What is the Whole30 Diet?
The Whole30 diet is a 30-day program that eliminates dietary carbohydrates, sugar and processed foods from one’s eating plan. The concept of the diet comes from a book written by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig in 2009.
The premise behind the diet is that it allows your body to heal itself through elimination of bad habits while replacing them with better ones. This can also improve metabolism, digestive function and energy levels.
What You Can't Eat on Whole30
The Whole30 diet plan is a way of eating that focuses on eliminating certain foods to help you feel better. The idea is that by removing these food groups from your diet, you'll eventually become healthier and lose weight. A typical Whole30 diet excludes grains, legumes, sugar, dairy and alcohol. Here's a list of some of the things you can't have while following this diet:
All sugars (including honey and maple syrup)
All grains (wheat, oats, corn)
Legumes (beans/lentils/soybeans)
What to know if you're considering Whole30
If you're thinking about doing the Whole30, here's what you need to know:
Whole30 is not a weight loss diet. While some people do lose weight on the program, it's not because of any magical properties in its prescribed foods, which are more of a guide than specific rules. It's also important to note that while everyone loses weight on the program and then maintains their losses after ending it (if they stick with their new habits), this isn't necessarily something that happens for everyone who does it—and it might take longer than 30 days.
You'll be eating lean protein and lots of vegetables, fruits, nuts/seeds/legumes (in other words: lots of plant-based stuff) but no grains or dairy products at all during your time on the plan—so if either of those things are a staple for you now (or ever), this may not be right for you at all.
Benefits of the Whole30 diet
The Whole30 diet has a wide range of benefits. These include:
Weight loss. The Whole30 diet is straightforward and simple, which makes it an effective way to lose weight.
Improved energy levels and sleep quality. Many people report feeling more energetic after following the Whole30 diet for a month or longer, especially when they combine it with exercise like walking every day or attending regular boot camp classes at their local gym. They also tend to have better sleep quality as well, with fewer instances of waking up during the night (it's known as "night hypoglycemia").
Improved mental clarity and moods (including reduced stress). This may be due to the reduction in inflammatory foods like sugar, gluten, dairy products and stimulants like caffeine found within the diet plan itself; other studies suggest that certain nutrients found in these foods contribute directly towards feelings of anxiety - so cutting them out might help your mind feel clearer!
Improvements in skin appearance such as reduced acne outbreaks or rosacea symptoms although this isn't always guaranteed due to individual differences between bodies' reactions over time periods where no specific scientific conclusions have yet been reached regarding why exactly this happens. Improvements in athletic performance due largely because their bodies are less fatigued from eating whole foods rather than processed junk food filled with preservatives which require additional energy just by themselves without any nutritional benefit whatsoever.
Potential drawbacks of the Whole30 diet
As with any diet, the Whole30 can have some side effects that you should be aware of. Some people may experience headaches or irritability if they are not used to eating this way.
If you're going through the program for the first time, make sure you drink plenty of water and eat nutritious foods like fruits and vegetables throughout your day. If you're concerned about weight loss, try to limit your portion sizes so that your body doesn't go into starvation mode and slow down its rate of metabolism. And while it's perfectly fine to exercise while on the Whole30 (you'll get better results), overdoing it might make you feel fatigued or even lead to injury.
One thing that's definitely worth noting is that many people have trouble adapting their taste buds once they stop eating processed foods—they miss their favorite desserts or salty snacks! This can cause them to binge on those unhealthy products when they start eating normally again, which could undo all of the benefits gained during their 30 days on this diet plan.
If these drawbacks haven't scared you off yet, now's a good time for us dig deeper into how exactly this diet works—and why we think it might be worth trying out!
Should you try the Whole30 diet?
The Whole30 diet is a good choice for you if:
You want to make a lifestyle change. The Whole30 diet is designed to be sustainable, so it's not meant to be followed for just 30 days or even one year. It's intended as a way of eating that you can maintain long-term, which means making certain changes in your food choices and habits.
Your doctor has told you that you need to cut out some foods from your diet because of an illness or medical condition (e.g., diabetes). This diet is very restrictive; therefore, if this applies to you, consult with your doctor before starting the program so they can help determine whether or not this plan will be beneficial for your health needs while also ensuring that there are no harmful side effects from eliminating certain foods from your daily meals and snacks.
You may want to reconsider following this plan if:
You're looking for a quick fix rather than making necessary life changes that would improve how healthy—and how happy—you are overall. Nutritionists agree that the most important thing about any weight loss program isn't what specific foods are banned from someone's plate but rather what kinds of meals they choose instead. For example, if someone were trying out an all-liquid diet such as SlimFast—which restricts caloric intake by forcing people into drinking nothing but shakes and other processed beverages throughout the day—it would effectively result in weight loss because those calories aren't being consumed through solid food.
With so many diets out there, it can be hard to know which one is right for you. The Whole30 Diet has been known to help people lose weight, but it's not the only diet that can do this. If you're interested in trying out a new diet or just want more information on what type of food options are available to you, check out some of the other diets, you might find the guy that is right for you!
If you are looking for a cookbook in The Whole30 Diet,
The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom
on Amazon has over 15k reviews and got 4.'6 out 5 star rating.
Get it Now!
Melissa Hartwig Urban (Author), Dallas Hartwig (Author)
Comments