By now, you are an expert on the Whole30 rules, have a cadre of friends and family supporting you in your journey (whether in person or online), and have run through our five easy steps designed to get your house, your head, and your Whole30 plan in order. But you still have questions.
We know. We expected this. In fact, we love questions. Even questions you think are stupid or silly. Know why?
Questions mean you are really trying to do this right.
We answer every single question we receive from Whole30 participants on social media or via the Forum. Even questions we’ve already answered 1,343 times. Because when you ask a question, it tells us that your Whole30 is important to you. It tells us that you are thinking critically about the next 30 days, deepening your understanding of the rules and embracing the spirit and intention of the program. Your questions mean you are engaged and enthusiastic and most important, committed. And we love that.
So in the next 15 sections, we’ve documented more than five years’ worth of Whole30 questions and answers: the technicalities, like “Can I have hummus?” and “Can I take communion?”; the lifestyle-related challenges, like “How do I manage a restaurant?” and “What do I take on a long plane ride?”; and the emotional worries, like “Why can’t I weigh myself?” and “What if I accidentally eat something off-plan?”
We’ve answered all of those and more, sometimes in question-and-answer format, sometimes in narrative form. We’ve put all of our Whole30 education, experience, proficiency, and common sense all in one place.
It’s called “everything you need to know” for a reason, and that’s the “love” part.
But now for a little “tough.”
We’re more “teach you how to fish” than “give you a fish” people. That means we’d rather help you figure out where to find the answers than spoon-feed them all to you. Of course, we’ve given you a massive head start in these sections—but even so, you may still find yourself asking a question we haven’t covered here.
Can I have bee pollen? (Yes.)
Will the Whole30 grow my hair back? (Probably not.)
Can I use milk in my coffee if it’s my own breast milk? (This is an actual thing that actually happened, and yes, you may, but your husband may not.)
So if you find yourself stuck with a question that isn’t in this book, here’s what you do:
Search our whole30.com online Forum.
It’s free, it’s quick to search, and we practically guarantee your question has been asked and answered there already. If not, feel free to start a new thread and ask away—our seasoned Whole30 veterans and Forum moderators will give you their best advice straightaway.
Not a Forum person? Google! That will bring up results from our Forum, things we may have already said on social media, or blog posts on the subject by other Whole30ers.
Still can’t find what you’re looking for? Your last option is to ask us directly on social media. Pick a medium—Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, refer to the appendix for exactly how to find us. You’ll get an authoritative answer from someone on the Whole30 team within a day or so, although our community members may weigh in even sooner than that. (New Whole30 friends! Yay!)
There are lots of Whole30-related Facebook groups out there, and we love seeing members of our community band together to support each other on their journey. But use caution, especially if you’re new to the program. These groups aren’t run or monitored by the Whole30 team, which means the information you’re getting may not be accurate. By all means, join (or create) a group for the friendship, support, and sharing of good recipes. But if you have a question about the rules, the foods, or the science behind the program, make sure you visit the official Whole30 Facebook page or our online Forum to get the answer straight from us.
So there you go—so many answers, so many options, all right at your capable, confident fingertips. We’re not sure what else we could do, short of coming to your house and cooking your food for you. Which someone recently asked us to do on Twitter.
Denise, we wish we could have. Really.
You overachievers can read through this entire section start to finish now, helping you get even better prepared before your program starts. For those of you already feeling a little overwhelmed, it’s okay. Just know these answers, tips, and tricks are here when you need them, so get going on your Whole30 and come back to this section if a specific question or need comes up. Or, do a combination of both—skim through this section now, then come back to it if you need a little reminder or extra motivation during your Whole30.
Ready?
You sure are.