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Whole30 co-founder Melissa Hartwig
Urban doesn’t claim her program
can cure disease or even that it’s a
medically prescriptive diet, but the
thousands of success stories that
pour in are truly staggering, with
participants often seeing life-changing
results such as weight loss, improved
health conditions and increased
energy and focus.
Meant as a way to hit the reset
button, the Whole30 challenges
participants to remove sugar, alcohol,
dairy, legumes and grains while
enjoying foods like veggies, fruit,
meat, seafood, healthy fats and spices
(very much in line with our own Clean
Eating guidelines!). The program also
encourages a commitment to its code.
Perhaps that’s why Hartwig Urban is
often referred to as the headmistress- she strictly enforces a no backsliding
or excuses policy for the duration of
the 30 days. We sat down with Hartwig
Urban to walk us through the origins
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up a common misconception and dish
on how to successfully complete the
program without a single cheat.
How the Whole30 Was Born
In April 2009, the Whole30
began as a sort of self-
experiment for Hartwig Urban.
After a grueling CrossFit workout,
she and the original co-founder
were chatting about the ways in
which they might improve their
performance and recovery times
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foods. While noshing on some
Thin Mints, the challenge was
put forward: Would she be willing
to get rid of those foods at that
very moment? While it was created
from that initial desire for better
athletic performance, Hartwig
Urban found that the overall
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than simply that, driving her to
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About 200 people initially joined
the challenge through her blog,Melissa Hartwig Urban
is the co-creator of
the original Whole30
program, a six-time
New York Times
best-selling author
(It Starts With Food,
The Whole30, Food
Freedom Forever,
and The Whole30
Cookbook). She has
been featured on
The Dr. Oz Show
and Good Morning
America and in the
New York Times
and The Wall
Street Journal.MEL
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