What is Whole 30?
It's a dedication to changing what you consume for 30 days. You eat real foods, avoiding all grains, dairy, sugar, legumes, and processed foods. You are eliminating foods that can cause sensitivities, digestive issues, and inflammation, etc. Many people have even had the extra benefit of dropping a few pounds!
The best place to find out more is on their website.
I have personally done 3 rounds of Whole 30. My first was in January 2017. I had heard of others doing it, and experiencing such wonderful results. During that time, I was still nursing my son and I needed to be off of dairy since he had an allergy. I thought, Now is the time! I couldn't have dairy anyways, so already being required to do that elimination would make this a little more simple. I successfully finished my first round, feeling absolutely amazing with higher energy and weight loss! Bye-bye baby weight!
An additional benefit for me, is regulated blood sugar. I struggle with hypoglycemia- low blood sugar. I will get weak and shaky, even if I don't feel hungry. I noticed that I wouldn't have any of these "dips" while on Whole 30. I wouldn't crash so hard that I wouldn't need to go into this almost, survival mode, and eat everything in sight. I personally never felt my hypoglycemic symptoms during the 30 days.
It's quite amazing to me, that when you steer away from processed foods, how delicious whole foods are. Food literally tastes better. Your body is also so thoroughly nourished, the amount you need to fuel your body is significantly less. Less cravings and the need to snack, resulting in more energy and feeling the way we were meant to.
Post round-one, I ate an 80/20 modified Whole 30, then decided to do another round the following June. Then pre-whole 30 eating habits creeped back in.
Later that fall, I noticed I had severe brain fog. Limited mental recall(you know when you walk into a room and can't remember what you went in there for? Or being in the middle of a story, and all of a sudden have no idea what you were saying?) and I couldn't even stay on task. I hated walking through life like something was holding me back. I knew it was time for another Whole 30. In January 2018, my husband and I successfully finished the 30 days.
I lost some weight, had more energy, and I finally had the ability to properly use my brain. I would have never known what this mental freedom was without eliminating the listed foods!
My husband had even better results. He was successfully sleeping through the night (it had been months), only had one bout of heartburn (he has chronic heartburn, multiple times a day), and he has experienced the mental lift as well!
I have continued doing an 80/20 lifestyle once again, and continuing to stay gluten-free. Gluten has seemed to be what triggers my brain fog. No thank you!
Whole 30 was not meant to be a constant lifestyle, just a stepping stone into a healthier lifestyle. You don't know or understand freedom, until you've experienced it.
My husband and I are craving the benefits, once again, of what this 30 days has to offer. Keep a lookout for a post on my must-haves and favorite recipes for the journey! I'll be posting meals on Insta-stories as well! I would love to pass on any encouragement, or answer any questions.
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