So you hate eggs, huh?
No problem!
You can still do Whole 30. I promise.
If you’re ok with eating non-traditional breakfast foods, you won’t really have a problem at all. But I’m guessing most people don’t really want a salad for their first meal of the day :)
If you do, more power to ya!
If a salad at 7am doesn’t sound awesome to you, here are a few things you could eat throughout your 30 day Whole 30 experience. Heck, these are great to add into the mix even if you love eggs like I do…variety is the spice of life!
1. Sliced bananas topped with roasted, unsalted pecan pieces, a generous sprinkling of cinnamon and a splash of coconut milk (Trader Joe’s has the tastiest one in my opinion!) This is my absolute favorite sweet breakfast. If I had some unsweetened coconut flakes on hand, I would have thrown them into the mix too. Yum!
2. Larabars. These little gems are basically dates and nuts mixed with other fruits and sometimes cinnamon. That’s it. They are good in a pinch when you don’t have a lot of time or you’re out and about and get HANGRY. I wouldn’t rely on these everyday because they pack a lot of natural sugar, but they are great to have once or twice a week. My favorites are Apple Pie, Pecan Pie and Chocolate Coconut Chew. I normally LOVE anything cherry, but I found Cherry Pie to be too tart.
Be sure to choose bars that are Whole 30 approved, here’s a very helpful graphic from @getting.body.back.girl on Instagram:
3. Sautéed veggies with compliant bacon or sausage. I didn’t ever make it to Whole Foods to look for compliant bacon (so the one pictured isn’t compliant but it’s a decent after-plan option, but I’m betting they carry it. I know you can also purchase it online here, but you have to REALLY want it because it’s not cheap. There are great recipes online for making your own breakfast sausage with compliant ingredients…I didn’t get around to doing this because I love eggs and didn’t find myself running out of variety, but I do plan to make this one sometime soon! Sautéed veggies are delicious and when paired with some kind of breakfast meat and a cup of coffee, I know you’d feel like you were eating a real breakfast, not some kind of side dish :)
4. An apple with almond butter. This is one of Andy’s main breakfast options. It’s easy to put together in a hurry and it really does keep you full until lunch. It’s a great alternative to eggy breakfasts, so I definitely add it into my routine at least once a week. Costco has a great deal on almond butter!
5. Chia pudding! This breakfast option is also simple and would be easy to grab fast in the morning. You prepare it the night before, so it takes a little planning ahead, but once it’s ready you could divide it into small containers and top it with fruit so you could grab it and go in the a.m. The recipe I like to use is:
1/2 cup chia seeds
2 cups coconut milk (I love Trader Joe’s light coconut milk the best)
1 hearty dash of cinnamon (optional)
Mix all together, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
So there you have it! 5 egg-free Whole 30 breakfast ideas and I know there are dozens more out there. Don’t let an aversion to eggs keep you from trying Whole 30. I just know you’ll be amazed at how incredible you feel when you try it out!
As always, let me know if you have any questions. I’m happy to answer them! :)
the chocolate in some of the Lara Bars is not Whole 30 compliant either. Please be accurate if you’re going to post information claiming to be Whole 30 compliant that truly isn’t.
Hi Dana,
I’m sorry for the delayed response, but my blog post does indicate you need to make sure the Lara Bar flavor is whole30 compliant. I even included a graphic that separated compliant and non compliant flavors. Maybe you didn’t get a chance to read the whole post :)
These foods may be ” technically” Whole30 compliant, they do not follow the recommended meal template. If you are truly wanting the best experience from your Whole30 then simply eating fruit and nut butter or chia pudding (which is specifically called out by Melissa on the Whole30 site as not recommended) will not get you there. You are not required to eat eggs for breakfast on Whole30; or eat eggs at all if you don’t like them or are allergic or are just tired of them. Any compliant meat/veg/healthy fat combo can be eaten for any meal.
There are so many blogs and Pinterest posts claiming their recipes are Whole30 compliant but they are only telling you part of the story. If you want real results from your Whole30, read the books or get very familiar with the official Whole30 website. Don’t depend on a blogger or Pinterester to give you the best information.
With regards to a lot of people saying these foods aren’t Whole30 compliant – here’s one reason why. This is directly from Whole30’s website! :)
“Every time we talk about these fruit-and-nut bars, we say the same thing: “They’re on-the-go emergency food, perfect for long hikes, business travel, or unexpected late nights at the office.” We caution you not to use these as-close-to-candy-as-you-can-get convenience foods in place of real food, but that’s just a very strong recommendation. Overuse these or lean on them too hard when you’re craving sweets and you’ll find yourself on Day 31 with the same roaring Sugar Dragon that led you to us in the first place… but that’s your business.”
My understanding of Whole30 is that it’s trying to change your relationship with food. Convenience foods like Larabars aren’t really “approved” because of the emotional response you have to it.
In which part of my post did I suggest these foods should be consumed all the time or to replace “candy” and other sweets? I didn’t. I was offering some options for people who do not like eggs (or need an occasional break from eggs) but want to complete a Whole30. Wouldn’t you say that having some of these breakfast options and DOING A WHOLE30 would be better than not doing Whole30 at all? Wouldn’t you say you could learn a LOT about your relationship with food and your emotional response to food EVEN if you had a few of these breakfasts during your Whole30? I think so :)
Thank you for these ideas! I’m.on day 8 of Whole 30 and looking fornnew breakfasts to try that are egg free so I’ll be trying some of these out!
Great! I hope you have an awesome Whole30! :)
While not whole30 compliant, (the whole30 diet is about eliminating foods that may trigger inflammation and other issues, it’s a 30 day plan to basically detox) these are healthy ideas for the post diet time frame.
I find your comment to be interesting…which item exactly is not compliant? When I did my Whole30 (and posted these blogs) every one of these options was compliant. I’ve heard there has been some new talk about chia pudding…but at the time it was an acceptable option. If you see my comment to Amanda about the chia pudding, it explains my point further. Melissa Hartwig is a huge proponent of people making Whole30 much more about life and mindset change than anything else…as long as the chia seed pudding wasn’t a trigger food for overeating and it wasn’t used as a dessert, it would be compliant with Whole30, at least at the time I did the program in 2015. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Great ideas, thank you! I never buy light coconut milk but use half the amount of normal coconut milk and add water myself – that way I save money and nasty stuff added to the coconut milk :-)
In my opinion, the only meal I see that is compliant is #3. The rest doesn’t follow the meal template of protein, veggies, fruit and fat. Lara bars are suppose to be used in case of emergencies.
Don’t mean to be a downer, but chia pudding is not whole30 approved. It is a healthy, post whole30 option, however.
Hi Amanda, I’d have to disagree. I posted this round-up for my aunt who doesn’t like eggs. I think that aversion could be a major deterrent to participating in a Whole30, and I’m confident that Melissa Hartwig herself would rather see someone do a Whole30 incorporating an occasional breakfast of chia pudding (which is not sweet or anything comparable to a smoothie or dessert) than not even attempt to do a round of Whole30. If chia pudding triggered an emotional desire to overeat, that would obviously be another story. Whole30 is much more about the mindset of eating for health than it is about rules. Chia pudding in this case would absolutely be compliant.
How about we just call it Chia Yogurt and then we are all good! It was delicious…had enough eggs for awhile… :)
I believe the whole thing about the whole 30 is to follow the rules to make sure you eliminate things that might be affecting you. It is even stated in the book that if you cheap, you must start again. If someone wanted healthier ideas for eating, then of course these are all definitely health alternatives. I agree with Eva above.
Nonetheless, these are great ideas for healthy eating, thanks for posting.
Serena, I’m curious about which of these foods you consider to be a “cheat” during Whole30? At the time I did my first Whole30 and posted this blog (Winter 2015) every one of these options was compliant. I’ve heard there has been some new talk about chia pudding, so I can’t speak to those changes since I haven’t read about them yet, but Melissa Hartwig is a huge proponent of people making Whole30 much more about life and mindset change than anything else…as long as the chia seed pudding wasn’t a trigger food for overeating and it wasn’t used as a dessert, it would be compliant with Whole30, at least at the time I did the program. I can’t find any other non-compliant items in the roundup…unless someone purchased non-compliant bacon, but I stated that was important in the post. Hmmmm?
Thanks. I have been finding breakfasts the hardest to sort but these are great ideas!
Great ideas! I wish I would have known them when I did the whole 30 last year. I also wish I would have known about grain-free oatmeal. I’ve made this one several times…leaving out the date (I didn’t think it needed the sweetness). You could totally use your TJs coconut milk in it, too! http://www.somethingswanky.com/grain-free-whole-30-oatmeal/