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Eat Real FOOD...but can you do the 30 day start?
Reviewed in the United States on 3 September 2018
The rules for the Whole30 are a low starch/sugar 30 day "cleanse" to get you reset and onto healthy foods that are not inflammatory like grains and will help you maintain your weight.
The rules are as follows: I'm putting them here so you can decide right off if you can do this or not:
Do not consume added sugar, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar,
date syrup, stevia, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, etc. NO SWEETENERS INCLUDING HIDDEN SUGARS (my emphasis)
Do not consume alcohol, in any form, not even for cooking.
Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur,
sorghum, sprouted grains, and all gluten-free pseudo-cereals like quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat.
NO HIDDEN GRAINS OR GRAINS OR PSEUDO GRAINS
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).
NO BEANS AND NO PRODUCTS DERIVED FROM BEANS
Do not eat dairy. This includes cow, goat, or sheep’s milk products like milk, cream, cheese, kefir,
yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, or frozen yogurt.
Do not consume carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites. If these ingredients appear in any form on the label of
your processed food or beverage, it’s out for the Whole30. (A lot of processed foods have these)
Do not consume baked goods, junk foods, or treats with “approved” ingredients. Recreating
or buying sweets, treats, and foods-with-no-brakes (even if the ingredients are technically
compliant) is totally missing the point of the Whole30, and will compromise your life-changing
results. These are the same foods that got you into health-trouble in the first place—and a pancake is
still a pancake, even if it is made with coconut flour. (Only eat things in this book)
Some specific foods that fall under this rule include: pancakes, waffles, bread, tortillas, biscuits,
muffins, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, pizza crust, cereal, or ice cream. No commercially-prepared
chips (potato, tortilla, plantain, etc.) or French fries either.
Bottom Line: ONLY foods listed in this book for 30 days, no prepared foods and no fast food or restaurant food.
This is difficult. There are food services that send you "whole30" ingredients to cook, if you find shopping difficult and planning worse, that could work for you.
Bottom line: this is VERY tough. Can it be done? Sure. But be certain you know what the first 30 days entail before you set yourself up for frustration and failure.
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