I love a good food detox and Whole30 is one of my favorite ways to do a good reset.
I’ve followed Melissa Hartwig since about 2011 and have done a few Whole30s, a few Whole15s, even a Whole Week. It just depended on what I needed at that time. After having my first child, I was having a few issues myself plus a cranky baby. My immediate solution was to complete a Whole30 and SHOCKER … I suddenly had a less cranky baby and several postpartum issues cleared up.
There’s just something about removing dairy, grains, sugar, and legumes from your diet that makes you (okay maybe me is the right word) feel much better.
Now before someone tells me this is rubbish and there’s no way on earth they can give up those things, let me say this. It’s only a month. In fact, most of the time I follow a modified Paleo / Primal eating style. I’m not as rigid as I use to be, and I attribute that a bit to reading books by Robb Wolf and Mark Sisson. They’ve really taken a more balanced approach to this eating style over the years. And trust me, I don’t skimp on ice cream. I also eat pizza … and bread. But not daily.
So, back to the January Whole30 idea.
This year, instead of making a long list of resolutions, I have decided to start my year off with a body reboot.
For the next 30 days I won’t have dairy, grains, sugar, or legumes as a way to let my body detox and reset. I can’t say I won’t have a few “SWYPO” (sex with your pants on – what Melissa calls cheater foods that fit the Whole30 guidelines) foods, but I’ve done this a few times and know my limits. I definitely don’t sneak in chips that are technically an approved food because they’re a gateway drug. But I will make a few banana custards so I feel like I’ve had dessert on ice cream / pizza night.
It sounds like a long list of don’ts, but what you can have is actually pretty long. I slather everything in ghee, eat sweet potatoes daily, and love a good steak. During my last Whole30, my husband made me a chimichurri sauce and I’ve obsessed over it with every steak we’ve grilled since then.
Now before I break away and go heat up a sweet potato topped with a runny egg, let me share a few of my go to meals during a Whole30:
Breakfast –
Baked Sweet Potato with Ghee, Salt & Pepper, and 2-3 Fried Runny Eggs on top.
Hard Boiled Eggs and Sautéed Kale (salt, pepper, garlic, lemon)
Pumpkin Breakfast Custard (the most popular recipe from my personal blog)
Lunch –
Salad with Chopped Veggies, Chicken, and Dressing (I use Primal Kitchen, Olive Oil & White Balsamic, or Homemade Ranch the most)
Grilled Chicken Tenders Hot Wing Style with Carrots, Celery, and Ranch
Grilled Chicken with Sautéed Kale and Cauliflower Rice
Snacks –
Nuts
Fruit
Dinner –
Keep it easy with a meat, veggie, and starch.
Breakfast for dinner – Homemade Breakfast Sausage, Eggs, Hashbrowns, Peppers & Onions
Or my favorite breakfast for dinner – Whole30 Eggs Benedict
