods made me feel full. Plus, I still got to eat sweets, just different ones.
It was the best thing I did nutrition wise to take control over food in my life. Mainly because it taught me where sugar is, how to get rid of it and all of its negative impact. It, also, led to my interest in understanding more. I’m not a perfect eater, but knowing that our food decisions give us control over our bodies as far as illness, disease and functionality gives a whole new insight to the decisions we make.
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