Say hello to "The New Whole30"
The ALL NEW definitive guide to changing your life, coming August 6th
I’ve spent the last year writing The New Whole30, and I’ve never come this close to missing a book deadline.
With each of my eight previous books, my editors have pronounced me organized, meticulous, and punctual. I exceed deadlines. I love deadlines. Give me a target and I will get us there with time to spare and a smile on my face. Except for this one.
Which makes no sense! This is the book I’ve been writing in my head since 2019. The one where I kept saying, “It won’t be that hard, I have a decade of content to reference.” The book that builds on my life’s work, and I’m the most qualified person on earth to write.
Maybe that’s why it was, in fact, so damn hard. Because I had written about the Whole30 for the last ten years, but I needed to write it all over again, in my current voice, for our vastly expanded community. Because it is my life’s work, and I had such high standards for what I knew this book needed to become. Because I wasn’t going to put out anything less than the best book I’ve ever written about the Whole30, no pressure Melissa.
But I made it! (Three days late, but for a project spanning two years, we’ll call it even.) And today, I get to introduce you to all 364 pages, a comprehensive guide to both Whole30 programs, some new Whole30 program rules and recommendations, and over 100 all-new recipes.
Say hello to The New Whole30: The Definitive Plan to Radically Transform Your Health, Habits, and Relationship with Food, coming August 6, 2024 (and available for pre-order wherever books are sold, for all you over-achievers).
Research and rule changes
In 2019, we started talking about revising our flagship book, The Whole30. That book had been the definitive guide to the program since its publication in 2015, but it desperately needed an update. The timing wasn’t right, though—I had just released The Whole30 Friends & Family, and just a few months later, 2020 started to 2020.
Still, this book was always rattling around in the back of my mind. So much about the Whole30 had evolved in significant ways. The rules, sure—we’d made five changes since 2015, and continued to revise the language in the Pancake Rule as the food landscape changed. (Cauliflower didn’t know it could be pizza crust until 2017.) It was time for a full overhaul of the research, and an exploration of what else we may need to change to reflect the current body of scientific literature.
I was also excited to incorporate a number of updated recommendations and best practices—which makes The New Whole30 the most realistic and accessible version yet without compromising your Whole30 success. Should I snack? Can I make a smoothie? What about protein powder? In these pages, you’ll find more reassurance, ease, and flexibility than ever throughout your life-changing Whole30 journey.
Sneak peek: We’ll debut a few rule changes in The New Whole30 that will simplify your elimination—but also may challenge your assumptions. And the book comes out in plenty of time to support your September Whole30. (Wine and cheese are still a no-go, in case you got your hopes up.)
The Plant-Based Whole30… in print!
Still, there were even bigger changes to incorporate—like the Plant-Based Whole30, which launched with great fanfare in 2022. This program made the Whole30 even more inclusive, and brought a whole new audience into our community. I knew the Plant-Based Whole30 had to feature prominently in this book, with just as many resources, recipes, and success strategies as the Original Whole30. This book had to be the essential Whole30 guide no matter which program you were doing—and offer expert guidance to help you decide the best track for you.
For the first time in print, The New Whole30 features both the Original and the Plant-Based Whole30 programs in full, including:
Program Rules
Detailed meal template
Expanded shopping list
Dedicated FAQs
Plus, we’ve created more than 50 new recipes specifically for the Plant-Based Whole30, and another 50 new recipes for the Original program.
Sneak peek: We’ll also share a list of Original Whole30 recipes that can be easily modified for Plant-Based (and vice-versa) as part of our pre-order bonus content. Details coming this summer; save your receipts!
Change for the better
More than anything, I was eager to rewrite many of the things I’d said in our flagship book—not just the paragraphs that needed updates per the science. Words matter, and to many, some of the words I used (and the tone I took) in The Whole30 made the program feel inaccessible or insensitive. Those same words also didn’t support my intentions for the program itself.
As a brand, we stopped using terms like “less healthy foods” and “good food choices,” years ago. There are no such thing as universally “healthy” or “unhealthy” foods, as those terms are always context-dependent and encompass far more than just your physiology. We’ve also become diligent about leaving words like “clean,” “toxic,” “good,” or “bad” out of our program language and support. These are all moral judgments, and don’t belong anywhere in a conversation about food. I did share our “food is not moral” perspective in 2015’s The Whole30—but not consistently, given that I also instructed you to “clear out the junk.”
Though I intended for Whole30 to hold a space outside of diet culture, I was still upholding it with some of my word choices. I’m still unlearning diet culture (along with everyone else), but when you know better, you do better—and with the help of a few registered dietitians and therapists who are experts in that field, The New Whole30 does far better.
Sneak peek: Though it’s perhaps the most famous line of the Whole30, I was also ready to revisit “this is not hard.” I’ve included not just an update, but a retrospective of that language throughout the years, my own personal commentary, and a complete rewrite of that language. You’ll find that on page 65.
The New Whole30
Today is just an announcement—and the exciting moment I get to spill the secret I’ve been keeping for over a year! You’ll see and hear far more about The New Whole30 over the next six months, from the recipes to the photography, my Whole30 story, a new section on food freedom, and the upcoming book tour slated for fall.
Learn more about The New Whole30 on our website, and subscribe to the Whole30 newsletter for more updates, sneak peeks, pre-order bonus content, and our fall book tour plans.
XO, MU
So psyched for you and all of us who get the benefit from the wisdom of your experience. Looking forward to holding the book in my hands!
Congrats Melissa. I really admire how you've listened and worked to understand your blind spots and biases, owned them and made changes. It's really inspiring. What a great role model. I did my first Whole30 years ago when you were just rolling the program out. The only reason I've stuck with you is because of your willingness to change and grow. Thank you so much!