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What is Whole30®?

Lori T

Updated: Sep 1, 2022

Whole30® the Elimination Diet


The rules of Whole30® and why you should consider doing it.


Whole30® is becoming a popular eating lifestyle change that people, like me, continue to follow the rules of it beyond the 30 days. It was created by co-founder Melissa Urban in 2009 when she blogged about a 30-day experiment that transformed her health. This diet is an elimination diet that you do for 30 days and then slowly reintroduce items one at a time in order to see what you may be sensitive to eating. Essentially, it is a whole foods diet where you eat meat, vegetables and fruit (they recently added a new plant based version of the program). So, let's get into this.




The Whole30® Program Rules


The Whole30® program has two Phases: 30 days of elimination, and 10 days of reintroduction. For 30 days, you will eat meats, seafood, eggs, a lot of vegetables and fruit, and natural fats. You can find more information about the program by going to The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom


What can I eat?


  • Meat. All red meats are allowed except pre-marinated with sugar added. You need to read the label.

  • Poultry. So. Much. Chicken

  • Pork or Bacon. As long as there is no sugar added or sulfites

  • Fish. You can even eat the canned stuff.

  • Veggies. Your options are limitless.

  • Fruits. All fruits are allowed

  • Fats. Natural fats - (my favorite Avocados)

What is not allowed?

  • No sugar or natural or artificial sweeteners. Nope, not even honey or monk fruit.

  • No booze. Unless you’re talking about the trace amount of alcohol in kombucha or extracts

  • No smoking. Any kind of smoke

  • No grains.

  • No beans or legumes. No chickpeas, no peanut butter.

  • No soy.

  • No dairy.

  • No corn.

  • No gluten

  • No processed additives. Carrageenan, sulfites

  • No fake treats, even with Whole30®-approved ingredients. Sorry, cauliflower crust pizza and paleo pancakes, you’re off-limits. This rule is all about building a healthier relationship with your food, and we think it actually works.

This sounds impossible!

Whole30® can be challenging if you are not used to preparing all of your meals at home. There are a few services that offer keto and paleo menus but, none that do Whole30®, yet. However, I found that it was easier to prepare meals because I made simple recipes. I created my own spice blends (hence this brand) to season my meats and vegetables to make wonderfully flavored meals that did not ever make me feel like I was giving something up. Giving up sugar was a challenge the first few days as I went through a withdrawal. Once that was over, it was not difficult to make better eating decisions. There are also many companies that are creating sauces, dressings and different condiments that are Whole30 Approved®. I found that on day 29, I was asking myself why I would not continue eating this way as I was feeling better, sleeping better, and was starting to lose weight. I have basically moved more into a Paleo type of diet and follow Whole30® about 95% of the time. My spice blends are all created for the Whole30® lifestyle and because they are, they are also Keto and Paleo. It does not matter which of these you pick to follow, they all have health benefits. I hope that you find this information helpful and you can always go the the Whole30® site for more information. I am providing a link below.




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