14 Whole30 Recipes for One (Single Servings FTW!) (2024)

FAQs

What should I eat the first week of Whole30? ›

For the first 30 days, you'll be eating meat, seafood, and eggs; lots of vegetables and fruit; and natural, healthy fats.

Peanuts/Peanut Butter: Yes (if it's unsweetened)

Legumes, including beans, lentils, and peanuts, are all compatible on the Plant-Based Whole30. When selecting peanut butter, choose only those varieties with no added sugar. Note: Beans, lentils, and peanuts are not part of the Original Whole30 program.

Extra virgin olive oil is approved and Whole30 compliant. Regular olive oil (aka pure olive oil) and light tasting oil are also approved by the authors. While on the Whole30 plan, you should avoid most packaged salad dressings and mayonnaise. Most of these products are made with seed oils and are not compliant.

When you're on Whole30, toast, cereal, and oatmeal won't fly. But that doesn't mean you have to eat a plate of boring scrambled eggs each and every day. These casseroles, egg cups, breakfast stacks, and more will have you looking forward to your morning meal—and full way beyond your morning commute.

On Days 10 and 11, you are statistically the most likely to quit your Whole30. (That's why they're “the hardest days.”) By this point, the newness of the program has worn off, and though you've made it through most of the unpleasant physical milestones, you've yet to experience significant benefits.

Whole30 is a great way to reset your eating habits and jump start your weight loss journey. While results will vary from person to person, many people report losing 10-15 pounds in the first month.

What about bananas? Yes, both pickles and bananas are allowed on Whole30. Yet if they are a potential trigger food for you (for instance, the sweetness of bananas sets off a craving for other treats or makes you want to binge on the fruit), then you may consider including them on your “don't eat” list.

Anything with gluten is off-limits, along with rice, oats, corn and pseudo-grains like quinoa or buckwheat. That means no pasta and popcorn for 30 days.

While homemade versions of chips made with whole foods are considered Whole30, no store-bought chips of any kind are considered Whole30 compatible — that goes for potato chips, sweet potato chips, Siete chips, plantain chips, terra chips, veggie chips, and any other store-bought chip you can think of.

But that doesn't mean you can't eat any butter when you're doing Whole30 or that you should start looking for some butter substitute. According to the program rules, the best—and only—way to eat butter when you're doing Whole30 is to eat clarified butter or ghee.

Is deli meat OK for Whole30? ›

Fatty meats are OK on Whole30, too! This is not a “lean and mean” diet. If you have the budget, go for the best choices: grass-fed, pastured, wild-caught, organic. Avoid: processed meats (deli meat, sausages, burgers, bacon) with sugar, carrageenan, MSG, sulfites, nitrites/nitrates.

On the Plant-Based Whole30 program, you can enjoy traditional hummus made with chickpeas! A great and healthy way to snack when you need a little something to get you through to the next meal, hummus and plant-based dips with veggies is a win-win.

Whole30® also allows individuals to enjoy foods that are off-limits in other diet plans, including bacon and sausage. That means you can still whip up delicious recipes like Air Fryer Bacon-Wrapped Sweet Potatoes and Slow Cooker Polish Sausage and Cabbage.

You've seen this in literally every grocery store, and now you know: Yes, you can drink it while doing Whole30.

Yes, you can eat potatoes of all colors under the new Whole30 guidelines, white varieties included. Mash 'em up, roast them, or throw them in the skillet to enjoy. Just don't eat them commercially deep-fried or in packaged chip form to stay Whole30-compliant.

It can take several weeks before you learn to trust the “hungry” and “full” signals your body is sending you—and you may not have been eating enough in the beginning, because you were afraid of all that fat. Many Whole30'ers report that they didn't feel or see “the magic” until day 45, 60, or beyond.

Some downsides include Whole30 side effects like digestive problems, worsened food cravings, and reduced nutrient intake. The diet restricts certain foods and food groups, which, if followed long-term, can result in nutrient deficiencies.

During the month-long elimination period, no cheating is allowed. It's recommended that you start the challenge over if you get off track. The founders claim that strict adherence to the diet allows your body to reset in isolation from certain foods that may cause inflammation, gut disruptions, or hormone imbalances.

The 30-30-30 diet involves eating 30g of protein within 30 minutes of waking up, and then completing 30 minutes of low intensity exercise. This method first appeared in Tim Ferriss' book The 4-Hour Body in 2010 but was recently popularized by nutritionist and wellness podcaster Gary Brecka.