The Whole30 Challenge: no grains, no sugar, and no booze for 30 days

"Let us change your life"

Thats a pretty bold claim, but I like a good challenge, and after trying vegetarian and vegan diets out in the past I was up for trying something new.

The program and many of its followers who completed it have some impressive testimonials.  The program makes claims of improved body composition, higher energy levels, better sleep, improved athletic performance, and eliminating generally unhealthy food cravings.  As a born skeptic, I take the sparkling testimonials with a grain of salt.  People who want to get you on board with their ideology typically only provide positive testimony from its followers.  Apparently there is a science to back it up which I didn't read too far into, but people can use science to "prove" almost anything, and it seems like every fad diet has a study that qualifies it as the best.

The biggest endorsements however came from some fellow Ultra-runners I know who generally follow a no-grain no-sugar diet, especially one gal I know how has a knack at the 100 mile distance. So why not? I took the plunge and committed.  I like to think I'm stubborn (in a good way), and that once I commit to something I do not ever back down unless I have justifiable evidence its wiser not to continue.

I was also prepping myself for a month of constant food preparation, not eating out, not socializing, often having to sound like that annoying "food restriction" person, and dealing with over the top pretentious advice and behaviors.  This program looks to reshape your "long-standing, unhealthy patterns related to food, eating and your body image" and rethink the "Standard American Diet - or SAD for short".  I like how the acronym has to sound negative of course.  What about the RAD (Regular American Diet)?  Prepare to be judged!!

These are whats in that powdered coffee creamer in the break room.  You
will not be eating this.  Then again, no human should ever consume this!

Anecdotes aside, this program sounds legitimate and the theories just make sense.  Basically, you are eating actual food, not processed crap that sits on the shelf and never goes bad.  Stuff you could actually go out and hunt or gather.  Ingredients you can actually pronounce!

What is Whole 30?

Taken straight from the website:

"Established by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig (of Whole9) in April 2009, the Whole30® is our original nutritional program designed to change your life in 30 days. Think of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help you put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system.

Certain food groups (like sugar, grains, dairy and legumes) could be having a negative impact on your health and fitness without you even realizing it. Are your energy levels inconsistent or non-existent? Do you have aches and pains that can’t be explained by over-use or injury? Are you having a hard time losing weight no matter how hard you try? Do you have some sort of condition (like skin issues, digestive ailments, seasonal allergies or fertility issues) that medication hasn’t helped? These symptoms may be directly related to the foods you eat—even the “healthy” stuff.

So how do you know if (and how) these foods are affecting you? Strip them from your diet completely. Cut out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days. Let your body heal and recover from whatever effects those foods may be causing. Push the “reset” button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making. Learn once and for all how the foods you've been eating are actually affecting your day to day life, and your long term health."

I'm about to rethink everything I knew about giving your body energy.  As a big runner, I have been surrounded by pseudo-science on "carbo-loading" for endurance events.  I do not plan on taking any time off and instead getting a lot of miles in for my spring races, while at the same time eating no pasta, rice, or breads.

I also will not be consuming any alcohol for 30 days.  This is a challenge I have been meaning to undertake for awhile now.  While I by no means feel dependent on alcohol (beer is my beverage of choice), sometimes its good to give yourself a break and remember that there is life (and nightlife) outside of bars.  This should save considerable money too.

Its should be understood that Whole30 really isn't a diet, its a lifestyle change in the way you eat.  Seriously! Its not about your weight, calories, or portion sizes.  They even tell you not to weigh yourself or play the numbers game.  You are getting rid of bad habits and rethinking how you buy, cook, and consume.  You just: Eat. Good. Food.

What you can eat

The program's creators like to focus more on what you can eat than what you can't.  This is valid, and the food you eat is actually really good.  There are tons of recipes and resources out there, stuff like breakfast skillets, bacon & eggs, skillets, stews, steak, burgers, etc. (just be sure all the ingredients are compliant). Really tasty food, that is surprisingly easy to make and comes out looking like a work of art.  Lots of veggies, seafood, fruit, and sources for good fats.  Nuts are a great go-to snack (typically almonds, cashews, and pecans), as are olives.  Avocados are another versatile food that can top just about anything, and are a great source of the "good fat".

They even provide a handy shopping list on their website to get you started.

What you can't eat

While they do like to stress what you can eat rather than what you can't - Lets be realistic, there are a ton of can'ts involved.  Way more than the obvious stuff.  They sum it up well on their website.  It may sound stringent, but its not to be mean, its the result of a science.

• Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc. Read your labels, because companies sneak sugar into products in ways you might not recognize.
• Do not consume alcohol in any form, not even for cooking. (And it should go without saying, but no tobacco products of any sort, either.)
• Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, amaranth, buckwheat, sprouted grains and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa.
• Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (black, red, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, etc.), peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. No peanut butter, either. This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin).
• Do not eat dairy. This includes cow, goat or sheep’s milk products such as cream, cheese (hard or soft), kefir, yogurt (even Greek), and sour cream.
• Do not consume carrageenan, MSG or sulfites. If these ingredients appear in any form on the label of your processed food or beverage, it’s out for the Whole30.

Yes its not going to be "easy".  But then what is really worth doing thats easy?  They make a good point that if you think this is hard you should put your life into perspective.  There are really hard things out there, like battling a terminal disease, going to war, living below the poverty line, etc. - this is more of a minor inconvenience.  Who knows, maybe by the end of the month I'll like it!