I really thought that I was eating healthy foods. Besides eating lots of vegetables, I eat egg whites, edamame, yogurt, and cottage cheese, low-calorie popcorn, peanuts, and whole grain breads on a daily basis. I crave these foods. That’s great, right? That’s what I thought until I read J.J. Virgin’s book, The Virgin Diet.http://thevirgindiet.com/ It’s possible that all of my healthy food has been all WRONG!
The Book:
Just the other day, I received Dr. Josh Axe’s newsletter. Dr. Axe is very well-known for his healing diet. Dr. Axe I am a big believer in the effects of food. A few months ago, I cut out diet drinks and aspartame. As a result, my chronic joint pain ended. Completely! In Dr. Axe’s newsletter, he promoted the book, The Virgin Diet by J.J. Virgin. This diet is based on eliminating foods that cause food allergies. As I read the symptoms of food allergies, I realized that I suffer from joint pain, stuffy/runny nose, dark eye circles, fatigue, throat clearing, moodiness, and water retention. Those are only a few of the symptoms that food allergies or intolerance can present. The book listed the foods you should avoid to overcome these symptoms. Did you know that 80% of people have allergies or intolerance to certain foods? Food allergies cause inflammation in the body, which creates a plethora of serious problems, such as cancer and autoimmune disease. Food allergies cause water and fat retention, making weight loss nearly impossible. The worst part? We CRAVE the foods in which we are allergic. This book explains the science behind the allergies and reactions. Besides the book being easy to read, it includes recipes and testimonials. I was able to read the book in one night.
The Diet:
For three weeks, you must avoid seven foods:
Dairy (Yep, used to have an allergy to that!)
Eggs (Allergy for that, too!)
Gluten (Crave it!)
Corn (OMG, popcorn!)
Peanuts (I could eat tons!)
Soy (Heart breaking!)
Sugar/Artificial Sweeteners (except Stevia)
After three weeks of eliminating these foods from your diet (the detox period), you can add in one of the offending foods per week. If you note a reaction, you eliminate these foods completely. Forever!
Peanuts, corn, and sugar should be omitted completely for everyone. Peanuts and corn are GMOs and are horrible for your health. Sugar has lots of negative side effects for everyone. http://www.rheumatic.org/sugar.htm
This “diet” is really a change in lifestyle eating habits. Once you realize that you have an allergy, you must avoid the food long-term. Otherwise, the symptoms return. The diet promises to promote healing and energy, and to eliminate stubborn extra weight .
Obstacles
Since there are a lot of foods eliminated, cooking and dining out will be a challenge. You must read labels and be very informed about food preparation. Fortunately, the book promises that you will lose your cravings for the seven bad foods. I imagine as you get used to the diet, it will be easier to find substitutions and you will better know which foods to purchase.
My Reasons for Trying the Diet
Although this book promises that you can lose up to seven pounds in seven days, that’s not my reason for trying the diet. I, personally, would like to improve my overall health as well as lower my risk of disease. Also, I would like to reduce cravings for sugar, gluten, peanuts, and soy. More energy and younger looking skin would be a plus, too! Another think that I like about this diet is that I can still drink my wine after the three-week detox, as it has only naturally occurring sugar.
LETS DO IT!
Follow me as I try this diet. Will it be a pass or fail?
queenjarrell 