Hope everyone’s week is off to a sensational start! I just got back from the grocery store where, for the first time in my 24 years and 11 months, I didn’t give yogurt or oatmeal the time of day, or for accuracy’s sake, “space in cart.” I loaded up on nutritionally-dense fruits and vegetables like kiwi , cabbage, and kale, healthy fats like avocados and almond butter, and robust protein sources like bison, turkey sausage, even all-natural beef jerky!

As you might’ve guessed, today semi-begins a new “diet,” or for accuracy’s sake, new “challenge.” And I say “semi” because my fridge still contains a few cartons of Greek yogurt that I’d hate to see go to waste, and there are just enough Stevia packets remaining to see me through the end of the week. I’ll be savoring each spoonful and sprinkle ‘til they join wheat and peanut butter on my nutritional blacklist ;-).

The name of this particular eating plan is “The Whole 30 Program.” According to the website, I’m to “think of it as a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help [me] restore a healthy metabolism, heal [my] digestive tract, calm systemic inflammation and put an end to unhealthy cravings, habits, and relationships with food and eating.”

Along with dairy and wheat products, I’m eliminating added sugar of any kind (including my beloved Stevia!), processed foods, including protein powder (just gave two jugs of whey protein to my brother – it was a bit bittersweet…), grains –which come to find out, include corn – white potatoes, legumes, and alcohol. Hopefully we all know why the last item is off limits, but why legumes such as tofu and kidney beans and other seemingly healthy foods like oatmeal and brown rice?

Rather than plagiarize a plethora of websites, I’ll quote Whole9 again when they addressed the reason for avoiding what I’ve always presumed to be nutritionally rich carb and protein sources:

“Google Scholar is a powerful tool. If you want to review scientific research for yourself, just Google ‘gluten + (insert disease here)’ or some other combination of relevant phrases, and read for yourself.”

Alrighty, then!

Whole9 points out that much of their beliefs are based on sheer scientific theories, not facts and hard research, but the founders, like myself, put more stock in indisputable results and personal testimonies than in clinical studies performed on lab rats or diet advice that changes with each issue of Us Weekly.

I recently donned my Google Scholar cap and did some sleuthing. Feel free to check out the following links if you care to explore more!

On gluten: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/gluten-what-you-dont-know_b_379089.html

On legumes: http://whole9life.com/2011/04/legume-manifesto/

On dairy: http://whole9life.com/2009/07/dairy-manifesto/

The Whole30 program reiterates again and again in their literature that their plan isn’t called “Whole365” for a reason! It would be ludicrous for anyone to preach, no matter the number of initials behind their name, that we should all adhere to a diet of broccolini, beets, and buffalo all our days.

This plan claims that by following it for 30 days, I will totally “’reset’ my body by cutting out “all the inflammatory, gut-disrupting, calorie-dense but nutritionally sparse food groups” and then evaluate how I feel both mentally and physically, how my body composition and energy levels have changed, if and how any aches and pains have been altered or eradicated, what foods and flavors I’m craving and not craving. It could very well compel me to forever disassociate from bread, cheese, wine, and the French cuisine altogether! 😉 Thank goodness coffee is still acceptable! And if this is all a bunch of organic baloney, there’s just one month ‘til Thanksgiving!

I’m sure I’ll be tweeting about my experience eating like a cave woman, so feel free to follow @dianafit4faith 🙂

Stay fit, stay faithful ~<3 Di

I never worry about diets.  The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond.  ~Mae West