1st Time! Start Date: 10/29/18

[dimickab]

Hi all!

This is my first time attempting the Whole30. I'm not typically one to post on forums or social media, but I have some pretty awful, deeply-rooted food habits that I know will be hard to shake. Therefore, I figured I'd follow the book's advice and take advantage of all the resources and support this forum offers (not to mention the accountability aspect). So, here it is! My now public commitment: I plan to start the Whole30 program on October 29, 2018. Honestly, the part that I'm most worried about is learning how to read labels and remembering the rules and not having a breakdown in the grocery store when I'm trying to figure out what I can and can't buy. I've always hated cooking, and even buying ingredients for a normal (non-Whole30) recipe stresses me out. So, this post doesn't really require a response from anyone, but if you relate to that sentiment or have any tips regarding that aspect, feel free to share!

Thanks! Looking forward to this challenge!

[ShannonM816]

Hi, @dimickab, welcome to the forum. 

Label reading is hard at first, but you'll figure it out pretty quickly. Be sure you have the Sneaky Sugar guide and Common Additives Cheat Sheet with you when shopping, and if there's an ingredient you see that you're not sure about, Google whole30 plus that ingredient to get the fastest answers. (Download the sheets I mentioned here:  https://whole30.com/pdf-downloads/)

If you stick to things that don't have labels -- fresh produce and meat -- you won't have to read labels. If there's something particular you know you'll want, like tomato sauce or salsa or olives, see if your store lets you do an online grocery list, or if they offer curbside pickup or delivery or even work with instacart or shipt -- anything that means they have their products online for you to look at beforehand. You don't have to actually make your list on the site or use a delivery service, but you can sit in the comfort of your own home and research what brands are available. Narrow it down to one or two that seem to be compliant, but always double check the actual container in your hands before you eat the food, just in case they've changed recipes or you've picked up a different variety than you looked up online. This could save you a lot of time in the store.

And remember that you don't need a bunch of complicated recipes. Scrambled eggs with spinach or other vegetables topped with some avocado is a meal. A burger patty on a bed of lettuce topped with mustard, mayo, tomatoes, and onion, alongside some roasted sweet potato (https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-roast-any-vegetable-101221) is a meal. There are a ton of sheet pan dinner options out there where you throw everything in the oven at once and don't do much hands on stuff after that -- if you chop your vegetables and season your meat the night before, you could get home, toss everything in the oven, and have dinner ready in 40 minutes to an hour. Don't get caught up in making something new and different every day, find some easy to do things you don't mind eating regularly, and try new recipes once or twice a week when you have time to cook.