I am so excited to finally be sharing a little about my January Whole30 journey with you guys here on the blog. I’ve been sharing quite a bit on snapchat (stylecusp), and there’s been so much interest and questions so I decided to bring things over here + cover a little more in depth.

If you’re not familiar with the Whole 30, I highly suggest reading about it – but it’s basically a body restart for 30 days eating only real whole foods, cutting out all grains, alcohol, dairy, sugar, legumes, and a select few other things. This is the third time I’ve done it – however, the other two times I didn’t stick it out for the full 30 days and had a few slip ups or only went about 21 days. It’s really important to commit to the program for the full 30 days!

This time I’ve been fully committed, and according to my knowledge, haven’t ‘cheated’ at all. But trust me – it’s been tough! Week 1 was pretty smooth coasting, no cravings, sleeping amazing, lots of energy during the day. Week 2 I still felt the same but went through withdrawals and cravings – mainly from cheese (weakness), my late night snacking habits, and the occasional bowl of pasta, homemade Sunday pizza, or gourmet grilled cheese from a local food truck. I just wrapped up week 3 and this week I feel more settled into the routine of food and know my go to’s, while still feeling full of energy and having a few cravings here and there.

The most important thing about Whole 30 is making sure you have a constant supply of food. I’ve been able to do one big grocery shopping trip a week and get all the necessities- I’ve been getting the majority at Trader Joe’s and a few select things at Whole Foods. I can do another post next week if you guys are interested in my grocery list and specific foods that are Whole 30 approved (like approved condiments, chicken sausage, bacon, etc.) The first trip will take quite awhile while you obsessively look at every label of things like mustard (#truestory) but I can help you out and narrow it down with some brands!

 THINGS I LOVE

I’ve gotten so much more creative with vegetables, and eaten such a broader range of veggies than I normally do. Definitely still going to do this post Whole 30.

How much energy I have, how focused I am, and how well I sleep. I had a ton of trouble with insomnia and my sleeping patterns were so off (largely in part to traveling), and Whole 30 – in combination with some tweaks from my naturopath – has helped so much.

My complexion is insane amazing. My skin has always been a struggle for me and only recently has it finally cleared up, but Whole 30 has given me the softest, most radiant skin I’ve ever had. I get compliments every single day. Think about it, you’re eating no processed junk, drinking no alcohol, and only giving your body real, living foods – of course your skin will love you!

The restrictions. This sounds so weird, but I love “not” being able to eat certain foods. I’m already gluten free, so have existing limitations in my diet, but not having the convenience of just making a quick sandwich or bowl of GF pasta is actually a good thing, because it forces me to eat clean and healthy. And I feel so much better after meals because of it.

THINGS I DONT LOVE

I hate doing dishes in general, and there’s about 100 times more dishes during Whole 30. I’m constantly preparing foods, cooking, mixing, etc. My friend Kathleen has been doing Whole 30 this month too, and this is something we both definitely agree on.

Not having the convenience of eating something quick. I know, I know – I just said above that I appreciate the restrictions and not being able to make quick things, but sometimes after a long day it’s just hard to muster up an hour in the kitchen. I’d say I like this more than I don’t, but still..

My dreams about eating non Whole 30 food. Yep, this happened. I had a dream last night that I ate a crunch wrap supreme from Taco Bell.. and my late night guilty pleasure is obsessively scrolling through food instagram accounts.. sooo – there’s that. (Note: I never eat Taco Bell so I have no idea where that came from..)

All in all, I have to say I’m really loving this Whole 30. I’ve decided I want to adopt a lot of the “rules” for my regular life, and eat a bit cleaner on a more consistent basis because it’s just plain better. I feel better, I look better, my clothes fit better (hello not being bloated).

A few of the photos above are of some of my favorite recipes or go to’s that I’ve had on hand throughout this round of Whole 30. I’m going to share a more detailed roundup of these next weekend along with some different meals I’ve had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! I’ll also share the recipes for the Asian slaw salad and egg salad from above – they’re both super easy and great to eat whether you’re doing Whole 30 or not. If you’ve seen something on snapchat you guys are interested in, then let me know and I’ll cover that too!

Please feel free to leave any questions below or send me an email. I’d love to chat or answer anything more specific that you guys are wondering that wasn’t covered here.

Happy Sunday + I hope you all on the East Coast are staying warm in the snow we’ve had!