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By Mariam Nihal
The Whole 30 Program is a great way to kick-start this year. It is not essentially a ‘diet program’ but it is a lifestyle and hence referred to as a diet you can incorporate in your lives. As the name suggests, it goes on for a month and what it fundamentally does is it takes away what you can do without and suggests a diet that is easy to follow even after completing 30 days. The program aims to stabilize and boost energy levels cutting out extra fat and unhealthy habits. So you can eat seafood, eggs, meat, vegetables, some fruit, and plenty of good fats from fruits, oils, nuts and seeds. It recommends you eat foods with very few ingredients or no ingredients at all because they’re unprocessed. More importantly, know what not to eat.
Avoiding all of these will help metabolism, reduce systemic inflammation, and help you discover how these foods are truly impacting your health, fitness and quality of life.
No sugar of any kind, real or artificial. 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. No dairy unless its clarified butter or ghee. No legumes including beans of all kinds including white, kidney, lima, fava, peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. No peanut butter, either. No soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods.
During the whole process, you are advised to stay away from the scale and refrain from analyzing your body weight and measurements. It works only if you stick to it. One slip and they say you need to go back to day one. So not even one spoon of sugar or a dash of milk to your coffee. It won’t work with any exceptions. The program does require you to be strong willed, focused and plan in advance. Make sure you plan your meals, grocery shopping and dining out options in advance.
For in-depth information about the program and nutritional recommendations, refer to the New York Times bestselling book, It Starts With Food.
