7 foods to Avoid for Rapid Weight Loss

7 Foods to Avoid for Rapid Weight Loss

Based on her presentation The Five Essential Elements to Achieve Lasting Weight Loss on January 21, 2012, JJ Virgin, one of the nation's foremost fitness and nutrition experts, recommends avoiding the following 7 foods for rapid weight loss.

1. Soy
2. Corn
3. Gluten
4. Dairy
5. Sugar and artificial sweeteners
6. Eggs
7. Peanuts

Dr. Cherniawski's comments:

1. Soy

1. - Most is genetically modified (GM). Our bodies are not designed to process GM foods. Therefore, ALL GM foods should be avoided. In addition, soy has very high levels of estrogen-like compounds that interfere with our natural hormonal balance.
2. Corn
3. - Most is genetically modified, like soy, and should be avoided. It is a grain found in most processed foods that converts to sugar in the body and contributes to chronic illness such as Type II Diabetes.
4. Gluten
5. - Found in grains, especially wheat. It makes grain products "sticky." It interferes with digestion, especially in Celiac patients who are highly sensitive and contributes to "leaky gut" syndrome. It also increases inflammation in the body due to its omega-6 content.
6. Dairy
7. - Name an animal that drinks milk after it has been weaned from its mother. Name an animal that drinks the milk of another animal. From this perspective, dairy is very unnatural to our diet. Commercial dairy is especially harmful because of its pharmaceutical content and because homogenization and pasteurization destroy much of its nutrition, including its natural enzymes.
8. Sugar and artificial sweeteners
9. - The average American consumes more sugar in one day than our early ancestors did in an entire year. Sugar leads to increased insulin production, insulin resistance, and Type II Diabetes. Artificial sweeteners are man made and our bodies are not designed to process them. They are neurotoxic and contribute to a wide variety of health problems.
10. Eggs
11. - Many people are sensitive or allergic to eggs. Follow the elimination guidelines below.
12. Peanuts
13. - Many people are sensitive or allergic to peanuts. Follow the elimination guidelines below.

What to do:

Eliminate these items from your diet for 3 weeks and watch the weight melt off, perhaps one pound per day or more. Then, add back one of these foods at a time and notice your body's reaction. If you develop any symptom - headache, fatigue, digestive upset, congestion, mood changes, or others - you'll know you are sensitive and should continue avoiding such food. Even if you are not sensitive, items 1-5 should always be kept to a minimum in a healthy diet.

What to eat instead:

Concentrate your diet on fresh fruits and vegetables, lean cuts of meat, and filtered water.

Instead of consuming soy from tofu and processed food, eat small amounts of organic, fermented soy a few times a week - but only if you have no thyroid or estrogen related health problems.

Replace corn oil with palm fruit oil, coconut oil, sesame oil or extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Replace corn meal with fresh-ground flaxseed meal.

Instead of consuming gluten, replace wheat pasta with rice pasta, quinoa pasta, or spaghetti squash. Eat brown rice wraps or romaine lettuce wraps instead of tortillas. Use almond or coconut flour instead of wheat or rye flour. Substitute a slice of eggplant or portobello mushroom for pizza crust.

Instead of dairy, use ghee (clarified butter) from grass-fed cows in place of butter. Drink coconut or almond milk instead of cow's milk. Replace other dairy products with coconut creamer, coconut yogurt, and raw and fermented kefir or yogurt from goat or sheep's milk.

Replace sugar with xylitol or stevia or a mix of the two.

Eggs may be ok but only if they are organic, free range, and raised with feed void of corn or soy.

Replace peanuts with tree nuts such as brazil nuts, walnuts, macadamia nuts, almonds, or cashews. Replace peanut butter with cashew, almond, macadamia, or pecan butter.

I am not a big fan of artificial sweetners, and I avoid sugar altogether