Whole30 Shopping List: Foods

Whole30 can be as simple as you want it to be. Despite the huge collection of amazing Whole30 recipes, you don’t need to make it complicated if you don’t want to. Your Whole30 grocery list can be as simple as:

Meat

Fruit

Vegetables

Still, we won’t leave you hanging. Here’s a more comprehensive Whole30 shopping list. Feeling lost and have no idea what Whole30 is? Check out our explanation of the Whole30 diet.

Protein (aka Meat and Eggs)

You’ll be eating massive amounts of protein during Whole30, so it’s time to stock up!

Grass-Fed Beef

Organic/Pastured Chicken and Pork

Wild-Caught Fish

Avoid: Commercially raised processed meats are not permitted (no bacon, sausage, or deli meats – unless you can find the rare Whole30 compliant bacon or compliant sausage).

Do I Have to Buy Organic? In an ideal world, you’ll purchase grass-fed, organic, and pastured meat. If you can’t afford it, no worries – just buy the leanest cuts you can and trim the fat and skin before eating. Want to know more about why organic, pastured meat is worth the price tag? Read about it here.

Where To Get It: Your best bet for finding organic, grass-fed meat will be natural grocery stores like Whole Foods, although today even regular grocery stores often have a grass-fed and organic section. You can also try visiting a local butcher for fresh, natural cuts of meat. If you can’t find meat that meats a match near you, you can actually order grass-fed beef online.

Vegetables

Veggies are tasty and good for you! Good thing, because you’ll be eating a lot of them. Aim for local and seasonal veggies, which will be the most affordable (with more nutrients too).

Remember, frozen veggies are a solid option.They often cost less, can keep for longer in the freezer, and sometimes are more nutritious than fresh produce counterparts.

While frozen vegetables are flash-frozen right after being harvested, regular fresh grocery produce spends days (or longer) in cooler trucks being shipped to grocery stores, making them, oddly enough, not as fresh as the frozen stuff.

Should you go organic? Whole30 notes that it’s more important to spend your budget on organic meats over organic produce. One easy way to decide if you should go organic on produce is to consider the peel. If you peel it (or don’t eat the skin), organic isn’t as much a priority (the skin helps keep out pesticides).

Whole30 also has a seasonal guide on buying fresh produce, showing which produce is “clean” (no need for organic) and which is “dirty” (better to buy organic when possible).

Note: All veggies are allowed on Whole30 except corn, peas, and lima beans! Some vegetable suggestions from my personal favorites for the Whole30 food list include:

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Butternut Squash (try it with this butternut squash lasagna recipe)

Spaghetti Squash (great for imitation noodles)

Carrots

Cauliflower (perfect for cauliflower rice)

Eggplant

Kale

Lettuce (for salads of course)

Mushrooms

Onion

Potatoes (yup, they’re allowed)

Sweet Potatoes

Spinach

Summer Squash

Tomatoes

Zucchini

Fruit

When it comes to fruit, organic and/or local fruits are best. Frozen fruit is a fine second option, so go ahead and browse the frozen aisles.

If you have a sugar addiction like me, don’t be afraid to stock up on fruit as a sweet-tooth substitute. All fruit is good to go on Whole30. Some of my favorites are:

Apples

Berries

Bananas

Cherries (these are my favorite Whole30 desert)

Figs (grab a pack of Trader Joe’s Turkish Figs – they taste just like Fig Newtons!)

Dates (chopped dates with kale makes for a great side dish)

Grapes

Grapefruit (great with morning eggs)

Lemons and Limes (you’ll find them a lot in recipes)

Pineapple

Where To Get It: Again, natural grocers will be a great choice for finding healthy produce. Also check out your local farmers markets.

Fats

Good fats are another important component of your Whole30 shopping list. Healthy fats will keep you full and will serve as a base for your Whole30 meals. Some popular Whole30 healthy fats include:

Coconut milk

Almond butter

Avocados

Coconut Oil

Olive Oil

Organic ghee

Raw nuts

With your nuts and trail-mixes, be sure to check your labels! You’d be shocked at how many naughty additives and sugars are slipped into nut packs!

Additional Whole30 Food List Resources: In addition to this handy Whole30 grocery list, be sure to check out the official Whole30 shopping list you can print and use at the grocery store. If you’re looking for some guidance on recipes, you may also want to consider checking out some of the amazing Whole30 meal planning guides that you can find scattered across the web.

Pro Tip: Already dreading the trip to the supermarket to stock up on supplies? You might want to consider trying a grocery delivery service like Instacart – they do your grocery shopping for you and deliver the goods to your doorstep. What’s really cool is that they’ll do shopping trips at a variety of grocery stores, including Whole Foods! If you’re interested in trying it, this link should get you $10 off.

Whole30 Shopping List: Bonus Items

If you’re looking to cook some great Whole30-friendly dishes, you may want to make a point to pick up these ingredients, which are common in the most popular Whole30 recipes:

Coconut Oil. We talked about this earlier, but it’s worth spending a few more words on. Coconut oil is the most prominent ingredient in Whole30 recipes – you’ll find it listed absolutely everywhere. It’s a tasty, healthy cooking oil Whole30 folks can’t get enough of! You’ll definitely need to include this on your Whole30 shopping list.

We talked about this earlier, but it’s worth spending a few more words on. Coconut oil is the most prominent ingredient in Whole30 recipes – you’ll find it listed absolutely everywhere. It’s a tasty, healthy cooking oil Whole30 folks can’t get enough of! You’ll definitely need to include this on your Whole30 shopping list. Fruit Juice. 100% juice is allowed on Whole30, specifically for using in cooking to sweeten a dish.

100% juice is allowed on Whole30, specifically for using in cooking to sweeten a dish. Ghee. This is another ingredient you’ll see everywhere for Whole30 recipes. Ghee is clarified butter, which is basically butter without the milk solids.

This is another ingredient you’ll see everywhere for Whole30 recipes. Ghee is clarified butter, which is basically butter without the milk solids. Almond/Coconut Flour. Great for breading your meats or for thickening sauces. Use coconut flour with this buffalo chicken fingers recipe which is one of my favorite Whole30 recipes!

Great for breading your meats or for thickening sauces. Use coconut flour with this buffalo chicken fingers recipe which is one of my favorite Whole30 recipes! Apple Cider Vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is an ingredient for many sauces and salad dressing recipes. White, red wine, balsamic, and rice vinegar are OK too.

Apple cider vinegar is an ingredient for many sauces and salad dressing recipes. White, red wine, balsamic, and rice vinegar are OK too. Botanical Extracts. Almond, vanilla, lemon, and lavender extracts are all allowed on Whole30.

Almond, vanilla, lemon, and lavender extracts are all allowed on Whole30. Mustard. Mustard is one of the few toppings you can buy safely at the store (still, make sure to check the labels). It’s good to have handy for burger nights.

Mustard is one of the few toppings you can buy safely at the store (still, make sure to check the labels). It’s good to have handy for burger nights. Coconut Aminos: Used in many tasty recipes for sauces. If you’re lucky you’ll find it at a health food store, or you can grab it online.

Whole30 Weapons: Cooking Tools For Your Arsenal

Julienne Peeler or Spiralizer. Julienne peelers or spiralizers are must-haves for creating veggie noodles. Veggie noodles are a main component of many Whole30 recipes, and it’s no wonder. Have you ever tried zucchini noodles? They’re the best!

Interested in grabbing your own? We recommend this Julienne Peeler from Precision Kitchenware or this Spiralizer from Paderno World Cuisine.

Blender. Use your blender to blend frozen strawberries, frozen bananas, or other fruit for the next best thing to ice cream. OK, it’s definitely not ice cream, but you’ll still love it. Be sure to use it with Paleo Leap’s recipe for Banana Ice Cream (just don’t add any chocolate bits).

Our top pick goes to the functional and affordable Hamilton Beach blender.

Food Processor. A food processor will help you make tasty Whole30 compliant sauces, pesto, homemade mayo etc. It’s also handy for making cauliflower rice. Speaking of cauliflower rice, whip out that food processor and try this Indian Pineapple Cauliflower Rice recipe from Stupid Easy Paleo.

We recommend the Cuisinart Mini-Prep Food Processor for starting out (it’s also great when you’re short on kitchen space). If you do a ton of food processing and cooking, go with the upgraded and more powerful Cusinart Pro Food Processor.

Slow Cooker/CrockPot. Crockpot recipes are easy Whole30 wins – throw a bunch of stuff in it in the AM, and come home to a 90% ready meal! There are tons of tasty crock pot Whole30 recipes – like this very popular Crockpot Balsamic Roast Beef from Primally Inspired.

We recommend grabbing this Programmable Crock Pot – you can pre-program when to turn off the heat, allowing for hassle-free slow cooking.

Salad Spinner. You’ll likely be munching on quite a few salads during your Whole30 experience, and a salad spinner makes the veggie cleaning go by that much quicker.

Snatch the OXO Good Grips Salad Spinner – it makes cleaning veggies (and fruit) a ton easier, encouraging you to eat more greens.

That wraps up our Whole30 shopping list – is there anything we’re missing? Share your favorite Whole30 grocery items and must-have foods in the comments section below

Whole30 Shopping List FAQ