I have lived a great deal among grown-ups. I have seen them intimately, close at hand. And that hasn’t much improved my opinion of them. —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Has it been 28 years since we were in London? Wow. For a minute there, I felt old. I’ll be the first to readily admit that I’m a semi-adult. That means I do adult things: I go to work, I pay my bills, I vote, I rein in my teenage daughter when she crosses boundaries and I even make her come home at a relatively respectable hour each night. Gasp!
But there’s a limit to my adulthood. For example, what legitimate adult sends video footage to their bestie of their bedraggled, post-Christmas (more like post-apocalypse) bedroom? The best part is Rachel sent her own shots back! A sure sign that our friendship was shaped by the stars. When I read that Rachel couldn’t find her book club selection, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, naturally I laughed out loud. Then I thought Attagirl. Way to keep it real Rae! (Never mind it made me feel normal because my copy is buried in an ever-expanding, messy stack(s) of books. It won’t require a search party to find it, but still…)
All that to say…it makes me squirm a bit that I’m reviewing The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom. (A.) It feels a little trite this time of year, doesn’t it? And (B.) this is what responsible adults do: they wave off sugar, potentially with a scoff, because of course it’s bad for you. Okay, that may have been an exaggeration, but you get the idea.
While I’ve exercised regularly for decades, and I have fairly healthy habits other than the Coke one, I decided it was time to sharpen the saw. I’m 13 days in, with 17 left to go, and I feel good. The authors of The Whole30, Melissa and Dallas Hartwig, made promises to that end: “The physical benefits of the Whole30 are profound. A full 96 percent of participants lose weight and improve their body composition without counting or restricting calories. Also commonly reported: consistently high energy levels, better sleep, improved focus and mental clarity, a return to healthy digestive function, improved athletic performance, and a sunnier disposition.”
While I’m not ready to give the Hartwigs credit for my sunny disposition, I do feel good on this food “plan.” (It’s not a diet mind you, which accounts for so many testimonials of long-lasting success found throughout the book.) Another favorite thing about this 400-some odd pager is that it provides loads of tasty recipes to help you stay whole. If you’re looking to “reset” this bright-eyed January, I’d give the Whole30 a try.
For the record, my inner child wants all of you to know that the next time I’m in a movie theater with my milk dud-eating Rae, I will be consuming jujyfruits with the same fervor as Elaine Benes.