Whole 30

TexasBridgett

Hey ya'll,

I just started whole 30 today and am looking for some pro's to talk food with. Anyone out there? I burnt my salmon and my veggies were blah. I can't do 30 days of that so any (whole30) advice is helpful!

Rage_Phish

she probably didnt

jbelles0820

I am not a pro, but I survived the whole 30 days! It took a lot of planning, so I would suggest making a menu for the week and buying food based on that menu. I used garlic flavored safflower oil for most of my cooking. It gave everything a nice flavor. I roasted my veggies and pretty much baked the meat like I normally would, with a little oil and spices. if you didn't buy the whole 30 book, I would suggest doing that. There are a lot of great recipes. Our favorites were the bean-less chili, the tomato sauce and chicken meatballs. Pinterest also has a lot of recipes. My biggest advice is don't give up before you really try. While I don't follow it as strictly any more, many of the meals I make are still whole 30 compliant.

Bialetti62

jbelles0820 wrote: »

I am not a pro, but I survived the whole 30 days! It took a lot of planning, so I would suggest making a menu for the week and buying food based on that menu. I used garlic flavored safflower oil for most of my cooking. It gave everything a nice flavor. I roasted my veggies and pretty much baked the meat like I normally would, with a little oil and spices. if you didn't buy the whole 30 book, I would suggest doing that. There are a lot of great recipes. Our favorites were the bean-less chili, the tomato sauce and chicken meatballs. Pinterest also has a lot of recipes. My biggest advice is don't give up before you really try. While I don't follow it as strictly any more, many of the meals I make are still whole 30 compliant.

So you recommend Whole 30? What did it do for you that you liked most? Improved nutrition? Help with the cravings? Just curious.

TexasBridgett

I eat broccoli and asparagus every night for dinner but usually have them with rice (which whole30 doesn't allow) and with whatever sauce I include on my meat. Sometimes I'd put some braggs liquid aminos on them and/or include them in stir fry with chicken. Plus I used seasonings that I guess aren't whole30 compliant due to hidden sugars.
Overcooking the salmon was just a fluke b/c I was preoccupied but I just put some garlic/coconut oil on it. I think that I'm going to get tired of eating the same flavors every night, you know? I pretty much stick to garlic, salt, and pepper.

I'm very much a creature of habit so I'm trying to break the monotony of baked chicken & veggies, or baked salmon & veggies, every night. I did buy the book though, but I literally got it the day before yesterday so I just skimmed it for a few hours.

TexasBridgett

Rage_Phish wrote: »

she probably didnt

I probably did!

dbmeyers23

The only way I got through it was food prepping twice a week. I'm not a picky eater so it wasn't that bad...I did miss booze tho, and pizza.

jbelles0820

To Bialetti- It really did help with my sugar cravings, which I have to admit were really bad. For me, it was too restrictive to follow full time (although there are many people who do). You can't have any grains, dairy, sugar or beans. It made me realize how many foods have hidden sugar (sausage, bacon, taco mix, and the list goes on...). And while I don't like beans, it includes peanuts and soy beans, which are also included in many things. It made me eat more fruits and veggies for sure, and eat more whole foods (less boxed). I discovered the world of sweet potatoes (which I have always loved with butter and sugar), which I still make and eat. As I said, there are many recipes out there, you just have to make time to find them and make them, as it takes longer.

TexasBridgett

I feel like sugar is something people assume aren't in processed meats because logically sugar shouldn't be in meat. If you buy your own ground meat and make your own sausage then you know what's in it but most people I talk to assume that store bought breakfast or link sausage (like jimmy dean's "natural" pork breakfast sausage) won't have any sugar; it "should" be just pork and spices.

jamebb

I did Whole 30 a few years ago. I didn't enjoy it. Keeping track of all the restrictions was really stressful for me; the guilt was so bad I even had a couple of dreams about eating forbidden foods, which hadn't happened before, or since. As someone said upthread, it requires a lot of planning/label reading. You pretty much have to cook everything from scratch because sugar or wheat or vegetable oil seem to turn up everywhere, even in foods that would ordinarily be part of a healthy diet. And eating out is pretty much a no-go, unless you can find a paleo-friendly restaurant or want to eat an undressed salad.

That said, I lost weight but not any more than I did just staying within a calorie limit. I didn't feel any healthier (none of those magical benefits that testimonoals on the site rave about) or notice a reduction in cravings. Didn't feel any worse during the reintroduction phase either. The only benefit for me was that I wound up increasing my vegetable intake. That was my experience, YMMV

Recipes:
-Nomnompaleo is a good site and they have a lot of Whole30 specific recipes.
-I got really sick of eating eggs and really liked this paleo oatmeal for breakfast
http://cupcakesomg.blogspot.com/2013/03/faux-tmeal-paleo-oatmeal.html
-I made this a few times over the month and really liked it. I subbed thinly sliced cabbage for the spaghetti squash (someone recommended it on in the comments) http://meljoulwan.com/2011/05/08/paleo-pad-thai/
-Actually spaghetti squash with the protein of your choice is a pretty filling meal. You can play around with seasonings for variety.

TexasBridgett

Well they are easily spotted for those who know what they're looking for. Doesn't added sugar in packaged foods have like 60 different names (or more)? I stick to fresh (not even frozen) produce and meats so I don't have that problem but I know when my parents started trying to eat healthier they ran into those "hidden" sugars/ingredients a lot. Just comes with practice and commitment I guess.