I’ve been hinting towards a nutritional clean up for the past few days and I finally have time to sit down and share with you the details. I’m currently on day four of my first Whole30.

First, let’s quickly go over what Whole30 is for those who are unfamiliar.

The Whole30 program was created in 2009 by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig. It is explained in detail in their book, It Starts with Food.

It’s a 30-day program in which you remove food groups that have been shown to have negative or inflammatory impacts on the body. The idea is that by stripping them from your diet completely, you are able to let your body heal and reset. After the 30-day period, you go through a re-introduction phase in which you test the foods groups that were introduced one-by-one to really understand how they effect your body.

So why’s the girl who has made a name for herself in healthy living blogging by eating all the foods doing a 30-day program that restricts food groups?

My main motivation is to heal my eyes. I haven’t shared this on my blog because I was hoping to discover a miracle cure to share on the internet (which I haven’t…yet), but I have been dealing with eyelid dermatitis/eczema for two years now. It started on a tiny corner of one eye and has spread over the past two years to cover both eyes and has worsened in severity.

My eyes fluctuate between two states. Red, itchy and burning or dry and flaking. It’s TERRIBLE. I’ve tried everything from switching face products to switching makeup to going without eye makeup. I’ve bought ointments, creams and tried home treatments like essential oils and coconut oil. NOTHING WORKS.

I finally broke down and went to see the dermatologist about 2 weeks ago because I was in so much pain. My eyes bothered me constantly…morning, day and night. I knew from tons of reading online that he would prescribe a steroid cream to me, and he did. I am grateful because they cleared up in two days and I got some relief but it’s already coming back. The last thing I want to do is get in a cycle of using steroid cream on my eyes because it’s thinning and damaging to the skin with long-term use.

My dermatologist told me that my inflammation was either caused by an environmental allergen or something systemic. Since nothing has worked yet with removing various products from my routine, I decided it was time for Whole30. It has a wonderful reputation for healing inflammation in the body.

I wanted to start the program back in November when I was at the end of my rope but figured I would be setting myself up for failure if I did so during the holidays. I also thought I might have some company if I waited until January 1 (I was right) so I held off. And let’s face it…I could certainly stand to lay off the sugar and booze after the holidays.

I’m currently Whole30ing with my BFF, fiance and 20 of our other friends, students and clients. I can’t tell you how wonderful it’s been to have the energy and support of a group!

For those of you seeking more details on the program rules.

You eat vegetables, fruit, protein and fats for 30 days. You skip sugar, grains, legumes, dairy and alcohol.

I wholeheartedly believe that food is medicine and plays a huge part in how we feel and how our bodies perform. Please note that I am not prescribing this as a blanket fix for everyone nor do I think that it’s something everyone should do but I do recommend checking out the book if you’re curious. It’s packed with great information. I wouldn’t do the program without the knowledge of what’s in the book first. I will be sharing my eats per usual during Whole30 but in more detail so others can get ideas and inspiration. I’ll also be sharing some non-program recipes and food products with you too so don’t worry, it won’t be all Whole30 over here for the month of January.

Please let me know if you have ANY questions. I’ll be back tomorrow with an overview of days 1-4.

Have you ever tried Whole30?

Has anyone else dealt with this type of dermatitis? Any advice?