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Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Wellness Wednesday: What Is Whole 30?

Whole 30 book
It seems to be that the trendy thing to do these days is to do the Whole 30 program. For the past year I have seen people post all over social media their #whole30problems or "I can't because I'm on Whole 30." Naturally this intrigued me, and I finally decided to buy the book last week. I am all about improving my health whenever I can, and take on challenges whenever they are presented to me such as taking 20 Pure Barre classes in 30 days, juice cleanses, or giving up something unhealthy during lent. 

While laying poolside last weekend I read this whole book, and was so impressed by it's philosophy. As I was basking in the sun with my good read (wearing sunscreen of course. Please protect your skin) a girl sat next to me. She noticed what I was reading, and asked if I started the program yet? I told her that Todd and I were going to start on Monday, and she confided in me that she was half way through the program. Apparently everyone is doing this. I asked her how she felt, and if she would dream of food at night (the book says that by day 12-15 people dream of junk food)?  She laughed and confessed she did dream of food. She also said that one big difference she has noticed in her body is that she has way more energy, and doesn't have to take an afternoon nap. Hearing her testimonial made me even more excited to start Whole 30.

So you might be asking yourself "Is Whole 30 some type of weight loss diet?" The book describes this program primarily as a way to restart your body, and change the way you view food. It does describe weight loss as a feature, but does not stress weight loss as the primary goal. 

"Our premise is simple: certain food groups could be having a negative impact on your body composition, health, and quality of life without you even realizing it. Do you have aches and pains that can't be explained by overuse and injury? Are your energy levels inconsistent or nonexistent? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition that medication hasn't helped with?"

"These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat - even the healthy stuff." So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you?"

After these rhetorical questions are asked the book then states by going 30 days without certain foods your body is able to reset itself, and develop a healthier relationship with food. I consider myself to be a very healthy individual, and didn't think I would benefit from this program right away. The thing that convinced me fully to do the program is when they talked about "what's normal?" They used the analogy of being allergic to a tree that is outside of your house. If every day you wake up with symptoms from your allergy then that becomes your everyday norm. By removing yourself from the tree, you notice that you feel so much better. By removing certain foods from your diet, and then slowly reintroducing them after 30 days you are able to pin point if certain foods affect you. 
There's so much more into the benefits you will get from this program that I will talk more about in future posts. 

Now what you have been waiting for. What foods does the program eliminate? Before I read off the list I want to make note that the book doesn't describe these foods as being "unhealthy." Here's the list to what not to eat for 30 days: sugar, artificial sugar, artificial sweeteners, honey, agave, syrup, alcohol, grains, corn, legumes (you can eat green beans, snow peas, and sugar snap peas), dairy, cheese, butter (unless its clarified butter or ghee), msg, or aded sulfites. 

Over the next 30 days I'll be making a journal of my journey with Whole 30, and will be sharing it with you guys. Wish us luck!


3 comments:

  1. I'm so curious to know your final thoughts about Whole30. I eat relatively "paleo" for the most part, but can't seem to give up my sweets that include frozen yogurt or dark chocolate covered almonds. I saw your post today about a healthy dessert, which includes Greek yogurt. Are there any Whole30 approved sweets you'd suggest?

    ReplyDelete
  2. There are millions of people every day who take steps to lose weight. There are proper methods of losing weight, and there are those that are a bit more questionable. Take the advice in this article and employ methods that will truly work, if you want to help you get the weight off.

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  3. There are several good questions you should pose to yourself before you start: Freeze Dried Food

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