Whole30: The Preparation

Especially if you start a change in your diet (I hate to call it just "diet", it's a change in eating habits) it's important that you prepare yourself in advance.
Make sure you understand the Whole30 program fully, and prepare your pantry properly, so you don't have surprises along the way.
For a lot of people this means cleaning out your fridge and pantry drastically, getting rid of processed and packaged foods, cereals, dairy products, to name a few.
So, what do you stock up with?

Sneak peek in my pantry

• canned fish
• coconut milk
• coconut oil
• coconut manna (or santen)
• shredded coconut / coconut chips
• other oils: olive, ghee
• nuts
• nut butters
• dried fruits
• jerky
• tomato sauce
• cocoa nibs / powder
• olives
• vinegar's (balsamic, apple cider, coconut, etc.)

These are just some options, read the guidelines carefully, and eat foods like dried fruits and nut butters always in moderation.

Also make sure you stock up your freezer, with frozen vegetables, fish, meats & fruits. Use this shopping list as a handy checklist.

If you plan your meals beforehand, you can buy fresh produce accordingly, perhaps even look into a fruit & vegetable subscription, I found it very handy and you will end up with a bigger variety in your meals, since you might get vegetables you normally wouldn't buy.

If you like dressings & condiments, look for Whole30 approved options, or make your own. A simple recipe for mayonnaise can be found here for example.

The most important thing to keep in mind is, try not to look for substitutes, as in: don't try to find something that could be the replacement for bread, cereal, pasta, etc. Focus on what you can eat. It's a lot more than you think.