What is the Whole30?

In a previous post I mentioned I would be doing the Whole30 and you were probably life whaaaaaaaaattttt?

So here's the basics:

That's right my friends. For 30 days I will not consume any sugar of any kind (probably the hardest part! Ahhh!), grains, legumes, dairy, or alcohol.

You're probably like "WHAT'S LEFT!?" I know, I know, but think about it: we've got all meats,seafood and eggs, all fruits, all vegetables, nuts and seeds. Basically this will be thirty days of clean, clean eating.

So, why do they ask you to take these specific foods out of your diet? Commonly these are highly inflammatory foods. Meaning, they tend to reek havoc on your digestive system, and without actually being diagnosed with lactose intolerance or celiac disease, we have no idea what they're doing to our bodies. NO I'm not saying that we should all be gluten and dairy free, and either is the Whole30, since foods with gluten and dairy have great nutritional value, all of these goods just generally cause body issues that we don't notice because they are either slightly minor, or we have been living with them so long that we categorize them as normal. It's only by taking these foods out of our system that we find how they effect our bodies. For more information visit: here, here, here, here, and here.

What am I doing the Whole30?

1. I want to change my relationship with food
One of the main things they mention about the Whole30 is that it will change the way you think about food. Right now, I doing feel that I am very mindful with what I eat. I try not to eat more than three times a day, I try to avoid foods that are bad for me, but beyond that, I don't give it much thought. I want to think about how my food fuels my body, why I'm eating when I'm eating, why I'm eating what I'm eating and change my relationship from something that I either find myself over-indulging in, or eating in resentment (because it's healthy, but I would rather something tastier), to focusing on what the foods can do for me.

2. I want to kill my sugar addiction
Sugar is in everything and I find that sugary foods, when I'm not being mindful, can become kind of compulsive to eat. If I don't really think about what I'm eating I can sometimes find that I'll automatically reach out for that sugary treat at work or after dinner without a thought and regret it later.

3. I love a good challenge
I never played any sports when I was a kid but I have found that I do have a competitive side so I like to compete with myself and see if I can show everyone what I can do.

So Monday February 15th this thing is on my friends. There is a day-by-day guide in the book that I will be following and writing posts based on how I feel compared with how they told me I would so stay tuned for that, and maybe some whining, or even some mental breakthroughs.

From the desk of:

Taylor Brown
Whole30 Participant