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Melissa Urban

Melissa Urban

Melissa Urban is an 8x New York Times bestselling author (including the instant bestseller, The New Whole30) who specializes in helping people establish healthy boundaries and successfully navigate habit change. She has been featured by the New York Times, People, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Today Show, and Good Morning America, and is a prominent keynote speaker on boundaries, building community, health trends, and entrepreneurship. She lives in Salt Lake City, UT with her husband, son, and two rescue doodles.
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Articles/Recipes


Melissa, a long-haired smiling woman, and text that says Dear Melissa
July 18, 2023, 11:23 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Dear Melissa: How to love your Whole30 coffee without sacrificing the flavor

By Whole30 co-founder Melissa Urban, who only drinks decaf but still knows a thing or two about good coffee. One of the most common...
Melissa, a long-haired smiling woman, and text that says Dear Melissa
June 21, 2023, 6:19 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Dear Melissa: Is There Such A Thing as Too Much Fat on Whole30?

Dear Melissa, I’m on Day 15 of my second Whole30, and I’m wondering if there is such a thing as eating too much fat....
Dear Melissa & Friends: Tips to Help Your Picky Eater Without Food Shaming from Jennifer Anderson, RDN
June 13, 2023, 6:21 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Dear Melissa & Friends: Tips to Help Your Picky Eater Without Food Shaming from Jennifer Anderson, RDN

My son is now 10 years old, but he’s been eating a whole foods-based diet since he was born, because that was how we...
Dear Melissa & Friends: Unpacking Diet and Sleep with Dr. Michael Breus
May 23, 2023, 4:07 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Dear Melissa & Friends: Unpacking Diet and Sleep with Dr. Michael Breus

We’re all trying to sleep better. You now know how important sleep is to just about every marker of health. You’ve bought blackout curtains,...
Dr.Megan Rossi discusses probiotics and gut health.
May 17, 2023, 5:06 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Dear Melissa & Friends: Dr. Megan Rossi Answers Your Questions About Probiotics and Gut Health

This issue of Dear Melissa & Friends is all about natural probiotics found in foods and drinks, and features Dr. Megan Rossi (PhD, RD,...
Melissa, a long-haired smiling woman, and text that says Dear Melissa
April 26, 2023, 9:08 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Dear Melissa: 6 Common Misconceptions about the Whole30

The Whole30 has changed millions of people’s lives since its inception in 2009. You can read page after page of glowing testimonials from our...
Melissa, a long-haired smiling woman, and text that says Dear Melissa
April 13, 2023, 8:34 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Dear Melissa: Shop for These 7 Pantry Staples Before You Start Your Whole30

Beginning the Whole30 can feel exciting and intimidating, especially if you’re new to cooking. While there are thousands of Whole30 recipes available online, on...
Melissa, a long-haired smiling woman, and text that says Dear Melissa
March 31, 2023, 4:54 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Dear Melissa: My Food Sensitivities Make it Hard to Socialize

Dear Melissa, I am on a fairly strict autoimmune protocol in my Food Freedom due to serious food sensitivities and allergies. I am so...
Melissa, a long-haired smiling woman, and text that says Dear Melissa
March 28, 2023, 9:22 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Dear Melissa: Nine Books to Support Your Food Freedom

I’ve often said the Whole30 is about food, but it’s about so much more than food. Millions of people who have successfully transformed their...
Melissa, a long-haired smiling woman, and text that says Dear Melissa
March 20, 2023, 9:49 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Dear Melissa: Is Your Food Freedom Really Free?

The definition I crafted for Food Freedom in 2015 was “feeling in control* of food, instead of food controlling you.” The kind of control...
Melissa, a long-haired smiling woman, and text that says Dear Melissa
March 14, 2023, 9:29 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Dear Melissa: 3 Tips to Keep You Going When You Want to Quit

In this article, I’m helping you navigate the spur-of-the-moment temptation to self-sabotage what you know is a really good thing for you right now—your...
Melissa, a long-haired smiling woman, and text that says Dear Melissa
March 7, 2023, 10:53 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Dear Melissa: Cravings and Mindful Eating in Stressful Times

Cravings are often more complex than they seem, especially when they’re invisibly linked to coping mechanisms in times of stress. The Whole30 can better...
Dear Melissa and Friends: A Dear Melissa with best-selling author Laura McKowen.
March 1, 2023, 5:14 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Dear Melissa & Friends: Laura McKowen Answers Your Questions About Alcohol

This issue of Dear Melissa & Friends is all about taking a look at your relationship to alcohol. Laura McKowen—bestselling author and a leading...
Melissa, a long-haired smiling woman, and text that says Dear Melissa
February 22, 2023, 8:48 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Dear Melissa: Stress, Emotional Eating, and Your Food Freedom

You learn so much about your relationship with food, and your habits around food during your Whole30. There were plenty of times you learned...
Melissa, a long-haired smiling woman, and text that says Dear Melissa
February 7, 2023, 10:12 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Dear Melissa: Tips for Successful Dates on Whole30 and Beyond

There are more awkward conversations to dive into on a first date than the finer points of the Whole30. But that doesn’t mean you...
Dear Melissa—Melissa Urban wearing a light blue jean top and darker blue jeans, cooking on a wooden table top, and smiling at the camera.
February 1, 2023, 10:57 pm

Four steps for managing emotions in your food freedom

Your body tells you when stress and negative emotions are starting to take a toll. You feel it as physical sensations—a lump in your...
dear melissa
January 25, 2023, 10:16 pm
  • Dear Melissa

Use This Whole30 Meal Template to Create a Delicious, Easy Protein Salad

Recipes are amazing. (And Whole30 has so many great ones.) But sometimes you want easy Whole30 meals that have more flexibility and can provide...
Dear Melissa—Melissa Urban wearing a light blue jean top and darker blue jeans, cooking on a wooden table top, and smiling at the camera.
December 12, 2022, 6:50 pm
  • Dear Melissa
  • Whole30 101

Dear Melissa: Empower Yourself for the Whole30

In a previous Dear Melissa newsletter, I talked about the unexpected benefits of my first Whole30 back in April 2009, and how those 30...
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