I loved my experience doing the Whole30 challenge. The side effects I saw and why I did it can be found in my earlier article. I don’t think I could have done it without all the tips from my sister and support from my family.
The biggest piece of advice I can give someone who wants to try the Whole30 challenge in college is get an amazing support team. Find some friends who want to try eating healthy for thirty days or won’t pressure you to go out and join them for a drink at the bar. The best kind of support team is one who understands why you are doing it.
This leads me to my second piece of advice: find a reason and motivation to take on the Whole30 challenge. Decide on a goal to come out of your experience with. Mine was cutting the sugar I eat on a daily basis. A nice bonus was my newfound love for vegetables! I also discovered there are foods I can’t tolerate plain and simple. Rice and grains are now out of my diet permanently.
If you want to complete the Whole30 you need to find a great grocer with organic food. Vegetables, eggs and proteins will become your diet’s new best friend. You will want to be eating the highest quality versions of these also. It does make a difference. I know it might sound ridiculous but trust me on this. It will put a slight dent in your wallet when you food shop but plan ahead. Russo’s, Market Basket and Hannaford all has organic vegetables and proteins for lower costs!
Your meals are going to want to be in mass quantities so you can eat them as leftovers. This will save you a ton of time for that one day when you have class all day and don’t have time to cook a real dinner or lunch.
Find recipes that are one-pot or one-pan recipes. There are some amazing stir-fries you can make with vegetables and proteins. There are some great stews you can make in one pot. The cooking time for these recipes sometimes takes all day but you can let them run while you are in class. Stir-fries can be cooked while working on a simple assignment or short reading for the next day.
If you choose to take on the challenge, you will change your life. It certainly impacted mine in a positive way. Do it with some friends, get your family involved remotely, make it a group effort. Good luck!