I read the book “It Starts With Food” this weekend and so many things made sense. Certain symptoms may be directly related to the food we eat and, according to the program, in order for our body to recover from the negative effects that certain food groups could have on our health and also to see if/how these affect us, these should be cut out from our diet for (at least) 30 days.

This nutrition program is based on the Paleo Diet and it esentially recommends us to eat good food that should make us healthy. The Whole30 good food standards state that we should eat food the promote healthy psychological and hormonal response, support a healthy gut and immune function and minimize inflammation.

I was thinking to wait till January but I spontaneously decided this morning to start at once so this is what is waiting for me for the next weeks and months:

30-day elimination

What I can’t eat:

• No added sugar: maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc.
• No grains: wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, amaranth, buckwheat, sprouted grains and all gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa.
• No legumes: all kinds of beans (black, red, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, etc.), peas, chickpeas, lentils, peanuts, all forms of soy.
• No dairy: cow, goat or sheep’s milk products such as cream, cheese (hard or soft), kefir, yogurt, sour cream…
• No alcohol.
• No white potatoes.
• No carrageenan, MSG or sulfites.

What I can eat:

• Meat
• Seafood
• Eggs
• Vegetables
• Legumes (exceptions): green beans, sugar snap peas and snow peas.
• Oils
• Nuts
• Seeds

The program is outlined here and there is also a shopping list here.

You can find a quick meal planning here.

Things that will be challenging:

• Not stepping on the scale or taking measurements for the entire program.
• No cheats.
• Not logging my calories.
• No snacking.
• Eating strictly 3 meals per day.

Things I will miss:

• My morning porridge
• Milk in my coffee
• Fresh juices
• White potatoes

Reintroduction

When the program is over, the food groups should be reintroduced and evaluated according to this schedule:

Day 1: dairy
Day 4: gluten grains
Day 7: non-gluten grains
Day 10: legumes

I have no idea what I will eat for the next 30 days but I have found tons of resources online so I think I will manage somehow. Wish me good luck!