What Are Whole30 Meals

The Whole30 diet is a 30-day nutritional program developed by sports nutritionists Melissa Hartwig and Dallas Hartwig. It has been around for over a decade now and the number of follower keeps growing.

 

 

Why not 27 or 43? “Thirty days is a good compromise. It takes 66 days for a habit to stick, but if we told someone to do this plan for that long, it’d be pretty intimidating,” Hartwig says. This amount of time is long enough for you to see results but not so long that you’ll be afraid to start.

Natura Market offers a wide range of Whole30 Products

 

What You Can Eat

• Meat
• Poultry
• Fish including canned fish
• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Fats
• Coffee

What You Can’t Eat

• Sugar, syrup and artificial sweeteners
• Peanut butter
• Grains
• Beans and legumes.
• Soy
• Dairy products
• Processed additives
• Commercially prepared snacks, tortillas, even with Whole30-approved ingredients.
• Alcohol and smoking

The most important thing to remember when following Whole30 is to check the label on everything you buy. A lot of everyday condiments and prepackaged goods have added sugar or additives that you might not be aware of.

Since yogurt, cereal, toast, and even oatmeal are off the table, breakfast tends to be the toughest meal on the program.

 

Breakfast Ideas

• Try baking avocado with egg. It takes only 15 minutes, is delicious and will keep you full till lunchtime.
• Salmon frittata. Pretty enough to present to friends for brunch but easy enough to make any day of the week, this recipe brings salmon and eggs together with fresh dill and chives for a delicious, healthy dish. Garnish with homemade mayo.
• Grain-free oatmeal. Another twist on breakfast oats, this dish is filling, crunchy, naturally sweet, and tastes so close to the real deal you may never go back to your prepackaged oatmeal. And it’s quick: Just throw an apple, date, unsweetened coconut, almonds, and chia seeds into the food processor.

 

Lunch - Kale Salad With Sautéed Apples

Whole30 lunches are essential because they'll save you from a slip-up when nothing else can. Options like chicken baked with veggies, turkey meatballs with plums will keep you full, happy, and far from bored. 

Ingredients:

1 large bunch kale, cut into thin ribbons, zest of 1 lemon, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, smashed and minced, sea salt to taste, 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for cooking, 1 shallot, peeled and sliced, 4 crisp apples, cored and cut into 1/2 inch slices, 1/2 cup raw, hulled pepitas.

Directions:

Prepare the kale, set in a large bowl, and toss with lemon zest. To make the vinaigrette, use a fork to whisk the garlic into the lemon juice. Add a generous pinch of sea salt. Drizzle in 3 tablespoons olive oil, whisking until emulsified. Drizzle half the dressing over the kale leaves and massage with fingers. Rough the kale up a bit and set aside while you prepare the toppings.

Set a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil and the shallots. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until shallots have browned, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, slice apples, toss in the skillet and cook just until apples are warm and have lost their bite, 5-7 minutes. Remove shallots and apples from heat, add more oil, and toast the pepitas, cooking just until they pop about 1-2 minutes. Toss warm pepitas with sea salt.

Fold the warm apples, shallots, and pepitas into the prepared kale leaves. Taste for salt and adjust if needed. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for up to a day.

 

Dinner - Chicken Teriyaki

The healthy versions of chicken cacciatore, meatballs and more will make you actually excited to make dinner after work. Check out our wide range of Whole30 Products.

Ingredients:

For the sauce: 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 1/2 tablespoons honey, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger, 2 teaspoons cornstarch.

For the chicken: 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces, salt, ground black pepper, sesame seeds, for garnish, sliced green onions, for garnish, cooked white rice, for serving, steamed broccoli, for serving.

Directions:

For sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, oil, honey, garlic, ginger, and cornstarch.

For chicken: In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add chicken to skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook until golden and almost cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Pour sauce over chicken and simmer until sauce has thickened slightly and chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions. Serve over rice with steamed broccoli.

 

Benefits of Whole30

Whole30 program improves energy, sleep, digestive issues (gas, bloating, pain, constipation, or diarrhea), skin, joint pain/swelling, asthma, migraines, and biomarkers like blood pressure, cholesterol, and fasting blood sugar. Whole30 helps successfully lose weight.

Another benefit of Whole30 is the ability to identify potential allergies to grains and dairy after you introduce them back into your diet. Once the body has had a chance to reset, you'll be able to easily see if any of these things make you feel tired, bloated, or foggy.

Natura Market offers a wide range of Whole30 Products