Lifestyle

When I talk to people about Whole30, the question I get asked the most is, “What do you eat?” As I stated in the previous post, I am currently in the middle of my second official program. I completed Whole30 for the first time in 2017, and I’ve grown immensely as a home chef and as an expert in the guidelines since then. Cooking real food requires a lot of preparation and cleanup in the kitchen, but my efforts have paid me back tenfold.

I start my mornings with a smoothie consisting of unsweetened almond milk, frozen black cherries and blueberries, kale or spinach, and collagen peptides. Although smoothies aren’t encouraged on the Whole30 program, I’ve decided to keep them in my diet. Your brain registers that you are full when you chew your food, and that’s how you know to stop eating. The Whole30 team argues the following: When you drink your meal, your brain isn’t getting the feedback it needs to tell your body that it’s had enough of what it needs. I don’t consider my smoothie to be a meal, and if you are going to fall prey to consuming it as such, perhaps you should steer clear. Don’t use fruit juice for the base or you’ll have prediabetes in no time. Too much sugar (even the natural kind) isn’t ideal.

The base for my midday salad usually consists of romaine lettuce, spinach, and spring mix. After chopping and washing the lettuce, I spin it dry. The spinach and spring mix that I purchase from Trader Joe’s is pre-washed. After establishing the base, I move on to add-ins, such as red peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes (seeds removed), olives, hard-boiled eggs, and roasted beets and Brussels sprouts (cooled). I favor walnuts and pumpkin seeds as garnish. For the main protein source, I usually opt for either baked salmon, warmed sardines, tuna fish, or an omelette with an avocado on the side. If I have an omelette, I’ll refrain from adding boiled eggs to the salad bowl. But, when I make chicken salad for lunch, I’ll add it directly to the bowl of leafy greens and forgo the dressing.

Brands to consider for dressings, marinades, and sauces include Tessemae’s, Primal Kitchen, and Whole30. Out of the three aforementioned brands, I’ve only ever tried Tessemae’s products. I’ve been making my own mayo, garlic aioli, and ketchup lately. I also made this ranch dressing that got my husband’s stamp of approval.

Dinner at my house usually consists of a protein source and one or two sides of steamed or baked vegetables. Carrots, cauliflower, and broccoli are our three most common sides. Sometimes we’ll have air-fried yucca with garlic aioli or air-fried sweet potatoes topped with cinnamon as a second side. Proteins that commonly appear at our dinner table: burgers wrapped in lettuce, chicken thighs, BBQ drumsticks, and salmon. No matter the meal, sparkling water has a permanent place at the table.

The grapefruit Sprindrift and the coconut La Croix are real treats. I’ll also drop essential oils into a can of unflavored water from Trader Joe’s. Other treats include apples with almond butter, dates, and warmed RXBARs. If you’re going to misuse RXBARs, don’t buy them. But, the brand’s delicious vanilla almond butter should not be overlooked. Two handfuls of roasted walnuts, almonds, pistachios, or cashews helps to keep hunger at bay too. Fruit and raw vegetables are also ideal snacks.

I often look for new Whole30-compliant recipes on Pinterest, but improvising in the kitchen is satisfying too. Whole30 continues to encourage my cooking creativity and nourish my health, which is why I generally adhere to the rules when I’m not officially on the program. Imagine all of the benefits you could reap from this life-changing opportunity. Are you ready for a change?

Works Sighted

Lettuce wrap: bacon (although, not a diet staple), roasted turkey breast, boiled eggs, and garlic aioli

I first mentioned Whole30 in “5 Things You Can Do to Improve Your Health Right Now.” I’d hoped that the post would pique your interest in the program, but in case it did not, allow me to try again. I am currently in the middle of my second Whole30, but I’ll backtrack to my first one. It was April 2017 when I decided to give myself this experience as a birthday present.

I was a novice home chef and had been dabbling heavily in baking. If you are what you eat, I was banana bread, Levain-style cookies, gâteau au yaourt, catered office food, boxed products from Trader Joe’s, and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (specifically half baked, milk & cookies, and chocolate fudge brownie). I ate salads and steamed vegetables but not in quantities that would counteract the toxins I was consuming. I suffered from plantar fasciitis, a painful inflammation that occurs in the tissue on the bottom of the foot. The topic of steroid injections came up in the conversation I had with my doctor regarding the issue, and I wasn’t enthusiastic about pursuing it as a supposed cure. I was about to discover that sugar was an inflammatory food.

The purpose of the program is to eliminate all foods that could possibly cause undesirable reactions (allergic or otherwise) for 30 days. That way, you’ll be able to identify which foods in your diet are sabotaging your body and overall health. Granted, some people could be allergic to items that are acceptable to consume on the Whole30 program, but that won’t be the case for the majority of participants. The rules were simple to follow. (I highly recommend taking a look at them.) Added sugar, grains, dairy, legumes, and alcohol were on the no list. Eggs, ghee, vinegar, and salt were allowed. My diet consisted of chicken, beef, salmon, eggs, fruit, and a wide variety of vegetables. Coconut milk took the place of cow’s milk. I cooked with ghee and olive oil. I fell in love with almond butter; peanut butter took a back seat. I said goodbye to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, breaded chicken and fish from Trader Joe’s, biscotti, and office catering.

Without added sugar and grains (my two worst offenders), my body started to go into withdrawal. The inextinguishable cravings finally subsided after a few days. Then the magic happened. Whole30 presented me with an opportunity to focus on the types of food that would enhance my health, not subtract from it. I was working full-time, taking a writing course, and a year and a half into life as a wife. I didn’t have an abundance of free time, so I skipped post-work activities (like happy hours and the gym) to rush home and cook. At the end of the 30 day period, my biometric screening indicated that I was the healthiest I’d ever been.

I learned to read nutrition labels more closely. (One serving of Ben & Jerry’s chocolate fudge brownie ice cream contains 32g of added sugar, which is 64% of the recommended daily allowance.) My plantar fasciitis disappeared after I eliminated added sugar from my diet. I learned to cook real food, lost interest in the foods I’d cut out, and started to crave vegetables. I had more energy, a lower weight, decreased glucose level, and glowing skin. I took charge of what I ate and learned to say no thank you when offered foods that weren’t for me.

It wasn’t easy to navigate the wide world of options immediately after my first Whole30. I tried to adhere to The Paleo Diet full-time because it resembled Whole30 but with a few more liberties. I found myself floundering without the strict rules I’d become accustomed to. Making Paleo brownies twice a week defeated the purpose of going Paleo in the first place. Before I knew it, I was back to eating quite a bit of the foods from my pre-Whole30 lifestyle. But this time, I possessed the tools to dig myself out of the situation.

Nowadays, I generally adhere to the Whole30 guidelines in my day-to-day diet, but I also enjoy sitting down for dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, making non-compliant dishes, and ordering a pizza once in a while. Today is the 13th day of my second official Whole30 (much needed after the holiday season). Recently, I made mayonnaise, ketchup, and ranch dressing for the first time. With my unit on emulsification now complete, I suppose I can say that I’m an advanced home chef.

Works Sighted

Loft shirt (old); Warby Parker Durand glasses; The Whole30 Slow Cooker: 150 Totally Compliant Prep-and-Go Recipes for Your Whole30