NatureBox

[TelFiRE]

Surprisingly I didn't find anything on NatureBox in my searches, other than a FaceBook comment saying it wasn't a good idea to not be able to pick your own snacks. However, I think they misunderstood the concept of NatureBox -- they have a lot of different snacks and you can pick and choose exactly which ones they send you.

 

Now, some are obviously non compliant. But lots of their options don't have any of the obvious nos, like sugar, grains, and legumes. They also don't necessarily seem to be trying to recreate unhealthy snacks with most of them, they're just basic ingredient with some tasty spices and flavoring. However, a lot of them do have "natural flavoring" which seems to be somewhere between a gray area and frowned upon.

 

I just started NatureBox before I found Whole30 and was really excited about it. What do? Go for it? Avoid for my Whole30? Nix it altogether? (Although I gotta say, I'm gonna need some tastiness to add to my repertoire!)

 

Thanks in advance!

[jmcbn]

Snacks are not encouraged on whole30. If you're finding you have the need to snack then your template meals probably aren't large enough for you.

I'm in the UK so not familiar with Naturebox, but am guessing it's similar to Graze which we have here - and having subscribed to that a loooooooooong time ago I'd say the vast majority of their snacks are non compliant - they contain a lot of hidden grain for starters.

I'd at least put it on hold for the duration of you whole30 just so as to remove both the tempation, & the risk of eating something non-compliant...

Hope this helps!

[TelFiRE]

Hmm, thanks for the info. I have set my subscription to skip a month.

 

But... Template meals? No snacking?! I guess I haven't read into this enough yet... I haven't read the book yet, just the program rules and intro pages. But I thought this was about eliminating key things from the diet for 30 days, I didn't realize it had anything to do with when I eat. That might be pretty hard for me to get into.

[jmcbn]

What you eat, and when you eat it..... 

 

Here's a link to the program rules:

http://whole30.com/whole30-program-rules/

And one to the 'Can I have...?' section:

http://whole30.com/2013/06/the-official-can-i-have-guide-to-the-whole30/

And a link to the suggested meal template:

http://whole30.com/downloads/whole30-meal-planning.pdf

It's not that hard if you put your mind to it & plan ahead - ie. buy in the compliant foods and do some meal prep....

I'd read through the links, familiarise yourself with the program, maybe buy/borrow the book and make your decision form there - it may be you need some time to get your head round it, but your body will thank you for your efforts...!! 

 

[TelFiRE]

I had read those documents except for the meal planning one. I already bought the book. It literally doesn't tell you this until after you've gotten to the "commit" step. I think this is a bad design.

 

And, actually, it is hard for me, because I have CVS and often simply don't have an appetite/can't keep anything down anyway. So, no snacking is one thing, but my meals aren't always going to be regular.

[ShannonM816]

Just to clarify -- if you follow the program rules in that first link in jmbcm's post above, you will have done a whole30. The meal template is a recommendation. We strongly encourage people to follow the template as much as possible, because for most people it will give them the best possible results, but there are people who cannot eat three large meals a day for medical reasons, and that is fine.

When you do eat, it's generally best for blood sugar levels to eat protein, fat, and vegetables, rather than something like just fruit or just nuts (which are a fat source, not a protein for Whole30 purposes). Just adjust the portion sizes as needed.

[TelFiRE]

Ok! Thanks for the clarification

 

I'm looking forward to having more energy and all the other benefits that should come from not eating like complete crap. I've known I need to change things for a while, but this provides the actual actionable plan to do it, and that's what's getting me moving.

[MeadowLily]

Telfire - clarity counts.  It may take longer than 30 days for your body to get back to normal when coming from take-out, frozen dinners and convenience foods.

 

There is a natural tendency to want to make substitutes for all of our previous favorite foods.  Those would be more convenient style foods.  Any discomfort you find from a complete change - your body is going to thank you with every passing day.

 

A Whole 30 is either frustrating or fascinating. Absorb all of the healthy. You initial post spoke to me...you want to improve on your happy.   We're not giving you only what we believe...but what can be prove.   Embrace your healthy.