Today’s post is all about what I eat in a day on The Whole 30! For those of you who aren’t familiar with The Whole 30, it’s literally what it sounds like, a 30-day program that has you focus on real, whole foods.
Table of Contents
- What is the Whole 30?
- Foods to avoid
- Results to expect on The Whole 30
- What I eat in a day on The Whole 30
- In conclusion
- Some more Whole30 compliant recipes to try:
What is the Whole 30?
In the words of the Whole30 creators themselves, It is a “reset” for your body.
Unlike other diets, there is no restriction on calorie intake or weighing oneself involved. The idea is to take out certain food groups like gluten, dairy, sugar, soy, grains, and some additives from your diet for 30 days and then reintroduce them back in gradually to see how you react to them. Thus creating a personalized diet plan designed for you. This protocol is much like an elimination diet and if you have digestive and other chronic issues like eczema, psoriasis, PCOS, Hashimoto’s, and any other condition that just won’t go away, then you may want to try The Whole 30.
Foods to avoid
Packaged or processed junk foods, added sugars, grains, legumes (that means beans and lentils) and dairy are not allowed on the program. Also not compatible on the program are sulfites, carrageenan and MSG. Basically anything that has shown to disrupt the microbiome. Label reading is an absolute must if you do consume packaged foods while on The Whole 30.
But it’s not just about food triggers but also our emotional relationship to food so treats made with compliant ingredients are also out for the 30 days. Think almond flour pancakes or coconut milk-based ice cream.
Results to expect on The Whole 30
The whole 30 promises to improve sleep quality, energy levels, mood and even self esteem. It does this by “specifically targeting people’s habits and emotional relationship with food.”
Going into The Whole 30 I must say that I am a little different from someone who is a novice. As I’ve mentioned before, I am gluten free and eat dairy selectively, I have found that gluten and dairy cause acne for me and according to studies, these two can act as triggers for autoimmune conditions thus exacerbating my Hashimoto’s symptoms. And although my diet is Whole 30 for the most part, being South Asian, I do love my rice. So to say this protocol was challenging is an understatement!
What I eat in a day on The Whole 30
So this time, coming out of summer I needed to get back to many of the morning rituals that I had let slip like my green tea and collagen ritual and since we were instilling good habits in the program, I wanted to bring that back in, so, before breakfast, I made myself a cup of jasmine green tea that I had brought back from Chicago’s China Town this past summer and added to that Vital Proteins Collagen. I sipped on that while sitting out on my patio.
Breakfast
After an hour or so I made some black tea and got started on breakfast. Eggs are allowed on the whole 30 so if I don’t have any leftovers, I simply whip up some scrambled eggs or Khagina.
Lunch
For lunch, I like to whip up something quick like a Cauliflower Fried Rice bowl. It’s quick and easy and even quicker if you have some frozen veggies on hand. Although making cauliflower rice from scratch is simple, I keep a bag in the freezer for the days I just don’t have the time or inclination.
Today I used a bag of frozen cauliflower and because I had already eaten eggs for breakfast, I added some leftover beef and pepper stir fry I had meal prepped for the kids’ lunches instead.
Meat is allowed on The Whole 30, but I find that my consumption of vegetables increases and I am constantly finding creative ways to fill the void that grains leave on my plate.
*UPDATE* I have a review of the Whole30 on my YouTube channel so be sure to check it out!
Snack
My snack for today was a trail mix of some cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and raisins.
Dinner
For dinner any chicken curry with some veggies or cauliflower rice works but today I baked a sumac chicken recipe. It is perfect for weeknights because clean-up is fast and easy. This Sumac Chicken is perfect when paired with some red bell peppers, sweet potatoes, and broccoli. Now if you don’t have access to sweet potato where you live, you can substitute it with white potato since The Whole 30 is more about eating real, whole foods and less about watching your carbohydrate intake.
In conclusion
Well, there you have it! A whole day of eating while on the whole 30. I hope my meals have inspired your whole 30 meals. Remember, focusing on what you can eat rather than what you can’t is the mindset essential to making any elimination diet doable. If you do decide to give The Whole 30 a go, do it to get an insight into your body’s reaction to certain foods and in the words of Whole 30 participants, “food freedom”.
Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever tried the Whole30 protocol. I’d love to know what your food looks like if you have!
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