Whole30 Diet Plan: All You Need To Know About Popular Weight Loss Regimen That Asks You To Stay Off The Scale

The first month of 2017 is being used as a time to cleanse by many who want a break from the indulgence that was synonymous with the holiday season. While an increasing number of people are turning to the Dry January campaign, if you want to take it a step further, the answer is here — the Whole30 diet.

This short-term nutritional reset was established by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig and published in their New York Times bestselling work “The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom.” The plan aims at cutting out unhealthy habits for a healthy metabolism and aims at balancing the immune system.

The diet’s emphasis is not on weight loss but on resetting the metabolism by cutting out “psychologically unhealthy, hormone unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups” for 30 days. The first rule of the plan is relatively simple — eating only real food.

What can you eat?

Meat

Poultry

Fish

Vegetables

Fruits

Good fats

Strict no-no’s

No sugar or natural or artificial sweeteners

No alcohol

No smoking

No grains

No beans or legumes

No soy

No dairy

No processed additives

No treats with Whole30-approved ingredients

There are some exceptions: clarified butter — the only dairy product allowed in the plan — salt, and vinegar

Another rule that sets it apart from a number of diet plans is that it requires you to not step on a scale during the entire duration of the program.

Those undertaking the diet plan reportedly experienced a number of physical and psychological uplifts. According to its website, those who followed the plan also had “consistently high energy levels, improved athletic performance, better sleep, improved focus and mental clarity, and a sunnier disposition.”

Here are some Whole30-friendly recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner which can help you get through the month without losing motivation.