The Virgin Diet

   
Introduction: Over my past 3 years in college, I have noticed my stomach continuously rebelling against he food I have been eating. It was only until this January that I decided to do something about it: The Virgin Diet. Named after its creator- J.J. Virgin, this diet instructs the reader to cut out the following 7 items out of their diets for 21 days and then re-introduce each one at a time, for one week, and then eliminating it again. This is simply to test your body and find out which foods you are more sensitive to.

1. Gluten
2. Dairy
3. Added Sugar
4. Corn
5. Soy
6. Peanuts
7. Eggs

Preparation:

I went through my stash of food and got rid of everything that did not coincide with my new guidelines.  My next grocery trip was the most difficult, time consuming trip I have ever made. It shocked me how many of these 7 ingredients were in almost everything I would purchase normally- especially soy, so is EVERYWHERE.

During:

I returned with a bounty of mainly whole fruits and vegetables, chicken, rice, hummus and some gluten/dairy free almond crackers. Seems easy, but then next week was full of withdraws- which are warned about in the book- and weird energy swings- also warned about.

Within a few days I noticed a definite reduction in water retention and a gradual overall weight loss. Over the first week I lost around 5 pounds and around the beginning of the second week, my energy levels evened out. The cravings started to subside and it became fairly easy to stick to.

Reintroduction:

Gluten: Of course, the first thing I could not wait to eat again was pasta. I made a large pot and scarfed it down. About a half hour later my stomach was yelling at me and gurgling up a storm.

Dairy/Eggs : I was relieved to find that dairy and I still get along.

Sugar: Although sugar did not upset my stomach when re introduced, I have chosen to limit my intake and stick to low glycemic sweeteners to avoid blood sugar spikes.

Corn: Corn was tolerable in terms of "stomach storms".

Peanuts: Another favorite of mine: peanut butter is now unfortunately out of my life permanently. R.I.P.

Soy: No bueno. Never again.


Results:

While I can definitely say I was disappointed to find out tat gluten and peanuts would be cut from my diet for a long long time, I have come to find that finding alternatives is not a difficult task- if you are open minded. Thankfully, my issue with gluten is only an intolerance and not Celiac. I have welcomed corn tortillas and rice pasta into my life and have had very little problems adjusting.

The Virgin Diet is not just recommended for people who are trying to pin point their intolerances. It is also viewed as a cleanse of sorts and is recommended at least once a year even if you are intolerance free. I suggest giving it a go!

Here is the link to the book:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Virgin-Diet-Foods-Pounds/dp/0373892713/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367295595&sr=8-1&keywords=the+virgin+diet


Good Luck!

-A




   

4:2:13

Paper Topic Responses:

     Megan's topic is about food international taboos. She is choosing to focus more specifically on African, Indian and other Asian delicacies that we in America might view as inedible or "gross". I think it's a good topic to choose due to the fact that it lends itself to researching how what we are taught while we are growing up effects our future mentality. I would be interested to hear what sort of things we eat that other countries find disgusting. Additionally I would be interested to hear about which delicacies are eaten on a daily basis and which were saved for special occasions and why.


     Carrie's paper will be focused on salmon farming. The benefits, the drawbacks and what has and will be changed. I am particularly interested in this subject because my family and I eat a good amount of salmon and other fish. We try to buy wild caught but when that is not available, it would be nice to know more about what we are putting into our bodies. I know that recently farmers have begun feeding their fish corn...which fish aren't meant to digest...and would be interested in how it affects the fish in terms of the nutrients we get out of it.

William's paper will discuss the Michelin Star System and Guide. His presentation on the subject was very intriguing and since I had never even heard of this restaurant rating system I found myself wanting to know more and more about it. I was glad to hear that while his paper is focused around this system, he didn't choose to praise it, he chose to introduce the rather recent counter culture that refuses to be defined by three star confinement. It would be cool if William actually chose to go to a three star restaurant as well as a "rebellion" restaurant and have him do a mini critique and comparison.