I had the opportunity to go to the Food Freedom Forever book launch in Chicago. My friends at Vital Proteins had a super fun party on a rainy night here in Chicago. The food and cocktails had added health benefits from Vital Proteins and were made by Finds’ fave Kitchfix.
Food Freedom Forever is Whole30 co-creator, Melissa Hartwig’s newest book. Don’t know Whole30? You must not read many blogs or social media feeds. [wink.] Learn more HERE. Melissa is a Certified Sports Nutritionist who “specializes in helping people change their relationship with food and create lifelong, healthy habits.” She is also a former addict who throws around thoughts like “quitting heroin is hard, drinking coffee black is easy.” [Read a great article in Forbes’ The Failure Factor with Melissa on “4 Steps to an Effective Apology.”]
I’ve had many friends try the Whole30 who’ve had good success. For me, it is really too restrictive given all of the travel and events I have to do for my job and life. Also, there are certain foods that are excluded that I feel are a part of a healthy, balanced diet (like nuts and legumes). On the Whole30, the idea is that for 30 days you don’t eat any added sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes, dairy or paleo treats of any kind (think muffins and cookies that are made with approved Whole30 ingredients). You also don’t weigh yourself or get on the scale. I made it through a 90 day elimination diet a few years ago with no dairy, gluten, eggs, onions or beans. I did eat a TON of nuts and peanut butter during that time. I gave up alcohol for 6 months when I was on blood thinners, too. Removing all of the items with alcohol and sugar for 30 days seems really tough to me. I always have trips, events, running races and often have limited time for planning meals.
I was excited when I saw Food Freedom Forever. The subtitle is “Letting go of bad habits, guilt and anxiety around food.” I expected the book to be less restrictive than The Whole30. Well, it is and it isn’t. The book contains a 3 step plan:
- Step 1 – Reset your health, habits and relationship with food.
- Step 2 – Enjoy your food freedom.
- Step 3 – Acknowledge with your starting to slip.
- Repeat as needed.
As I read on, I realize that “reset” equals Whole30 diet for a month or a similar elimination diet of your choosing. The concept is that a reset is not a diet. The purpose of the reset is to improve health – not only just weight loss. The reset also changes habits and enables you to find alternatives to using food for stress relief or comfort. The book offers guidelines for the reset, post-reset, food strategies (I especially like “label yourself a healthy person”), knowing when you need another reset and dealing with push back. [See Melissa’s Google Talk on Food Freedom Forever HERE.]
The concepts in Food Freedom Forever are very interesting. I’m not sure I’m sold, but it has me thinking and I definitely picked up some new ideas and thoughts.
Interested? Want to check out Food Freedom Forever? I’ve got an extra, signed copy of Food Freedom Forever (plus some samples from Vital Proteins to share with a lucky reader. Please use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Giveaway open to US residents, 18 years of age or over and the offer is void where prohibited. The giveaway is open through November 21. A winner will be selected and notified on November 22.
Don’t want to wait? You can get a copy of Food Freedom Forever on Amazon (affiliate link) or find Vital Proteins on Amazon and learn more on their website. You can also follow Vital Proteins on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Please note: I was not compensated for this post. I am sharing products I received at no cost. All opinions are my own.