Melissa Hartwig – Carol's Notebook

Author: Melissa Hartwig

Melissa Hartwig was born in Nashua, NH, and was a typical East Coast girl (active, Type-A, and never talked to strangers) until moving to Salt Lake City, UT in 2010. She quit the highest paying corporate job she’ll ever have in April of that year to found Whole9, a community focused on health, fitness, balance and sanity. Since then, the Whole9 (and their original Whole30® program) have grown to serve nearly a million visitors a month, and Melissa once again has health insurance.

She is the New York Times bestselling author of It Starts With Food, and a Certified Sports Nutritionist through the International Society of Sports Nutrition. She is an Ambassador for Lolë, a lifestyle brand that encourages women to Live Out Loud Everyday by getting active and getting involved in their communities, and is on the advisory board for Paleo Magazine. She has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Details, Woman’s World, and Redbook, and travels the world speaking about the Whole30 and changing our emotional relationships with food.

I can't tell you if The Whole30 is a healthy choice, although the Hartwigs give plenty of reasons why it is. What I can tell you is that I'm glad I did the 30 days and will hopefully eat better having done them. David and I did it together which was definitely helpful, although I let Amber eat pretty much what she wanted. The Whole30 rules in the most basic form are easy to understand. YES: Eat meat, seafood, eggs, vegetable, fruit and natural fats. DO: Do not consume sugar, alcohol, grains, legumes or dairy. Do not consume baked goods or "treats." Do not weight or measure yourself. I know it seems pretty restrictive, but like they say, "keep in mind that the Whole30 was intended to be a short-term reset and learning experience, not a permanent plan." I will admit that I "cheated a couple of times" and made a delicious apple breakfast cake that fit the rules. I also weighed myself. The...