i'm a bit of a creature of habit. i often eat the same thing i did as the day before & if i make 6 chicken breasts, well then i will be having chicken for lunch for the next 6 days & that's a-okay by me. i've been getting a lot of questions via social media (twitter/IG/facebook/email) about the whole 30 & generally speaking i will direct people to their website because it is lovely & answers all of the (somewhat) annoying questions people ask like "it's THIRTY days?" ... "so what CAN i eat?" ... "what do i have to do to start?" ... "so i can't eat chocolate/chips/ice cream/cookies, etc for a whole month?!"
so now i'm here to tell you some of my tricks i've learned after 2 whole 30's & some of my favourite simple things to eat & do to get through the whoooole 30 days ;) ps: it's easier than you think...and if you think 30 days is a long ass time then think again because it's not & also it goes by quicker than you would think.
eating //
i love eating. holy crap i love eating & you know something, i actually eat more & more often when i'm doing the whole 30 challenge. i eat a big(ish) breakfast, a snack before lunch, a good sized lunch, a tea as my afternoon snack (sometimes actual) food, dinner & then usually a little somethin' somethin' after dinner...and sometimes my meals turn into snacking instead as i love snacks & whole 30 snacks especially.
my faves //
+ apple slices & almond butter
+ banana slices & almond butter
+ dipping my finger into...you guessed it...almond butter
i freaking love almond butter! it's tastier & sweeter than peanut butter...& i didn't think there was much i could love more than peanut butter but i do. a lot of people didn't realize almond came as a 'butter' but it does, try it!
banana slices & almond butter is great if you've just woken up & are about to go for a run/exercise because it gives you just the right amount of energy to get you through & doesn't feel heavy while you're working out.
+ lara bars.
i know that i should not count on these beautiful little bars as much as i do but i can't help it. it's the only packaged thing that i can grab on the go & they are so damn good. generally speaking i treat them as a dessert, especially the coconut cream ones because well, they taste like a dessert. make sure you do not grab the peanut butter one as peanuts are not whole30 compliant.
another tip is using certain fruits like raspberries & kiwis as 'dessert' you're sort of tricking your mind into thinking that it is one (because it is!) when not eating them at any other times.
+ make your own trail mix.
make a trail mix of whole 30 approved nuts (no peanuts) pistachios, raisins, dried fruits, etc
[make up small ziploc baggies of these to grab on the go/leave in your purse at all times. getting stuck sucks]
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+ a delicious smoothie.
i usually start my day with one, but they make a great snack too.
breakfast//
+ large glass of water
+ coffee
if you're like me & have your coffee with cream or milk & sugar, i recommend replacing it with almond milk & cinnamon. putting cinnamon into my coffee has been a freaking game changer you guys!!
+ smoothies.
smoothies make the world go 'round as far as i'm concered.
i will use:
water
almond milk
some ice
kale or spinach
a frozen fruit (berries or mango)
1 banana
chia seeds
protein powder or shakeology
almond butter (shocking! but not always)
& i recently just bought a new kitchenaid blender so i blend it all up & now i can make 2 large servings instead of the 1 serving my magic bullet allowed me & mikey can get his morning smoothie in too! everyone wins.
+ eggs.
hard, soft, poached, over easy, sunny side up, scrambled, however you like them. i usually like to throw some salsa on my eggs & sometimes guacamole to get those good avocado fats in!
lunch & dinner//
+ meat...shrimp, lamb, pork, chicken, etc
+ lots of veggies...asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, sweet potato, peppers are some of my favourites. instead of rice or potato which you might normally have, add more veggies!
& if you don't like being wasteful, you will start to come up with crazy, awesome recipes all on your own. you will throw all of your veggies, leftovers, etc into a frying pan or the oven & chances are it's going to be mighty tasty. i've gotten really good at not wasting food during this time because i am frequenting the grocery store more often & am using up what's in my fridge before it goes bad (wahoo! i hate wasting food)
things that are annoying about the whole30
+ you will become besties with the cashiers at the grocery store.
i guess this isn't annoying if they're pleasant but the act of going to the grocery store every 2-3 days for fresh meats, fruit & veg can get a bit annoying. luckily i have one on a route home from work.
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+ i hope you like washing dishes.
if you were to look in the mirror right now, would your dishwasher be staring back at you? ya, me too. if you don't enjoy washing dishes, well i suggest you start making a game of it or something because holy moly there are a shit ton of dishes.
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+ you will get hangry.
+ you will get hangry.
while anyone can get hangry, it is especially annoying because you cannot just grab a muffin or bagel from the coffee shop because yoooou can't eat that shit right now...sometimes that sucks & sometimes you say cruel things that you don't mean to the ones you love...not that i've done this before.
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+ you spend a lot of time on the toilet.
probably not for the reason that you're thinking...no, your poops will be quite regular (thanks to the whole30!) however you will be peeing a lot because you should be drinking a lot of water...or tea...or coffee (no cream, no sugar) because quite frankly those are the only 3 things you can really drink while doing the whole30.
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+ sometimes it's all people want to talk about.
"why are you doing this...what can you eat...you don't need to 'diet'...is this just one of those crazy fads...you're nuts" i've heard it all.
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+sometimes it's all you can talk about.
...both of these things can get annoying.
+ you will probably spend a lot of time on pinterest, whether this is good or bad is up to you.
awesome things about the whole30
+ oh my god i feel awesome. no bloating, no stomach aches, no feeling like shit & wondering why, waking up early with energy, not feeling lethargic, feeling stronger, etc, etc...i could go on forever. seriously.
+ the nice thing about the internet is that there are SO many resources to make your whole30 easy & enjoyable. there are bloggers blogging, foodies making awesome recipes, support groups if you need one, etc...google 'whole30' & i hope you have a few hours.
+ trying new foods & realizing you really like a lot of them.
+ enjoying cooking...which i never really did prior.
+ going out while you're on the whole 30 & everyone else around you is enjoying a drink or 4 & as much as you'd really like to be as well, realizing you don't have to...and that's okay.
side note// also realizing that as much fun as 'going out' is, that you'd absolutely rather be at home/in bed than hanging soberly at a bar past 10 pm. this is also okay...and encouraged, by me...the ultimate sleeper!
& yes the worst part is no drinking...
ps// my birthday is june 13th & incase anyone is looking for ideas, i would really love the paleo recipe cookbook because i'm excited to continue my whole30 journey & have it translate into a paleo diet + wine & the odd beer, because well no one's perfect!
