My meal plan , hints and tips please?

[Emmajayne]

I've just started reading the ' it starts with food' book and I'm getting ready for my first whole 30( will start 1st July- as I have a few things on between now and then, but. I'm going to start 'transitioning' off things.

If I were to follow this below , is this a good meal plan , I have written the protein options then + veggies etc, so any of these protein could be a cooked a different way or mince etc,

Any hints and tips would be great thank

Whole 30 - meal ideas

Breakfast

2x eggs, cooked anyway, with chopped veggies(1-1.5cups)

+green smoothie or serve of fruit

Bacon once a week if I can find the right bacon

Edited - some home made patty/sausage some mornings

Lunch

Chicken, kangaroo sausage, steak , egg or salmon

+Salad or veggies (1-1.5cups)

+nuts/seeds to salad- depending on meal

+Whole30 dressing

Edited- soup some days

Dinner

Chicken, kangaroo, beef, pork or salmon

+Veggies or salad (1-1.5 cups)

+Whole 30 dressings

+ sweet potato 'every other night'

Snack

Small handful almonds, small green apple

Banana

Raw veggies/veggie sticks

Trying to go very basic and straight forward, I will do some 'cooked meals' but I think doing 'meat and veg' most days will be the best way to go

[kaiser179]

Congrats on planning ahead and thinking about your meal plan.  I truly believe that preparation is the key to a successful Whole 30!

 

Here are a couple of suggestions (just my opinion):

 

- Consider how you are going to add fat at each meal (although you did mention salad dressings).  What healthy cooking fats are you going to use?  Maybe consider adding a half an avocado a day, etc.

 

- Consider getting rid of the smoothie at breakfast.  W30 focuses on eating whole foods.  Smoothies are discouraged.  Put more veggies on your plate or have a serving of fruit instead.

 

- Snacks are okay if you need them, but see how you feel.  The goal is to eat well enough at each meal so that you don't need to snack.  However it is a good idea to plan for emergencies and have compliant snacks on hand.  It is recommended that snacks actually be "mini meals" and include protein, fat, and veggies.

 

- Make sure you get enough protein at each meal.  The number of eggs should be equal to what can easily fit in the palm of your hand.  I have small hands and can still hold 3 eggs.  If I only eat 2 eggs, I make sure to add some sausage for more protein.

 

- Feel free to add more veggies as needed.  I add my protein to my plate and fill up the rest of the plate with veggies.

 

Good luck!

[Emmajayne]

Thnkyou so much for your reply!

I will be using coconut oil in cooking and yes avocado as part of my salads/ with breakfast those are a few things I forgot to add in above! I love avocado!

For snacks , I was thinking better to be organised- take almonds and apple when I go out, better then buying something naughty! I will try not to snack and only have the meals. I've always been a snacked, well I call of grazing, I'd be happy to graze all day and not have meals lol!

With eggs at breakfast I can't seam to eat a lot, when I make a huge breakfast I can never finish it. I doubt I would be able to finish what I have written above to be honest! , and I will take out green smoothie, are fresh juices okay? I do love green juice/smoothies . I guess that's something I can add in after the whole 30, along with things like 'pancakes' I do remember no smoothies being mentioned now, along wit pancakes and baking

Thank you again for your help

[Tom Denham]

The reason smoothies are discouraged is two-fold: One is that smoothies digest faster than whole foods, so they do not keep you satisfied as long as the same food eaten chewed instead of drunk. Two is that many smoothies are heavy on fruit, and consequently sugar, and low on veggies.

 

Juice may be used to sweeten recipes, but not as a beverage. The issue is that juice is a huge load of sugar and whole fruit is superior to juice when it comes to satiety and nutrition. I use apple juice when making pickles to cut the sharpness of apple cider vinegar.

[kaiser179]

Happy to help!  This forum is a wonderful place to find support.

 

I understand on wanting to be prepared with snacks!  I always keep a baggie of raw almonds in my purse just in case I need them.

 

Once you stop grazing and get used to eating really good food 3x a day, you will be surprised at how big your meals will become!

[Emmajayne]

Thank you Tom, deffinatly understandable so thank you for the reasonings

It will be great to stop grazing, boredom eating and banish cravings! Oh I can't wait to overcome these issues!

Then I assume I will get the 'woah you eat to much' when I sit down to a big sized (healthy, balanced) meal

I will try my breakfast tomorrow and see how much I can eat and how full it keeps me

Thanks!

[Jinkse21]

Totally agree with Kaiser179!  By following the program, you will be so happy with the results!  The hard part is getting all of the previous "diet" guidelines/recommendations out of your head.  Be open to changing how you feel about food and how it affects your body. 

 

I highly recommend starting your own Whole30 log under the Community section of the forums so you can log what you eat and how you feel.  It's great to have in the future so you can see the changes and the effects food has on your body.  Others may read your log and give you feeback or learn from you as well. 

 

Good luck on your new adventure!!  

[SpinSpin]

I would suggest bumping up your vegg. I shoot for at least 2 cups-- cooked, raw or a combo per meal.

[SaraG]

For snacks , I was thinking better to be organised- take almonds and apple when I go out, better then buying something naughty! I will try not to snack and only have the meals. I've always been a snacked, well I call of grazing, I'd be happy to graze all day and not have meals lol!

I was a snacker too and couldn't even imagine making it 5 hours between meals. But I was very committed to getting hormones balanced and time between eating is important to that. I found that even a big salad won't get me to next meal. I need plenty of cooked vegetables. I may have a small salad with meal for the fresh taste. Also using enough fat and some higher carb vegetables daily works for me.

Getting hungry is now a gradual pleasant feeling where before I would get hungry all of the sudden and get grouchy. From when I first start feeling a sensation of slight hunger I easily have an hour or two to prepare or get to my next meal. There is no panic any more. Now I can't imagine eating as early as four hours after a meal. Occasionally I may feel the urge to eat because it was something I used to do--habit or boredom and it passes.

Have a great 30!

[LisaG]

Quick question about green monster smoothies.  I haven't had one since being on Whole30 but was curious what the thoughts were on a smoothie that was basically just spinach, coconut milk, water & a few strawberries?  I used to have a green monster that was basically this but with almond milk instead of the coconut milk/water and it was always really yummy and helped me get a full serving of spinach right off the bat early in the day.  I'm just curious what the thoughts are on smoothies if they aren't so fruit dense (as most smoothies are).

[GFChris]

Quick question about green monster smoothies.  I haven't had one since being on Whole30 but was curious what the thoughts were on a smoothie that was basically just spinach, coconut milk, water & a few strawberries?  I used to have a green monster that was basically this but with almond milk instead of the coconut milk/water and it was always really yummy and helped me get a full serving of spinach right off the bat early in the day.  I'm just curious what the thoughts are on smoothies if they aren't so fruit dense (as most smoothies are).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Smoothies are discouraged on the Whole30 for a number of reasons. They want you to eat the food whole. Something you can chew, not something that's been liquified. It's to promote better satiety.