It occurred to me that new readers might not be familiar with my long, loving track record with the Whole 30. It's not a success...
Read MoreWhole30 Resources Roundup
Since 2009, I’ve completed a handful of Whole30 months, usually when I was (a) trying to get a grip on what was happening with my health (see “thyroid removal complications“), or (b) trying to clean up my act after a big adventure, like a vacation or particularly stressful work project.
I realized the other day that because I’ve been doing this Whole30 schtick for so long, I’ve amassed a lot of helpful resources from my blog and others. So this page is a collection of links to information that I hope will help make the Whole30 more manageable for you, whether it’s your first or your fourth (or fourteenth).
If you need a reminder of why you’re doing this in the first place…
30 Reasons to Whole30
My list of the reasons I think the Whole30 is the greatest thing since Sunbutter.
Whole30 Success Stories
A collection of success stories on the Whole30 web site.
A-Z: Real-Life Testimonials
The Whole30 collection of quotes from people who solved health issues from A-Z
If you need a fully fleshed-out meal plan…
These food plans include step-by-step instructions for how to do a big ol’ cookup that should give you enough food to get through a week, give or take. Each one also includes a shopping list and links to other helpful resources.
Whole30 Food Plan: Week 1
Whole30 Food Plan: Week 2
Whole30 Food Plan: Week 3
Whole30 Food Plan: Week 4
If you need easy meal ideas that don’t require a recipe…
Great Ingredients: No Recipe Required
Tips for meal ideas that literally require no recipe, just some chopping and plating.
10 Paleo Flavor Boosters
A spritz here and a mince there and bang! you’ve got delicious food instead of just ingredients
Stuff to Put on Eggs
11 Whole30 approved eggcellent ideas. (sorry.)
Stuff to Put on Broccoli
11 Whole30 approved broccoli toppers.
Stuff to Put on Burgers
11 Whole30 approved ways to dress up a burger patty.
Steam-Sauté Veggies
The easiest way I know to cook lots of veggies and make ’em taste good.
If you need recipe ideas…
30 Whole30-Friendly Recipes
A collection of recipes from my favorite bloggers.
My Whole30 Recipe Collection
My recipe index is filled with Whole30 approved recipes!
Nom Nom Paleo’s 30 Days of Recipes
A month’s worth of meals and beauty shots from the fabulous Nom Nom Paleo.
Holly Would If She Could: A Month of Whole30 Dinner Ideas
A deliciously curated list of meals from Holly, who has excellent taste and sense of humor.
Stupid Easy Paleo: Whole30 Recipe Index
Steph from Stupid Easy Paleo also has a Whole30 approved index.
Whole30 Recipes on Instagram (plus, details on how to find Whole30 info on Instagram)
The Whole30 is BLOWING UP on Instragram. Visual inspiration at its finest!
My cookbooks
Together, Well Fed Weeknights, Well Fed and Well Fed 2 provide almost than 500 Whole30-friendly recipes and meal ideas, plus tips on organizing weekly cookups, cooking quickly, shopping lists, and much more.
Well Fed Weeknights: Complete Paleo Meals in 45 Minutes or Less: My latest release! More than 125 complete paleo meals on your table in 45 minutes or less. My love of food and adventure is baked into this collection of recipes inspired by takeout classics, food trucks, and cuisines from around the world—all free of grains, dairy, legumes, and soy (Whole30 compliant!). Includes recipes like Korean Beef with Kimchi Salsa, Dirty Rice, Fried Chicken Meatballs, Pizza Noodles, Sticky Orange Sunflower Chicken, Italian Hoagie Salad, Mexican Mole Meatballs, Loaded Baked Fries, and and so many more.
Well Fed: Paleo Recipes For People Who Love To Eat: The original that started it all! With 115+ original recipes and variations—and detailed instructions on how to do a weekly cookup—this book will help you see that paleo eating, too often defined by what you give up, is really about what you’ll gain: health, vitality, a light heart, and memorable meals to be shared with the people you love. All but one dessert recipe is officially Whole30 approved. Includes recipes like Chocolate Chili, The Best Chicken You’ll Ever Eat, Scotch Eggs, Homemade Mayo, Velvety Butternut Squash, Pad Thai, Coconut Almond Green Beans, and many more.
Well Fed 2: More Paleo Recipes For People Who Love To Eat: The delicious follow-up! Well Fed 2 includes 110 original recipes, plus 45 of my popular “You Know How You Could Do That?” variations. You’ll also find 44 Quick Meal ideas (no recipe required!) and tips for turning individual dishes into multi-course meals. All but two recipes are officially Whole30 approved. Recipes include 15 meatball varieties, Oven-Fried Salmon Cakes, Thai Tod Mun Chicken Cakes, Pizza Veggies, Savory Granola, Slow Cooker Italian Pork Roast, BBQ Beef, and many more.
Whole30 books: I’m proud to have contributed four delicious recipes to The Whole30 Cookbook. And I also recommend the other Whole30-related books for feeding your brain: It Starts With Food, Food Freedom Forever, and The Whole30.
If you need help shopping & prepping…
Paleo Kitchen: Stocking Up
An outline of how I shop for our household with tips on how you can adapt what I do to what you need.
Paleo Kitchen: The Method Behind My Madness
A plan for making Hot Plates based on pre-cooked ingredients – saves time, never gets boring!
If you need tips for making your Whole30 a success…
20 Ways to Make Paleo Easier & More Fun
A post crammed with tips, tricks, and advice to win at paleo
How to be a Paleo Social Butterfly
Tips for keeping a social life while you’re Whole30-ing — without feeling deprived or killing anyone.
True Hunger vs. Emotional Appetite
Tips for distinguishing between the two so you can eat happily and healthily.
Holly Would If She Could: 10 Tips
Holly is a pro, and her advice is awesome.
Stupid Easy Paleo: 5 Tips (video) | Stupid Easy Paleo: 5 More Tips (video)
Steph at Stupid Easy Paleo is also a Whole30 vet with great insights to share.
The Whole30 Daily
This email service is worth every penny of the $14.95 cost. Daily email every day of your Whole30 with science, entertainment, tips, tricks, ideas, recipes, and more. It’s like personal coaching every day of your Whole30. (Full disclosure: My husband Dave and I worked on this project with Whole9 and we’re partners in the business.)
If you just need to know it’s do-able…
My Whole30/autoimmune protocol experiment (November 2012)
Just to see if I felt any differently, I did the autoimmune protocol (AIP). It was… interesting.
Daily recaps of my Whole30/autoimmune protocol experiment (November 2012)
List of every meal I ate, plus sleep and mood, during my AIP Whole30.
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I think I may be in love with you, Melissa (my boyfriend is convinced I am). Thank you for your great blog and all these wonderful links!
Well… that’s lovely! Thank you. I’m really glad my blog is helpful. Have an awesome day!
I did my first W30 in Aug of 2012 and just did one this June.Your resources and recipes are a life saver. Good luck to you guys in your new place. So glad to hear you are now allergy free. Do the Phryne Fisher bob! She is fabulous!
This is fantastic! Yay!
I remember you writing about your Whole30 AIP experience at the time and how you said it made you feel like you were on a capital D diet. It was one of the things that made me decide to write a totally AIP friendly cookbook than could make food fun again on the protocol. So thank you for the inspiration!
That’s awesome! Congratulations on our upcoming book! Make sure you put me on your reviewers list!
Thank you for the awesome resources! Enjoy Vermont. My husband is from New Hampshire and I love visiting his family. New England is so beautiful. Especially fall!
This is AMAZING! Im on day 16 of mine and love all these ideas!
Congratulations on 16 days of awesome!
You will LOVE Vermont. I would move there in a heartbeat–a cabin in the woods, ideally, with a garden out back and high-speed internet access. 😉
From one MN Mom to the other – go north in your own state! feels and smells just like VT but I think you knew that already!! 🙂
I’m not going to lie – I’m afraid of this whole30 deal.
I understand that it can seem a little scary, but really, it’s just food. It’s a lot of changes at once, and it seems like a lot of rule. But it’s very simple, really: eat good quality protein, vegetables, some fruit, and awesome fats like avocados, coconut, coconut oil, ghee, olives, and nuts. That’s all there is to it. Sure, there are lots of recipes and meal plans and tips out there — and they’re all valuable — but you can get really far by remembering that it can be simple. Meat, veg, fat. Done.
My husband tells everyone I’m “the most amazing cook ever….and it’s all healthy!” just because I cook pretty much exclusively from Well Fed 1&2, Nom Nom Paleo Food for Humans, and Beyond Bacon. He doesn’t understand yet what “healthy” is yet, but as long as I can feed him good stuff I am happy! Thanks for making me a kick-@ss wife 🙂
PS: we’ve been doing a Whole30 for 20 days so far and he hasn’t even noticed! 🙂
OMG. That is AWESOME that he doesn’t realize he’s doing a Whole30. Adorable. Nice job in the kitchen, lady! Thanks for buying our cookbooks!
My husband and I will be starting our first Whole30 on Monday. Thank you for all the awesome information!
Have an excellent month!
I can’t thank you enough for this wealth of information! I am doing my first Whole30 (though I’ve started and stopped it 3 other times on day 3!) on August 1, and I’ve been feeling some anxiety about it. Then I came across your post and I can’t tell you how equipped and encouraged I know feel! Thank you a thousand times over!
Congratulations on tackling the Whole30! I’m on Day 4 right now — but it took me three tries this time to get past Day 2. Sometimes it’s just like that, but once you’re locked and loaded, you’re IN. You can do it! Have a great month and hit me with an update once in a while!
OMG!!! That is so crazy that you mentioned White River Junction, VT! I currently live in Virginia….but grew up my whole life in that area. Such a small world and area..you will love Vermont. How did you find such a small town area all the way from Texas? 🙂
My husband is going to the Center For Cartoon Studies to get his Master’s in Applied Cartooning. The school is right on Main Street, in the old post office building and Colodny dept. store.
I love this!
A few shameless plugs for my blog 🙂
– http://busyboldblessed.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-succeed-during-your-whole30.html
– http://busyboldblessed.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-to-prep-for-your-whole30.html
– http://busyboldblessed.blogspot.com/2013/03/paleo-on-budget-10-ways-to-avoid.html
Hi , I am brand new to the 30 day and super happy You did this. I am a little nervous about it all, my mind telling me no no eat like you are . So today I prepare and dive in tomorrow
Janice
Have a great month! I know it’s intimidating at first, but you can do it!
two weeks into my 30 and the hardest thing for me is the timing. i’ll admit i dont always eat when and where i should. havent lost any weight but i think it was too much fruit. have cut down and will see how it works for the next two weeks. i LOVE your website! it has been so helpful. thank you 🙂
Congratulations on Whole30-ing! You’re halfway there! It gets easier as you get used to it — carry snacks ALWAYS 🙂
Thank you for this great round-up of resources! I just finished my first Whole30 yesterday (with many thanks to your books and blog!) and it was a great experience. I learned a great deal and I am already excited to do another one!
Congratulations on your Whole30. Good for you! Hope you’re feeling awesome!
I don’t know anything about that; sorry. You can probably get help in the Whole30 forum: http://forum.whole9life.com/
They’re really good at responding to all questions.
I have seen the Whole30 phrase many times in different Paleo groups. What is it exactly? Is it just eating paleo for 30 days? I started eating paleo in January and have lost 40lbs so far. I will never go back to eating anything else ever again, I can’t see why anyone would want to after starting Paleo.. so I guess that is why I am confused to Whole30 if its just 30 days?
The Whole30 is an elimination diet based on paleo. It excludes paleo treats and all added sweeteners, all alcohol for 30 days, then the idea is at the end of the 30 days, you can try reintroducing foods to see how your body reacts. The primary difference between Whole30 and “just eating paleo” is there is NO treats/cheats at all for the 30 days and no paleo treats made with almond flour, etc. You can read the reasoning for all of that at the Whole30 site. It’s a great program, especially for people just starting on paleo or for people who have been eating paleo for a while and aren’t experiencing the results they want, e.g., energy level, disease management, etc.
Melissa, I couldn’t have read this at a better time. I am starting my first whole 30 today with the rest of the whole9ers. Thank you times a million!! I have a feeling you are about to have a new biggest fan. Can’t wait to explore your blog and pick up Well Fed!
Have an excellent Whole30 — and keep me posted on how you’re doing! I hope you have an awesome month.
This is unrelated, but I thought you as a fellow literary nerd. Look! Books on T-shirts! You may enjoy this… http://www.litographs.com/collections/t-shirts
Those are so cool. Thanks for sharing!
Wow girl! You SO rock. What a list. I did it, Mel!!! Finished my 30 days and I feel so good, I’m actually thinking of turning around and doing it again in October. I wasn’t totally perfect on the off aspects… still got on that darn scale after two weeks and then found I couldn’t stay off it. I’ll tackle that one on the next go around. I even met your mom! who so kindly sent me a note to tell me we share a name. I have to admit I was rather tickled to find a Roni recipe in Well Fed! 😉 Will do a blog post about you very soon. I spent so much time over here.. you feel like a friend!:) I hope your August Whole 30 rocks and I’ll be watchin and cheerin YOU on now! xo
RONI! I knew you could do it… Congratulations! I’m on Day 7 of my “hello, Vermont” Whole30, and I’m feeling really good. You must be feeling AMAZING! I love that you and my mom virtually met online; how fun! Keep me posted on how you’re doing from time to time!
I’m not goin’ anywhere!:) I LOVE your blog and it’s good eatin’ over here, Whole 30 or not so I’m stickin around! I don’t wanna miss anything! lol:) I do feel amazing.. it’s wonderful. And I totally like your mom.
Welcome to New England. The Upper Valley is an amazing place to live. (We’re mid-NH)
My daughter and I are starting our 2nd Whole 30. I did yesterday, she starts today. My commitment is to keep at this forever. My priority list has shifted putting food prep in the top so that “I’m too busy” no longer is an issue. 🙂
I *love* your books. I have both and hands down they are my mainstays for healthy eating. Simple and delicious. Thanks so much!
Congratulations on Whole30-ing! It’s awesome that you’re finding new energy to make it a priority. Good for you! Thank you for the kind words about our cookbooks; I’m so glad you like them!
I started my first Whole30 on 1 August and I am amazed at how great I feel already, especially at the improvement in my sleep. I am so grateful for your wonderful cookbooks – no adjustments required to make anything Whole30 compliant! Last night I made the Cinnamon Beef Stew (Well Fed pg. 65). First of all…Yum! I had to use chicken broth instead of beef, however, because I couldn’t find a beef broth without added sugar. Is there a brand you recommend, or am I supposed to be making my own, because honestly I’m just not there yet. Thanks for all this fantastic support.
I haven’t found a commercial beef broth without sugar. I usually make my own or, when I’m not doing a Whole30, buy organic broth that uses cane sugar.
Congratulations on Whole30-ing! I’m so glad you’re feeling awesome already. Have a wonderful month!
Thank you! This is an amazing resource!
I just bought well fed 2 – to help with a round of whole 30- I see there are some recipes that call for beef broth, do I have to make my own or are sone organic ones compliant ?
Thanks!
If you can find commercial broth with no junkie ingredients, go for it! Otherwise, you need to make it from scratch.
Melissa – I’m starting my first Whole 30 tomorrow, 9/1/14. I’m super excited and grateful for your blog as well as your cookbooks. You are a big part of why I believe I can do this – thank you for all the wonderful recipes and tips!
Thank you so much for this! I am halfway through my second Whole30 and I created a Facebook group so a few of my friends and I could post recipes, ideas, and challenges. This is a great resource which I have now shared with them! I am not sure how many people are actually dong a Whole30 with me but I opened it up to them as a way to start them on their journey to be happier and healthier. I think this post will help them come closer to doing it! Thanks so much!
This is such a useful article. I wish I had found this sooner to help me with my first round of Whole30!