The whole 30 diet plan is a nutritionist-approved diet plan for beating chronic health issues.
The Whole 30 diet plan is like pushing the reset button. It can help improve your energy, boost digestion, lower your cravings and help you lose weight in a healthy diet.
But what does the whole 30 diet plan actually mean?
The whole 30 diet plan is not a restrictive diet plan but it is a nutritional program. It does not involve portion control or calorie counting. It is actually a selective diet plan for 30 days. For 30 days, you will eliminate the foods that are known to be problematic for your body. The idea is to eliminate “blood-sugar disrupting, gut-damaging, inflammatory food groups” for 30 days. This will allow your body to heal and recover from the harmful effects of these foods.
The common foods that you must avoid in a whole 30 diet plan are – dairy, grains, sugar, legumes, alcohol, pasta, bread, and processed and fried foods. A whole30 diet does not involve calorie control which means you can have any amount of fruits, vegetables, eggs, nuts, seeds, black coffee, and other natural and local foods. You can also have rice in this diet plan as a part of your regular diet.
How to follow a whole 30 diet plan?
In a whole 30 diet plan, you eliminate the potentially problematic foods from your diet. At the end of 30 days, you can slowly reintroduce these foods one at a time. When you reintroduce a particular food, you must note how it makes you feel and how it affects your metabolism, digestion, and mood.
Ideally, in this program, you can reintroduce one food group at a time. For example, you can reintroduce dairy and see how it changes your system. Note the change and eliminate the food group for a few more days to reintroduce another food group. This will help you identify the food groups that can cause negative symptoms like bloating, skin breakouts, and achy joints.
Once you identify the food groups you can add back the ones that are well-tolerated and eliminate those that cause potential problems in your system. This little change in your lifestyle results in improvements in energy, sleep, mood, focus, digestion, pain, and athletic performance. It can also help reduce generalized pain and fatigue.
What are the benefits of Whole30?
A whole 30 diet plan is a 30 days plan that requires your dedication and commitment. However, there are many benefits of this plan that will keep you motivated. Some of the proven benefits of the Whole 30 diet plan are –
Better Health
A whole 30 diet plan can help improve your health and fight many chronic conditions. It might be effective in fighting inflammation. This diet promotes a higher intake of fruits and vegetables which are known to fight inflammation and improve immunity.
Research shows that following a whole 30 diet plan can reduce the risk of heart disease. Since this diet is effective in aiding weight loss; it can also help control your sugar levels. This makes it an effective diet for preventing or managing your diabetes.
Improved digestion
Eliminating certain food groups from your diet can result in improved digestion and energy levels. This diet also positively affects your mood, unlike restrictive diet plans. Following this diet plan can also result in improved sleep. This also results in clear skin and reduced acne breakouts.
Weight loss
A whole 30 diet plan involves the elimination of sugar, alcohol, dairy, and processed foods. All of these food groups are known to be contributing factors to obesity. Thus, avoiding these food groups can bring a visible change in your weight. Further, a whole 30 diet is proven to improve your energy levels and metabolism.
Also, read: Basil seeds for weight loss
Tips that can help you follow the Whole 30 diet plan
Keeps the temptations out of your house – Do a major home clean-up before starting the whole 30 diet plan and throw out all the things that are not in the plan.
Switch alcohol and soda with coffee – This diet plan requires you to avoid having alcohol and carbonated soda. You can have black coffee as much as you want. But remember to avoid having coffee too late in the day!
Plan your month and be prepared for the plan – It will not be easy to follow a particular diet plan for a month, so plan and prepare well.
Don’t make it complicated – Keep your diet simple and do not download complex recipes. Also, keep your diet tasty and do not restrict the items that you can have.
Include lots of local foods – Add the local staples of your region. Be it rice, chapati or dosa.
Caution!
Before you start with a whole 30 diet plan, it’s important to check with your doctor. If you are suffering from any chronic condition, you must consult your doctor before starting this diet program. Also, a new diet plan might mess up your digestion, induce food sensitivities, and increase your food cravings. This diet plan may also not be sustainable for all.
Your takeaway!
A whole 30 diet plan has many benefits, but you must be cautious before starting a new diet program. Any diet plan may have certain downsides and it may not be suitable for all. Consult your doctor before starting this diet plan. If this diet suits you, you may club it with intermittent fasting for greater results.
