CHIP Diet

Personally I don't belive in any "Cleansing" diet. You body cleanses itself daily, if you well and put good stuff in, your liver and kidneys and other associated organs do just fine in removing the waste.

I am highly skeptical of any fadish diet that wants you to conform to thier menu's and I see that CHIPS even though supposedly endorsed by physicians that wants you to pay for courses, cookbooks and the like. SOME may be legit, but most times it just comes down to separting you from your money. Nutrition and diet information is free, you can ask your own doctor.

Another thing that gets me about these things is that they want you to "cleanse" your body and then possibly drastically alter your eating habits, for minor changes over time work the best. You can do it for a short while, but then I at least am more apt to resume my old habits.

Just eat well and in moderation, exercise and your body will take care of itself.

That's just my two cents, no offense OP

I know this is an old topic, but I thought I would add to it for anyone who might be interested.

I happen to be quite familiar with the CHIP (Coronary Health Improvement Project) program. I am part of a group which one of our projects has been offering this course to the community twice a year for the last four years. I myself used to be a skeptic, but after seeing the results, I have become a believer in it.

I wanted to address some of your concerns regarding the program. Also, to note, all of my experience is referencing the CHIP program before it's overhaul. The CHIP program was bought by another organization and has been revamped just recently (fall 2012), therefore, we will not be running our first course with the new ownership/structure until this spring.

First, as for the money part, I can assure you that the CHIP program is not out to make money off of you (At least up until now. That may be changing.) The cost we charged participants for the program was $165/individual and $265 for couples. That may sound like a lot, but about 90% of that cost covered textbooks, lab fees (blood screens are done twice during the program), and four weeks of classes at 4 days a week among other costs. Beyond the initial class fee, there is no cost. Participants are not required to purchase any special food provided by CHIP or even restricted to any special cookbooks. The entire program is based around teaching how to be healthy by eating well. Put in perspective of a "class" and not a "diet," the CHIP fees are relatively inexpensive. (That is changing, much to my dismay, as the new owners have jacked up the costs to nearly $400/person to take the class.)

Second, I can assure you this is not a "fad" diet. In short, the CHIP diet is a whole foods diet which promotes, although does not require, a plant based diet. The primary thing is eating whole foods and avoiding processed foods, added salts, sugars, etc.

The "cleanse" part of the diet is more or less intended to cleanse the pallet as much as cleanse the body of toxins. Sure, your liver does that everyday, but just like you, your liver likes a break. Slow change is good, but a large part of the idea behind the cleanse is that eating healthier will be easier if you can bear the "cleanse" (which really isn't that bad) for a few days. Your taste buds completely regenerate themselves every 10 days, and if you do things like eliminate added salts, sugars, etc through the cleanse, food that may seem bland next to a McDonald's burger and fries have much more appeal, and it makes it easier to make the change. Also, being part of a program makes it much easier for people to support each other and make it through.

Finally, I personally have witnessed the amazing results of this program. It is true that in some cases people have reversed diabetes and other diseases. I have seen cases of people loosing lots of weight and their cholesterol dropping upwards of 50 points during the program. More than one participant just in our small community has been able to completely go off of blood pressure medications (after consulting with their doctor) because of the changes. People who could barely walk without pain are pain free by the end of the program. I know it sounds miraculous, but I have witness these stories firsthand. As to your statement about doctors knowing good health, that is not as true as you think. Doctors have relatively little education on nutrition and preventative health. They are trained to fix problems more than they are to solve them. That is not true for all physicians, and is becoming less true today, but historically, and largely still today, that was/is the case.

Long story short, if you look at CHIP as not so much a "diet" but education for better health, I can assure you it is an amazing program with fabulous results.

As for the "new" CHIP (now called Complete Health Improvement Project), the fundamentals are largely still the same, and those who began the program and still largely involved, but I will have to wait and see if they are still successful in reaching those who really need this program. I am disappointed they have raised the cost for the class so much because unfortunately those who can least afford it are likely those who might need it in many cases.

I had to re-read the title because I thought there was some sort of potato chip diet and I'm all for that. Never heard of the CHIP diet!

Me Too! I was a set and ready to break out the pringles and go to town:bigsmile:

Cleaning toxins out of the system is not really silly. The American diet is loaded with toxins. Look at all the chemicals on nearly any food label. They do not even list the chemicals that went on the plants before they were picked. We are poisoning ourselves with bad food and chemicals which "in small quantities should be tolerated by the average person."
Some foods are hard on the digestive system, like cheese and beef. If a person wanted to flush the toxins out of the system, a diet of high fiber, organic fruits and vegetables would clear it out.

Has anyone tried to go on the CHIP diet or did the 7 day jump start cleanse? I want to know how it worked or works for you.

It is called the Optimal Diet. CHIP stands for Coronary Health Improvement Project. Except for the Jumpstart cleansing thing it is isn't really a diet it's just a program set up to teach you how to eat and live for maximum health and well-being on a permanent basis.

During the cleanse you are eating as much as you want of whole grains, fruits and veggies without salt, oils butter and stuff.

go here for more info http://www.chiphealth.com/

Cleaning toxins out of the system is not really silly. The American diet is loaded with toxins. Look at all the chemicals on nearly any food label. They do not even list the chemicals that went on the plants before they were picked. We are poisoning ourselves with bad food and chemicals which "in small quantities should be tolerated by the average person."
Some foods are hard on the digestive system, like cheese and beef. If a person wanted to flush the toxins out of the system, a diet of high fiber, organic fruits and vegetables would clear it out.

Cleaning toxins out of the system is not really silly. The American diet is loaded with toxins. Look at all the chemicals on nearly any food label. They do not even list the chemicals that went on the plants before they were picked. We are poisoning ourselves with bad food and chemicals which "in small quantities should be tolerated by the average person."
Some foods are hard on the digestive system, like cheese and beef. If a person wanted to flush the toxins out of the system, a diet of high fiber, organic fruits and vegetables would clear it out.

By definition, a toxin is poison. If you have poison in your body, you should drive straight to the ER. otherwise, it's complete and utter non-sense. You do not have toxins in your body. Sheesh.

Cleaning toxins out of the system is not really silly. The American diet is loaded with toxins. Look at all the chemicals on nearly any food label. They do not even list the chemicals that went on the plants before they were picked. We are poisoning ourselves with bad food and chemicals which "in small quantities should be tolerated by the average person."
Some foods are hard on the digestive system, like cheese and beef. If a person wanted to flush the toxins out of the system, a diet of high fiber, organic fruits and vegetables would clear it out.

By definition, a toxin is poison. If you have poison in your body, you should drive straight to the ER. otherwise, it's complete and utter non-sense. You do not have toxins in your body. Sheesh.