What Is Whole30? Foods To Eat (And Avoid), Benefits And Risks (2024)

Whole30 is “essentially an elimination diet where you cut out a large number of foods,” says Melina Jampolis, M.D., who has a small private nutrition practice in Los Angeles and is a2021 Forbes Health Advisory Board member. “According to the creators of the diet, it is a health reset, not a weight loss diet, and can help you identify problematic foods that could be adversely impacting your health,” she adds.

While on the Whole30 program, you cut out a number of foods for 30 consecutive days, including sugar, dairy, alcohol, grains, most legumes and highly processed foods. Instead, you focus on eating primarily whole, unprocessed foods—think meats, fruits and vegetables. Whole30 provides a detailed list on its website of what you can and cannot eat, as well as any exceptions to the rules, for anyone to view.

Additionally, there are a number of strict rules that Whole30 participants must adhere to—particularly that it requires you to follow it strictly for 30 straight days, and there should be “no cheats, no slips, no ‘special occasions,'” according to the program.

The theory behind this is that you won’t be able to see how your body reacts to what Whole30 describes as “potentially problematic foods” unless you totally remove them from your diet. “One bite of pizza, one spoonful of ice cream, one sip of beer within the 30-day period and you’ve broken the ‘reset’—and have to start over again on Day 1,” Whole30 instructs.

By signing up for Whole30 emails via the program’s website, you will get a free starter kit. This includes 15 recipes that adhere to the diet, a meal planning template and a full rundown of program rules.

On the first day of the Whole30 program, you will eliminate all of the foods that are on the list of what to avoid (which we detail later in this article). You are not supposed to eat any of those foods for the next 30 days, instead sticking only to the list of approved foods.

Unlike many other diets, you do not have to count or restrict calories or weigh yourself while on Whole30. In fact, Whole30 discourages weighing yourself because the diet isn’t so focused on weight loss but rather on the holistic ways the program can benefit your body. Focusing on just body composition could distract you from the other benefits happening to your body and health, according to the program.

Other Whole30 program rules include not being allowed to recreate or purchase baked goods, even if the ingredients are all compatible with Whole30 rules. The rationale behind this is that you will finish Whole30 with, “the same exact habits, coping strategies, and food choices you had when you started,” which will hold you back from reaping the full results of the diet, according to the program. Alcohol is also forbidden (even if it’s just used for cooking), and tobacco use is discouraged.

Once the 30 days are up, you will begin slowly reintroducing the foods you’d cut out of your diet. Whole30 describes this process as critical to the program, stating that if you skip it, “you’ll lose half the benefits the program has to offer.”

Per the program’s guidelines, the process of reintroduction should take place over the course of 10 to 30 days and should not be rushed. Ideally, you will maintain a Whole30-compliant diet while adding back just one food category at a time. Between the reintroduction of each food category, you are supposed to return to the Whole30 diet for two days to assess the effects of the reintroduction on your body.

Whole30’s guide suggests reintroducing foods starting with those that are “least likely to be problematic” and moving to those that are “most likely to be problematic.” The program explains that problematic foods can vary from person to person, but are generally any foods that cause you to backtrack on the improvements you’ve made throughout the program or cause symptoms that had abated to return, including anything related to digestion, energy levels or sleep. You should introduce enough of each food category to fully test the effects and also keep reintroduced foods low in sugar.

Encouraged foods to eat while you’re on the Whole30 program include foods that are whole and unprocessed, including:

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Meat
• Seafood
• Eggs
• Natural Fats
• Herbs, spices and seasonings

Items to avoid while on the Whole30 program include:

• Most forms of legumes
• Dairy
• Added sugar (both real and artificial)
• Alcohol (even when used in cooking)
• Carrageenan, MSG or sulfites
• Baked goods, as well as treats with Whole30-compatible ingredients

In addition to steering clear of these foods, Whole30 also advises against stepping on the scale or taking any body measurements for the 30 days during which you’re following the program.

On the Whole30 program, you will eat three meals a day, avoid snacking and stop eating a few hours before you go to sleep. Each meal on the Whole30 program should be based on:

• One to two palm-sized protein sources
• Vegetables (should fill the rest of your plate aside from protein)
• Fruits (only on occasion)
• Fat (such as oils and cooking fats, coconut, olives, avocado and nuts and seeds in recommended portions)

Additionally, the program includes recommendations for what to eat both before and after a workout. About 15 to 75 minutes pre-workout, you are instructed to eat a small amount of protein (about half the amount you’d eat in a meal), a small amount of carbohydrates (one to two handfuls) and, if you’d like, a small amount of fat (also half of a meal portion).

Then, 15 to 30 minutes after your workout, you will eat a meal-sized portion of protein that is easy to digest plus carb-dense vegetables (think sweet potatoes, beets or butternut squash) in the recommended serving size; this will not replace a meal but is rather in addition to your three daily meals.

For additional support, there’s the option to hire a Whole30 certified coach, whose purpose is to provide encouragement and an element of accountability and answer any questions that come up along the way. You will have to pay extra for this feature, with the exact cost depending on the coach’s rates and whether you sign up for one-on-one coaching or group sessions

If you’d like support but aren’t willing or able to pay for your own coach, another option is to sign up to receive texts from Whole30 co-founder Melissa Urban for a fee of $14.99. You will begin getting texts six days before your program is slated to begin and continue to receive texts each day throughout the course of your program to check in on your progress.

Be prepared to spend more time shopping for groceries and making your meals, which could be challenging if you’re strapped for time or simply aren’t a great cook. “Someone who eats out often, travels often for work or does not have a significant amount of time to shop, cook and plan” may find this program a challenge, says Dr. Jampolis.

Potential health benefits of the Whole30 program include:

• Reduced consumption of highly processed foods: The aim of the Whole30 program is largely to cut out highly processed foods, which Dr. Jampolis says is “one of the most important things that you can do to improve your health and reduce inflammation in your body and the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.”
• Potential weight loss and other health benefits: The Whole30 program requires you to cut out added sugar, both real and artificial, as well as refined carbohydrates, which Dr. Jampolis says is, “especially beneficial for reducing belly fat, improving blood sugar control and your body’s response to insulin.” Additionally, she notes, eliminating these foods may help with conditions like fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome, “which includes high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, high blood sugar and increased waist size.”
• Less decision fatigue: The Whole30 program is pretty restrictive in terms of what you can and cannot eat. This narrows down your options, making it easier to decide what to eat. “Because the diet is so limited, it is easier in some ways [far fewer choices],” Dr. Jampolis says, though she emphasizes this can also make it “very challenging to stick with, even for just 30 days.”

It’s always advisable to talk to your healthcare provider before starting any diet, especially an extreme elimination diet like this. Notably, this includes people with diabetes who are taking diabetes medications or insulin, as they could see significant drops in blood glucose (sugar), as well as those with severe kidney diseases and digestive disorders.

Additionally, there are risks to consider before embarking on Whole30, notes Dr. Jampolis.

• Potential for constipation: The Whole30 Diet calls for completely cutting out grains, including whole grains and most legumes, which “could potentially cause constipation,” says Dr. Jampolis. Additionally, you won’t be getting all of the other health-protective plant benefits offered by those whole grains and legumes.
• May lead to an increase in cholesterol: The reduction in fiber that may occur when following the diet may also cause an increase in cholesterol, Dr. Jampolis notes, though she says you could offset it with “adequate fruit, vegetable, nut and seed intake.” Plus, other experts note the focus on animal-based protein could potentially lead to a higher-intake of saturated (“bad”) fats.
• Could cause inadequate nutrient intake, including low calcium intake: Dairy is another food that you’re supposed to avoid on the Whole30 program and, again, Dr. Jampolis says this could cause potential issues. “Cutting dairy completely could lead to inadequate calcium intake, but if only for 30 days should not have a profound impact on bone density, especially if adequate protein is consumed,” she says.

What’s more, going on a restrictive diet, even if for just 30 days like that of the Whole30 program, can have a negative impact on people with or at risk for eating disorders. Caution should be used.