Struggling with low energy? That’s definitely a business killer, my friend. If you plan to try Whole30 to fix that problem, you’ll want to make sure you have my favorite Whole30 snacks on hand.
Believe me.
I still remember that sunny California morning when I was business planning for the year ahead. I was having the time of my life until I realized—Oh crap. How am I supposed to accomplish all this??
I had a burning fire inside me to reach every goal in my planner, but I was all too aware that my low energy levels would be a major obstacle.
The last time I had tried to fix my low energy, I tried Whole30—and threw in the towel just 11 days later. (Curse you, Costco samples…)
During that first attempt, my goals were a bit wishy-washy. I just wanted to be healthier and honestly lose those last few (or 15) pounds from my pregnancy years ago.
But that sunny California morning, I made a decision to try Whole30 again. And this time, I had two end goals: 1) to get my body performing at its best and 2) to make a commitment to just myself—and to keep it.
Make Sure You Have Whole30 Snacks
The first time I tried Whole30, I did a lot of things wrong. And yes, I mean a lot. Like I would look at photos of enticing food on Instagram or I wouldn’t meal plan enough or I wouldn’t stock up on Whole30 snacks… so when my cravings kicked in, my resilience tapped out.
This time, though, I made sure I gathered all the right Whole30 snacks. This was a huge game-changer for me.
I filled my pantry with Epic bars, bulletproof coffee, La Croix, and plenty more. (Keep reading till the end of this article to get my full list of top Whole30 snacks.)
Not only did having my favorite Whole30 snacks help curb my cravings, but they also kept my energy high when it would’ve been crashing.
I also purchased a spiralizer, which made a huge difference. (Hint—don’t get a handheld one, for the love of all that is good. You’ll just cut your hands on the blades that keep breaking. Here’s a quality one for under $30.)
Now for the good stuff. Here’s how my fresh attempt at Whole30 went:
Week 1
I spent the entire weekend before starting Whole30 in the kitchen prepping enough meals for me and both the kids to eat all week long. It was exhausting, but I was excited to know I was doing something good for my kids and myself.
I’ll be honest… I did experience headaches all week.
The headaches weren’t too intense, though. I was able to push through them and continue working without any problems—it was really just more of a nuisance than anything.
For the most part, week one wasn’t so bad. And in fact, I felt empowered by my choice to eat healthily.
TIP: One thing I did that I think made a huge difference, especially during the tough days, was writing down every morning what day of Whole30 it was and why I was doing it. I also wrote down a mantra about nourishing my body.
Week 2
I’m not going to lie, week two was the most difficult for me. I quickly remembered why I had quit on day 11 of my first attempt. The cravings were bad.
I probably spent a few hours during that week looking at photos of food on Instagram that I planned to eat once I finished Whole 30.
But you know what…I lived. I made it through the whole week and stayed Whole30 strong. Reaching day 12, though, was a nice milestone for me.
I also became extremely irritable during this week. Hey, I’m just being honest with you.
Week 3
I was officially over meal prepping as I crawled into week three of Whole30.
It was fun and empowering for a while, but now my meals went from fancy spiralized veggies noodles with slow-roasted carnitas to boiled chicken on top of spinach.
I ate a lot of Whole30 snacks this week, too. I know I shouldn’t have relied on snacking, but I was so over food. I was over every type of meat and every type of veggie.
I was bored with my food, but mostly because I was not in the mood to meal prep. Bad idea.
If I wasn’t as strongly committed as I was—I would have ended up quitting this week. Setting yourself up to win with proper meal prep is so important.
That said, reaching the halfway point was a fun little victory. You’ve got to celebrate what you can.
Week 4
I made it! My last week of Whole30. I wondered what my life would be like when I finished. I knew I wanted to keep up this lifestyle. By the last week, I was feeling good. Real good.
I had loads of natural energy. You would have thought I was hyped up on Red Bull!
The last couple days were tough, though. I knew they would be from reading other Whole30ers’ posts.
During these last few days, you start negotiating with yourself that 28 days is just as good as 30. But it’s not. At this point, I was more excited about keeping a promise to myself for 30 whole days and I was set on keeping it.
I celebrated my last night with a fancy Whole30 spaghetti recipe.
The End Result
Let me just tell you… it was worth the struggle.
I was able to change my relationship with food. And even now, I’m much more conscious of the groceries I purchase.
The biggest asset I learned is how to read labels. It’s amazing the ingredients found in our everyday foods.
And as if that weren’t enough, I felt amazing. I still do a strict Whole30 each year, and even when I’m not on it, I follow many Whole30 principles day-to-day.
Now, as I promised… my top Whole30 snacks that kept me going during the tough times:
Whole30 Snacks You’ll Love
Not all of these are Whole30 compliant, so read the ingredients and steer clear if there is an added sweetener, such as honey.
This isn’t really a snack, but it can bring little foods to life and turn veggies into a snack!
Oh my word, this helped me so much in curbing any alcohol cravings.
Model Meals are always perfect to have on hand when I cannot commit to cooking. Again, this isn’t a snack per se, but it’s still vital if you want to stay on track.
What other beef sticks can boast having 100% grass-fed beef? These were a life-saver when I was tempted to eat non-Whole30 foods.
Coffee, hot cacao, chai lattés… FourSigmatic drink mixes ke’t me sane during Whole30.
This almond butter goes great drizzled on an apple with dried coconut flakes.
Another coffee must-have. Basically, all it takes is coffee, brain octane oil, and grass-fed ghee.
Now, I’m not saying I would eat spoonfuls of the stuff, but I definitely use it a lot when sautéing vegetables. I pretty much cooked all my food in coconut oil, actually.
And there you have it! My top Whole30 snacks that I cannot do without.
Are you ready to start your Whole30 journey? What other snacks will you stock your pantry with to get you through it? Tell me in the comments below!
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