Eating Out On The Whole30 In Lagos
NOSA: Last month, we went on this thing called The Whole 30 as part of a #NewYearNewMe cleanse. In the Whole30, you strip all sugar, grains, dairy and legumes from your diet. In their words,
Cut out all the psychologically unhealthy, hormone-unbalancing, gut-disrupting, inflammatory food groups for a full 30 days.
FOLLY: Technically, we completed a Whole. 28 because something must kill a man and two, because of the Lunch Club with Kitchen Butterfly.
NOSA: So what are the rules?
Do not consume added sugar of any kind, real or artificial. No maple syrup, honey, agave nectar, coconut sugar, Splenda, Equal, Nutrasweet, xylitol, stevia, etc. Read your labels, because companies sneak sugar into products in ways you might not recognize.
Do not consume alcohol in any form, not even for cooking. (And it should go without saying, but no tobacco products of any sort, either.)
Do not eat grains. This includes (but is not limited to) wheat, rye, barley, oats, corn, rice, millet, bulgur, sorghum, amaranth, buckwheat, sprouted grains and all of those gluten-free pseudo-grains like quinoa. This also includes all the ways we add wheat, corn and rice into our foods in the form of bran, germ, starch and so on. Again, read your labels.
Do not eat legumes. This includes beans of all kinds (black, red, pinto, navy, white, kidney, lima, fava, etc.), peas, chickpeas, lentils, and peanuts. No peanut butter, either. This also includes all forms of soy – soy sauce, miso, tofu, tempeh, edamame, and all the ways we sneak soy into foods (like lecithin).
Do not eat dairy. This includes cow, goat or sheep’s milk products such as cream, cheese (hard or soft), kefir, yogurt (even Greek), and sour cream… with the exception of clarified butter or ghee. (See below for details.)
Do not consume carrageenan, MSG or sulfites. If these ingredients appear in any form on the label of your processed food or beverage, it’s out for the Whole30.
Do not try to re-create baked goods, junk foods, or treats* with “approved” ingredients. Continuing to eat your old, unhealthy foods made with Whole30 ingredients is totally missing the point, and will tank your results faster than you can say “Paleo Pop-Tarts.” Remember, these are the same foods that got you into health-trouble in the first place—and a pancake is still a pancake, regardless of the ingredients.
You are not allowed to step on the scale or take any body measurements for the duration of the program
I’ve done the Whole30 before. Did it a couple years ago when I still did Crossfit so it wasn’t too much of a shock for me. If I got me a cook, I could probably do it all year. You know what? I’m doing it again.
FOLLY: The funniest part of the Whole30 was realizing that Amala and Ewedu was actually compliant, which is not to say that I ate it during the Whole30 but I considered it.
NOSA: Anyway, if you're thinking about giving it a shot, here are a handful of Whole30-friendly restaurants in Lagos.
Green Grill House
NOSA: Ignore the sweet corn in the picture. I just realized I have no recent GGH pictures.
FOLLY: Corn is definitely not Whole 30 compliant. That said, GGH is a no brainer on this list as they probably have the only "pick you own items" salad bar in Lagos. Ps. feel free to correct me in the comment section.
Deli's
FOLLY: While you can't build your own salad at Deli's, you can get an "upmarket salad" made fresh for you with high quality ingredients. I also quite like that they "dress" and toss the salad for you before serving it.
NOSA: Don't forget to tell them to hold off on the cheese before they shock you with it. They also have really decent salmon as a main.
Veggie Victory
NOSA: The only Vegan restaurant in Lagos, of course they're Whole30 friendly.
FOLLY: Never been but one of these days.
1415
1415 Adetokunbo Ademola St. Victoria Island, Lagos. (Eko Hotel)
NOSA: 1415 is on here off the strength of their steak and fish selection, which is prettay prettay excellent.
FOLLY: Obviously the red wine reduction is off limits. Just get you a grilled seabass or salmon, with a side of vegetables and you'll be complying in no time.
Grills In & Out
NOSA: This is another one on here for the meat selection. Just skip whatever they have going downstairs and head up to the self grill.
FOLLY: Now you can no longer say Eat.Drink.Lagos never does anything for the fitfam brethren.