Whole 30 Finished!
Hi all!
If you have been following me on twitter and instagram, you may have noticed that I started a whole 30 a while back. Well, I finished it over a week ago! I just have not had much time to post a final recap and my thoughts on doing it. Above is one of my favorite dinners that I ate while on the whole30. It was lemony garlic salmon, asparagus, and an oven baked sweet potato!
Overall Thoughts about the whole30:
Excellent! I loved it! It was awesome to really improve my energy levels and kick my sweetener addiction to the curb. I used to put stevia in my coffee, oats, smoothies, etc. Since starting the whole30, I have not used any artificial sweetener and continue that after finishing the 30 days. I now just use almond milk in my coffee, any haven’t had any oats or smoothies since finishing the whole30, but I don’t intend on going back to it! I know stevia is often claimed to be healthy, and not harmful, but it still mimics the taste of sugar, and I am trying to get away from all artificial sweeteners! Doing the whole30 also really helped me to kick some bad habits of snacking when I wasn’t truly hungry. The whole30 focuses on eating full meals and trying to stay away from snacking in between meals. This is because american snack foods generally are processed, fake, and full of artificial ingredients and chemicals. Usually, I stay up late (ok until like 11 or 12- but hey, that’s late for me!) studying, and have dinner around 6, so I have a night snack sometimes. The whole30 also made me realize that I don’t need to have a night snack every night! Sometimes your body gets so used to routine that it wants what is always has. Overall, the whole30 helped me to pay better attention to my hunger ques.
Positives:
1. Higher energy levels- Seriously- I felt like Superwoman.
2. Better sleep- I have been falling asleep quickly, staying asleep, and waking up well rested. Sleep is one of my favorite things in the whole world,
3. Improved GI function (sorry TMI, but it’s true!)
4. Better relationship with food – It’s kind of hard to overeat while doing a whole30- except when it comes to Almond Butter- I could bathe in a pool of that stuff.
Negatives:
1. Difficulty eating out. – I didn’t really eat out at all because it is such a hassle. I went out when my parents came to visit me and got a pistachio crusted chicken salad and I’m not sure if the dressing ended up being compliant- oh well!
2. No Alcohol- Okay, this really is not that hard, but I had a friend’s birthday, and visited some other friends at their school, so I did drink 2 times during the whole30. You’re only in college once right???
Overall, I recommend all my readers to try one! It’s definitely a challenge to nix all sugar, alcohol, grains, etc. for a while, but it makes you realize how many foods have added sugar!
My favorite foods during the whole 30 were:
Sweet potatoes, Berries, Apples (always a fav), Banana & almond butter, Broccoli, Salads, Almonds, Cashews, Eggs, grilled chicken (duh), Mango, & Carrots
Above is one of my favorite dinners I ate while on the whole30- A small steak, coconut roasted sweet potatoes, a homemade kale salad, and green beans!
Things that I will take with me: Checking labels for sugar in the ingredients! Eliminating sweeteners, limiting dairy intake w the exception of eggs (Currently not eating yogurt (except red mango froyo :)), milk, cheese, etc.) and keeping in tune with my hunger cues.
Let me know if you have ever done a whole30 in the comments below! Did you like it? Are you thinking about starting one?
