Alice Vol. 3 No. 2

uncured, no-sugar-added bacon,
Adele’s Chicken and Apple Sausage,
sweet potatoes, eggs, spinach,
Frank’s Hot Sauce, La Croix,
ground turkey, and plenty of fruits
and veggies. Then I went to Whole
Foods to pick up some Whole30
approved snacks like Lara Bars
(only certain flavors), RX bars, and
Tesse Mae’s condiment’s (a must if
you love sauces/dressings).
I would prep items like turkey
burgers, sweet potato fries, and
grilled chicken and have them ready
for lunches and dinners either at
work or at home. I would bring
the bars to work as a filling snack
during the day. Eating out is one
of the hardest parts because you
have to be very meticulous about
everything that is in your food,
which is why I recommend trying
to cook as much as possible. You
lose the social aspect of eating out
and going for a drink with friends,
which I would say is one of the
biggest downsides of the diet. But,
if you’re okay with a club soda and
a lime, you can still have fun with
your friends on the weekends.
The first week was by far the
hardest. You do not realize how
much sugar you take in, even
unknowingly, through your food
until you completely cut it out. I
had headaches and was extremely
fatigued every afternoon. Then
something changed. Around day
7, I woke up and felt amazing. It
was like an entirely new energy
had overcome my body. I no longer
craved anything sugar laden or
full of bad carbs. Gone were the
headaches and fatigue, I’d never
had more energy. Throughout the
rest of the 30 days I felt so good, I
craved my vegetables and proteins.
I looked forward to eggs and big
spinach salads. Physically, I was
changing as well. My body was
able to heal from inflammation and
my stomach was completely flat. I
thinned in the face and my skin was
flawless. Although the program is
only 30 days, the results last much
longer. The biggest problem is that
if you cheat once, the cravings do
come back.
I still crave chocolate chip
cookies, and I still love a beer with
my friends, but giving my all with
the Whole 30 diet has taught me
that I can eat well and that it’s more
than a diet. I do not restrict myself
the way I did during those 30 days,
and therefore I do not have the
perfectly flat stomach I did this
summer. However, I learned how
to make much healthier choices
and live a healthier lifestyle because
of Whole30. Whether it is choosing
almond milk over dairy milk or
making mashed potatoes from
cauliflower, I know what works
best for my body and I am able to
nourish it accordingly.
Going thirty days without
alcohol, a sugary treat, or chips and
queso may seem like torture for a
college student. If you can muster
up the willpower to commit for 30
days, it truly can be life changing.
However, simply implementing a
few small changes from Whole30
into your diet can also be highly
beneficial. If you’re craving french
fries, cut up a sweet potato, sprinkle
with salt and rosemary, and bake
it in the oven to make homemade,
Whole30 french fries. Bake chicken
fingers with almond flour and dip
them into a Whole30 approved
condiment. If you eat creatively,
you will find that this program does
not restrict, but improves what you
already enjoy eating.
“This program
is not some diet
craze - it is about
eating food in its
intended way.”
76 Alice Spring 2018