Melissa Lee Oregon discusses Melissa Hartwig's thirty-day diet which can help you overcome unhealthy cravings. It is called Whole30.

1. Food Cleanse Helps the Body in Variety of Ways
Whole30, a thirty­day
trending diet created by Melissa Hartwig in 2009 seeks to help the
individual in completely rebooting their stomach. Through the program, the individual
overcomes unhealthy cravings and habits, while metabolism, digestive track and immune
system are all healed and restored. Essentially, the program seeks to rectify the errors made
by emotional eaters, who often use food as a comfort and reward system; these eaters seek
out sugary foods as a means of comforting a bad day and rewarding a good day.
However, choosing to eat in such a way can be very unhealthy for the individual. It can cause
prominent issues for the stomach. As an emotional eater, the author of an article recently
completed by The Washington Post decided to embrace the Whole30, to see if the program
really could reboot the damage he had done to his stomach. Prior to the Whole30, the author
was fond of pizza and other greasy foods; he enjoyed drinking beer regularly and, overall,
was not very kind to his stomach.
Unsurprisingly, the author found that casting off his pleasure foods could be quite beneficial,
once he got over the initial first few weeks, in which he often dreamt of eating donuts and
other sugary foods. By the third week of the program, not only had the sugar cravings left, the
author found that he suddenly had endless supplies of energy. By this time, he had lost
nearly fifteen pounds and two inches off his waist, merely by choosing to avoid pre­made
foods and cook his own unique, healthy meals. By the last week of the program, he found
that he was actually anxious at the thought of returning to his old ways of unhealthy reward

2. system foods; to even contemplate the idea seemed to be a betrayal to his body and the
newfound energy he had.
The author does note that the program is not all bounds of energy. Some of the side effects
of weaning the body off of sugary foods can be unpleasant; there are simply some people
who will not be cut out to withstand the process of changing their diet. If the individual utterly
hates cooking, Whole30 is not for them. If a post work happy hour visit is the individual’s
height of happiness, the program should certainly be avoided. Those who do embark on
Whole30 must understand that it will not always be a pretty picture; participants are often
grumpy for days, with headaches a near constant occurrence. However, if the individual is
dedicated to rebooting their stomach, the struggle is more than worth it.