Getting Over the Hump

So, Easter is over. No more tempting candy hopefully!  I don’t know why I do that to myself. I guess eating junk is a hard habit to break.  On a good note I cleaned out the fridge and the pantry! I have my own shelf in the pantry at a decent level so I can see it well.  I also have a whole side of the fridge right now, the door I mean, for all my goodies and I can share the shelves and drawers.

We are not completely free of non-paleo items in the home, but we are closer.  I made the Lara Bar recipe that was found and posted by one of our Facebook group members!  They are to die for! I let a few people taste and they agreed on the yumminess.  I froze them before cutting them and I try to keep them frozen as they get all melty and mushy.  Not easy for the person eating in from their hands.

I also have a bit of a negative note!  I tried the Walden Farms Miracle Mayo, which cannot be paleo because it contains corn starch btw, somehow missed that.  It is awful!  Too sweet and chemical like in flavor.  Ate it with tuna.  I put it in the fridge at work just in case but I think I may just try making it, when I can get my hands on macadamia oil.

How is everyone doing on the 21 Day Sugar Detox?

I obviously have fallen of the wagon a few times but I have learned a couple of things about me and my body.

1)      Apparently I am lactose intolerant!  Who knew?  Wonder if this is something I developed post-deployment to Iraq, or if you can get new allergies/intolerance as you age.

2)      I am not as strong-willed as I hoped.  I have like Zero will power. If the junk is here, I will nibble.

3)      Potato chips make me sleepy and sick! So I am not sure what about them made me sick but the fattiness of them made me sleepy…like within 20 mins I could hardly keep my eyes open!

4)      I have the want to treat my body better, I just need to be more mindful of it’s needs.

5)      My husband is willing to try paleo meals as long as I stay away from weirdo things.  I suppose if you have to invent something (paleo-ize) then it may not be worth it.  You never know until you try though J

Well, we have all struggled, some of us broke down before sugar (Hand raising) while others persevered.  Keep up the good work…only 12 days to go!

Whole 9 Legume manifesto

The Legume Manifesto

18 April, 2011

If you’ve read our articles or heard us speak, you know we don’t base our nutritional recommendations primarily on what Paleolithic man may or may not have eaten.  We care about whether the foods we’re eating here today are making us more healthy or less healthy. So the reasons we cite for avoiding legumes, much like our rationale with grains, dairy, and sugar, have far more to do with health than history. (It just so happens that health and history – and our genetics – are inextricably linked.)
Legumes are a botanical family of plants that include dozens of varieties of beans, lentils, garbanzos, peas, and peanuts. Yes, that also includes soybeans, which the multinational agriculture conglomerates have figured out how to grow in (unnatural, unsustainable) monocultures by the megaton – and market them in a pretty effective way to the American public. (An aside: the coffee , cocoa, and vanilla “beans” are not, botanically speaking, legumes, and thus are excluded from this particular discussion.) Legumes are often used as “cover crops” because of their ability to “fix” nitrogen in the soil, improving fertility of the soil for subsequent crops. Historically, they were primarily used as an agricultural tool, not as food. Hmmm.

The Case for the Bean

Owing to their nitrogen content (i.e. protein), legumes are often recommended as a healthy dietary choice, especially for vegetarians. Proponents of legumes cite their dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals, and “high” protein content, and may even reference observational studies that “show” that legumes are healthy. Let’s address the potential benefits of legumes one by one.
First, you might already know that foods other than beans – such as ample amounts of vegetables and fruit – offer us plenty of fiber.  In addition, dietary fiber isn’t as important as you might think, in the context of a healthy diet that is not promoting gut damage.  In summary, eating legumes for fiber is like eating a Mounds bar for the coconut – lots of potential down sides (which we discuss in detail below) for a small potential benefit.
In terms of micronutrient density, legumes come up short when compared to vegetables and fruit. (The lack of nutrient density in beans compared to green leafy vegetables like kale is so glaring that we can rest our “beans are nutritious” case here.)
Finally, we don’t think we need to make a lengthy argument that legumes are an inferior source of protein compared to meat, seafood, and eggs, and that regularly consuming animal protein is your best bet to supply dietary protein (i.e. those amino acids that your body builds into your structural “stuff”).  Just in case… legumes offer an incomplete amino acid profile, meaning that they do not supply all essential amino acids in biologically useful amounts.  In addition, some of the proteins that are technically present in the legumes are poorly digestible, and thus not available for use in your body.

Digging Deeper – The Legume Downside

So legumes aren’t as awesome as the marketing might make you think.  Is that really a good enough reason to ditch them altogether?  Worse than simply being an inferior source of dietary protein and an unnecessary duplication of the dietary fiber supplied by the micronutrient-dense vegetables and fruit we recommend, legumes do have some major downsides – enough that we think you should keep them off your plate.
First, while legumes do contain some protein, they also contain significant amounts of carbohydrate – often several times that of the amount of useable protein. We are certainly not carb-o-phobic, but the amount of carbohydrate you’d take in using legumes as a primary protein source would mean that you were (a) not getting enough (bioavailable) protein in an attempt to limit your carbohydrate intake to a healthy amount, or (b) taking in unhealthfully high amounts of carbohydrate to get as much protein as you need.  (Or, potentially, both.)  And though the carbs found in beans are low glycemic index, your body still has to secrete significant amounts of insulin to manage the relatively large amounts of blood sugar – and with insulin, like many things in your body, a little is good, but lots is… not.
Second, legumes as a general botanical category are toxic if consumed raw. Literally… toxic. The problem is that usual preparation methods of prolonged soaking and rinsing, cooking, sprouting, or fermenting only partially neutralizes those toxic substances, generally referred to as lectins. (There are other harmful substances in legumes, but we’ll stick with lectins for now.)  Lectins are plant proteins that are very resistant to digestion in the stomach and small intestine.  They arrive (and hang out) in the small intestine largely intact, and do some pretty dirty work there.  Lectins such as phytohaemagglutinin create damage to the wall of the small intestine (which increases gut permeability) and causes an imbalance of gut bacteria. P.S. Increased gut permeability is never a good thing.
If your gut integrity is compromised, that means that the immune tissue located in your gut is exposed to large amounts of potentially inflammatory substances, including those lectins. Regular exposure to lectins can promote inflammation in the digestive tract, but also elsewhere in the body (since those little buggers punched holes in your gut and can get virtually everywhere via your bloodstream). Long story short: the fewer intact foreign proteins (including lectins) circulating in your bloodstream, the better. Foreign proteins in your bloodstream cause systemic inflammation. Boooo.

Specific to Soy

A third concern, specific to soybeans and even moreso with processed soy products, is the content of compounds that behave like estrogen (that female sex hormone) in the human body. These compounds, classified as phytoestrogens (or “isoflavones”), bind to and stimulate – or, in some tissues, block – estrogen receptors. And while the overall research on soy products is conflicting and inclusive due to the gender-and tissue-specific effects of phytoestrogens, there are, in our view, some alarming issues related to the consumption of soy  and soy products. In women, phytoestrogens have been linked to longer and more painful menstrual periods. For guys, soy intake decreases sperm count. And studies suggest that children fed soy-based formulas may be at risk for compromised immune systems later in life. So while the research may not be cut and dried, we think you shouldn’t mess with your delicate sex hormone balance at any age, and ingesting phytoestrogens in an unknown “dose” via soy products do just that.
As an aside, edamame (the unprocessed soybean) is not your best choice for everyday consumption, but processed soy products, including soy protein concentrate/isolate and “texturized vegetable protein”, are extra-bad choices for multiple reasons.  In fact, the more processed forms of soybeans, like tofu, are an even more  dense source of the phytoestrogens and other antinutrients than their unprocessed counterparts.  

For Vegetarians

For vegetarians who are morally or ethically opposed to using animal proteins for their amino acid supply, legumes might be a “necessary evil”, since legumes – specifically soy – are some of the densest plant source of protein.  However, understand that from our view, legumes won’t come anywhere close to supplying the right amount and proportion of amino acids for optimal health. (The argument is often made that some groups of people survive while eating legumes, but that doesn’t mean that legumes are your best choice to thrive.) If you’re a strict vegan, your best bet is to practice traditional preparation methods of soaking, rinsing, sprouting, fermenting and prolonged cooking, to partially break down some of those inflammatory lectins, and to rely on more dense sources of protein (less processed soy products like tofu and tempeh) that offer more grams of protein without so many accompanying carbohydrates.

The Wrap-Up

In summary, the claimed benefits of legumes aren’t quite what they’re heralded to be, and there are significant downsides to legume consumption. Yes, there are ways to make them “less bad”, but why work so hard to continue to eat things that in the end still aren’t that healthy?   While prolonged soaking, rinsing, cooking and fermenting legumes neutralizes some of the lectins, we still don’t think that they offer enough in terms of micronutrition (vitamins, minerals, and beneficial phytochemicals) to justify regular consumption. And while the jury may be out on the long-term effects of phytoestrogens, we recommend generally avoiding legumes as part of your healthy, Eat-Good-Food diet.
http://whole9life.com/2011/04/legume-manifesto/

Whole 9 Grain Manifesto

The Grain Manifesto

3 March, 2010

We’re continuing our “manifesto” series (refer back to dairy and peanuts for earlier offerings) with the one topic most likely to spur controversy – grains. Our Whole30 program doesn’t include grains of any kind – no breads, cereals, pasta, rice, not even fake grains like quinoa or gluten-free substitutes. We’re about to tell you why. (Note, we are well aware that this information may run counter to everything you’ve ever been told by your parents, doctors, personal trainers, government agencies and TV advertisements. For that, however, we make no apologies… because all the people who have been selling you Whole Grains for Health all these years have been just. Plain. Wrong. We understand if this makes you kind of angry. It makes us angry too.. but that’s a topic for another post.)

Why We Don’t Eat Grains

A. Grains provoke an inflammatory response in the gut
Lectins are specialized proteins found in many plants and foods, but are found in high concentration in grains (particularly wheat), legumes (particularly soy), and dairy. The most commonly referenced grain lectin is called “gluten”, but there are many others which are found even in pseudo-grains like quinoa. Lectins serve many biological functions in animals, but foods with high concentrations of lectins are harmful even if consumed in moderate amounts.
Lectins are hardy proteins that do not break down easily, and are resistant to stomach acid and digestive enzymes. They migrate through your digestive tract largely intact, and disrupt the intestinal membrane, damaging cells and initiating a cascade of events leading to eventual cell death. (Translation: lectins destroy the cells that line your intestines, leading to small “microperforations” or tiny holes in your intestinal lining.) These holes allow intact or nearly intact proteins, bacteria and other foreign substances to cross into the bloodstream – where they do not belong. As the immune system notices foreign substances in the body, it responds and attacks. The immune response can manifest in an unlimited number of conditions (not just in the digestive tract!) commonly referred to as “auto-immune” in nature.
It’s important to note that these cautions are not just critical for those with a diagnosed Celiac condition. These negative downstream effects happen to everyone who eats grains, to various degrees.
B. Grains spike insulin levels
Grains pack a whopping amount of carbohydrates in a very small package. As most grains are also heavily processed (yes, even whole grains) they are broken down into blood sugar (glucose) in your body very quickly. A high amount of ingested carbohydrate broken down very fast leads to a spike in blood sugar. The body, demanding homeostasis, then releases a massive dose of a hormone called insulin to pull blood sugar levels back down. This is often referred to as an “insulin spike”.
When too much blood sugar is present in the system, your body quickly runs out of places to store it as useful energy, and will store any excess as body fat. In addition, when too much insulin is present in the system, the cells in your body become desensitized to the hormonal “message” insulin is trying to send. Since the message isn’t getting through, your pancreas is prompted to release even more insulin when your body doesn’t need it. Finally, chronically high insulin levels lead to a condition in which your body has trouble releasing the energy already stored in your cells. This is a bad place to be. If (via a diet high in carbohydrates) this pattern continues, insulin levels continue to rise, fat stores continue to grow and the body becomes completely incapable of responding to its own directions.
C. Grains have an acidifying effect on the body
A net acid-producing diet promotes bone de-mineralization (i.e. osteopenia and osteoporosis), and systemic inflammation. Grains are one of the highest acid-producing food groups. By replacing grains and grain-containing processed foods with plenty of green vegetables and fruits, the body comes back into acid/base balance (and a more positive calcium balance). Recent research out of Tufts University has also shown that a more alkaline diet preserves muscle mass. We like muscle mass.
D. Grains are “empty calories”

All grains – things like oatmeal, pasta, breads and cereals – have two things in common. They are calorically dense, and nutritionally meager. A small portion of grains packs a whopping amount of calories, almost all in the form of carbohydrates. All those calories, however, contain a miserly amount of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (also called phytochemicals). Compare the calories, carbohydrates and vitamin profile of two large slices of whole grain bread (100 grams) to one cup of chopped, cooked broccoli (184 grams – nearly twice the mass). (Nutritional stats from NutritionData.com)
Note that we’re not saying there is nothing good to be found in grains. They do contain vitamins and minerals in various proportions and amounts. But the serious down sides of grains far outweigh any potential health benefits. Bottom line – there is NOTHING found in grains that you can’t get from a better source with NO down sides (like vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds).

http://whole9life.com/2010/03/the-grain-manifesto/

Day 3 of detox!

How is everyone doing? Almost done with our first week!

I have a confession to make! I slipped! It was only a hot chocolate and animal cookies but you would have thought I ate a bakery, the way I am getting mad at myself! Rather than starting over I am just going to take this as a lesson and move forward!

I am sure I am not the only one but I feel like I let us all down! Support me as I move on to day 4!

Cheating!

On our facebook group page there were some questions about cheating while eating Paleo.  Some people wanting to know how to do it “right”.  I am going to address those questions via this blog post.

Ok so let me get something out there.  I am not an expert.  I am a newbie just like all or most of you.  I did some research on the subject and found that some say to cheat others say not to.  It all comes down to you and what you want to do.

If you must cheat, do it wisely.  On the Being Primal page (http://www.beingprimal.com/4-ways-to-increase-your-confidence-to-fast-track-your-paleo-results ) Dean cheats 2-3 days a week.  Nothing more, nothing less.  But the way he does it is probably why he does so well. 

He starts by picking 2-3 days in the week and always cheats on those days.  The trick is that one day is 48 hours from the second and the 3^rd day is 72 hours from that day.  So, for example:  Cheat day #1 Mondays, Cheat day #2 Wednesdays, and Cheat day #3 Saturday.  He uses these days of the week and has a rule to cheat only on these days.  I believe he is following the 80/20 rule.  80% of the time he eats paleo and 20% he cheats, or eats un-paleo foods.  I think this may mean that if you cheat, it is not an all-day long cheat fest.  This means one meal or one snack each day of cheating.

Now if you are going to cheat, what will it be?

Fruit-Enjoy a fruit you normally don’t eat much of

VegeOut!

Dark Chocolate 70% Cocoa or Darker!

PaleoGoGo app shows food at Restaurants that are Paleo-ish, meaning they aren’t as bad, maybe use one of those as a cheat meal if you go out.

Try not to eat gluten as the damage lasts for weeks!

Go for QUALITY! That piece of candy sounds good but there is nothing in it!  Why not eat something worth your cheating!

A lot of websites say that cheating is bad.  I personally think that maybe it throws you off that plateau.  No way to tell unless you try.  Plus some may find it helps while for another it is the Antichrist!  Everyone is different.

Try to keep a food log.  I am thinking about doing one.  You put what you ate, how it made you feel etc.  That way you know if that thing you cheat with makes you feel miserable for days!

Hope this helps!                                                                                                                                     

Meet the Meat, Fat is okay!

So far while flipping through multiple blogs/websites I have seen a couple variations on what paleo groupies like ourselves should eat for meat.  Should we go clean and lean or eat full-flavored and fatty?

I guess when it comes down to it, Mr. Caveman didn't have much of a choice.  It was either eat that fatty hunk of goodness or waste time, energy, and insulation on the body by removing this yellow adipose tissue.
I personally know from watching many a Food Network show that fatty meat tastes better.  I suppose that eating some fat in your meat also picks up the lack of fat you get if you aren't eating enough guac, oils, or ghee.

Plus I hear that the grey matter in that noggin of yours thrives on it!  Think about this for a minute, forget for just a second that dairy is a mini spawn of Satan.  Pretend that giving your baby milk is nutritious and not at all harmful.  What kind of milk do we give our children once they are old enough to cow's milk?  Full fat, Vitamin D!  Why?  Because the brain needs fat!  So could it be that some of that fat could help with our brain processes.  I think so.

So, whether you go lean or not is your choice.  I think this just affects us Bacon Lovers :)

What types of meat should the modern-day cave dweller eat?

Lean beef (trimmed of visible fat), Flank, steak, Top sirloin steak, Extra-lean hamburger (no more than 7% fat, extra fat drained off), London broil, Chuck steak, Lean veal, Lean pork (trimmed of visible fat), Pork loin Pork chops, Any other lean cut Lean poultry - preferably free range, grass fed, organic meats; white meat preferred, remove skin Chicken breast, Turkey breast Other meats Any wild game meat Fish Bass, Bluefish, Cod, Drum, Eel, Flatfish, Grouper, Haddock, Halibut, Herring, Mackerel, Monkfish, Mullet, Northern pike, Orange Roughy, Perch, Red snapper, Rockfish, Salmon, Scrod, Shark, Striped bass, Sunfish, Tilapia, Trout, Tuna, Turbot, Walleye, Any other commercially available fish Shellfish Abalone, Clams, Crab, Crayfish, Lobster, Mussels, Oysters, Scallops, Shrimp Eggs and dairy alternatives Chicken eggs (go for the enriched omega 3 variety), Duck eggs, Goose eggs, Coconut milk I believe I read somewhere to limit intake on Tuna because of mercury levels.  I also heard to limit eggs for a few a week.  As I am not a doctor, I wouldn't know how accurate that is.  The diet "rules" in the SAD change often and no one ever knows what to say about egg consumption and cholesterol.  I read somewhere that our Bedrock brothers and sisters had to go savaging for eggs.  If they really couldn't get much because of protective mamas then maybe we should reduce our intake. What are your thoughts on meat? I haven't tried organ meats.  To be honest I am afraid of them.  At Thanksgiving my husband gets the innards, The muscular consistency of the heart totally grosses me out.  The idea of what organs like kidneys and liver do in the body just totally turns me off. I am a big seafood person!  There is just so much variety. I hear that canned meats, hot dogs, and just about every other nasty sounding processed food is off the list of indulge ables.  Oh well, darn! No mystery meat for me!  Aw shucks! Take advantage of your local farms and meat markets.  They usually have a better selection at better prices as compared to the conventional grocer. Should I eat Organic Meat? That is totally up to you.  What makes Paleo expensive is the quality foods that are only kissed by the sun instead of poison and hormones.  If you absolutely cannot afford to go free-range, organic, and whatnot, have no fear.  We will not throw you out of the cave!  We will not even use you as saber-tooth bait! Just do what you can.  Eating better even if it is not organic is still wayyyy better than eating processed, is it not? Well this concludes my meat manifesto!  Remember the meat food list is not complete, feel free to eat wild like gator! Nom Nom!

Whole 30 Challenge

This morning I thought it best to get the information about this challenge straight from the horse's mouth from the website Whole 9 Life.com. Their link is http://whole9life.com/2012/01/whole-30-v2012/
Enjoy!

Once we are all on the same page about Paleo I will propose a challenge event on my Facebook group, link to come later I you aren't already a part of this group!


Since April 2009, tens of thousands of people have successfully completed our Whole30 program, with amazing results. Today, we’re rolling out a fresh Whole30 start for January 1, 2012.

 

What is the Whole30™?
Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat – even the “healthy” stuff. So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you?

Strip them from your diet completely. Cut out all the inflammatory, gut-disrupting, calorie-dense but nutritionally sparse food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing. Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making. Learn once and for all how the foods you’ve been eating are actually affecting your day to day life, and your long term health. The most important reason to keep reading?

This will change your life.

We cannot possibly put enough emphasis on this simple fact – the next 30 days will change your life. It will change the way you think about food, it will change your tastes, it will change your habits and your cravings. It could, quite possibly, change the emotional relationship you have with food, and with your body. It has the potential to change the way you eat for the rest of your life. We know this because we did it, and tens of thousands of people have done it since, and it changed our lives (and their lives) in a very permanent fashion. (Need convincing? Just read some of our stunning testimonials.)

Our Whole30 program, as outlined.
Eat real food – meat, seafood, eggs, tons of vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts and seeds. Eat foods with very few ingredients, all pronounceable ingredients, or better yet, no ingredients listed at all because they’re totally natural and unprocessed. Don’t worry… these guidelines are outlined in extensive detail in our Shopping Guide.

More importantly, here’s what NOT to eat during the duration of your Whole30 program. Omitting all of these foods and beverages will help you regain your healthy metabolism, reduce systemic inflammation, and help you discover how these foods are truly impacting your health, fitness and quality of life.

Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc. Read your labels (and your Success Guide FAQ), because companies sneak sugar into products in ways you might not recognize.
Do not consume alcohol, in any form, not even for cooking. (And it should go without saying, but no tobacco products of any sort, either.)
Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, amaranth, buckwheat, sprouted grains and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa. Yes, we said corn… for the purposes of this program, corn is a grain! This also includes all the ways we add wheat, corn and rice into our foods in the form of bran, germ, starch and so on. Again, read your labels.
Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (black, red, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, etc.), peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. No peanut butter, either. This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin).
Do not eat dairy. This includes cow, goat or sheep’s milk products such as cream, cheese (hard or soft), kefir, yogurt (even Greek), and sour cream… with the exception of clarified butter or ghee. (See below for details.)
Do not eat white potatoes. This is somewhat arbitrary, but if we are trying to change your habits and improve the hormonal impact of your food choices, it’s best to leave white, red, purple, Yukon gold and fingerling potatoes off your plate. (Refer to your Success Guide FAQ for details).
In addition, no Paleo-ifying dessert or junk food choices!  We call this “Sex With Your Pants On” (SWYPO), and it will ruin your Whole30 faster than you can say, “Paleo pizza.”  Do not try to shove your old, unhealthy diet into a shiny new Whole30 mold. This means no “Paleo-fying” desserts or junk food – no Paleo pancakes, pizza, brownies or ice cream. Trying to replicate junk food with “technically approved” ingredients misses the point of the Whole30 entirely.

One last and final rule. You are not allowed to step on the scale or take any body measurements for the duration of the program. This is about so much more than just weight loss, and to focus on your body composition means you’ll miss out on the most dramatic and lifelong benefits this plan has to offer. So, no weighing yourself, analyzing body fat or taking comparative measurements during your Whole30. (We do encourage you to weigh yourself before and after, however, so you can see one of the more tangible results of your efforts when your program is over.)

The Fine Print
A few concessions, based on our experience, and those of our clients. These foods are exceptions to the rule, and are allowed during your Whole30. Including these foods as part of your varied healthy eating plan should not negatively impact the results of your Whole30 program.

Clarified Butter or Ghee. Clarified butter or ghee is the only source of dairy allowed during your Whole30. Plain old butter is NOT allowed, as the milk proteins found in non-clarified butter could impact the results of your program. Refer to our Butter Manifesto for more details on the milk proteins found in butter, purchasing high quality butter, and how to clarify it yourself.
Fruit juice as a sweetener. Some products will use orange or apple juice as a sweetener. We have to draw the line somewhere, so we’re okay with a small amount of fruit juice as an added ingredient during your Whole30… but this doesn’t mean a cup of fruit juice is a healthy choice! Refer to your Shopping Guide for clarification.
Certain legumes. We’re fine with green beans, sugar snap peas and snow peas. While they’re technically a legume, these are far more “pod” than “bean”, and green plant matter is generally good for you. (Refer to your Success Guide FAQ for details.)
Vinegar. Most forms of vinegar, including white, balsamic, apple cider, red wine, and rice, are allowed during your Whole30 program. The only exceptions are vinegars with added sugar, or malt vinegar, which generally contains gluten.
Processed foods. Minimally processed foods like canned coconut milk, applesauce, tomato sauce, chicken broth or canned olives are all acceptable on the Whole30 – but avoid anything with carageenan, MSG or sulfites. We’ve singled these three additives/preservatives out because they all have potentially nasty side effects – and you can easily find processed foods without them.
Ready to start?
Now that you have the basic plan, you need to know how to implement it. It’s simple, actually. Start now. Today. This minute. Count out thirty days on your calendar. Plan out a week’s worth of meals, using the Resources we’ve given you here. Take our Shopping Guide to your local health food store, farmer’s market or grocer and stock up on things you’ll be eating. And then… go. Cold turkey. Just start, using our MealSimple™ template to take all the guesswork out of meal planning. But don’t put this off, not for one more day. If you give yourself excuses or reasons to delay, you may never begin. Do it now.

Your only job for the next 30 days is to focus on making good food choices. You don’t need to weigh or measure, you don’t need to count calories, you don’t need to stress about organic, grass-fed, pastured or free range. Just figure out how to stick to the Whole30 in any setting, around every special circumstance, under any amount of stress… for the next 30 days. Your only job? Eat. Good. Food.

The only way this will work is if you give it the full thirty days, no cheats, slips or “special occasions.” This isn’t Whole9 playing the tough guy. This is a FACT, born of education and experience. You need such a small amount of any of these inflammatory foods to break the healing cycle – one bite of pizza, one splash of milk in your coffee, one lick of the spoon mixing the batter within the 30 day period and you’ve broken the “reset” button. You must commit to the full program, exactly as written. Anything less and we make no claims as to your results, or the chances of your success. Anything less and you are selling yourself – and your potential results – short.

It’s only 30 days.

Here’s what you can expect.
The first week or two will be tough, as your body heals and adjusts to this new way of eating and your brain wraps itself around going without all those sweet tastes and sugar-driven energy spikes. And while you may start to feel better after a week or two… the healing process takes significantly longer. In addition, the mental addiction and emotional connections to sugary foods, large amounts of carbohydrates and over-the-top, chemically-altered flavors is going to take a lot longer to overcome.

Stick with it, and be patient with yourself. You cannot reasonably expect to completely reverse decades of poor eating habits in just 30 days. The good news, however, is that improvements are front-loaded, and you will start to see significant benefits within the month.

At some point, we promise you… the magic will happen. You’ll go to sleep easier, and sleep more soundly through the night. Your energy levels will increase and stabilize, and you’ll feel just as good first thing in the morning as you do at the peak of your day. Your body composition will start to change – your clothes will fit differently, and you’ll feel less bloated at the end of your day. Your performance, whether it be in the gym, while playing sports or during a hike, will improve. Your recovery after exercise, a game or a hard day’s work will feel easier and more complete. Conditions, ailments, aches and pains will miraculously start to improve. And through all of it, you’ll be eating delicious, fresh, natural, real food… food that tastes good, and is physically satiating and mentally satisfying.

Refer to our Success Guide FAQ for more details about what to expect, or if you find yourself in a rough patch during your Whole30.

It’s for your own good.
Here comes the tough love. This is for those of you who are considering taking on this life-changing month, but aren’t sure you can actually pull it off, cheat free, for a full 30 days. This is for the people who have tried this before, but who “slipped” or “fell off the wagon” or “just HAD to eat (fill in food here) because of this (fill in event here).” This is for you.

It is not hard. Don’t you dare tell us this is hard. Quitting heroin is hard. Beating cancer is hard. Drinking your coffee black. Is. Not. Hard. You won’t get any coddling, and you won’t get any sympathy for your “struggles”. YOU HAVE NO EXCUSE not to complete the program as written. It’s only thirty days, and it’s for the most important health cause on earth – the only physical body you will ever have in this lifetime.

Don’t even consider the possibility of a “slip”. Unless you physically tripped and your face landed in a box of doughnuts, there is no “slip”. You make a choice to eat something unhealthy. It is always a choice, so do not phrase it as if you had an accident. Commit to the program 100% for the full 30 days. Don’t give yourself an excuse to fail before you’ve even started.

You never, ever, ever HAVE to eat anything you don’t want to eat. You’re all big boys and girls. Toughen up. Learn to say no (or make your Mom proud and say, “No, thank you”). Learn to stick up for yourself. Just because it’s your sister’s birthday, or your best friend’s wedding, or your company picnic does not mean you have to eat anything. It’s always a choice, and we would hope that you stopped succumbing to peer pressure in 7th grade.

This does require a bit of effort. If you’re cutting out grains, legumes and dairy for the first time, you have to replace those calories with something. You have to make sure you’re eating enough, that your nutrients are plentiful, that you’re getting enough protein, fat and carbohydrates. You’ll have to figure out what to eat for lunch, how to order at a restaurant and how often you’ll need to grocery shop. We’ve given you all the tools, guidelines and resources you’ll need in this Success Guide, but take responsibility for your own plan. Improved health and fitness doesn’t happen automatically just because you’re now taking a pass on bread.

In conclusion…
We want you to participate. We want you to take this seriously, and see amazing results in unexpected areas. Even if you don’t believe this will actually change your life, if you’re willing to give it 30 short days, do it. It is that important. We believe in it that much. It changed our lives, and we want it to change yours too.

There are plenty of “nutrition challenges” and 30 day plans out there – things that sound a lot like the Whole30, that promise you’ll lose weight, have more energy, feel better. They give you more of what you want – arbitrary points for eating junk food, or an exercise penance for cheating, or acceptable alcohol choices “if you must drink”.

But here at Whole9, we’ve built our entire business around telling you what you need, not what you want. We will not pander to you here. We will tell you what we know to be true, based on literally thousands of testimonials and consulting clients’ real results. Programs that offer built-in cheats or rationalizations for less than healthy food choices simply do not work long-term. They don’t help you reach optimal health, they don’t teach you anything about how the foods you are eating are affecting you, and they don’t help you change your habits, patterns and behaviors in the long run. The Whole30 program has been in motion for almost three years, with participants all across the world – and has measurable, real-life, sustainable results to back up our claims.

Welcome aboard.

 

 

Questions?
While most folks can follow the program exactly as outlined here with spectacular results, you’ve got two options if you need a little more help with your Whole30, or simply want to maximize your results.

Purchase our expanded and revised 85-page Whole30 Success Guide, which includes (in part) a detailed Shopping Guide, our MealSimple™ meal planning template, an extensive FAQ, over 40 delicious Whole30-approved recipes and a guide to help you manage the first few days after your Whole30.
Read (for free) old Whole30 comments (as posted in our new Whole30 Archive), where we practically guarantee we’ve answered all your questions ten times over. “How much should I eat?” “How much fruit is too much?” “Are headaches in the first few days normal?” All this and then some can be found in the almost 5,000 comments on the Whole30 Versions 3.11, 3.0, 2.0 and original Whole30 post.
 

 

To download the Whole30 Version 5.12
Click here for a printable copy of the Whole30 Version 5.12 program, exactly as written above.

 

 

To download the Whole30 Version 5.0 en Español
NEW! Click here for a printable copy of the Whole30 Version 5.0 program in Spanish!

 

Looking for our official list of Whole30 Approved foods?
NEW! Click here for a current list of Whole30 Approved snacks and other on-the-go foods.

 

 

Join our Whole30 discussion on Facebook
Join the current Whole30 discussion on our Whole30 Facebook page: http://facebook.com/whole30. Whole30 participants are sharing recipes, offering their best tips and tricks, providing motivation and support and holding each other accountable, so become a “fan” of The Whole30 page today.