What is the Whole30? And why should I care?

                                                                                        The Whole30 is basically a nutritional reset.  It has helped thousands of people to not only lose weight, but see improvements in sleep, mood and energy.  And why should you care?  Well, here’s one reason…

Are they hot or what?  And they look pretty happy and healthy to me. That’s a pic, taken from the inside of one of their book covers, of Dallas and Melissa Hartwig, the creators of the Whole30.  They have written two books that I highly recommend.  The Whole30 appears to be working pretty well for them!

I know what you’re thinking…you are crazy busy right now.  Who has time to read a book?  Forget reading two!!

You actually could read either book…they stand alone.  The first one is called It Starts With Food.  If you want to understand why their program works, and some of the science behind it, along with some very simple recipes, this is the book for you.  Since I am a bit of a nutrition geek, I loved it.  They explain the science, but in a casual, relatable way.

If you are more of a foodie, or someone who likes/needs to follow recipes, you should start with The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom.  This book still explains things well, but I would describe it as less science, more food.

Both books are great.  First of all, even if you never actually do a Whole30, you will have a better idea of how certain ingredients affect your body, which will help you make informed choices.  You’ll also get ideas for healthy, simple meals.

The Whole30 is pretty much a Paleo approach to eating.  I don’t like to label myself, but that’s pretty much how I eat.  I just think of it as eating real food.  The Whole30 has a bunch of rules, some of which may seem kind of arbitrary. It is meant to eliminate problematic foods, ingredients and even habits from your life for a full 30 days.  You can then gradually reintroduce things, one at a time, to see how your body reacts.

As I’ve mentioned in many of my posts, I’m all about building healthy habits.  And I’m certainly not big on major detoxes or deprivation.  But sometimes you really need a reset.  Or you suspect you might be sensitive to certain foods.  That’s where the Whole 30 can help.  In my case, by removing all sweeteners (even stevia), and all candy (even the crazy 90% dark chocolate bars that I love), it really helped me with sugar cravings.  It’s not something you need to follow forever.  You use it to figure out what works best for your body.  In my case, the dairy (except ghee and occasionally butter) and most grains are out for good.  Just not worth it for what they do to my skin.  But a little high quality dark (dairy free) chocolate from time to time?  I’m in!

So can the Whole 30 help you feel happy, healthy and hot?  Take a look at Dallas and Melissa… I think it can!  But seriously, the food you put into your body on a daily basis affects your skin, your body composition, and even your mood.  Grab one of these books (they’re both in my Amazon store and very reasonably priced), brew yourself a nice cup of coffee or tea, and see what you think.  I’ve completed the program several times, so feel free to ask questions in the comments.