"So...you can't eat anything good?"
Oh, SO not true! While Whole30 eliminates all grains, dairy, seeds, soy, etc., that still leaves plenty of really amazing things that I can eat. I honestly feel like the food we've been eating for the past couple of months has been a lot more interesting than what we ate before. Eating Whole30-compliant foods has certainly increased my love of cooking, and I feel like I have a whole new appreciation and passion for the fresh amazing ingredients that I've been incorporating into our meals lately. Tonight, for example, I brined some boneless skinless chicken breasts for a bit in a basic salt and spice brine. After a couple hours, I drained the chicken, dried it off, and grilled it after brushing it with a Moroccan spice blend that included cumin, cinnamon, and curry powder. We dipped the grilled and sliced chicken in an incredibly delicious middle-eastern-style dipping sauce of citrus juices fresh herbs, and spices. On the side was a quick salad of cucumber, snap peas, fresh herbs, and a squeeze of lemon juice. It was arguably one of the best meals I've made in quite some time, it was so easy to put together, and I feel so good after eating it (which is something I can't say for the sluggish gross feeling I would get after a big bowl of spaghetti in my pre-Whole30 days). So in a way, if you think about it, all we eat is the good stuff!
"That sounds expensive"
Totally a fair assumption. Eating this way is more expensive. There's really no getting around that. There are ways to do it in a less expensive way (buy frozen veggies, tailor your meat choices to what is currently on special at the grocery store, etc.) but we don't find it prohibitively costly. One perk of eating this way is that we eat out significantly less than we used to. It's just easier for us to know what goes into our food that way, not to mention the fact that I love cooking this way! Before Whole30, I used to eat breakfast very seldom, eat lunch out just about every day, and eat dinner at home. Now, Kevin and I both eat breakfast from home, and eat home-cooked dinners. I always bring my lunch to work with me, and Kevin usually eats out at lunch time. We usually grocery shop once a week, and I find that we spend about $3.20 per meal, which in my books is super reasonable! And yes, while eating this way is arguably more expensive (I mean, a $1.29 box of pasta and a $3 jar of sauce can feed a lot of people on the cheap), we consider eating this way to be a significant investment in our health.
"Don't you miss things like cookies and beer?"
The short answer? Yes and no. Sure, once in a while I could go for a nice frosty beer, but I usually just reach for a can of LaCroix coconut with a squeeze of fresh lime, and find myself equally satisfied. Will I ever eat a cookie again? Absolutely. But the funny thing is, the longer I eat this way, the more I realize that I never want to go back to the tired, moody, sugar-addicted overweight version of myself that I was before. I know now that I'm putting things into my body that it needs, and I'm seeing the benefits in so many ways. My skin is so healthy and clear that I pretty much just brush on a little mascara each morning before I walk out the door. I'm sleeping like a champion, and the energy I have when it comes time for our Couch to 5K training is incredible. Plus, I am almost 25 pounds lighter than when I started, and you can't argue with those numbers!
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