Phase 1 (3 weeks):
Remove all of the high food intolerant (FI) foods from your diet. This will be your detox period and you should feel a lot better by the end of this phase. Personally, my stomach issues (I won't go into the nasty details) were gone by the 3rd day. The daily headaches and muscle/joint pain were gone by the 5th day. Finally, the Achilles Tendonitis that has bothered me since September had eased up by day 9. It still rears its ugly head occasionally but I have been able to wear flat sandals a few times. I haven't tried closed back shoes, yet, but I am hoping to do that this week.
Top 7 (FI) Foods
Gluten
Soy
Dairy
Eggs
Corn
Peanuts
Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners
It is very important that you keep a daily diary and track what you eat and any pain you have. You will use it for comparison purposes during the next phase. Also, do not cheat! You need to get these items out of your system so you will know your tolerance for them when you reintroduce them in Phase 2.Phase 2 (4 weeks):
You begin reintroducing four of the FI food groups. You will test 1 food group per week for each of the 4 weeks. The four groups you will introduce are:
Reintroduce:
Gluten
Soy
Dairy
Eggs
I know you are probably asking, "What about the corn, peanuts, and sweeteners?" Well, boys and girls, here is the bad news. Those things are terrible for you and you don't need to consume them on a regular basis whether you are intolerant or not. So, those are only eaten in Phase 3 and only in extreme moderation (avoid 95% of the time).
Phase 3 (Lifetime):
If you did not have a negative reaction to some of the FI food groups during Phase 2, you can eat them in moderation (every 2-3 days) with the exception of Gluten. It gets put into that extreme moderation category with the corn, peanuts, and sweeteners. If you had a negative reaction to any of the FI food groups, you know you need to avoid those items or you will suffer the consequences (aches, pains, acne, diarrhea, rosacea, weight loss stall, etc.) I like the fact that I will know what wreaks havoc on my body and I will be able to make an informed decision when deciding if I want to splurge.
When I first read all of this I sat and cried. I honestly didn't think I could do it. When telling Barry my plan, I sobbed, "This is going to be so hard!" He just looked and me and said, "I don't understand what is so hard about it. You eat some good protein, vegetables, and healthy starches. It sounds pretty easy to me." I have to say, he was right. It has simplified eating and meal preparation.
Now, I don't want you to think I am eating air and water, so here is what I can eat during Phase 1. I am on day 18 and it has been a lot easier than I feared. Everyday for breakfast I have a rice protein shake made with fruit(s), flax meal, and coconut milk. After that I choose between healthy proteins, healthy carbs, non-starchy vegetables, fruit, and healthy oils.
I have tried many new food items since beginning this journey. I have become very good friends with the people at our local health food store and I don't hesitate to ask lots of questions. And yes, I have turned into one of those annoying people that reads the label on everything I put in my cart. It is amazing what is put into the food we eat. I never imagined.....
I know you probably still have questions, just like I did. I will try to answer the questions and give more information in future posts. However, I am not the expert and goal is not to paraphrase the entire plan. If you are identifying with anything I have written, I would strongly encourage everyone to check out the book, The Virgin Diet. I can't stress enough the difference this has made for me.
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