I have a very good friend whose name is Cathy. We went to graduate school together. She is one of the smartest people I know, about a lot of things. We recently had lunch and got caught up on life. At the restaurant, she ordered exactly what she wanted, rather than what was on the menu. I was intrigued.
Cathy has studied and investigated the resources that are out there about nutrition. She does this for her benefit and for the benefit of her family. Her mother died way too young from cancer and her father recently passed away after having his own health issues. It makes me sad for Cathy that she has had to go through that. I got tearful as she caught me up about her father's death.
Cathy is someone very precious to me.......which is why I listen to her. She knows what she is talking about.
She eats according to what is taught by JJ Virgin who has authored The Virgin Diet. I know. It is an unfortunate name. Or is it? The Virgin Diet promotes eliminating 7 foods to clean your body of their influence. Then after 21 days, you reintroduce each one slowly to see how your body reacts. Your body may be intolerant, meaning you should eliminate that food from your diet forever. JJ Virgin claims that most of today's health issues are due to food intolerance. "You are what you eat - eats", she tells you. Meaning dairy and meats can include the hormones and pesticides that are ingested by the source of our food.
Ewwww. But, it makes sense. I will raise my hand and say that I'm ready to take it on.
I recently read an article about the New York Time's Bestseller, Grain Brain: The surprising truth about wheat, carbs, and sugar; your brain's silent killers. The book is written by David Perlmutter, MD. Dr. Perlmutter also has a new PBS special Brain Change. His book was recently reviewed in The Atlantic. You can get a link to the article by clicking here. What caught me about his way of thinking is the following quote from the article, "To think that every time you eat any kind of carb or gluten, you are putting your mental health and cognitive faculties at risk is, to me, less empowering than paralyzing."
You see, our nutritional choices are not just about our body size. It's also about brain health. Your brain is important so feed it right. Nutrition is not just about calories. It's about composition. You know this and you are likely still making bad choices ... like me. So I raise my hand and say, "I'm going to do this differently, while I still can."
I do my best to walk during the week , I have a trainer, and I listen to books on tape. I listened to JJ Virgin's book and it made so much sense but it is a different way of thinking. Because of Cathy's influence, I enrolled in a The Virgin Diet Group Challenge for 21 days. I start tomorrow. It is going to be difficult but I'm up for it. If you want to know more, go to the Virgin Diet website by clicking here.
Difficult doesn't scare me. The shopping for the right stuff is the biggest obstacle but we are going to make it happen. I can do this. Telling you about it means you know I'm doing this. I wonder what you are doing too. Will you tell me in the comments below?
Let me know below if you agree with what I'm learning and what you are doing about what you eat. I want to know and I'll keep you posted. Wish me luck.
Photo of hands above © Depositphotos.com/elenathewise