Whole30: Beginner’s Guide, What to Eat and Avoid, Advantages, and More

 

groceries on a table that follow the whole30 plan
On Whole30, you can eat many of the fresh foods commonly found in a traditionally healthy diet. But unlike on some other plans, you have to steer clear of all grains, legumes, and dairy.Marti´ Sans/Stocksy

Giving up a favorite meal isn’t easy, and yet changing the foods you put on your plate could have a positive impact on your body — not just in terms of weight loss, but also physically and mentally.

If you’ve been feeding your body junk and you’re seeing the effects of an unhealthy diet, the Whole30 program might be the right fit for you. Melissa Urban and Dallas Hartwig, certified sports nutritionists and authors of the New York Times bestseller The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom, created this monthlong clean-eating plan in 2009.

This program, which proponents describe as a nutritional reset, doesn’t promise weight loss, but it does promote self-awareness with regards to how your body responds to food.

An Overview of the Whole30 Program

“You can think of the Whole30 like pushing the reset button with your health, habits, and relationship with food,” Urban says. “For 30 days, you’ll eliminate the foods that scientific literature and our clinical experience have shown to be commonly problematic in one of four areas: cravings and habits, blood sugar regulation and hormones, digestion, and immune system and inflammation.”

The Whole30 program is popular because it emphasizes eating whole foods. And if you’re living with chronic health issues, this program can help you understand how your body reacts to certain foods.

“Over the course of 30 days, you’ll see what improves when you remove potentially problematic foods,” explains Urban, noting that you could see improvements in energy, sleep, mood, focus, digestion, pain, and athletic performance. In addition, you might have decreased incidences of conditions like eczema, migraines, asthma, and allergies, proponents say.

You follow Whole30 similarly to a traditional elimination diet, where you eliminate foods that may be causing you unpleasant symptoms.

“At the end of the 30 days, you’ll carefully reintroduce those foods one at a time, like a scientific experiment, and then compare your experience physically and psychologically.”

Some people refer to the Whole30 program as a diet, but it’s not a diet in the traditional sense. Rather, it’s a nutritional program. So it doesn’t involve exercise, portion control, or calorie or macronutrient (carbohydrates, protein, or fat) counting. Additionally, this program isn’t intended for weight loss, although you might drop a few pounds on the plan.

Precautions to Take Before Trying Whole30

A major plus of the Whole30 program is that it isn’t exclusive or limited to one particular group of people.

"While we have hundreds of medical doctors and registered dietitians using our program with their patients and clients, you don’t have to be sick to benefit from the program,” Urban says. “If you want more energy, better sleep, improved digestion, and fewer cravings, the Whole30 is for you.”

The Cleveland Clinic also notes that the eating approach may help reduce generalized pain and fatigue.

But before you dive in, it’s important to check with your doctor, especially if you’re on prescription medication, if you’ve been diagnosed with a medical condition, or if you have a history of an eating disorder, Urban cautions. After all, some individuals require certain nutritional plans, and Whole30, just like any eating approach, isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Common Questions & Answers

What is Whole30?
Whole30 is a 30-day elimination diet that involves avoiding certain foods that, according to the founders, can cause inflammation and cravings, and negatively affect hormones and gut health.
What can you eat on Whole30?
What’s not allowed on Whole30?
Can you eat pickles on Whole30? What about bananas?
Do doctors recommend Whole30?

What You Can Eat on Whole30

Now that you know how this program works and the benefits of a 30-day elimination, what are the basic rules of the program? Let’s start with a food list of what you can eat on Whole30:

  • All vegetables, including potatoes
  • Fruit, including strawberries, watermelon, apples, oranges, and bananas
  • Seafood, such as fish, oysters, shrimp, and mussels
  • Unprocessed meats, including beef, chicken, and pork
  • Nuts and seeds

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