The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom

Hi, my name is Meg and I'm a chronic failure when it comes to dieting. (hi, meg!) The absolute BEST thing about Whole30 is that it simply is not a diet. I first stumbled upon Whole30 after two different friends--from two different friend circles--discussed this 30 day "plan" they were completing. As one girl whined and moaned about not being able to chew gum, I naturally took that as a challenge and thought: I'll do this Whole30 and not be such a baby about it. I read the Whole30 blog, I used Instagram as a means to gather additional recipes and helpful hints, and ten days later, I began day one. Surprisingly, I found it to be the BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED to my little round self. I gained confidence, learned that I do have the ability to say "no" to food cravings, discovered a myriad of new recipes, cured all of my PCOS symptoms (regular menstrual cycles for the first time in ten years and no cysts), and as a bonus, dropped 2 pants sizes. As a child, I was in and out of the hospital with stomach pains and problems (I'll spare all the details) and after following Melissa & Dallas' Whole30, I ate sans stomach aches for the first time EVER. Truly, I did not know that was possible. For my entire life eating a meal meant some level of pain/discomfort while my food digested. Not anymore! Also, chronic migraines: gone! Whole30 can be a challenge, but it isn't hard. It's worth it. About this book: LAWD, HAVE MERCY! It's beautiful. I'm leaving it on my coffee table forever. (Confession: I did, in fact, walk back and forth from my kitchen to my coffee table while I cooked tonight because I didn't want to risk getting food on the new pages. It's brand new and I'm in love, okay?) It presents all information necessary to complete Whole30, informs one about all rules, discusses the importance of following the rules, and provides a plethora of recipes and resources. (They went above and beyond here, people.) The photography is amazing. The typography is stunning. The recipes are delicious. And, may I say again that the book is just so incredibly BEAUTIFUL? From one wonder woman to another wonder (wo)man, you must buy the book. Give Whole30 a try. (If all else fails, you'll have a stunning book on display to let all your guests see how "healthy" you are.) But really, Whole30. Just do it. (Also, I'd love to answer any additional questions you may have regarding this book or the purchase of this book. instagram: @roemeg)

Whole30 review, y'all, for anyone interested. It's long. If not interested, just move along. Nothing for you here. I completed my own vegetarian version of Whole30 yesterday. 30 days. I am having a glass of wine right now. Here is what happened, and here is what I learned. Reason for doing Whole30: Trying to be healthier. Would be nice to lose weight, but goal is to feel healthier and more energetic. Modifications: My own vegetarian mods. Real Whole30 wants you to eat a lot of meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and animal fat, but no dairy (except ghee). I did not eat meat or chicken. Ate more fish than I have eaten for a long time, especially salmon and water-packed solid albacore from the Door to Door Organics - Colorado. Would eat a whole can for lunch. Substituted olive oil for the animals fats Whole30 seems to like so much. I did just order some pasture-raised ghee from Amazon. I did include Greek yogurt (2%), eggs (and LOTS of egg whites), legumes (mostly cooked myself), extra firm tofu, and edamame. These are modifications for vegetarians suggested by Whole30, but they still prefer vegetarians switch to meat for the duration and don't do yogurt, legumes, or soy. Oh, well. Worked for me. I am not convinced that lots and lots of animal fat is good for you. I did not count calories, and I was never hungry. If I got hungry, I ate something. I learned to recognize the feeling of being satisfied. The diet is relatively high in healthy fats (ate a lot of avocados, olive oil, almond butter and almonds). Feel healthier?: Absolutely. No doubt about it. Much more stamina when walking and biking--climbed Mt. Elbert and Boulder 1/2 marathon is in a month--just speed-walked 11 miles in training for that. Began yoga and continuing daily planks. Still need to work on upper body strength. Sleeping much better. Post-nasal drip still there, but controlled with herbal meds. Probably has nothing to do with diet. Lose weight?: 7 pounds. Not nearly as much as I would have liked in 4 weeks. Sad considering all the changes I made. Clothing seems more than 7 pounds looser. You aren't supposed to weigh yourself for the 30 days, and at the end of 30 days, I was expecting a lower number. frown emoticon Cravings: Totally lost cravings for my big three "no brakes" foods: "healthy carbs" (like whole wheat bread, whole grain cereal, granola), cheese, and sweets. Like a lot of people who give up sugar, things like carrots and LaCroix water taste really sweet to me now. I go through those little packs of baby multicolored carrots really fast. Hank and Maya help. No gluten, of course. I know I'm not allergic to gluten and it isn't a health problem for me, but it's entirely possible it induces cravings. I am not planning to reintroduce these deliberately, but will eat them if the occasion arises (followed by 2 days of Whole30 plan to see what happens). You learn really quickly what your cravings are. Almond butter is allowed on the diet, but if you find yourself hoovering almond butter out of the jar, that is craving to be aware of. SWAPO: "Sex with your pants on." This is what Whole30 calls pseudo-desserts and treats that are made with Whole30-compliant ingredients but resemble cookies, candy, etc. They are forbidden on Whole30 because they keep you looking at treats as rewards. (Think paleo cookies or Chocolate Covered Katie--and I love her recipes!.) I mostly did not eat SWAPO food with the exception of a banana-eggwhite concoction I made a lot for breakfast and Chocolate Covered Katie's Seedy Protein Balls. I also made Capello's delicious almond flour pasta, which is considered SWAPO. Also took Larabars hiking Mt. Elbert. None of these made me want to run out and eat a pan of brownies. I am looking to introducing a few more of Katie's SWAPO foods with moderation, now that the 30 days is over. Wine: Didn't really crave it, but missed it, especially if Steve was drinking it and praising its glories. The problem with wine is that 2+ glasses awakens the "sugar and carb demon" and dissolves inhibitions and willpower. Sticking to 8 glasses/week and no more than 2 glasses a day. Counting glasses on Livestrong! Focusing on quality rather than quantity. Get the expensive stuff. Water: Plan to continue to drink more water instead of wine and/or coffee. I have also come to love kombucha and it seems to curb appetite. I have found that I don't miss wine if I have a glass of LaCroix mineral water (especially the pineapple strawberry flavor). Just want something in a glass. If you are interested in doing Whole30, get the book (and read it) and subscribe to Whole30 Daily on the website. The recipes are excellent! These people are totalitarian. If you cheat during the 30 days, you have to start over. If you want to modify (like my vegetarian mods), set it up at the beginning and don't cheat after that.

I read It Starts With Food in January & completed my first Whole30. Before January, I had followed a very strict low carb diet for 2 months. I even consulted with a physician after one month of no results on the low carb diet, who suggested I add in more protein and small meals to help with weight loss. In the past, low carb diets worked like a dream for me, but this time nothing happened. Probably from years of dieting when the scale tipped to an undesirable number then eating what I wanted once I was back to my normal weight. (Or maybe all of the artificial sweeteners & processed protein bars I was filling up on?) I'm mid thirties with 2 kids &, even though I'd lost all baby weight, experienced a big move that precipitated me gaining about 15 lbs before I went low carb. When it didn't work, I panicked. Thank goodness I found It Starts With Food. I had never felt better in my life. I lost 10 lbs in one week (I know I wasn't supposed to weigh myself, but I felt so good I had to!), where I had been at a stale mate on low carb. In all, I lost 15 lbs, which took me back to my normal weight. Towards the end, though, it wasn't about the weight. It was about the health. I've gone in and out of a paleo type diet & falling off the wagon since January & felt like I needed a reboot. I had pre-ordered this cookbook in April so I dusted it off in July and got started on Whole30 number 2. My husband is doing it along with me this time. We are on day 8 & I referenced the Whole 30 timeline that says days 10 & 11 are the hardest days in conversation today. He has finally gotten through his energy slump & has been feeling great, so asked why Day 10 was supposed to be hard. I told him about food boredom. He acted appalled. "Everything we've eaten has been AWESOME!!" If you knew my husband you'd realize how out of character this comment is. His diet (pre Whole30) consists of numerous Cokes (sometimes 6-8 a day!), cheese, and grains with a healthy amount of meat. He loves doughnuts and French toast & canned green beans & carrots are the only vegetable he'd eat. Since following 90% just this cookbook, he's actually tried and LOVED asparagus, sweet potatoes & more. What's even more crazy is that this weekend he actually took to the kitchen & created some "hot plates" of his own. We have been married 7 years & I can count on my fingers the number of meals he's cooked. So this is big. He's interested in food & health & new flavors. His enthusiasm is making this 2nd time around so much more fun. I recommend this for anyone new to Whole30. While a lot of the info in the beginning of the book can be found on the website, the recipes really are delicious. They're not intimidatingly difficult, as several of the paleo books I've bought are. Most ingredients are common and easy to find. I still recommend It Starts With Food, but if you're only in it for weight loss, this book might be where to start. It Starts With Food is more of the "why" behind all of the rules. It helped me during my first Whole30 many times. Mainly because of all the questions I got--like "Isn't corn a vegetable??" and "Oh, one piece/glass/taste won't hurt you, will it??" I'm the type of person that needs to know the why or I might buy into a little cheat every now & then. My husband, on the other hand is not like me. He hasn't read either book & doesn't plan on it. Lol He just relies on me & what I tell him. So, I guess it depends on you, but if you want a good book with the Whole30 rules & resources & delicious recipes that are doable by anyone, this is a perfect place to get started. Best of luck on your journey!

This is going to be a 2-part review. Part 1: The Book Up until a few weeks ago, I had never heard of the Whole30 diet/lifestyle etc but I knew I was not going to be able to exercise for a few months so it seemed like the right time to try it. So I bought the book to try and psych my self up and learn more about it. I started reading it and finished the entire thing with in the first week. I never thought I would be so interested in recipes but what you soon find out is that this book is so much more then that. From lifestyle changes, better habits, and fantastic looking recipes. Throughout the book, they assure you that this will not be easy but with the right motivation and dedication, anyone can do it. The book clearly lays out the rules and guidelines to the Whole30 program along with every scenario you could thing of that you may fall into. Lastly, there are so many recipes in the book that you can go through the entire program without making something twice. To top it all off, they even give you a plan for the whole 30 days so you don't even have to worry about coming up with meals. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is about to start Whole30 or is just interested in learning more about it. Part 2: The Program I started the program directly after having ankle surgery. I was told I won't be able to exercise for a few months and I really didn't want to gain a whole lot of weight so I decided Whole30 was a great mix of food and diet. The best part about Whole30 is you don't count calories. You get to eat as much vegetables, fruit, and meat as you would like. This way, all you need to worry about is the processed items and the sugars (its a tad more complex, but for review sake, we will keep it at that). Overall, I thought the program wasn't really that bad. But the positives are never ending. I finally found out what caused my stomach problems (dairy) and greatly reduced my snacking habits. Never knew I was snacking every single day for no other reason then I assumed it was time to snack. After the 30 days, I dropped 18 pounds and never felt better.

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have read it starts with food I truly believe it saved my life. However I have had many friends who found it intimidating and a little heavy on the science. I think the whole 30 is a much friendlier read if you were intimidated by the first book. I am currently on my seventh round of whole 30 and I still found this to be a very informative read. I think there something in this book for everyone. If you're curious about the whole 30 but don't care too much about the science behind it this book is absolutely perfect for you and it will hold your hand and guide you throughout the entire 30 day process. If you've done whole 30 before I still think this is a valuable resource both for information and recipes. Maybe the whole 30 isn't for everyone but I have never seen a program that has done so much for such a wide spectrum of people and for that alone I really think this is worth checking out. You must keep in mind that while weight loss might be a side effect this is not a weight-loss program, this is a journey that will redefine your relationship with food. You might not even think you have any issues with food until you give this a shot and then all of a sudden you realize how much you really relied on the bagel in the morning or the sugar in your coffee. You're certainly going to discover that your skin might not be as clear as it could be or you don't have as much energy as you should or even that your mental disposition isn't quite as sunny as you might think. I have personally seen this program do wonders for people who have psoriasis and MS as well colitis and chronic migraines. Before discovering the whole 30 program I never had any idea how much food actually affected our physical and mental existence and it didn't even take 30 days for me to personally see all the negative ways I was being affected by the standard American diet. For my 28th birthday I gave copies of it starts with food to everyone in my immediate family and with my birthday coming up again I know I'll be buying more copies of this to hand out because what I really want is for my loved ones to be healthier.

This book is exactly what I have been looking for. Instead of trying to keep track of all the continual debates on diet, the authors have created a plan for you to find out what works best for you (as well as what makes you feel like junk.) The 30 days were difficult, don't get me wrong, but it was so empowering to resist my cravings! I sleep better, have a better mood, lost weight and fat so now I look lean and muscular! (Confession: I used to work out everyday but once I started the program I didn't have enough time to exercise so no, I didn't reach these results from hitting the gym; it's all about food.) It is a lot of work and a lot of time spent in the kitchen so I recommend that you wait until the time is right for you. You should give the program 100% effort and if you are too stressed, busy, or just don't have the time to make all of this homemade food you will probably get discouraged and fall off track. But if you think you can fit it into your life, get a support group together and start right away, it will change your life! Last thing: the recipes are phenomenal! I have been in a cooking rut for the past year and these recipes have cured me. I was so shocked that meal after meal was a delight to eat. So even if you don't do the program this is a worth-while purchase for the recipes alone. Just make sure you actually follow the entire recipe... Imitations, substitutes, and cutting corners will result in food with a lot less flavor. There's also lots of cooking hints hidden throughout all of the recipes that will change the way you cook, and therefore how your food tastes!

I'm honestly not sure what to think about this book. It IS full of great recipes and (some) advice, but I'm not a huge fan of any eating plan / diet that can't be followed long-term. The book is at times written in a condescending tone some of the "rules" in the book didn't appeal to me. More on that later in the review. I knew I'd have a problem going cold turkey with everything at once, so this past September, I took one week cutting out gluten, the next week cutting out sugar and then began my third week (beginning of October) essentially cutting out all carbs and started the Whole 30. I stuck with it TO THE LETTER until Thanksgiving. I lost one pound. ONE pound. In a month and a half. And I felt no different than I had before the diet. No increase in energy, no other changes (and I'd made a list before I started). I *was* in ketosis (I know this because I had to go to an urgent care place for a UTI and they were initially alarmed at the keytone results). By the time Thanksgiving showed up, I truly had no motivation to continue the diet. I can't imagine doing rounds of this as some people do. I mean, the withdrawal from carbs, sugars, etc. over and over again? If I'm going to do it, I'd rather do that once and be done with it. The book's authors are adamant that you follow this diet perfectly for 30 days. If you screw up, even accidentally (someone serves you something with a "forbidden" ingredient), you're to start the diet all over again. I can't think of anything else more demotivating during a diet (well, other than not getting any results from it). The authors also insist that you don't try to create healthier alternatives to your non-healthy favorites (pancakes are used as an example in the book). I found this odd. If you love pancakes, and someone tells you to never have pancakes again -- even healthy ones -- you're going to spend the whole time craving pancakes and will ditch the diet in no time. I didn't agree with it being "okay" to do this diet for 30 days every few months but it not being okay to consistently choose healthy versions of your favorite foods. I kept the book because it IS a good resource for easy food prep and basic recipes. If you're looking for a basic diet that will improve your health and well being and you're ready to tough it out long term, check out The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged!: Lasting Fat Loss That's Better than Ever by Tosca Reno. Eat clean 80% of the time and don't beat yourself up about being perfect, and you'll find that you stick with it longer. If you're looking to lose weight and also want to re-create healthy versions of your favorite foods, check out any of the books in Lisa Lilllen's Hungry Girl series, like The Hungry Girl Diet: Big Portions. Big Results. Drop 10 Pounds in 4 Weeks . She's entertaining and has a great friend-next-door personality, too.

This program and the information within this book is amazing and has changed my life! I suffered from a herniated disc injury to my L5/S1 lumbar spine joint in July of 2016 which was pressing on my S1 nerve that travels down my right leg. This injury made me an invalid and bed ridden for weeks, experiencing horrific nerve pain and muscle weakness from my lower back and into my leg. I postponed surgery and opted for non-invasive options for 12 weeks to see if I could recover. During this time period, a friend was starting the program and invited others to join her. I had nothing to lose at that point so I dove head first. About a month and a half later I went back to the doctor for my follow-up. I had made such major improvements in my recovery with non-invasive techniques that my doctor determined that I was no longer a candidate for surgery. I feel that physical therapy along with this Whole30 elimination diet has helped me recover from my back injury, wean off my pain medicine, get control of my relationship with food, get stronger and get back to leading an almost normal life (as of the date I'm writing this review I'm still recovering from the weakness in the leg caused by the nerve pain but almost pain free and living without daily pain medicine). Through a 25-day round and a second 30-day round (separated by a week due to a hurricane threat to my area), I have discovered that I have an inflammatory response to gluten where my body swells to the point that my herniated disc nerve pain flares up and my ankle on the side that suffers from the nerve pain swells so bad that I loose definition of my ankle bone and the skin gets really taut. Avoiding trigger foods that swell my body and flare up my nerve pain are now key for me to live a pain free and pain med free life. Thank you to the Hartwig's for opening my eyes to how food affects my body and for being part of helping me get my life back through a non-invasive approach. I also had other great results such as a reduction in food cravings, elimination of brain fog I had no idea I had, eating more veggies and fruits, less eating out (good for health and wallet), overall great feeling and energy, and better sleep to name a few. I also lost 19 pounds during the two rounds of the program. I will add that this program is not the easiest thing to do and stick with but pain was my biggest motivator then and now. If I can do it, so can you! Please do yourself a favor and try this program at least once in your adult life. It is eye opening!