When Thalassa Quill took on the Whole30 challenge, she knew it was going to push her—but not for the usual reasons. Unlike most participants who struggle to give up bread, cheese, or sugar, Thalassa had been vegan for years. Her biggest hurdle? Doing Whole30 without meat, in a way that still felt nourishing, energizing, and compliant.
“People told me I was making it way harder than it needed to be,” she says with a laugh. “But I wasn’t interested in bending who I am just to follow a plan.”
Thalassa embraced the challenge with her usual creativity. She focused on what she could eat: vegetables in abundance, healthy fats, and proteins from sources like tempeh, nuts, and compliant plant-based options (though the rules don’t technically allow many vegan protein sources, she worked around them with her doctor’s input).
She cooked vibrant curries with coconut milk and cauliflower, roasted trays of vegetables tossed in tahini, and sipped on brothy soups infused with ginger and turmeric.
What surprised her most was how energized she felt, even without traditional protein staples. “Once I got past the first few days, my digestion improved, my sleep got deeper, and my mood lifted,” she says. “It reminded me that eating clean doesn’t have to follow anyone else’s blueprint.”
For Thalassa, doing Whole30 as a meat-free eater wasn’t about rule-following—it was about reclaiming control over her plate in a way that aligned with her values and her body’s needs. “You can make it your own,” she says. “And it can still work beautifully.”
