Whole 30: Let's Do This!
To some, the Whole 30 might be "old news." This elimination diet was established in 2009 and has been growing ever since. I'll give you the quick rundown, but their website and the book are really great resources if you are interested.
1. No sugar of any kind, real or artificial. (This includes maple syrup, honey, agave, coconut sugar, Splenda, Stevia, etc. and any of those sneaky sugars that end in -ose (think: dextrose, sucrose, and so on.))
2. No alcohol, not even for cooking.
3. No grains.
4. No legumes.
5. No dairy.
6. No carrageenan, MSG or sulfites.
7. Eliminate psychologically unhealthy foods (ie: things you binge on)
I've decided to try this thing. You know, in general, I've never jumped on the health-food band wagon. I don't eat a ton of processed or pre-packaged food (although I love me some shells and cheese!) and there are tons of fruits and veggies in my regular meal plans. I don't have a lot of chronic issues that I would associate with food, either.
But after reading more about this elimination diet, part of me just wants to do something and commit and see what happens! People rave about how much better they feel after cutting certain foods out of their diet, and some of the symptoms they mention really surprised me! Annoying things like acne, headaches, shortness of breath and lots of other chronic conditions have all been linked (in some cases) to different types of food intolerance.
Besides, it's only 30 days.
Yeah, right.
I mean, it is only 30 days, but it will not be easy, that's for sure.
So, I plan to start on May 1st. I have been prepping freezer meals and prepackaged meals for the last couple of days. I have meal plans ready for the first 14 days.
Stay tuned: I'll share more as I muddle my way through.
