GFChris

It's the popcorn. No corn products of any kind are allowed on a Whole30 per the rules.

Some flavored Pellegrino waters (or other brands) have added sweetener, so those would not be allowed. If you always read the ingredient list before you purchase/consume, that will go a long way to you determining what is on or off plan while on a Whole30.

No peanut oil, no peanuts, no peanut butter, or any products made from peanuts on a Whole30.

What prompted your desire to take a break from animal protein? Texture? Taste? Ethical reasons? Other? Folks might be able to help you with this challenge, if we know what the hurdles are for you.

Realize you're likely to get a variety of answers, as we're all unique: what may be satiating for one will be different for another. The serving size that is optimal *for you* is what satiates *you,* along with your protein and fat, for 4-5 hours. I encourage you to experiment to discover what works best for you.

If it's just me and my husband, we each usually end up with 1/2 a head of cauliflower.As always, let satiety be your primary guide. 1 cup of veggies plus protein and fat may be sufficient for you some days. Other times, you may need to up your veggie serving closer to 3 cups to be satiated for 4-5 hours.

My husband and I split a bunch of asparagus last night (tossed w olive oil, grilled outside and then seasoned with salt and pepper - yum!) That serving size is pretty standard for us. We also had salad of bibb lettuce, tomato and Tessemae's Lemon Garlic dressing with our meal of grilled chicken breast. Cauliflower, if I'm eating florets, is typically 1/2 of my dinner plate. Mashed: around a cup - cup and a half. Side note: 9 cups a day is the top end of the range. We recommend 1-3 cups of veggies per meal.

Without knowing what you've been eating and drinking, it's hard to provide you with some specific insight. Generally, it's related to how you ate pre-Whole30 and how it differs from how you're currently eating on your Whole30. Can you post 2-3 days worth of your food log in the Troubleshooting section? Include meals and any snacks, portion sizes and water consumption (although whether you're drinking sparkling or still water, as sparkling can cause bloat for some). With that information, folks here can give you feedback on possible tweaks.

Love this Healthy Foodie roasted cauliflower recipe. I've even served this to company and it's been a big crowd pleaser. I've subbed extra light tasting olive oil for the avocado oil, rice vinegar for the white wine vinegar, and sea salt for the Himalayan salt. I also cut the chili pepper flakes in half. You might also choose to use less mustard, depending on the size of your cauliflower head.

While not prohibited, juicing/smoothies are discouraged on a Whole30, per the Can I Have Guide: "Smoothies: We’d rather you didn’t This is a very popular question, with a very unpopular answer. Smoothies (generally made using lots of fruit) are technically compliant on your Whole30, but we strongly recommend against it. Food that you drink sends different satiety signals to your brain than food that you chew. So when you drink your meal, your brain isn’t getting the feedback it needs to tell your body that it’s had enough of what it needs. Plus, smoothies are generally really fruit-heavy, and starting your day off with a liquid sugar-bomb sets you up for cravings, hunger, and volatile energy levels throughout the day. In summary, we’d rather you just eat the food, and skip the smoothie." - See more at: http://whole30.com/2013/06/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/#sthash.yR1PUh5q.dpuf There are LOTS of vegetable possibilities. Are they any you can stomach in its whole food form at this time? This produce guide may give you some ideas.

You might be best served by posting in the Troubleshooting section with a few days of what your food and water consumption has looked like, and we can give you feedback on possible tweaks.

Yes, the Chomp Stick and banana are fine. Fruit immediately after a main meal is acceptable too. You're doing great!

Fruit is optional on a Whole30. If you're going to have it, the recommendation for best results is to have fruit as part of a mini-meal or regular meal, vs. on its own, and to limit it to 1-2 servings a day, where a serving is a whole piece of fresh fruit the size of your fist. Also, if you're going to have fruit with a meal, don't let fruit push vegetables off your plate. Have you seen the recommended meal template?

You'd need to check the ingredients and confirm they're compliant. If so, you could use it as salad dressing, although I'd encourage you to expand your taste buds to the plethora of tastier salad dressing options available.

You're doing just fine. We don't expect your meals to keep you satiated for 7 hours (the general guidance is 4-5 hours between meals), so adding a mini-meal between your lunch and dinner, when genuinely hungry, is the way to go. Where possible, try including a protein, carb and fat in a mini-meal. But what you have been doing is good.