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Note From JJ

Hi %$firstname$%,

I am writing this on my way back from Napa where I joined 20 amazing health experts for our Epic Wine Mastermind. These are all my close friends who supported the launch of the Virgin Diet cookbook so I put together a special event to thank them including an amazing Virgin Diet dinner in the wine cave with one of the top cult winemakers in the world, Todd Anderson. I warned him ahead of time that we like to dance - we turned the cave into a nightclub and danced for 3 hours!

I went to Napa via NYC (not the most direct route!) where I stopped by my publisher’s booth at Book Expo America to sign books to introduce my new Sugar Impact Book coming November 4th (yep, just after Halloween!)

Now I am finally heading home, and I am happy to say I am not visiting an airport again for a month! It has apparently reached triple digit temps in the desert so it sounds like a lot of pool time with my kids is in my near future. I wish my dog would join us, but she is not a fan. We even got her a little wading pool - no luck :( .

One thing I wanted to mention - I did a massive oversight in my last ezine when I shared about bringing Grant up on stage at the California Women’s Conference. One of my girlfriends, Dorcy Pruter was in the audience. She is the gal who texted me the first day in the ICU and shared some amazing insights that really turned my attitude around, and gave me the inspiration that Grant was going to be 110%. Grant found her in the audience and went up and hugged her and thanked her - it was really powerful.

This week’s article is by a new friend, Jennifer Fugo, founder of the Gluten Free School. She wrote the book “The Savvy Gluten-Free Shopper: How to Eat Healthy Without Breaking the Bank” and she has some amazing resources. I am excited to share her with you!

Make it a great week!

Blessings,

YES! I'm Giving Away 5 Kindle Cookbooks!!

So many of you are loving my Virgin Diet Cookbook that I want to give away a few Kindle copies to spread the love.  Just send an email to  [email protected] - and my team will give away FIVE Virgin Diet Cookbooks to the first five who write and share a few sentences on what the Virgin Diet Lifestyle has meant to you.

New York Times Bestseller!

www.TheVirginDietCookbook.com

New York Times
& USA Today Bestseller

www.thevirgindiet.com

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Feature Article

How to Eat Healthy Without Going Broke
Jennifer Fugo

"Eating healthy is too expense!"

"Gluten-free food is so overpriced... I can't even stick to the diet all the time!"

If you've caught yourself saying some version of these statements, know that you're not alone. Food prices are on the rise while food subsidies don't alleviate the high cost of real, fresh food. Coupled with the various food restrictions to common allergens like gluten, dairy or eggs, the price tag of grocery can be mind-boggling.

Whether you feel a pinch in your wallet or choose to live frugally, know that you can eat healthy (and on a "restricted diet" like gluten-free) for less. I know this because I ended up being gluten sensitive and suffering with adrenal fatigue and candida while my husband lost his job suddenly in early 2009.  With two-thirds less monthly income, I was able to see alternative practitioners, purchase necessary supplements, and even switch to a whole foods-based gluten-free diet to naturally rebalance my health. To put this into perspective, our joint income during one year wasn't all that far above the poverty line.

Keeping your eye on the prize

Despite this challenging period of my life, it taught me some incredibly valuable lessons in tenacity and creativity.  Truly, "there are no problems, only solutions yet to be found."  By identifying the "leaky" parts of my budget where money seeping through the cracks and learning some simple tips to outsmart the grocery store, I learned how to eat healthy while being gluten, dairy and egg-free.  

By taking small, often overlooked steps, you can easily make your hard-earned money go further. Here’s how you can get started...

Prioritize your spending
Decide what food is most important to spend more money on so you can implement cost-saving steps by buying frozen vegetables, opting for seasonal produce, and following the Dirty Dozen Food List.  This will keep you from spending a lot on organic produce (which is great if you have the budget for it). Items such as sweet potatoes, bananas and onions have a lower pesticide count as opposed to highly contaminated berries which are better off bought organic.

Never leave home without a plan
Hands down, meal planning makes shopping more efficient and cost-effective.  Purchasing random items at the store that ultimately don’t make for delicious and easy meals is an absolute waste of money.  So take 15 or 20 minutes before you go to the store, pick out your recipes, and plot out them out on a grid (an excel spreadsheet is great for this) for the next week and then create your grocery list.

Work the grocery store
Grocery stores use psychology and marketing tactics to get you to buy more than you planned. They also don't want you to know how to find deals on real food.  One of my favorite ways to make out big is to purchase meat when it's nearly expired and marked down by 50%. There is nothing wrong with it and you’ll even be able to find grass-fed, pasture-raised options.  Always buy more than you need and freeze it!  You'll have spent half the price and can use it over the next couple of months.

Throwing away food is exactly like throwing away money
Depending on what statistic you look at, Americans waste between 25% and 40% of all the food brought into their home. Consider that a study found gluten-free diets to be 242% more expensive!  That’s some expensive trash and can add up to thousands of dollars lost each year.  To avoid this, plan your meals and freeze extra food before it goes bad for future healthy “fast food” meals!

Jennifer Fugo teaches gluten-sensitive women simple, savvy and empowering steps to get healthy. After a gluten sensitivity diagnosis in 2008, she learned what it's like to feel overwhelmed by the cost and seemingly complicated aspects of going gluten-free. A sought-after expert, advocate & speaker about healthy, gluten-free living, Jennifer has been featured on Dr. Oz, Yahoo! News, eHow, and CNN and is the author behind the ground-breaking book "The Savvy Gluten-Free Shopper: How to Eat Healthy without Breaking the Bank". Learn more: www.GlutenFreeSchool.com

JJ Recommends

Join Jennifer Fugo, founder of Gluten Free School, to eat healthier, better quality, real food within your budget with the help of her book “The Savvy Gluten-Free Shopper: How to Eat Healthy Without Breaking the Bank”.

Learn her creative tips and tricks that have helped thousands reduce the cost of their monthly grocery expense by up to 50%! With 27 easy-to-make, healthy gluten-free recipes, you’ll even discover how to cook less (only 2 or 3 times each week). Plus, Jennifer will give you her “Making Menu Planning Easy” guide to save money and time while cooking and shopping smarter.

Get your copy now to start saving money and eating better the very next time you go to the grocery store!

JJ Recommends

With a better brain always comes a better body.  What has been the cost of your brain or your body not working at their best?  Tiredness, sadness, poor memory, being overweight, pain or brain fog?

Based on decades of clinical experience, psychiatrist Daniel Amen and his wife, registered nurse Tana Amen will help you discover one simple integrated solution for better focus, energy, memory and weight loss in a revolutionary weekend event called The Brain & Body Turnaround.

During this life changing three-day event they will give you all the tools you need to take control of the health of your brain and body. Specifically, you’ll learn how to:

• Supercharge memory and brain power
• Master your moods
• Achieve and maintain optimal weight
• Effectively treat chronic pain
• Quickly improve focus and energy
• Reverse chronic illness
• Break the bondage of food addiction
• Create a legacy of health

The Amens have been friends and colleagues of mine for years. That’s why they are giving all of my friends and fans two of their most popular public television programs:

• The Omni Health Revolution
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Get yours before they’re gone <<<Brain & Body Turnaround Gift

This isn’t another “quick fix”. This is a program to feel better fast and get control of your brain and your body for the rest of your life! Your brain controls everything you do. When it works right, you work right. When your brain is troubled, you have trouble with your health, mood, memory, sleep, finances, your physical health, and even your relationships. Plus you will learn how to use food to heal your body, and which foods are best for your brain type.
P.S. If you are one first ones to get a copy of their PBS shows while they are giving them away, you will also receive an Omni “Quick Start Guide” to help get you going today!  If that were not enough, you will also receive a “Brain Type Questionnaire”, to help you determine what type of brain you have, so you can optimize it today!

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Virgin Diet Success Story

Mary S.
CA

So far this journey has been amazing! Before I discovered The Virgin Diet I was fairly content. My life was full; a wonderful, supportive husband, 4 almost grown "kids", a job I loved that nurtured me, activities that fed my soul but I was heavy. I was 52, going through menopause, and handling my life pretty well. Going through major growth on the inside, becoming more of myself everyday, I wanted my outside to match the emerging me.

I have always dreamed of being slim, strong, healthy and beautiful both inside and out. In the Fall of 2012 I caught the last half hour of your PBS special. I was hooked. Your explanation totally resonated with me. I ordered the book and waited. When the book came I was in a different place mentally. It was the middle of January and I was tired. How could I possibly do this diet? So I decided to get a buddy and together we chose a start date to give us time to prepare and psyche ourselves up. We were going to start Feb. 4th, the Monday after The Super Bowl :-)

I felt better knowing I had 2 weeks to prepare. I read the book - sort of - skipping around a lot. As I read, I shopped and gathered what I would need to succeed. One challenge I had - I am a vegetarian - thankfully you had a supplement on your website which has really helped. What really worked for me was the commitment I made to myself. I knew that was key, this was for me. The questions in the food journal really brought it home for me. Why was I doing this? Yes I wanted to be around for my kids, future grandkids, etc. and to be healthy, happy, slim, etc. but it became more... I became important and confident, I was taking care of myself like I really mattered. All the things I would tell others to do, I was doing.

As I felt better; more energy, lighter, no joint pain, no bloating, no hot flashes. It became easier to stay with it. Momentum was building. It really has been a transformation. There is nothing like feeling good! So far I have lost 28 lbs. I am not at my ideal weight yet but I feel fabulous. People say "what are you doing?!?". I love all the compliments. And it isn't just the weight loss, it's me, my appearance, my face, eyes, my energy.

One friend said I look "hot"- me? hot? This is so much fun. It feels sooo good to FEEL GOOD! Everything is so much easier! Thank you JJ Virgin :-)

Before	After

 
How has it impacted the lives of your family and the people around you?
Well, let's just say when "Mama is happy . . . everyone is happy" But really, it's true I am happier and it shows in everything I do. I am a better me. My family is very proud of me. And I don't know how this happened but everyone is using coconut milk now. So I guess taking care of myself gives others the permission to do the same?

I go to Jazzercise and as people see me transforming, they want to know what I am doing. I love to share the program, I see others starting it too! It is so cool :-) I also notice an increase in my sensitivity to energy in my work, I am a massage Reiki practitioner, which has helped my clients. I just feel more alive eating this way, which makes me a lot more fun to be around :-) 

© 2014 JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc. Celebrity Nutrition & Fitness Expert JJ Virgin helps clients lose weight fast by breaking free from food intolerances. She is author of New York Times Bestsellers The Virgin Diet: Drop 7 Foods, Lose 7 Pounds, Just 7 Days and The Virgin Diet Cookbook: 150 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Lose Weight and Feel Better Fast. JJ is also bestselling author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy, a Huffington Post blogger, creator of the 4X4 Burst Training Workout, and co-star of TLC's Freaky Eaters. Learn more at www.jjvirgin.com.

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