So you’ve decided to change your life and do Whole 30, huh? For starters, I just want to say how proud of you I am for working towards making a positive change in your life! By the time this article is published, I will have completed one Whole 30 (July 2019), and will be currently in the midst of my second (Jan 2020)!

Things like Whole 30 are very hard when you are first learning, due to the overwhelming nature of making a change in your life. Nonetheless, everywhere you look there is someone telling you to do one thing, buy a different thing, and you are just not sure where to start. Maybe I am wrong, but I am sure that is how I felt the first time I completed Whole 30.

My advice: Start simple. So simple that you are going to laugh at me. Now that I have a strong grasp on Whole 30, I explore so many more options, and buy more specialty things. But when I first started, I used the bare minimum. And I mean, the bare minimum. Collecting Whole 30 compliant items can get semi-costly as well, so it’s important to prioritize necessities over “good-to-haves”, while you work on creating your Whole 30 pantry.

Here are some necessities that helped me complete my first Whole 30!

• Ghee: Ghee is clarified butter. It is regular butter melted down where the fats and the milk solids separate. Ghee does not have the milk solids so it has less lactose then butter which is why it is Whole 30 approved. I use ghee to cook and I also use it to add flavor to food or as a substitute to butter.
  • You can get ghee most anywhere. Here are some brands I have used and that I have enjoyed: Carrington Farms, Thrive Market, 4th and Heart
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I use EVOO constantly in my everyday cooking, and when I am completing Whole 30.
  • EVOO is very easy to find. You just have to make sure it is extra virgin for it to be compliant!
• Avocado Oil: I personally like EVOO over Avocado Oil, but they are interchangeable and here are some popular brands!
  • Chosen Foods, Primal Kitchen, Thrive Market
• Coconut Oil: Coconut Oil is an awesome thickener when you are cooking. Let’s say you want to make a thicker soup, you could just add coconut oil. Or say you are making zoodles and you want to make a creamier sauce, you add coconut oil!
  • Trader Joes, Great Value, Nutiva
• Raw Cashews: I use cashew cream regularly, and I make it with raw cashews. Raw cashews are a great snack while on Whole 30, but, what I do is I soak them and then blend them together and then they act as a thickening cream, sour cream substitute, etc. and it is very good!
• Almond Flour: On my first Whole 30, I bought coconut flour because my local store did not have almond flour. While I do like coconut flour for certain things, I quickly realized that almond flour is most closely related to actual flour. Therefore, if I had to suggest prioritizing one flour over another that is Whole 30 approved, I would recommend almond flour!
  • Bob’s Red Mill, Thrive Market, Great Value
• Condiments/Sauces: You will get bored with Whole 30 if you eat plain chicken everyday of your life. Whole 30 is about nourishing your body with things that are good for your body and soul. I LOVE condiments and sauces from Tessemae’s and Primal Kitchen. While they are competitors, I don’t really have a favorite between the two of them because they both offer such different things. I buy what I can find around where I live…Tessemae’s is a little easier to find, but Primal Kitchen has wonderful products that I love!
  • They have so many options but, products I would consider buying to start off:
    • Primal Kitchen Mayo with Avocado Oil OR Tessemae’s Mayo
    • Primal Kitchen Ranch with Avocado Oil OR Tessemae’s Classic Ranch
    • Tessemae’s Mild Buffalo Sauce
    • Tessemae’s Matty’s Organic BBQ Sauce
    • Tessemae’s Ketchup (if you are someone who cannot live without ketchup, I am not that person but I know people who are)

These are pantry staples that I consider necessities for me to successfully complete Whole30!

This little graphic is a great reference for if you are on a strict budget for your Whole 30. It shows how if you have an extra $10 to spend, buy ghee. If you have an extra $20, buy ghee and 2 condiments, etc. I think it’s a good way to build your Whole 30 stash. When you have a few extra dollars to spend, spend it on products that will help you change your life and have a healthier relationship with food!

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