How Effective is it?

The 'Whole 30' diet claims to dramatically change your body and your life in only 30 days, but is there any truth to this claim?

Another summer is on the books and if you’re anything like us, you felt the crush and frenzy of the past month – a month marked by vacation, travel, outdoor adventures, back-to-school preparations, barbecues, home improvement projects and more.

The elimination diet claims to change your body shape without exercising or restricting calories. What's the catch?

The Whole 30 is Taking Over the Internet, but Is It Legit?

First off, let me say that I think the Whole 30 is an amazing program that really teaches you mindful eating – especially if you are eating the Standard American Diet (SAD) of over-processed, un-foods that make you sick rather than nourish you, as food should.

We’ve been running our Whole30 program for many years now and have received thousands of glowing testimonials. (There are even more floating around on the internet, too—Google “Whole30” and you get hundreds of thousands of hits. Literally.) We’ve proven the program improves people’s health, and many report the Whole30 really did change their life.

As its name would suggest, the diet is short term, meant to last for (you guessed it) 30 days. Dairy, grains, added sugar, alcohol, and legumes, to name a few, are off limits.

It’s been just over a month since I briefly dipped my toes in the Whole30 squad, and now that I’ve reached the other side and am eating carbs with zero guilt once again, I feel truly free and mildly enlightened.

No cheese Danishes? This is gonna be tough.

The diet craze everyone is talking about now is the new Whole 30 Diet. For 30 days, you cut out all sugar, alcohol, dairy, grains, legumes, and potatoes and most processed foods...

Experts just threw some major shade at the uber-popular program.

It takes 30 days to push the reset button on your health and change your relationship with food. This is the concept behind Melissa and Dallas Hartwig’s Whole30 program. By eating non-processed whole foods and ditching grains, dairy, and sugar, you will reduce inflammation in your system, clear up your skin, and revitalize your energy stores. These are just a few of the benefits this program boasts. Sounds pretty great, right? Well, I tried it, and I’m going to walk you through what happened.

The claim: The Whole30 is not a diet, a weight-loss plan or quick fix – it’s designed to “change your life,” the founders say, by eliminating cravings, rebalancing hormones, curing digestive issues, improving medical conditions and boosting energy and immune function. Find “food freedom” from poor eating habits, and transform how you think about food, your body and your life.

Supporters of the Whole30 diet claim it can improve mental clarity, trim waistlines and cure chronic conditions, but experts don't agree about the diet.

Whole30 was my whole life, but I kind of didn’t mind.