“My cholesterol went down by 70 points . . . Not to mention my mild depression/anxiety is gone, moods definitely improved, itchy ear cleared up, strange tenderness in upper left calf that I’ve had for more than 15 years is gone, exercise-induced asthma is gone, and I have no allergies this season!”
—Mary B., Portland, OR
First, you don’t have to take anything at all—supplements aren’t a required component of the Whole30 program. Based on our experience and the scientific literature, we believe many people would benefit from taking high-quality fish oil, vitamin D3, magnesium, and maybe some digestive help, like enzymes or probiotics. However, none of these supplements are necessary for you to complete your Whole30 successfully. (Refer to Resources for brands we like, and Chapter 22 of It Starts With Food for a more detailed explanation of these supplements’ benefits.)
In addition, the Whole30 is primarily about determining food’s effects on how you look, feel, and live. If you start adding a bunch of new supplements on top of your new eating plan, it may be hard to differentiate between the effects of the diet and the effects of the supplement. Be conservative when adding new supplements to your Whole30 routine—more isn’t better in this situation. You can always use the first few days after your Whole30 reintroduction to experiment with adding a new supplement or two to your routine.
✪Tip: Magnesium has many benefits, including relieving leg and other muscle cramps and buffering the effects of chronic stress. But you don’t need a pill to get extra magnesium into your system—an Epsom salt bath is also effective. Make sure your bath water is warm but not too hot, use 1 to 2 cups of salts (don’t be stingy!) and soak for 20 to 30 minutes for maximum benefit.
It might not be a bad idea. We know, you’re eating real, whole, natural foods. And yes, all of this good food is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. So why would you need a multivitamin? Because our soil isn’t as rich in minerals as it used to be—which means the fruits and vegetables we eat may not be as nutrient-dense as the ones our grandparents ate. We’re not always able to eat pastured, grass-fed, organic animal products, and factory-farmed meat and seafood aren’t as nutritious. And sometimes we dine out, consuming vegetable oils that eat up our antioxidant stores. So even though we’re doing the best we can with real food, our health may still benefit from the micronutrient boost found in a good, balanced multivitamin. Just make sure yours doesn’t contain any off-plan ingredients. (Refer to Resources for brands we like.)
The long answer to this question is in Chapter 11 of It Starts With Food, but here’s the short answer. Building strong, healthy bones is about way more than just calcium, and (despite what the commercials imply) you don’t need dairy for strong bones. If you eat a variety of whole, real foods with micronutrients like vitamins K2 and C, magnesium, and phosphorous, get adequate vitamin D3 from the sun or supplementation, build bone density by lifting weights, and manage your stress, you don’t need a calcium supplement to keep your bones strong. And studies show that calcium supplementation alone doesn’t work to prevent fractures from bone loss—taking calcium supplements gives you a short-term boost in bone density, but over time, your hormones will work against the extra calcium, and may even leave your bones more brittle than before. In summary, skip the calcium supplement and just focus on living a healthy lifestyle—your bones will thank you.
✪Tip: Homemade bone broths (see our recipes); vegetables (like kale, spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, and bok choy); sea vegetables like nori; meat and seafood (like sardines, anchovies, shrimp, oysters, and canned salmon with bones); and nuts and seeds (like almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts) are all excellent sources of the vitamins and minerals necessary to build strong, healthy bones.
While the idea of a vegetable supplement sounds healthy, these usually contain off-plan fillers like brown rice bran or oat bran. In addition, there isn’t any concerted scientific evidence that these supplements actually benefit your health in the dramatic ways they promise. For fear of sounding like a broken record, eating real food (in this case, vegetables) is always your healthiest bet—so skip the bottled “greens.”
If you’re suffering from a nasty cold, sore throat, or other seasonal illness, you may find that the over-the-counter medications you used to take are far from Whole30-compliant. While we encourage you to treat your illness with more natural methods (see our tip below), if you decide that your good night’s sleep or easy breathing are more important than following Whole30 rules, you are always free to make the decision that you believe is best for your health. (At the very least, visit GlutenFreeDrugs.com and choose OTC medications that have been verified as gluten-free.)
✪Tip: Natural ways to treat a cold include vitamin C, zinc, and Echinacea; herbal teas with lemon (we like Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat Gypsy Cold Care); homemade bone broth, and plenty of rest and hydration. However, your comfort (and doctor’s orders) always trump Whole30 rules, so if you really need the cough medicine, you have our blessing. Feel better!
Your health care provider’s orders always trump Whole30 rules, even if your prescription contains off-plan ingredients like wheat or cornstarch binders, or added sugar. However, we encourage you to discuss the Whole30 with your doctor, and ask if there are more natural, healthy ways to manage your medical condition than simply relying on prescription drugs. (This would be a great opportunity to share your healthy eating efforts with your doctor!) If your health care provider has prescribed a supplement regimen, read your labels to see if the supplements include off-plan ingredients. If they do, ask your doctor to recommend a comparable (compliant) brand. If none is available, please continue to follow your doctor’s orders.
If you are on a supplement regimen of your own design, please read your labels! Non-compliant ingredients include added sugar (in any form), grains (wheat in any form, corn starch, rice bran, oat bran, or any other grain by-products), dairy (whey, casein, or other dairy by-products), or soy (even in “lecithin” form). In addition, some manufacturers refuse to clarify their “proprietary blend,” leaving you in the dark as to what their supplement actually contains. This automatically rules the supplement out for your Whole30. You can either stop using the supplement during your Whole30, or look for the same kind of supplement with compliant ingredients. (See Resources for some of our supplement recommendations.)
✪Tip: Even if a prospective supplement is Whole30-compliant, it’s hard to know whether it will really add benefit or just drain your wallet. Use our Supplement Evaluation Checklist to help you determine whether the pill or powder in question is worth it for you.
If you’ve run the supplement-in-question through our entire checklist and it still makes the cut, then it’s time for you to exercise your own judgment. At worst, your vitamin, mineral, or supplement is going to put you out a few dollars and still not provide the purported benefits—a waste of money, but no negative effects on your overall health and fitness. At best, the supplement will provide a boost to the already high-quality food you are eating, and help you fill in those small missing pieces in your daily diet and lifestyle.
No—tobacco or nicotine of any sort are not allowed on the program. If you still smoke, you might be thinking, “There is no way I can quit smoking and make these dietary changes all at the same time.” And you might be right. If you feel like all of these changes are too overwhelming, then we’d encourage you to focus on getting rid of your tobacco habit first, and then come back to the Whole30. On the other hand, if you’ve been looking for a program to help you quit, the Whole30 may just be your ticket. Many former smokers have told us they used the Whole30 in part as a smoking-cessation program, and that eliminating sugar and other psychologically unhealthy foods at the same time made the process that much easier. Either way, we encourage you to seek help for your nicotine addiction, prioritize ditching the smokes, and take on the Whole30 as soon as you are ready.
Of course marijuana is a plant, and it may even be legal in your state, but that doesn’t make it a healthy choice. Smoking still has negative health effects, but more immediately, smoking pot tends to promote cravings for less-healthy foods—and inhibits your inhibitory mechanisms. We want to set you up for success with your food choices during the next 30 days, which means unless it’s prescribed by your health care provider, no marijuana in any form—especially not baked into Paleo brownies.