Whole30

I’d say probably 50% of people I know in DC have attempted doing Whole30 at least once–if not done it multiples times. If you’re lucky(?) enough to not have heard about it, here’s a crash course. It’s a 30 day elimination diet that’s aimed at helping you determine what foods you’re sensitive to or basically make you or part of your body feel icky. There are those who do it super strictly and others who decide to modify the program to make it work better for their lives.

Here are the rules:

• No added sugar of any kind (this includes sugar substitutes and honey and such)
• No alcohol
• No grains
• No legumes (aka no beans, peas, etc. and no peanuts)
• No dairy
• No MSG
• No re-creating baked goods or treats to fake yourself out

Basically you’re going to be eating fruits, vegetables, meat, and eggs for 30 days. Technically, you’re supposed to do this for 30 days straight and if you “slip up” and have something that’s not allowed then you’re supposed to start over but that’s too intense for me.

I did a modified version of Whole30 last summer. It was the start of a new phase of my job as well as the middle of summer so I changed up the rules a bit to fit my lifestyle. I decided to eat food that I had made for as many meals as possible but not to turn down invitations to happy hours or other meals that would be important. Then when I was out I’d pick the thing that was closest to Whole30 compliant as possible. Because I’m not about to be that person who talks on Pinterest about bringing their own salad dressing to the restaurant and asking for a million modifications to the menu when there’s no real medical reason for me to do so.

However, even with this modified version (that Whole30 purists would shudder at or yell about) I saw significant changes after a month. My goal then wasn’t to lose weight (and isn’t now), but to sort of reset my body. Last summer I felt a lot lighter at the end of the month–not necessarily weight-wise (I don’t actually own a scale so I have no clue) but more that I didn’t feel weighed down by anything and it was easier to wake up in the mornings and fall asleep at night. That’s pretty much my goal for this month as well–I’ve been eating TONS of pasta and bread this winter because it’s my comfort food so I’d like to feel lighter in a stomach as we head into the seasons of fresh vegetables and fruits anyway!

During the month I’ll share some of my favorite Whole30 recipes but for now my hottest tips are: eggs, eggs, eggs and bibb lettuce as taco shells and buns. That’s it for now–I’ll be sure to keep y’all updated on this adventure!