If you’ve eaten so many Christmas cookies you fear you might just turn into one, you’re certainly not alone. That’s precisely why so many folks are looking to the Whole30 diet to give their body the detox it so desperately deserves.
The diet seems simple enough at first. You’re supposed to ward off any kind of packaged or processed or preservative-filled good. Simple, right? But, then you get down to the fine details, such as no: dairy, grains, alcohol, legumes (i.e. beans, peas, chickpeas, peanuts) or MSG, according to the official Whole30 website.
No cheese? No bread? This definitely seems challenging, but it really seems to be well worth the effort, especially if your New Year’s resolution was to be more healthy in 2017!
According to the website, if you avoid these foods for 30 days, you’ll essentially be able to “push the ‘reset’ button with your metabolism, systemic inflammation, and the downstream effects of the food choices you’ve been making,” the website states. That way, you’ll be able to “learn once and for all how the foods you’ve been eating are actually affecting your day to day life, and your long term health.”
Then, you won’t need a diet to tell you to make a change. You’ll start to make those changes for yourself! So, enough about what you can’t eat, let’s see some of the yummy things you can chow down on for the next 30 days, shall we?
1. Roasted Cabbage With Almond Sesame Sauce
Warm, toasty cabbage topped with almonds, fresh cilantro and a saucy glaze? Where do I sign up? See the full recipe here.
2. Jalapeno Turkey Burger
You don’t normally associate burgers with diets, but this turkey burger is a “go” on the Whole30 meal plan. See the full recipe here.
3. Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowl
Traditional burrito bowls are off-limits since grains aren’t one of the foods you’re allowed to eat for this 30-day challenge, so you’re going to have to get creative to keep this meal in your life. Substitute the rice for cauliflower rice, and you’re free to eat this deliciousness for lunch or dinner! See the full recipe here.
4. Breakfast Bowl
Your typical go-tos are going to be off-limits. No cereal, yogurt or oatmeal, so what are you going to have for breakfast? Get creative! This breakfast bowl substitutes yogurt for mashed up bananas with tons of yummy toppings. See the full recipe here.
5. Paleo Beef Pho
The perfect winter’s meal awaits. This uses zucchini and kelp noodles for a gluten-free alternative to noodles. Mix that with beef and broth, and you’re in for a treat. See the full recipe here.
6. Loaded Guacamole Sweet Potato Fries
Sweet potato fries slathered in guacamole as a lunchtime meal? Umm, don’t mind if I do! See the full recipe here.
7. Spinach Quiche
This recipe uses sweet potatoes to create a crust that works for your diet. Once you try it, you may not ever eat quiche the same way again! See the full recipe here.
8. Carrot Apple Smoothie
Smoothies are a great breakfast or lunch option as well as an in-between meal-time snack. This one substitutes coconut milk for dairy, and is sure to be tasty and filling at the same time! See the full recipe here.
