You may have heard about the Whole30 diet, and maybe you even know friends or family members who have tried it out. But this diet can seem a bit overwhelming at first glance. That’s why we want to break down the Whole30 diet and show you how it’s possible to implement in your life.

What Is Whole30?

The Whole30 diet is a 30-day elimination diet. It is designed to reset your digestive system by removing foods that could cause inflammation or trigger food sensitivities. After the 30 days are over, individuals slowly reintroduce food groups to see how their body responds.

The goal of the 30 days is to help you develop a healthier relationship with food as you focus on more whole foods and unprocessed ingredients. And, of course, to identify foods that may cause negative reactions in your body.

Here are the food groups that the Whole30 diet eliminates:

  • Dairy
  • Soy
  • Sugar or artificial sweeteners
  • Grains
  • Beans or legumes
  • Processed additive (like MSG or sulfites)
  • Alcohol

However, there are some ingredients that are exceptions to the rule and can be consumed during your 30 days on the program:

  • Ghee or clarified butter
  • Fruit juice
  • Green beans and most peas
  • Vinegar and botanical extracts
  • Coconut aminos
  • Salt

That leaves you with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, and healthy fats.

What Makes Whole30 Different?

Unlike other diets, Whole30 does not require you to count calories, measure or weigh yourself, etc. You don’t have to track points or go for hours without eating. Instead, you should focus solely on what you are putting in your body.

Whole30 is also only meant for 30 days. It is not intended to be a long-term lifestyle or sustainable way of eating. Instead, it is a short-term elimination diet, whose focus is on resetting your body’s health NOT weight loss.

However, for Whole30 to work the way it’s intended, you must adhere to the elimination protocols 100%. One bite of ice cream or a slice of pizza can compromise the reset you’re trying to achieve. With other diets, you may have a cheat day, or a bite of something “forbidden” won’t make or break your success.

What’s the Difference between Whole30 and Paleo?

You might think that the Whole30 diet sounds a lot like the Paleo diet, which also focuses on eating whole and unprocessed foods. But the diets actually have different premises and end goals.

Paleo is based on the idea that you should eat like your ancestors ate. Therefore, processed foods are out and whole foods are in.

Whole30 is based on the idea of removing inflammatory foods from your diet so that the body can reset itself.

So, while both may have similar aspects of an elimination diet, they do have quite different ideologies behind them. Plus, Whole30 is more restrictive than Paleo, which allows for natural sugar alternatives like honey and stevia.

Who Should Do Whole30?

Whole30 isn’t for everyone! Doctors or nutritionists may recommend the Whole30 diet to individuals who need help identifying foods that cause their body to react negatively, resulting in acne, digestive problems, low energy levels, and more. By removing the food triggers, the body has time to heal itself. Then, when an individual reintroduces a single food group, they can get a clear idea of how that food makes them feel.

Whole30 works best with individuals who are already generally healthy. It may not be suitable for people who have inconsistent energy levels, chronic health conditions, or difficulty losing weight. A health professional can help you determine if you are a good candidate for Whole30.

If you’re looking for a nutrition professional who can help you determine if Whole30 is a good fit for you, reach out to our team at support@eatlove.is. We can put you in touch with a trusted professional who can help.

How Can I Successfully Adhere to Whole30?

Because Whole30 is such a strict elimination diet, it may seem impossible to integrate into your life. But you can make it work!

EatLove has Whole30 built-in as a diet, meaning we do all the hard work for you! Our nutrition intelligence can provide personalized Whole30-compliant meal and snack recommendations while you are on the diet. And all of our meal recommendations are flexible, so you can swap out recipes for ones that sound good to you or better fit into your lifestyle.

After 30 days, we also help you reintroduce food groups back into your diet one at a time, making the reintroduction phase easy and effective.

Our system takes all the guesswork out of the program and allows you to focus on how your body feels. We have over 700 Whole30-compliant recipes on our platform, so you have plenty of meal options to choose from that align with your goals.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of our Whole30 recipes:

These recipes meet the Whole30 elimination protocols and are full of flavor! Plus, we have recipes that take just 20 minutes and a handful of ingredients, so you won’t have to worry about spending extra time to accommodate Whole30.

And the best part is that you can try our platform out for FREE! In just a few clicks, you can get a personalized Whole30 meal plan so you can kickstart your health goals.