Everyone makes some sort of pledge around the New Year. Almost every one of those pledges has to do with eating and fitness. How trite! How over-played, right? Most of the time- these resolutions don’t even make it out of January alive. This year, I’ve been determined to challenge that norm.

Before January 1, my family and I decided that we were going to do the Whole 30 dietary program. A few years of stress have taken their toll. Despite working at an AMAZING natural market that I love, with access to some of the best food around, my eating habits have really suffered.  I’ve struggled with migraines and heartburn, and almost NO energy at the end of every day. I decided it was time to do something about that.

We bought the Whole 30 book, made grocery lists, loaded the fridge with organic meat and veggies and buckled in for the ride. In case you aren’t familiar, let me explain what The Whole 30 is. I’d describe it as a diet reset: no grain, no alcohol, no legumes, no dairy, no sugar, no SWEETENERS, no soy, no yeast, etc.

Here’s how my experience has been going with this program:

Day One: Awesome! We made some great meals, felt really full and proud of ourselves.

Day Two: It was the day before the kids had to go back to school, and Grandpa wanted to take everyone to the Museum of Natural History in NYC. We loaded in the car, bags full of fruit, Epic Bars, and the handful of Whole 30-approved bars. “We’ll make it.” I said.

The Museum was packed and we’d seen all the major exhibits. We were hungry. Our snack bags were empty and the sun was going down. We ducked out of the rain and into a delightful little Greek restaurant. The menu included a few things that were perfect- but, not palatable for the kids. My youngest got skirt steak with asparagus, my oldest got lamb sautéed with veggies. I was excited and got stuffed cabbage- forgetting that it had rice in it until I was about eight bites in. I decided to roll with it. “A little goof-up isn’t the end of the world”, I told myself. Then, my father-in-law ordered dessert while I was in the restroom. Baklava and Kaitifi. I didn’t say a word and devoured all of it. And a glass of wine. My husband and I looked at each other and declared a “do-over” the next day.

Day Three +: It wasn’t as hard as I thought over the next few days. I pre-cooked a lot of organic chicken, ground beef, and bacon. I stocked up on salad greens, veggies and fruit. We put our lunches together in the morning- assembling what were essentially “Buddha Bowls”. What are Buddha Bowls? Buddha Bowls are a life saver.

My favorite bowl to throw together is: cooked sweet potato chunks, diced pork or chicken, greens, chopped cashews and Tessamae’s Creamy Ranch dressing (PALEO and Whole 30-friendly!) This has been my go-to lunch. (see recipe below!)

After a few days, I noticed a few things: no headaches, more energy, and no heartburn.

Week Two: The second week brought challenges. We were having a hard time keeping enough food in the house to be able to build our meals. Without filler foods (bread, beans, pasta, grains), we were absolutely tearing through avocados, eggs, salads greens, and fruit. We had to rethink the way we shop. Instead of one big weekly grocery trip, we were finding ourselves re-stocking every few days. Admittedly, the cost was up, too. (I don’t have to tell you that meat costs more than beans.)

After observing our budget for the week, though, there was a savings in another place that we didn’t even consider: we hadn’t eaten out since we went to Manhattan. Not a coffee run, not a rushed lunch, not a desperate pizza order. The extra expense in the grocery budget hasn’t been an issue because we are making and eating all of our own food!

Another challenge I ran into during this time was when I neglected to eat breakfast and found myself nauseated. My instinct was to grab crackers or a piece of bread to soothe my tummy. I texted my husband who encouraged me to grab a bag of raw cashews instead. He was right- I just needed something in my stomach. It’s amazing the food we want to grab for comfort! I didn’t think the cashews would work, but they set me right and I was able to eat well the rest of the day. I learned that I HAVE to eat. I can’t skip meals.

Moving Forward: Now we’re not done with this program quite yet- we still have a week or two to go, but the results so far are enough that we want to keep going. Perhaps indefinitely. The biggest surprise for me is that I don’t miss dairy or bread as much as I expected to. The theory is that you won’t crave things as much if your body is receiving everything it needs.

If you are looking for a reset, or relief from chronic symptoms that have no answers- The Whole 30 is a solid place to start. It will challenge you, but it will also teach you what you need to truly nourish your body.

Easy Whole 30-Approved Lunch Bowl

This flexible lunch can be made ahead of time- and this makes good use of leftovers!

Cube the meat for easy eating. I was using leftover bacon wrapped pork roast.

Leftover a baked Purple Stokes Sweet Potato

I had some pea shoots from Blue Moon Acres to use as my greens. (Yum!)

Looks GORGEOUS already. 

I added Cashews for extra crunch and good fats!

You can add any dressing you like, but my current favorite is Whole 30 approved and has a delightful dill flavor that I’m sort of addicted to. You can certainly make your own, of course!