Discover What’s Blocking Your Best Health

Friends, sometimes the simplest changes reveal the biggest answers. If you’ve been feeling off—low energy, bloating, stubborn weight, or foggy thinking—it might be time to play a little detective with your food and habits. If you're like me, you've tried countless means of getting your health back into alignment over the years, and turn around and find that I hadn't managed to find what was blocking my best health. Can I get a few hands raised out there? 🙋🏻‍♀️

The more colorful your plate, the more vital nutrients you feed your metabolism.

Step 1: Pull the Common Blockers: For three weeks, remove these seven from your plate: gluten, cow’s milk dairy, eggs, peanuts, soy, corn, processed sugar, and artificial sweeteners.There’s nothing inherently “evil” about these foods. The trouble is, most versions on grocery shelves today are highly processed, genetically altered, or stripped of their nutrients—making them hard for many of us to digest.

After three weeks, begin adding one food group back at a time. Watch for clues: heartburn, bloating, sore joints, disrupted sleep, snoring, sudden weight gain, or constipation. Keep a quick journal—how your body feels will tell you everything.

Step 2: Open Your Detox Pathways: Help your body do its job. Sweat daily—whether it’s through a brisk walk, a short workout, or soaking in an Epsom salt bath, sitting in a sauna or even hot tub. Drink plenty of water to keep your system flushing.

Step 3: Replace, Don’t Restrict: Fill your meals with quality protein and a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. The more color on your plate, the more your body will thank you. The addition of proteins will begin rebuilding muscle, which we tend to lose as we age. Plus, proteins fill us up and help reduce snack-binging.

Step 4: Move in Mini Bursts: You don’t need a gym membership to feel better. Just one or two minutes of movement—air squats, wall push-ups, jumping jacks—a few times a day keeps your metabolism humming.

Small shifts, done consistently, can reveal what’s been standing between you and your prime health. Think of it as a friendly reset—your body’s way of saying, “Let’s start fresh.”

If you care to dig into this more, check out JJ Virgin's book "The Virgin Diet" or listen to her chat with Alex Clark on your favorite podcasting service at "The Culture Apothecary." It's a very enlightening conversation, and best of all, it's all free and doesn't require special equipment, memberships, subscriptions, pills or scary, woo-woo stuff. Just simple and practical self-care steps.