I would like to call myself a healthy eater, that’s why when my friend asked me, “Hey, want to do Whole30 with me in April?” I thought to myself ... “Ehh... do I really need to? I feel like I already eat just fine.” But I decided to research this program anyway. The reality sunk in when I came across this lovely Eat This, Not That chart.

I eat a lot of sugar and I certainly eat a good amount of grains, so maybe this is something I could do!

So, I responded to my friend with “Yes! I am in. But you are going to have to hold me accountable.”

Because, lord knows I need accountability.

What To Eat

The planning began. Meal prep is essential for Whole30. I made a grocery run and quickly learned that a college student's budget at Whole Foods can stretch you pretty thin. I told myself, "This means you can’t eat out as much, Madison. You have food on the shelves."

My cart consisted of fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs and chicken.

At first, you'd think there was plenty of variety in these items until you discover that this is your breakfast, lunch and dinner for a straight week. I had to step back and get off my high horse, reminding myself it is a gift that I have food to eat. This was a humble reminder.

I am writing to you from day six. It hasn’t even been a week and I can tell you it has been a struggle.

On day four, I was surrounded by McFlurries. I mean, talk about a weakness.

Day five, surrounded by cookies and brownies. What is a girl to do?!

Although I am missing my sweet fix, I can tell you I've never felt better. I feel fuller longer. My skin: best it’s ever been. Energy, coming straight from the source.

So here’s how you do Whole30:

Do it with a friend, no doubt about it. Like many things in life, we are not made to do it alone.

Get creative. Try a smoothie in a bowl. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Don’t give up. Remember, it is just 30 days. That is shorter than Lent. I have told myself this day after day.

And you know why Whole30 makes sense? Because it is straight from the source, just as it was created to be eaten. I believe that God created food for his people. Through the years we have tainted this in our own unique ways -- GMOs, MSG, all of those other acronyms we have no idea the meaning of. But I can tell you one thing that is true of Whole30: we are anti-acronym. And it just makes sense. Your body feels great when you eat the food that you are supposed to eat. So yeah, Whole30 is just 30 days and I will surely be eating a pint of ice cream the moment the clock strikes midnight leading into day 31. But I can’t deny that this has been an eye-opening experience and I would hope my healthy habits will have changed for the good. So I pose this question to you -- do you want to eat food as it was made for your created body? Do you want to feel the way that you were made to feel? Consider eating from the source.