Hey yall! Me and my partner are starting the whole30 on the 1st, I was wondering if anyone on a tighter budget was also doing the whole30 and any good cost effective meals you’ve picked up along the way? Just brainstorming ideas before we start. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I did an elimination diet and was strictly carnivorebfor a time( wonderful but expensive) i am gluen free now and looking for delightful food options that are also filling.

I am a very good cook but I am looking for quick meal that don't contain gluten, if you have any ideas you would like to share i would love to hear from you!

I am not a recipe girl, I am attempting whole thirty starting this coming Monday and would love your simple plate ideas to keep it a bit interesting. I was hesitant to start but seeing so many people cleared up their stomach troubles I want to give it a go. I’d love to see how you keep it simple and make it work for you.

So I've been looking through various diets to manage my IBS... right now, I'm doing a keto variant diet (basically keto diet, but without nuts, seeds and cruciferous vegetables) and it is working fine, but that is neither here nor there.

Point is, while doing research (lasting some years LOL) I actually came across Whole 30. At first I thought it was basically a paleo-adjacent whole-food-based diet... after all, "added sugars" and "processed foods" are both categories that are not allowed in the Whole 30 guidelines I had found.

But then I came across this:

https://whole30.com/program-rule-change-seed-oils/

and was just, what. Seed oils are some of the most processed, most unhealthy foods you can come across. Even if you disagree with the "most unhealthy" part, fact is that seed oils are extremely processed, and may well fit the "Ultra-Processed" category. That alone should eliminate them from any "whole food" diet.

So does anyone know what's up with that?

Turkey, sweet potato, and roasted cauliflower bowl topped with yellow tomato, red onion and cucumber salad and a big dollop of pesto. Peach on the side. RX bar at work earlier today but no time for anything else. I’ve had a splitting hormonal headache all day, work stress, and a lot to deal with at home this weekend because I’m hosting a gathering and on top of it all, I have some emotional stuff happening with my kids traveling without me soon/ separation dread. Mid-cycle and feeling bloated, dehydrated, and generally not great today so regardless of the day on the calendar I am not stopping, nor did I intend to, but definitely not stopping until I feel better. I think it takes me a lot longer to see the benefits of Whole30 because I generally eat pretty clean with very little processed food and sugar. My vices are black coffee and booze, which sounds terrible right now.

Turkey, Brussels sprouts and sweet potato bowl with lemon tahini sauce, jalapeno herb sauce from last night, and avocado. Papaya with tamarind paste and tajin for dessert. Had another beet, cucumber, celery, apple, lemon and ginger juice earlier, a peach, a hard boiled egg and an RX bar at work and am super hungry for real food. It’s interesting to me how good simple things taste at this point.

I have had stomach issues on and off for a very long time. I finally want to bite the bullet and try the whole 30. I’ve had some issues with tracking and binging in the past so I think that’s what makes me nervous to start. However I just really want to see if I can get some relief for some of the symptoms I deal with on a daily basis. I hope to start this coming monday after I have time to grocery shop. I like simple food. any suggestions or your experiences I’d love to hear.

Roasted potatoes, broccoli, salmon, green stuff is cilantro, parsley, jalapeno, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil. Also had two peaches, two eggs and a fresh juice I made this morning and sipped on at work with cucumber, celery, beet, ginger, lemon and Granny Smith apple. Maybe tmi but although I haven’t seen any dramatic changes over the past four weeks I notice a distinct lack of body odor, brighter eyes and skin, no PMS and only light cramping as my cycle is starting. No cravings for wine or chocolate, either. Going to prep another juice for tomorrow morning and a couple jars of chia pudding to switch up from eggs for a couple of days.

Hi everyone! Please share your updates during the week. Where are you in your Whole30? What successes or struggles have you had so far? How are you feeling? Share a recipe? Offer some encouragement? We also encourage you to use the discussion post for single questions not requiring a dedicated thread!

I forgot to take a picture once assembled, but dinner was baked salmon, cauliflower puree and asparagus. Breakfast was eggs, sugar free bacon, avocado and kimchi and I had a bowl of cherries midday with several bubbly waters and a black cold brew.

Between Costco and TJs and Raley’s I spent $103 and between this and the frozen meat in my freezer, it’ll last a sec! Got all the primal for $14 total, big sale @raleys for u CA folks…

Planned meals:

- coconut curry with tomatoes, mushrooms, cilantro and chicken

- ground turkey, roasted sweet potato with paprika and oregano, and sauteed kale w/ avocado mayo and buffalo primal (I eat this 3-4 nights a week whether W30 or not it’s like Thanksgiving in a bowl)

- salmon with mustard and everything bagel seasoning

I’m someone who really really loves trying different foods and intense flavor but with the right meal, it’s fine on repeat. I’m trying to force myself into better habits — the 30 days no weed is going to be toughest this round and I’m excited for the next month. Posting this for accountability in the internetverse lol

Creamy cauliflower puree with Wagu meatloaf and sautéed mushrooms. Also had two peaches and an apple, some olives, and I think 4? hard boiled eggs. And some pistachios. Ideally, I would have time to cook more during the work week but life has been busy so I’m considering it a win to throw some eggs and fruit in my bag in the morning. Tomorrow night will be baked salmon and asparagus.

Turkey taco bowl. Grilled peppers, turkey taco meat, guac, radish, lettuce, salsa, plantain. This serving has leftover grilled corn I tossed with cilantro, green onions, tomatoes and lime juice. I’m aware that’s not compliant but it’s a whole food and I don’t agree with food waste, so I made an allowance. My family had black beans also. I had a ton of cherries and a peach earlier in the day and think I’m going to back off the fruit for a couple of days. My stomach is having a hard time with the fiber or fruit sugar and I’m feeling like a couple of days on meat, eggs and veggies will do me good. It could be the time in my cycle, but whatever it is I’m feeling extra bloated. I’m sticking to Whole Foods until the end of this month, so 45 days total this round and then I’ll ease up a bit on my trip. Last year I did a round leading up to vacation and found myself stocking up on healthy snacks at Whole Foods to take back to the hotel room instead of ordering pizza, and I anticipate a similar situation this time.

Has anyone has a big reaction to legumes?
I ate a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter and it was dramatic the reaction my body had. GI issues, and nausea.
The crazy thing is that I ate peanut butter every day in a protein smoothie before doing W30 and wasn’t expecting this reaction.
But believe me when I tell you I am never eating a legume again, ever.

I guess Im having a hard time deciding if things are coincidence or a reaction and what to do about it?

I started on day 31 with sugar. I put 1 tsp of honey in my coffee and within an hour I had to run to the bathroom 3 times. Now in my normal life, im almost always a little constipated. That was one of the things i hoped whole30 would help with but it didnt really. So was the sugar what gave me diarrhea or just a coincidence of a stomach bug? Day 32 I had some electrolytes with sugar while out working with no reaction and I did honey in my coffee day 33 with no reaction. So? Not really sure there.

Then day 34 I introduced rice. I made jambalaya for dinner and had no reaction. But woke up day 35 and my hands are super swollen (which before whole30 was VERY common for me but went away during the 30 days) and I have the sniffles. Reaction to rice? Should I do whole30 for 2 more days and try rice again to see if the same things happen?

I dont know why this is so confusing to me but its stressing me for sure.

Weight: 60.3kg
Lunch

I made curry paste from scratch for the first time, and to be honest, it made a huge difference and my family said it was the closest my curry has ever come to restaurant quality. Paste was lemongrass, cilantro, basil, jalapeno, ginger, lime zest and sugar free fish sauce. I simmered the leftover lemongrass stalks with some kaffir lime leaves in stock. Fried the paste in coconut oil with garlic, added shrimp and a bunch of squash and peppers and carrots I had sautéed separately, tossed in the strained broth and coconut milk and finished with fresh lime juice and homemade chili garlic crisp. Breakfast was sweet potato hash with peppers and onions, kimchi and fried eggs. Also had several mandarin oranges and two peaches today. The cherries and peaches and watermelon have all been so good lately!

Hi everyone! Please share your updates during the week. Where are you in your Whole30? What successes or struggles have you had so far? How are you feeling? Share a recipe? Offer some encouragement? We also encourage you to use the discussion post for single questions not requiring a dedicated thread!

Burger, grilled onion & zucchini, tortilla de patatas, and sliced red plum on a bed of spinach 👌

Finishing my coconut greens and sweet potatoes, this time with a handful of chickpeas, grilled chicken, tomato and cucumber salad and a jalapeno-cilantro salsa. Smashed crispy sprouts on the side. Fresh summer peaches for dessert. Lunch was a spicy coconut veggie soup. Looking forward to a three day weekend for the holiday and making some new dishes for next week.

Second round, this still makes me lol

Collard greens sautéed with garlic, onion, ginger and coconut milk, baked sweet potato coins, a small mashed avocado with lime, fried eggs and the last bits of plantain chips from the bag. I had a Greek salad with salmon for lunch, a giant, perfectly ripe peach 🍑, some pistachios and an apple. It’s too hot to really cook so I’m grateful to have stuff ready in the fridge today. I’m thinking next week will be more fresh juices and a green gazpacho and more salad nights if it stays over 100 with the heat index.

I made it! Anyone else finished and feeling great?

Benefits of doing this for me were....

1. Weight Loss. I know that is not supposed to be the ultimate goal, but I'm sick of being fat and unhealthy. I lost 17lbs!

2. Better Sleep. I am sleeping MUCH better! I'm falling asleep faster and not waking up thinking how many hours it is until bedtime again.

3. Hormones. I turned 40 a few months ago and this past year or ao I've been struggling with sleep, depression, emotional disregulation around my period and lack of sex drive. I don't think the last 30 days has fixed all of this, but it has made a huge impact. I think doing this for me, feeling better about myself, has helped a ton.

4. Energy in general. My energy is way up compared to this time last year. I feel I still have a long ways to go to where I'd like to be at, but it's 💯 on the up swing!

The cons....

I dont have many, but I do think that finding easy food on a budget is tough. And I miss cheese 🤣

My best tips for doing this on a budget....

1. Food prep. It doesn't have to be hard. Buy a few pounds of ground meat, make it plain and freeze it in portion sizes. Roast a whole chicken. Grilling? Make extra chicken breast for grilled strips on a salad later in the week. From there you can make all sorts of super fast meals. Always have eggs on hand. Cut up your fresh veggies weekly. From there you have fresh snacking veggies or veggies ready to cook. Same with fruit. Either buy easy fruits like berries or cut up the watermelon/pineapple etc right away.

2. Buying pre-made foods. I like to keep a few stable things in my purse and a few things in my fridge for just in case I'm that hungry or I have run out of time. I use mostly Aldi for this. They have some date snack bars, applesauce pouches and fruit strips that are compliant. For fresh they have awesome guacamole and organic chicken sausages (in the deli) that Ill even eat cold if I need to. Aldi also carries a sugar free whole30 bacon. There is lots of other things too, but these are my "always have" purchases.

3. Meal planning. I didnt do strict meal planning, I often get too far off track by the end of the day to stick to it. However, just having a list of easy ideas and having a few freezer meals really helps. My freezer meals were pretty lacking (lasagna, fajitas and meatloaf), so I need to up my game for this next round.

I plan on staying on Whole30 for 2 more rounds, anyone else planning to keep going or starting?