I am now over a week into Whole30 and the effects are profound. My gut has never been better; I actually feel like my body is taking nutrition from my food; and my energy levels are stable throughout the day. Many people would assume an elimination diet like Whole30 would be really hard work and limiting in many ways. It is true that it takes a lot of time to meal plan and shop for foods looking exhaustively at labels let alone prepare every meal from scratch. On the other hand, I am now so much more aware of everything that goes into my body and the easiest way to shop is just to get high quality, raw ingredients. Moreover, as with anything, you reap rewards when you put effort in: I have eaten some gorgeous food , none moreso than this delicious whole30 recipe Indian spiced shepherds pie from Supal Desai. There are so many things about this Whole30 recipe that are great and illustrate some key points about how eating this way need not be a burden:
1) With a bit of creativity, any meal can be adapted to be #whole30approved
A favourite of mine is keema: mince, typically beef or lamp, with onions and peas. On the side you would have rice or naan. Of all this only the mince, onions and spices are Whole30 friendly, given that all grains and legumes are not. So what do you do? Swap the grains for approved carbs like potatoes or cassava. What would be the best way to make that work? A shepherd’s pie, of course! I would not have been sure how to replace the peas; but C&É was super clever in adding raisins not only for texture but also a sweet kick.
2) Make the flavours work for you
Being of Punjabi background, I am used to eating Indian food with a spicy kick on a regular basis. It’s therefore important for me to find or adapt Whole30 recipes that incorporate my natural tastes. This recipe is a testament to that, full of delicious and nutritious spices, including cumin, chilli, cardamom, turmeric and sumac. Changing up the potato for sweet potato not only fits the spicy profile of the dish better, it’s better for your blood sugar too!
3) The positive spiral keeps you going
With every delicious meal, you start to realise Whole30 is not that hard. Then within a few days the physical benefits start to come. And the positive spiral begins. I know already I will see it through the 30 days and beyond. I am now in a position where I know this will be my default way of eating in the future barring the odd social occasion. And that is a testament to how truly life-changing Whole30 is and how impactful lifestyle change is in overall health.
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