I have been following nutritionist JJ Virgin for a few years now and ordered her latest book The Virgin Diet even before it was released (I got around to reading it this week). While the main “hook” for the book is “lose 7 pounds in 7 days by dropping 7 foods” (foods that are often touted by the mainstream media and even doctors as “health foods,” by the way), the book starts the reader on a (relatively easy) health and healing journey that can benefit the majority of the population in many ways. Let me explain.
Although I always considered myself a healthy person (I have avoided all prescription and over-the-counter medications, except for occasions such as when I got my wisdom teeth pulled), about 3 or 4 years ago (when I was in my late 40s) for the first time in my life I began to wake up with stiffness in my back. No, this isn’t just about age, I said to myself, and promised to look for a solution. Not long afterwards is when I first heard about JJ Virgin and enrolled in one of her online classes. I followed the diet recommendations she prescribed, and about a week later, the morning stiffness was gone!
So what are the 7 foods that she recommends you eliminate completely (100%) for a 3 week period? Dairy, Gluten, Soy, Eggs, Peanuts, Corn and Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners. Any food that has any of these ingredients in any form are pulled from your diet, which means most processed foods are out the window. (You will later reintroduce some of these foods in a controlled manner, to see how your body reacts to them. Some foods, for example artificial sweeteners, are never recommended.)
Over 50% of the population has food challenges (food intolerances or sensitivities) to at least one of these foods. The foods listed above are known to be inflammatory, which means they cause disease as well as weight gain and aging. So what do you eat? Clean protein such as free-range chicken (in small amounts), healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil and nuts, high fiber gluten free grains, fruits and lots of vegetables. (She has tips for vegetarians and vegans as well.)
In 3 weeks of following the JJ Virgin plan, it is highly likely you will lose 10 pounds and look and feel about 10 years younger. (Which will be very helpful in the new year as many of us “conscious folk” would like to have the energy and stamina to create a lot of wonderful things in the world…)
What I like about JJ’s approach is that it’s intuitive and allows for occasional treats. Once you reach maintenance stage, you can indulge in pizza (gluten, dairy) if that’s what you absolutely have to have, you’re allowed an indulgence for one meal a week. (One meal out of 21 meals a week is 5%, so 95% of the time you’re eating healthy. I like 95%. It feels industrious and energetic, yet doable.) Moreover, just knowing that you can have your favorite food occasionally will help you stick to your health plan. And as your healing journey continues over the weeks and months you will find that you might not enjoy that piece of pizza as much as you used too…
Three or four years later I am still free of my morning back stiffness, except when I have some wheat products for a few days in a row (like for example during the holidays)! JJ Virgin shares in her book that when she has gluten occasionally (such as a roll with her dinner), the next morning her fingers swell up and feel stiff.
I plan to live my life healthy and completely prescription-free and rather than supporting the international “health cartel” I choose to spend my money on clean, organic food grown locally as much as possible. In fact, while I was at my local farmer’s market in Saratoga, CA yesterday I overheard a middle-aged couple telling a farmer that they have switched almost all of their weekly grocery budget over to farmers markets. Supporting your local small farmers will help the economy of your community, and it will also help employ more people while at the same time raising the quality of life for the Whole.
Now that we have surpassed the December 21, 2012 date the projects and journeys we embark upon will be easier to manifest, if they are beneficial to the Whole. As Ron Van Dyke recently said, we light-workers have a lot of “boots on the ground” work to do. (While it is about coming from Creation mode, coming from the “Heart,” once you feel inspired you go off and actually work on the things you feel inspired to work on!)
To help with that journey, I would recommend reading The Virgin Diet cover to cover, and then implementing the plan in the book. The book contains the “how-to” details (details that cannot be adequately covered in an article) that are very helpful for the speedy success of your healing journey.
Share this
7 Comments