That’s the premise of Whole30, a 30-day program created in 2009 by Melissa Hartwig Urban and Dallas Hartwig that challenges you to eat only whole, unprocessed foods. (1) Those foods include meat, seafood, eggs, fruit, veggies, and natural fats and seasonings. On Whole30, there’s no counting calories or macronutrients, nor do you have to measure food portions. But there is an elimination of big food groups, including grains, legumes, dairy, added sugar, alcohol, and desserts. (Goodbye, cookies and pasta!) At its core, Whole30 is an elimination diet designed to help you identify food sensitivities to uncover what foods, if any, are affecting your energy, sleep habits, aches and pains, inability to lose weight, or ongoing health concerns, like allergies or migraines. (1,2) At the end of the 30 days, you can slowly begin to reintroduce foods to your diet to see which ones may set off symptoms. “Whole30 is designed to be a 30-day reset. Though it may not be a panacea for everything that ails you, we think it’s a good starting point for those who suspect they have food intolerances or would like some help stepping back a bit to examine why they eat the way they do,” say certified Whole30 coaches Jessica Beacom, RDN, and Stacie Hassing, RDN, who are based in Colorado and Minnesota, respectively. Some people may also try Whole30 as a jumping-off point for better nutrition habits. “Whole30 is a fantastic tool for helping people take a new look at their relationship with food. By eliminating ultra-processed food and focusing on real, whole ingredients, I’ve seen many people discover a new, much healthier way of eating,” says Diana Rodgers, RD, a certified Whole30 coach near Boston. While 30 days may not sound long, some people may find that the restriction associated with avoiding added sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, and dairy is extremely tough. This can be challenging, and for some people unrealistic, says Vicki Shanta Retelny, RDN, author of Total Body Diet for Dummies, who is based in Chicago. (Retelny is not an advocate of one specific diet.) “Whole30 ironically cuts out ‘whole’ food groups and sets you up for an ‘on’ or ‘off’ mentality of eating conformity for a specific period of time. You’re either living the diet or you’re not, and if you are not committed to it then there’s guilt associated with it,” she says. It also takes a lot of footwork to maintain the diet. “Experts worry that restrictive diets with no room for error can set up followers for failure,” writes U.S. News & World Report, which gave Whole30 two out of five stars in its Best Diets Overall 2022 ranking. (3) As Retelny puts it, “For people who are not used to meal planning and prep, it’s a big drawback to the Whole30, as it can be time-consuming and requires a lot of organization.” It’s important to keep your expectations in check and examine exactly why you’re interested in trying Whole30. Also keep in mind that it has an expiration date — 30 days — so unless it prompts you to make long-lasting changes to your overall eating habits, any benefits will be short-lived if you return to your previous way of eating. “What happens once the 30 days are over?” asks Retelny. Thinking ahead to what you’re going to do after Whole30 is key.
Grains
Avoid
All grains (for example, oats, wheat, quinoa, corn)
Legumes
Eat
Green beansSugar snap peasSnow peas
Avoid
Beans of all kindsPeasChickpeasLentilsPeanuts and peanut butterAll soy foods
Dairy
Avoid
All dairy (for example, milk, yogurt, cheese)
Eat
Ghee or clarified butter (this is an exception to the “no dairy” rule)
Protein
Eat Stick with one to two palm-sized portions per meal. Buy grass-finished or -fed, organic, or wild-caught protein if it’s in your budget.
EggsChickenTurkeyFishSeafoodBeefLambPorkGoatElkBisonVenison
Avoid If you must eat any of the following, opt for the organic variety.
Commercially raised processed meats (for example, bacon, sausage, and deli meats) (5)
Vegetables
These should comprise most of your plate for each meal. (6) Eat
OnionGreens (for example, kale, spinach, lettuce)Brussels sproutsPotatoesSweet potatoesChili peppersBell peppersTomatoesOkraCeleryCauliflowerSquashCarrotsCabbagePumpkinRadishEggplantAsparagus
Avoid
CornPeasLima beans
Fruits
Eat these occasionally. (6) Eat
Berries (for example, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries)BananasApplesGrapefruitKiwiMangoMelons (watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe)Stone fruit (nectarines, peaches, cherries, plums)Lemon and limeDates and figsFruit juice (when used as a sweetener in recipes)
Avoid
Dried fruit
Fats
Eat Per meal, add one to two thumb-sized portions of oil, ghee, nut butter; one to two handfuls of coconut, olives, or nuts and seeds.
Olive oilCoconut oilOlivesNuts and seeds (for example, almonds, pecans, pistachios, flaxseed, sunflower seeds)Avocado (½ to 1 whole)Coconut milk (¼ to ½ can)Coconut and nut butterShredded or flaked coconut
Extras
Eat
Herbs (for example, thyme, basil, rosemary)Spices (paprika, cinnamon, turmeric)VinegarCoconut aminos (a popular substitute for soy sauce)Salt and pepperGarlicLemon zest
Avoid
Added sugar (for example, table sugar, maple syrup, honey, agave)Artificial sugar (Stevia, Splenda, xylitol)AlcoholMalt vinegarCarrageenanMSGSulfites
Clear out your kitchen. It’s only good to have a pile of sweet potatoes and veggies cooked and ready to go if you’re going to eat them. “Get on board with clearing out your kitchen and pantry and discarding processed foods,” says Retelny. Sit down and plan. Your first course of action is to plan. Rodgers recommends Real Plans (realplans.com), a customizable weekly meal planner. There’s a drop-down menu where you can select the diet you’re following, including Whole30. Go easy on yourself. If you’re a newbie, don’t get caught in the trap of being overambitious. “There are some really fancy, complicated Whole30 recipes out there, but I always suggest folks keep it simple in the first week or two until they get used to it,” says Rodgers. That may be eggs for breakfast, salad topped with protein and healthy fats for lunch, and protein and veggies for dinner, she says. Meal prep. Create three to five simple recipes for eating during the week, say Beacom and Hassing. “Include one to two proteins or main entrees, a side of roasted veggies or some baked sweet potatoes, a large salad or several small salads that you can dress up as the week goes on, and extra veggies and fruits that are washed and cut for easy snacking,” they say. Make more. One strategy that Autumn Michaelis, a Whole30 certified coach, recommends: “Make Something Extra.” (7) Not only does she make 2 to 4 times the recipe (freeze the leftovers for lunches or future fast dinners), but while it cooks, she preps something else, like a breakfast casserole. For some people, spending a little bit of time cooking daily is preferable to trying to cook everything for the week ahead on Sunday. Lunch Tuna salad in lettuce cups with a side of berries Dinner Sliced steak with roasted broccoli and cauliflower
Day 2
Breakfast Smoothie made with almond milk, almond butter, spinach, and berries Lunch Grilled chicken salad with pecans Dinner Shrimp stir-fry served over riced cauliflower
Day 3
Breakfast Egg with sautéed mushrooms and tomatoes, with a side of sausage Lunch Salmon cakes over a bed of kale and chopped veggies Dinner Turkey meatballs served over zucchini noodles
Day 4
Breakfast Sweet potato slices with nut butter and a hard-boiled egg Lunch Grilled chicken topped with cucumber, tomato, and avocado salad Dinner Scallops served with roasted fennel and carrots
Day 5
Breakfast Berry smoothie bowl with chopped walnuts and shredded coconut Lunch Veggie and chicken sausage frittata with a side salad Dinner Salmon with green beans and parsnips
Day 6
Breakfast Apple and almond butter, hard-boiled egg Lunch Sweet potato stuffed with ground turkey and veggies, drizzled with Whole30-compliant BBQ sauce Dinner Pork tenderloin with mashed butternut squash and spinach salad
Day 7
Breakfast Hard-boiled egg, sausage link, sliced fruit Lunch Collard wraps stuffed with chicken, avocado, and bell pepper strips Dinner Lamb chops, roasted potatoes, and broccolini You can’t ignore the original resource for everything Whole30. Learn about meal planning, must-make recipes, how to fit it into your fitness goals, and popular Q&As. The Real Food Dietitians They have over 150 easy and delicious recipes — roasted carrots, broccoli slaw, chicken fajita bake — to help get you started. Also check out their additional resources that make Whole30 work. Danielle Walker’s Against All Grain Danielle Walker’s blog has a large inventory of amazing recipes, like chicken curry, shrimp and grits, and grilled chicken Caesar salads. She also offers a resource of eight weeks of Whole30-compliant paleo meal plans. 40 Aprons You’ll find crowd favorites Egg Roll in a Bowl and Crockpot Paleo Carnitas in author Cheryl Malik’s blog. Olive You Whole Over the last five years, Caroline Fausel has completed eight rounds of Whole30 — so her collection of Whole30 recipes is well-tested. “All of the Whole30 books are great resources for anyone doing a Whole30 or wanting to know the more in-depth ‘why’ behind it,” say Beacom and Hassing. Whole30 Fast & Easy Recipes, by Melissa Hartwig Urban This cookbook is great when you’re starting out and you need to get dinner on the table quickly. Whole30 Slow Cooker, by Melissa Hartwig Urban There’s nothing better than the set-it-and-forget-it method of a slow cooker — especially since these are the types of recipes that help stock your fridge and freezer with leftovers. Ready or Not!: 150+ Make-Ahead, Make-Over, and Make-Now Recipes by Nom Nom Paleo, by Michelle Tam and Henry Fong “Her recipes are delicious and always work,” says Rodgers. (One caveat, she says, is that not all of her recipes are Whole30-approved, but her Nom Nom Paleo blog frequently gives instructions on how to make recipes compliant.) Paleo Lunches and Breakfasts on the Go, by Diana Rodgers If you’ve been stuck on bagels for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch, this is a must — and, says Rodgers — the cookbook was endorsed by Melissa Hartwig.
