This is New Age medicine. There are several doctors on PBS trying to revolutionize the way people view food and their health. I totally buy into it. It seems to be catching on slowly in the medical community. I think food as medicine is right on the mark and I think a lot of the foods we eat, many we view as healthy, are terribly unhealthy. I have always noticed that I feel, think and look better when I eat healthier, lots of fruits and vegetables, low fat, low meat, cut the sugar.

Unfortunately, lol, I do have a bad-food reward system going on right now, some of the white stuff, but that will pass. I have been working gradually to eliminate the 7 foods JJ Virgin explains are high allergen/food sensitivity foods for a lot of people -- and the cause for many of their health problems. I see no reason to doubt it. She gets good results with her patients.

Dr. Fuhrman promotes high density/nutrition foods. The Nutrarian diet. He is worth watching and claims his patients are able to reverse disease also.

Dr. Hyman, Dr. Amen and his wife, Dr. Barnard, Dr. Vad, are others on the PBS circuit who promote food as medicine, reversing/preventing disease. There's also a RN that talks about our gut and the need for pro/pre-biotics to keep our guts in good working order -- that it all starts there -- but I haven't seen her on for a while.

Our healthcare system is built around pharmaceuticals, pill pushing, which I don't subscribe to (unless absolutely necessary, of course). I do believe in diet and lifestyle. But there sure are problems in our food system.

Love, love, love these docs. I am totally brainwashing myself with these programs.

Hey, Golddust can attest to her green goo being a miracle food!

This post was edited by snookums2 on Fri, Sep 20, 13 at 23:25

Medicinal foods certainly have been passed down through the ages. When I say New Age medicine, I mean with respect to modern day society, in the States. These are New Age doctors within our current, established medical system. It is a New Age coming.

In today's society, in this country, it seems to be that if man doesn't manufacture it, it's no good. Not high tech? Poo. We make things far more complicated than necessary, rather than truly understanding our bodies' needs, the "lab" within us, and relying on what nature has provided for us to flourish. No small wonder as what's in place is big business, and full of huge egos. Change is slow. The ideas were once totally dismissed but even our ivy league hospitals are taking an interest and even incorporating some of these things. These revolutionary doctors now have decades of research and practical application to back their claims, so I guess it is now gaining credibility.

The thing is that, what many people consider to be healthy foods are not really healthy at all, or have become unhealthy for one reason or another. At least according to these practitioners. When I hear people in our medical system prescribing things, whether it be diet or medications, it makes me cringe. It seems so archaic, barbaric, irresponsible even.

It's still all big business. Try to afford one of these New Age doctors who don't have insurance coverage. They are selling "medicinal foods" now, lol. I guess they need official this and that, control over it all, especially in our litigious society, but still. It's always all about money.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Mon, Sep 23, 13 at 18:09

I guess the question is if anyone has tried this specific diet and with what result. I mean if you eliminate:

soy
corn
all gluten
sugar and sweeteners
all dairy
eggs
peanuts

and no alcohol

you really aren't left eating much at all. Especially for someone like me who can't stand coconut. She seems to rely heavily on coconut "milk" as a substitute for milk. I suppose I could manage it for 3 weeks, but it is extremely stringent. Especially since she makes the point about absolutely no cheating....if you do, you have to start with day 1 all over again. Just not sure I'm ready to put myself through this...and she is big on smoothies once or twice a day, and I like to eat my food, not drink it.

But I suppose you don't learn anything if you don't challenge yourself....and I do suffer with autoimmune disorders which would be nice to find something to alleviate them.

Sigh.

Not eating much at all? Meat, veggies, fruit, etc. Annie, if you are doing this to feel better, find some relief from your autoimmune disorders and not so concerned with losing weight, I would think you could be less strict. Of course you might not have the results some have had, but I would think you could still see improvement.

tina

Never realized there was such a thing as the Virgin Diet-but it's kind of close to how I eat. I cut out gluten and most dairy. I do eat soy (no problems with it) and I happen to find it very tasty. I prefer soy milk over cows milk any day.

I rarely eat corn-if I do, I only get organic. Corn is a grain, not a vegetable, and it's not digestible. Don't feed it to my animals, so why should I eat it?

Eggs & peanuts? Not usually part of my normal diet, but they don't bother me.

Most processed sugar is from beets or is HFCS based, not cane sugar. I don't eat added sugar, in fact, I try to eat fewer processed foods that normally contain sugar, but I do know that a lot of sugars will cause gastrointestinal distress. I confess to sweetener use-but plan to move to stevia once I quit my diet pepsi addiction.

I can attest to some of the physical changes-I no longer suffer typical asthma, and most of my allergies are much better. My elimination system has regulated and is perfect now-no more embarrassing issues. My body processes waste much more efficiently now.

My regular migraines have gone, and I'm off my depression meds (dr ok). My joint pain is much improved-still have some arthritis issues, but I'd say it's greater than 60 percent. Plus I've now lost over 50lbs since April, so my energy level is way, way up.

I find no problems finding great food to eat. I try to eat as vegetarian as possible, and one weekend I went off the deep end-ate pizza, then went to McD's-honestly, I felt like I was going to die! I NEVER want to feel so bad again thanks to food. So there is defintely something to eating healthy and selectively.

Yes, that diet is not much of what I'm used to eating which includes whole grain bread or my discs...magic pops which are made with wheat...and pasta, and eggs, and cheese and crackers and peanut butter. Even things like vinegar and chicken broth can have gluten. I eat a lot of whole grains, and I put milk or cream in my tea and coffee which really staves off hunger. I like to add soy sauce to what I'm grilling for flavor, but that would have to go as would any mayo. I like to cook with butter sometimes too. So all of my breakfasts, a good chunk of lunch and some dinners will be obliterated. Not to mention my daily glass of wine and anything that satisfies my sweet tooth, like a peppermint patty or small scoop of ice cream. Even my occasional greek yogurt (plain that I mix in all fruit and fresh fruit) will be out as will my handful of kitty cookies.

Then comes my fear of what I will be eating will do for me, and anyone around me. Spinach gives me major gas attacks, and other leafy greens, like kale and swiss chard, which she uses a lot of, give me the trots. I can envision 3 weeks of living in or near the pot.

It will be a major change in what I eat, which I guess is the point of the whole thing. I've already asked DH for his buy in if I try this, as I know it will be H*LL on him as I will be miserable to live with. I'm worse than a 3 year old who gets cranky when she gets hungry.

It also makes things like entertaining and eating out almost impossible as there's so little that you can control, especially if you're a guest in someone's home, and you don't want to foist your weird diet on anyone else, including DH, for whom I will be cooking regular meals. I already have a dinner and a show date scheduled with friends at a french restaurant...a bowl of plain rice with steamed vegetables? Yum!

I've asked my GF if I can join the next session which starts in October.

Wish me luck!

Sigh.

WRT to sugars - is that just processed sugars or all sugars including sugars found in fruit?

I can turn myself into a pretzel trying to research and investigate and decipher diets and what to eat and not eat. I am not a biologist nor am I a nutritionist. I don't have a scientific bone in my body and don't have the ability to compare and contrast diets. I just follow Michael Pollans idea of "Eat food, not too much, mainly plants."

You lose weight by watching the amount of calories you are putting into your mouth. Learn to read the per-serving nutritional information on the stuff you buy. If there are more than 5 ingredients in something don't buy it and if you can't pronounce one of the ingredients don't buy it. If the first ingredient is sugar or ends in -ose (sugar) don't buy it.

"I'm used to eating ... whole grain bread or my discs...magic pops which are made with wheat...and pasta, and eggs, and cheese and crackers and peanut butter." along with the other foods you are listing is un-healthy eating! ... "

Most of the foods you are eating sound bad!

I understand you were looking for someone who has tried it and succeeded. I can only report that, although I am cheating, I have stopped buying products or eating meals that contain those foods. Easing my way there, lol. So my intake is way down. It's hard to contemplate but in reality is not all that hard to do. I guess gluten is one of the hardest to give up. Maybe dairy. I also incorporate anti-inflammatory foods in my diet. Once you start thinking this way, you will see all those processed and so-called "healthy" foods as unappealing junk food. The less the better. Of course your favorites are harder to let go of. But there are still yummy foods to eat and you don't have to go hungry as on a low calorie diet. 2000 calories of mother nature is not the same as 2000 calories of man-made junk. Your taste and the cravings do change.

It's simple. Fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy lean meats, almond/coconut/flax seed milk, Soy-free Earth Balance for butter (you won't miss it!). Nuts, seeds, berries.

Grass-fed beef is supposedly as healthy as fish. I don't drink milk but use one or more of the alternates on cereal and it tastes fine that way. Ick used for things like yoghurt or ice cream, but those are unhealthy processed foods anyway. The coconut ice cream I tried was edible but nothing to look forward to, imo. I have tried brown rice pasta (Joy) and it is a good substitute, better than the old wheat pasta we were supposed to be switching to. I don't know if it is on their plans and is certainly not a great choice if losing weight is your goal.

I need to come up with some healthy desserts and snacks, bread alternatives.

At least try Dr. Fuhrman's way of looking at things, focusing on high-nutrient foods. His patients also reap the big health benefits but are not specifically told to eliminate certain foods. He tells people to follow "the salad is the main meal". Load it with vegetables, fruits, seeds, nuts.

You might want to start slowly since your system is sensitive. I wonder if pro and pre-biotics would help straighten things out there. It sounds like you could have a gut imbalance. There are also enzymes for gas that a lot of people say works.

I don't think you need to question whether or not it works, although of course it won't "cure" everyone. These aren't your typical infomercials. They are MD's for the most part. JJ is a Ph.D. They all have patient practices. This is now scientifically backed research. I don't think they are lying and the patients are made up stories. They aren't some of those doctors who try to sell their own magical supplements you can't live without either, although they might offer books, diet plans and some food products.

This post was edited by snookums2 on Mon, Sep 23, 13 at 17:55

Annie, I can feel your and others angst re: which 'diet' to choose and which healthy foods to eat. IMO it's best to give up trying to find the perfect diet and understand that *eating* healthy is the only way to *be* healthy. While this does necessitate giving up many foods you may be used to now it has so many benefits that you will eventually not miss them. Don't feel you will have to eat this way 100% of the time. I still eat out with friends and travel and eat almost anything and everything when I do. At home it's easy to eat healthy now that I know which foods are and know I can eat this way for my entire life.

While the Virgin Diet may be healthy and alleviate many health problems, it's also going to be difficult to follow for anyone who has not been eating a healthy diet. IMO it's better to ease gradually into a healthier way of eating. Also your digestive system will not react as much.

As snookums mentioned start by taking pro/pre-biotics and don't rely on yogurt to provide them. Get the good quality supplements from the frig of your health food store and take regularly. Once your digestive system is healthier you can begin to make changes. Reduce the amount of wheat and increase the number of veggies you eat. If veggies cause digestive problems at first eat them lightly cooked rather than raw and avoid those you know cause problems. Don't eat too much fruit as natural sugars can ferment in your gut and cause problems. Reduce the amount of red meat and try to find organic chicken and wild fish. Eliminate sugar as soon as you can - stevia is a healthy substitute altho you might have to search for one that does not have an aftertaste. I use New Roots brand pure stevia and it's the best I've found with no aftertaste.

From what I've read adults do not need milk and in fact it's a strong inflammatory food. I avoid it in all forms and since I don't use soy due to GMO's and don't like rice or nut milks I don't use any form of milk. Since I seldom eat cereals anyhow, only cooked oats or quinoa occasionally, it's not difficult.

When I first began eating healthier I found I had snack cravings so ate almonds and pecans (without salt or oil) for frequent snacks. That worked well as they need to be well chewed and kept my blood sugar stable.

Snookums, I agree that there are welcome changes occurring in the allopathic medical community. I have not yet found an MD who thinks this way altho my own Dr. seems to be changing her ideas as she sees what this way of life has done for my health. I go to a Naturopath for advice on healthy eating and living. Many of the new ideas and studies on natural treatments of disease are coming from Europe - the US and Canada are still lagging but changes are coming.

I have not tried this particular diet either but it sounds like you would be giving up a lot of things that aren't known for their health benefits.
I am trying to change my eating habits! It is so hard for me, but I keep surrounding myself with blogs, emails, forums that keep talking about the benefits and I keep trying. I saw Dr. Fuhrman a few months ago, and he has an easy moniker to remember called G-BOMBS - Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, Seeds (and Nuts). He believes we should eat these every day. When all else fails I try to eat lots of these to squash out my desire for the bad stuff - which in my world are chips!
I bet if you google you will find many accounts of people going gluten free and the health benefits that followed.
I hope you find success! Can't find it if we don't try, right?
I firmly believe our diet has a great impact on our health, just some habits are hard to break. I know!
Good luck to you!!

I guess part of it is I don't think of dairy products as unhealthy. Neither do I think of whole grain products as unhealthy. And while I can't do eggs daily, I don't think of them as inherently unhealthy. And I don't think of peanuts as inherently unhealthy. And these will be the hardest to give up. Sugar, I know is unhealthy and probably eat too much hidden in other foods, and I do eat vegetables at every meal because I know they are important and I eat fruit every day.

Further, the point of giving up all this stuff for 3 weeks is to "cleanse" your system of them, and then add them back in turn to see what, if any of these foods, cause your body issues. What I like about it is it is an attempt to individualize a diet regimen to the person.

I have lived too long to see foods that were "good" become "bad" become "good" become "bad" again over time to believe that anyone knows what is really good or bad for you, especially as, we are now learning about the individual human biome, it is more individualistic than that.

And I have taken a high-quality pro-biotic for years.

Beyond that, 2 days a week I do very low carb diet...less than 50g carbs a day which includes 1 fruit.

This post was edited by AnnieDeighnaugh on Mon, Sep 23, 13 at 18:42

" especially as, we are now learning about the individual human biome, it is more individualistic than that. "

Which reminds me of another one, Dr. Liponis. He breaks body type down into hunters or farmers. People might be failing on their diet because they are eating for the wrong metabolism.

As far as grains, they are saying that today's grains are not like the grains of the past. So, while grains may be healthy, you might have to get them from some tribe in Africa. I forget offhand what the issue there is though.

This sounds like the Paleo diet - Google it and you'll find lots of medical improvement testimonials. When I'm eating Paleo (real food) they main benefit I feel is lifting of brain fog.

Yes, Paleo and clean eating. It's easier than you think! I agree doodle - the better I eat, the better I feel.

tina

Now Paleo says no legumes. Dr. Barnard raves about beans and how we should eat lots of them. Not sure where the others stand. He is a diabesity researcher; pre-diabetes states.

Well, to me, egg is real food as is milk and cheese, and are peanuts and corn, and whole wheat, but they are verboten on this diet.

Maybe you are able to tolerate those well. You are to go clean for a while, then introduce things back in gradually to see how they affect your system.

I would only eat the egg, dairy, corn if they are non-GMO and organic. I'm not sure pesticides are much of a problem with nuts.