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Virgin Diet Cookbook Review

Katie Wells Avatar
Katie Wells

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The Virgin Diet Cookbook Review
Wellness Mama » Blog » Reviews » Virgin Diet Cookbook Review

JJ Virgin recently released her first cookbook, “The Virgin Diet Cookbook.”

She also wrote “The Virgin Diet” which was tremendously popular because she was able to help a lot of people lose weight and improve digestive issues by addressing food intolerances. Her new book, The Virgin Diet Cookbook, combines an overview (cliff notes version) of The Virgin Diet with 150 recipes and a plan for determining if you have food allergies or not.

The Good

All of the recipes in The Virgin Diet Cookbook are gluten free, soy free, egg free, dairy free, peanut free and sugar/sweetener free. JJ focuses on food intolerances as a way of losing weight.

JJ has a background in nutrition and fitness and she shares what she learned through years of trial and error. She focuses on an anti-inflammatory diet, which is helpful for many people, and which is sustainable even with kids.

The Just Ok

There are several things I don’t agree with JJ on. A major one is using vegan protein powder. I do agree that many people have problems with eggs so some people should avoid those in the morning (at least for a while), but most vegan protein powders contain pea or rice proteins, which can still be problematic for some people, especially those with autoimmune issues. I use gelatin instead of protein powder (here’s why) and try to stick to real foods in the morning (like leftovers, sweet potato hash, grilled veggies and chicken, etc).

JJ also recommends foods like legumes, quinoa, and gluten-free grains, which can be problematic for many people, especially those with gut problems or auto-immune disease, so many of the recipes in the Virgin Diet Cookbook may not be suitable for people with those problems.

JJ recommends avoiding all dairy, and doesn’t make the distinction between raw dairy (which can be very healing for some people) and pasteurized dairy (which everyone should avoid).

Other than that, I really liked some of the recipes in The Virgin Diet Cookbook and think it could be beneficial for those struggling with food intolerances or weight loss resistance.

What aspect of health do you struggle with the most? Have you read the book? Share below!

Sources
Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

16 responses to “Virgin Diet Cookbook Review”

  1. Lesann Avatar
    Lesann

    Many health conscious people are for raw milk and organic food…..however, not everything that is completely natural or organic is good for you…as stated by JJ Virgin herself. It is dangerous to suggest drinking raw milk. If you have no issues with milk product, it makes absolutely no sense to risk bacterial pathogen introduction to your body. There is nothing wrong with pasteurization, it eliminates such pathogens.

    Reply
    1. Dezz Avatar
      Dezz

      I agree to the above statement. I will not drink unpasteurized milk unless I have my own cow in my backyard and make sure that the cow is not sick.

      Reply
  2. Deseray Avatar
    Deseray

    I agree with you about the differences in dairy types as raw dairy can be very healing and provide certain beneficial enzymes. I think the GAPS diet can be good for healing the gut and this diet can be good for finding out food allergies. Maybe putting the two of them together and some aspects of auto-immune would be good? I am under the impression that an auto-immune disease can be healed a lot of the time with doing the GAPS diet. I am also under the impression that quinoa and grains and legumes can contribute to leaky gut. I am still in question about small amounts of sprouted grains. Overall, I think getting rid of these 7 “hifi foods” for 21 days can be really helpful to discover food allergies and for healing the body. I just think that tweaking the diet is needed for certain people who have auto-immune and leaky gut.

    Reply
  4. Courtney Avatar
    Courtney

    JJ mentions quinoa as being a seed rather than a grain. What’s your opinion on this? Should it be avoided or can it still cause the same problems as grains do?

    Reply
      1. Jen Avatar
        Jen

        I thought quinoa was a good thing? I just bought a bunch 🙁 I have RA and am nursing and very overweight. I want to be healthy. I also just bought chia seeds…. please tell me why you say no to seeds. I’m very new to seeds and I don’t want to be making the wrong choice. thanks! I love your site!

        Reply
        1. Kelli Avatar
          Kelli

          This is the first I’ve heard about avoiding quinoa! Do you have any sources to show how it may be problematic?

          Reply
  5. Annie Avatar
    Annie

    JJ Virgin also believes in eating grains, which I was unaware of. I bought her cookbook then sold it back on Amazon.

    Reply
  6. Deanna Staunton Avatar
    Deanna Staunton

    I would love to receive the Virgin Diet Cookbook but as I live in Melbourne, Australia is it possible for me to receive the book via an attachment through an email. The book sounds amazing.
    Hoping this is possible !
    Deanna

    Reply
  7. Malori Avatar
    Malori

    Right now I’m struggling with very frustrating digestive issues. My diet right now consists of chicken/turkey/fish for protein, fruits, sweet potatoes and cooked carrots, and coconut products. I am already dairy and gluten-free but recently ALL grains bother me, as well as red meat, potatoes, eggs, nuts/seeds, dried fruit, and even fresh greens/veggies!! I have gotten SO frustrated, as I am eating the same thing every day/meal and really miss eating salads and green smoothies…otherwise everything flows out for several days. I am at my wit’s end and I’m afraid I’ll start having MORE intolerances to the things I am currently eating all the time. My doctor referred me a gastroenterologist but I have to wait on Tricare to approve the referral. (I’m a military wife and my husband is currently deployed.) Do you have ANY suggestions on what might be going on? I might add that I’m under a lot of stress right now as well (hate my job that I’m leaving in 2 months, planning my church wedding/reception/honeymoon, anticipating my husband’s return from combat, and getting ready to move in the spring….just to name the biggies).

    Reply
      1. Malori Avatar
        Malori

        Thank you for the recommendations, Katie!! I definitely need to check those out. I was also listening to a Balanced Bites podcast today with Chris Kresser, and he was saying that the number one thing that hinders people from healing is poor stress management….you could have the perfect diet and be exercising…but if you have chronic stress, that will hold you back. What he said REALLY resonated with me and so I’m also taking steps to reduce my stress load. I’ve been poorly handling it for far too long.

        Thanks again for your help! I really enjoy reading your blog and I loved your interview on PaleoCon, too! 🙂

        Reply
        1. Ben Avatar
          Ben

          I was having trouble digesting vegetables too, but it turned out to be low stomach acid. If you read the main articles on the SCD Lifestyle website, they (along with many other sites) highly recommend digestive enzymes to help digest raw veggies. Hope this helps!

          Reply
  8. Michele Stans Avatar
    Michele Stans

    Hi! I was on the band wagon for the Virgin Diet book since I saw JJ Virgin on PBS. My boyfriend and I wrote down her seven foods to eliminate for the 3 weeks and got on the list to get the book when it came out. Of course he lost 10lbs and I lost 3lbs (argh!) BUT we both found out a lot.

    I found out I have a dairy in tolerance and that was what was causing my asthma and constant respiratory issues, acne and other serious digestive things. The boyfriend, who at 40 had been suffering from what we thought was early onset arthritis – was actually intolerant of gluten! Since then I have not had ANY respiratory issues and am off all asthma meds. The boyfriend is not only pain free but A LOT less grumpy! 🙂 I even shifted my food blog (although under redesign right now) to dairy free recipes and clean eating lifestyle. I have made some of the recipes in the original diet book and they are dee-lish! Can’t wait to see what’s in this one!

    I can’t wait to see what’s in this book for more choices that taste great and keep our intolerances at bay.

    Reply
  9. Elizabeth Avatar
    Elizabeth

    Yikes! I just read the Privacy Policy on that site and it says “Unless you inform us in accordance with the process described below, we reserve the right to use, and to disclose to third parties, all of the information collected from and about you while you are using the Site in any way and for any purpose, such as to enable us or a third party to provide you with information about products and services.”

    Since they require notification vua postal mail, it automatically gives them a few days to sell personal information before they could be told not to, and once it’s sold there’s not a thing we could do to stop it’s use (they freely state that, too).

    If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I’m not trying to be a downer, just thought I’d try to warn people who might not read the Privacy Policy… If you’re okay with your info being sold to unknown companies for unknown purposes, then it’s a good way to get a free book, but if you’d rather not have your info sold to the highest bidder, it’d probably be better to just buy the book if you really want it. Just my 2 cents…

    Reply

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