Whole 30

I kept hearing people talk about whole 30 at work and how wonderful it was.  Honestly, I hate diets so I didn't pay much attention to the hype.   It wasn't until I started reading about whole 30 and the concept behind this "non-diet" idea that I decided to give it a try.  I've always considered myself a pretty healthy eater and active person.  I run, play soccer, hike and love the outdoors.  It wasn't until I started whole 30 that I realized I really didn't cook or eat all that healthy!  I've learned so much about how to prepare food in a different, healthy way.  Whole 30 is just that whole, real food with no added "crap" in it!!  You get to eat meat, veggies, fruit and good fat.  Whole 30 means you cannot consume the following...

• Added Sugar (real or artificial)
• Alcohol
• Grains
• Legumes
• Dairy
• MSG or sulfites
• No baked goods, junk food or treats (even with approved ingredients)

A couple other great things...you can weigh yourself and take measurements on day one but then you are not allowed to step on the scale until day 30.  Trust me, your clothes will tell you how great you are doing! My suggestion would be to research whole 30 ahead of time.  This isn't something that you can just "start on Monday."   I researched whole 30 for about a month before I set the date to start.  I planned what my meals would be for the first 2 weeks, bought the ingredients of food that I could have and sweet talked my hubby into doing it with me.  It does take some time on the weekend but the benefit during the week is unlike anything if you are as busy as my family is.  I normally spend about 4-5 hours on Sunday food prepping for the week.  This includes breakfast, lunch and dinner so it truly does pay off! 


It was about 3 months ago when I had a full hysterectomy.  I started taking estrogen right after my surgery  (I am only 40 and didn't want to start menopause.) Since I didn't have a choice in the surgery, although I'm glad I did, as the results from the surgery showed pre-cancer cells I knew I needed to make a lifestyle change. Another factor was the estrogen also left me with a side effect of anxiety.   I don't like taking medication and I wanted to try something different before I even thought about adding one more thing into my body that could cause another side effect.  When researching whole 30 I discovered how many different toxins we put into our body on a daily.  I've learned so much about how food has a negative effect such as stomach issues, headaches, increased anxiety/depression and the list goes on and on. This is where whole 30 has made the most amazing difference for me.  Since starting whole 30 my anxiety has gone away.  The other awesome things that whole 30 has done is helped my stomach issues.  I have gluten and fructose intolerance however I cheat a lot and eat stuff  I shouldn't.  Since my whole 30 experience I have been able to eat food and NOT feel sick.  It is simply amazing.  I have also had an increase in energy, I'm sleeping better and I haven't had a headache in a month.  I've never felt better!  My next step is cooking a whole 30 Thanksgiving for our family.  There will be lots of recipes in the near future that I will share so you can try whole 30 too!  It truly is a life-changing 30 days if you are committed to a healthier, happier lifestyle and not another diet.