We’ve saved the best part of the Whole30 for last: Food Freedom.
The ultimate goal of the Whole30 is to empower you to develop a relationship with food that nourishes not just your body, but also your life. During the elimination phase we asked you to remove potentially problematic foods in order to reset your health and habits around eating. In the reintroduction phase, you systematically brought those food groups back into your diet in order to figure out how they impact you and your unique body.
Now, you have the opportunity to turn your Whole30 experience into lasting Food Freedom. We don’t want you to follow a Whole30 365 days a year. The purpose of the Whole30 is to get you to Food Freedom.
What is Food Freedom anyways?
Food Freedom is feeling in control of the food that you eat, instead of food controlling you.
What does Food Freedom look like?
Well, experiences of Food Freedom are as diverse as our community. After elimination and reintroduction, you know how your body responds to different foods. You make conscious, deliberate decisions around food, and sometimes you say yes, and sometimes you say no, and both are totally okay because you chose it. It doesn’t mean you’re a “perfect” eater, it means that you’re an empowered eater. You indulge when it’s worth it, pass when it isn’t, and never feel guilt or shame for doing either.
Every Food Freedom journey is different, with different joys and challenges, diverse diets, and a unique sense of empowerment for every individual.
With this new series, we want to celebrate Food Freedom by sharing snapshots of what Food Freedom looks and feels like members of our Whole30 HQ team and Certified Whole30 Coach community. We’ll be sharing more snapshots throughout the year so you can see what this looks like for other people as you navigate your own Food Freedom journey.
Here’s a little background about our contributor:
Brittany Hammond
Brittany is a Certified Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor. She believes that health should be all encompassing, with food and fitness working together in harmony. While coaching, she realized many of her clients had no problem doing the workouts, but would admit to struggling with their nutrition. Having done The Whole30 herself, and absolutely loving it, she knew she had an opportunity and responsibility to help her clients discover the same food freedom she had found. So she decided to pursue a Whole30 Coach Certification. She is also a contributor for Livestrong.com, providing workouts for the Livestrong Community.
When did your Food Freedom Journey start and what main pain points led you to work toward finding it?
My Food Freedom journey really started about a year ago, after I read u003ca href=u0022/books/food-freedom-forever/u0022u003eFood Freedom Foreveru003c/au003e. I had done a few Whole30 resets before then, and I still didn’t quite get the full concept of how I could incorporate it into my life. I missed some of my favorite foods during my Whole30 resets, and I wanted to understand how to enjoy them after my Whole30. Learning to asking myself if a food was going to be worth the possible negative effects was a game changer for me. I learned that I could still eat some of my favorite non-compatible foods and still feel energized.
What’s been the hardest part of the process for you? Where are you still growing in your Food Freedom?
The hardest part of the process was figuring out what was “worth it” to me to add back in. Everything seemed like the negative effects were worth it, at first. I am still growing in my Food Freedom when it comes to sugar. My Sugar Dragon is easily awakened, so being mindful of that is a constant growing process for me. I realized that a fruit-based dessert with agave or honey is a good choice for me, and that most of the time chocolate is a “food with no breaks” for me. Once I have a little, I want all of it. This is where I really have to ask myself if the food is worth it.
What’s been the greatest joy of the Food Freedom process?
The greatest joy in Food Freedom has been losing the guilt around eating certain foods. I don’t feel bad anymore because I have decided they are worth it. I don’t feel like I’m thinking about food ALL. THE. TIME; I’m just living.
What does a typical day of eating look like for you?
u003culu003ern tu003cliu003e6:00 am coffee with Oat Nutpodsu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003e7:00 am Breakfast scramble with eggs, sausage, and veggies. u003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003e11:00 am Smoothie with fruit, protein powder, spinach, and nut butteru003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003e1:00 pm Protein, fat, veggie lunchu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003e3:00 pm Grain free chips and salsa/ guacamoleu003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003e5:00 pm Protein, fat, veggie dinner, sometimes with added rice.u003c/liu003ern tu003cliu003e6:00 pm Whole fruit frozen baru003c/liu003ernu003c/ulu003e
What’s your favorite Food Freedom meal?
A gluten free crust pizza. I love the taste of pizza, but it also reminds me of celebrating achievements in my life from when I was younger. It’s nostalgic; the class pizza party, getting good grades, and wins after sporting events. All happy times with warm memories. My current favorite pizza place is u003ca href=u0022https://mymidici.comu0022u003eMidiciu003c/au003e.
What does Food Freedom mean to you?
Food freedom means that I can enjoy foods without feeling any guilt. I know that what I am choosing to put in my body makes me feel good, and I trust myself to turn down foods that make me feel sick or sluggish. I don’t think about food all of the time. I just eat.
