For years, I have been following a healthy, organic, plant-based diet for years–and loving it.
A typical day finds me downing green tea, fresh fruit, fresh juices, superfood green smoothies, salads,
steamed vegetables, brown rice or quinoa, beans and greens.
Coming from years of studying Macrobiotics, my plant-based diet also included tofu, tempeh, seaweed,
fermented foods, nut milks, seeds, nuts and cold-pressed oils.
Despite the fact that I have been eating the same way for years something strange was happening to my body.
For more than a year, I have been baffled by unexplained weight gain and a change in the shape of my body.
I was in a panic.
I had four weeks until I had to rock a fab swimsuit on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro.
Fat chance of being seen on the beach in view the way I was looking!
While browsing through the bookstore looking for yet another healthy diet and/or weight loss book to gain
insights from, I spied The Virgin Diet Cookbook: 150 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Lose Weight
and Feel Better Fast.
When I saw the seductive promise:
“Drop 7 Foods
Lose 7 Pounds
Just 7 Days”
I was immediately interested.
I grabbed the book and scoured it for clues.
I read the introduction and the reviews on the back cover.
A quote from the author of “Wheat Belly” caught my attention:
“A book with a powerful message… many people spend their lives wondering
why they are tired, sick, or overweight, when the solution is as close as the
food choices in their refrigerator or pantry.
The Virgin Diet Cookbook’s wonderful and delicious new recipes can become an
integral part of a program for health and slenderness without deprivation.”
William Davis, MD, author of the #1 New York Times
bestsellers Wheat Belly and The Wheat Belly Cookbook
That’s when I knew I had to read more.
I browsed my iPad to see if I could find a few more expert responses to this book.
Dr. Mark Hyman’s online review immediately caught my eye:
“Eliminates the ‘healthy’ foods that are actually holding
your health hostage so you can lose
weight quickly and permanently.”
Mark Hyman, MD,
#1 New York Timesbestselling author
As well as this insightful comment by Dr. Frank Lipman:
“Food sensitivity is a hidden epidemic —
this eye-opening book will
change the way you think of food
so you can lose weight for good.”
Frank Lipman, MD, author of
Revive: Stop Feeling Spent and Start Living Again
That’s when the possible source of my mysterious symptoms clicked for me.
Maybe my body had become sensitive to some of the “healthy” foods I was consuming–
particularly gluten and soy.
I consumed several soy foods for protein and some of the whole grains I consumed for fiber and
other important nutrients contained gluten.
I flipped open the book and starting scouring for clues.
One section on the healthy foods that hurt you revealed that:
“…you probably never suspected “health” foods as the stealth attackers in your creeping
weight gain, fatigue, brain fog and other chronic symptoms. After all, you’re eating the
same way you always have, and you used to weigh less and feel better, right?”
I had to agree.
She went on to explain that some of these so-called “health foods” may not only be blocking weight loss
but they may actually be harmful to our health.
Now I was really intrigued.
I definitely had to learn more.
The Virgin Diet Cookbook is designed to show you how to incorporate anti-inflammatory,
healing foods into your diet to reclaim your health and reset your metabolism, while
avoiding the 7 foods that are most likely to cause food intolerance.
These 7 foods are:
*Gluten
*Soy
*Corn
*Peanuts
*Sugar
*Artificial sweeteners
*Dairy
*Eggs
With more than 150 delicious and practical recipes, this companion to the New York Times bestseller,
The Virgin Diet brings this powerful health and weight loss program right into your kitchen.
The Virgin Diet Cookbook will help you to stock your kitchen, find delicious substitutes for
common ingredients, and make easy swaps for eating out and on-the-go.
I was drawn to this cookbook because all of the recipes in The Virgin Diet Cookbook are gluten free,
soy free, egg free, dairy free, peanut free and sugar/sweetener free.
That really appealed to me so I decided to explore this book’s approach and see how it worked
for myself.
With so many delicious suggestions for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and snacks, this cookbook
assures us that we’ll lose weight fast while enjoying what we eat.
“You must read this book if you think
you’re doing everything right and
still struggling to lose weight!”
Suzanne Somers, bestselling author
of 23 books, including Bombshell
I talked with a few people who had followed The Virgin Diet plan and lost weight for the first time in
several years.
Maybe there was hope for me.
What I Love About The Virgin Diet Cookbook:
There are several important things that I love about this book.
I was delighted that she included a Vegan and Vegetarian Diet Plan!
The book was well-organized and easy to follow.
The first part of the book explains exactly which foods to eat and which ones to eliminate
for the first “cycle” of 21 days–3 weeks.
It is suggested that you can also stay on the first cycle until you are within five pounds of
your goal weight.
For the first week you have:
Two shakes (vegan protein shakes with additional fresh ingredients) and one meal
and an optional snack in order to jump-start your weight loss
For subsequent weeks you have:
One shake, two meals, and an optional snack
You also keep a food diary.
The rest of part one explains why the author has chosen this way of eating.
Part 2 is recipes.
More than 150 delicious and practical recipes include:
*Shakes/Breakfasts
*Wraps/Salads and Sandwiches
*Snacks
*Mains
*Soups and Stews
*Sides
*Sauces, Rubs and Dressings
*Desserts
All include nutritional content.
I tried several of the recipes in the cookbook and I am glad I did–they were all delicious.
Part 3 is comprised of actual three week meal plans.
They are specialized to meet your needs or preferences:
*Fast weight loss
*Vegan and vegetarian
*Diabetic and pre-diabetic
*Paleo/low carb
*Family meal plans
*On-the-go meal plans
*On-a-budget
The appendices include an index, a restaurant guide, resources for finding products, and helpful web sites.
Other useful information includes:
*Swap lists
You’ll find a list of healthy food items you can swap for unhealthy foods.
For example, swap pasta for spaghetti squash or wheat flour for almond or coconut flour.
There are more than 30 “swap foods” on this handy list.
*Healing foods
You’ll find a detailed list of healing foods for your body.
Find natural food choices to heal digestive problems, skin disorders, inflammation, heart disease, aging,
brain function and more.
*What to toss
You’ll find a list of foods to toss from your cupboards. Out of sight, out of mind!
*Success stories
What I loved most were the anecdotal success stories by actual Virgin Diet followers.
My Virgin Diet Challenge
Since I only have 4 weeks to lose pounds and inches before my big trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and
Buenos Aires, Argentina, I decided to apply the principles of The Virgin Diet and follow the
Vegan/Vegetarian Meal Plan.
I will keep you posted on my what I eat, my experiences and my results over the next few weeks.
Are You Eating “Healthy” But Not Losing Weight?
Maybe you should read The Virgin Diet Cookbook.
Why not read the book and try the plan for yourself!
The Virgin Diet Cookbook: 150 Easy and Delicious Recipes to
Lose Weight and Feel Better Fast
It’s your turn…
Have you read The Virgin Diet or The Virgin Diet Cookbook?
Have you tried the plan yourself?
Share your thoughts, comments and experiences with us?
“Shared at The Weekend Retreat”
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive a small affiliate commission which helps to support the running of this site. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Interesting “food for thought”! Thanks for bringing to my attention. I have heard of Wheat Belly but didn’t read it. I’ll have to get some research done. #wowlinkup
Hi Lara,
I love this book and it is so easy to follow. The recipes are not too complex and the custom plans allow you to select a plan that meets your personal dietary needs. I am using the book right now and I have gained quite a few helpful insights from it.
Interesting, but where can I buy this online?
Hi Graceann,
I’m glad you found this book’s content interesting. I love this book!
If you click on the links or the bottom photo in the post you will be taken directly to the page on Amazon.com which features this book. All the best, Deborah
That is surely is a great discovery. It never crossed my mind that even if you only eat healthy food you might still gain weight, I’ve been struggling with my weight fluctuating and I always thought that if I keep eating only healthy foods I would never have to worry about gaining weight. This is actually the first time that I heard about “Wheat Belly”and I think that I might be guilty of that. I should really do a serious research on which healthy foods can help me be in shape. You definitely found a great book I don’t mind getting one for myself. Thanks for sharing this!
Regards,
Dennis
Nice article Deborah, I’m definitely going to try this book. Hope it helps to lose my weight. I’ll update you the results.