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