As you can see from the title, I am in fact crazy enough to do a second whole30. Regular readers will remember that I did one in April/May of 2014 and it was a huge success/challenge. My long standing eczema cleared up, I learned what bloating feels like and what foods to avoid and changed my relationship with food. That last thing sounds strange but if you have never done a whole30 it really does change the way you view eating. Not in a hokey infomercial typo of way but in a remove foods that make you feel worse and focus on foods that make you feel better type of way. I often refer to it as anti-inflammatory way of eating because you feel fantastic by day 14.
If you are reading this and wondering what the whole30 is, click on the tab above that says whole30 for a link to the official site. I am officially a groupie of this process, I saw Melissa From Whole9 speak in December and it was awesome. I even got a book signed.
Below I will address the top 5 questions I get on the topic of whole30.
1. Why do a second whole30?
I don't blame you for wondering why would anyone want to give up Grains, Soy, Dairy, junk food and alcohol for 30 days? Well the short answer is because it feels so goooood!
Outside of how it feels the other reason to do another whole30 is that while I keep an 80/20 paleo diet I have found myself off roading more than usual lately. Perhaps it was the holidays but there always seems to be a piece of chocolate or glass of wine that I want to indulge in. I have had some skin issues return as I include more dairy and sugar in my diet on occasion.
2. If you can't eat Soy, Dairy, Grains or Sugar what do you eat?
The simple answer is lots of veggies with some protein, fruit and nuts. For the more delicious answer see below.
My cooking game has gotten a lot better since eating paleo. I used to be the type of girl to come home from work and quickly make some Annie's Mac and Cheese. Now I find myself exploring cookbooks and cooking all types of deliciousness. I am also dating a guy who is a much better cook than I am who whips up some pretty spectacular meals.
3. How do you deal with not drinking for 30 days?
I live in NYC, this is a challenge. It is probably the most difficult part for me, when I socialize I drink a lot of club soda with olives. I also spend a lot of time at the gym. My gym CFNYC is doing a whole30 challenge this month so I have a built in support network of non drinkers.
4. I want to do a whole30 but I can't give up insert whatever you think will be the hardest (wine, rice, sandwiches), can I still see the benefits?
Eating healthier is a benefit in itself and of course you will feel better but to get the full benefit of healing your gut from inflammation you have to follow it to the letter with no cheats.
5. I workout a lot and aggressively can I do a whole30 what about carbs?
Paleo/whole30 is as high carb or low carb as you want it to be. The difference is that carbs come from veggies and fruit. I eat starchy sweet potatoes, white potatoes, acorn squash, pumpkin and all kinds of fruit. I personally stick to 100g a day but my goals are fat loss not marathon running. If you google it, there are many people who have trained their body to run on fat instead of carbs but it's a personal preference. I crossfit 3-5 times a week and don't feel that grains enhance my performance.
Good luck to all those who are embarking on a whole30 in January. Only 29 days left!
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