The Whole30 Program Sounds Awesome But I’m a Vegan / Vegetarian. Is it Right for Me?
In today’s episode of the Vegetarian Zen podcast, we consider the Whole30 Program as a vegetarian or vegan. We explain the basic rules of Whole30 including some things you can take away from the program even if you decide it’s not for you.
What is the Whole30 Program?
Rules of the Whole30 Diet (from their website):
- Do not consume added sugar, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar, date syrup, stevia, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, etc. Read your labels, because companies sneak sugar into products in ways you might not recognize.
- Do not consume alcohol, in any form, not even for cooking. (And ideally, no tobacco products of any sort, either.)
- Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, sprouted grains, and all gluten-free pseudo-cereals like quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat. This also includes all the ways we add wheat, corn, and rice into our foods in the form of bran, germ, starch, and so on. Again, read your labels.
- Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (black, red, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, etc.), peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. No peanut butter, either. This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin).
- Do not eat dairy. This includes cow, goat, or sheep’s milk products like milk, cream, cheese, kefir, yogurt, sour cream, ice cream, or frozen yogurt.
- Do not consume carrageenan, MSG, or sulfites. If these ingredients appear in any form on the label of your processed food or beverage, it’s out for the Whole30.
- Do not consume baked goods, junk foods, or treats with “approved” ingredients. Recreating or buying sweets, treats, and foods-with-no-brakes (even if the ingredients are technically compliant) is totally missing the point of the Whole30, and will compromise your life-changing results. These are the same foods that got you into health-trouble in the first place—and a pancake is still a pancake, even if it’s made with coconut flour.
Do eat:
- Meat
- Seafood
- Eggs
- Veggies
- Some Fruit
- Natural Fats
- Herbs
- Spices
- Seasonings
- Foods with very few ingredients
So what’s the verdict? Listen now to hear our thoughts on whether or not a Whole30 Diet makes sense as a vegan or vegetarian.
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Here’s what we mention in this episode:
Whole30 Program Resources Used for this Episode:
- The Whole30 Program
- I Failed At Whole 30 and I Couldn’t Be Happier
- Why a Whole Foods, Plant-Based Diet Works
- What is a Whole Foods Plant-Based Diet?
- Whole30 101: Can I do the Whole30 As a Vegetarian or Vegan?
- 21 Things that Happen to Your Body When You Stop Eating Processed Foods
Recipe of the Week
Question: If you’ve tried the Whole30 Program what has been your experience with it?
Thanks for listening!
Peace and Veggies,
Vickie and Larissa