Ever since I stopping consuming a lot of kefir, my sugar cravings have been out of control. The reason I reduced my consumption of kefir was due to a really bad detox reaction. I am slowly building up my tolerance to kefir, but in the mean time, I was feeling crazy going on and off sweets. When I ate dessert, even healthy options, all I did is crave more dessert, instead of satisfying that sweet craving. When I didn’t eat any sugar, my energy was crazy low almost to the point of feeling ill. Recently, I think I’ve figured out a good solution to my problem that could be a sustainable lifestyle change, instead of a diet trend. That solution is low-glycemic fruits.

I buy a large bag of organic frozen fruit high in antioxidants from Costco to add them to my smoothie every morning. The bag contains strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, pomegranate seeds, and tart cherries. Besides adding them to my smoothie, I’ve been snacking on them frozen. Berries generally have a GI from mid 30 to 40s and cherries have a GI of 22. I’ve also eaten an apple to cut cravings which has a GI of 38. Note that low-glycemic is 55 or less. Grapefruit is also a great option at a GI of 25, but I’m skittish after I cut myself eating grapefruit, so be careful! Now that strawberry season is back in LA, this diet change couldn’t have come at better time.

Dehydration and Sugar Cravings

I’ve also been trying to increase the amount of water I drink. According to Donna Gates, author of the Body Ecology Diet, “Cravings for sugar are often a sign of dehydration. Drink a couple of glasses of water before you give in to that craving and you probably won’t want those sweets after all.” Since fruit is hydrating as well as sweet, it may also satisfy your cravings better than a chocolate bar or cookies, which will actually make you thirstier and feed your sugar craving.

Why care about a low-glycemic diet and sugar?

Sugar has a inflammatory effect on the body, therefore, a low-glycemic diet is an anti-inflammatory diet. I just started reading The Hormone Diet by Natasha Turner, ND, and she recommends a low-glycemic diet for keeping your hormones in balance. I also recently watched the Paleo diet, featured on Dr. Oz, which is another low-glycemic diet that is extremely popular right now for weight loss and health. The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates cautions against sugar, as it can feed dangerous yeast, fungus, and bacteria growth.

If you have any solutions that you use to cut sugar cravings, I would love to about hear them!

Source:
The Hormone Diet by Natasha Turner, ND
The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates
http://nutrigenie.biz/gifruits/FruitsGlycemicIndexFoodListPage2.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/401235-the-best-low-glycemic-fruits/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/21/inflammatory-foods-worst-inflammation_n_2838643.html#slide=2131351

1. Helps you detox by nourishing the liver.

Broths contain proline and glycine, which is a precursor amino acid for glutathione. Large amounts of glutathione are needed to help the liver get rid of chemicals.

2. Considered a rich source of minerals.

Minerals such as calcium, silicon, sulphur, magnesium, phosphorous & trace minerals are in an easily assimilable form.

3. It’s cheap.

Grass-fed hormone and antibiotic free animal products are pricey, but buying bones especially if they are used multiple times to make large quantities of broth is cheap. It may also save you money by replacing expensive mineral or protein supplements.

4. Great for healthy nails, skin, and hair.

When bone broth cools it forms gelatin, (like jello). Gelatin is basically the same as collagen. Collagen is when it is in the body, and when it’s extracted we call it gelatin. Many people take gelatin or collagen supplements to strengthen their hair and nails.

5. Important for digestive health.

Many people drink bone broth with Leaky Gut Syndrome to help repair the lining of the gut. The glycine improves digestion by increasing gastric acid secretion, and glutamine, also found in bone broth, is important fuel for cells in the small intestine.

6.  Supports the Immune System.

The tradition of having chicken soup when you are sick, has medical truth to it. The detox properties and minerals help your body get rid of the bad stuff, like colds, faster.

7. Has a long rich history as a Superfood.

It is used in Chinese medicine to strengthen and nourish our essence or qi, and as well as warm the yang and build blood.  A South American proverb says, “Good broth will resurrect the dead.” Even as early as the 12th century, Egyptian physician Moses Miamonides prescribed it for colds and asthma.

8. Reduces pain.

Bone both contains the broken down material from cartilage and tendons, such as chondroitin sulphates and glucosamine, now sold for arthritis and joint pain.

9. It tastes good.

I’ve eaten a ton of bad tasting food in the name of health, but broths actually improve the taste of whatever you are cooking, or taste delicious as a beverage. I’ve even dissolved some curry powder in it, for a different flavor and for the anti-inflammatory benefits of turmeric.

10. It’s easy to make.

I’ve let it simmer on the stove, but an even easier way is to put in a crockpot with some vinegar, salt, and I add a few cloves of garlic. Then just let it simmer for 24 to 48 hours. I love one pot wonders.

Sources:
http://www.jadeinstitute.com/jade/bone-broth-health-building.php
http://divinehealthfromtheinsideout.com/2012/05/bone-broth-nutritional-facts-benefits/

Bone Broth: Heal Your Gut and Lose Cellulite!

http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/broth-is-beautiful
http://thewellspring.org/the-power-of-the-almighty-bone-broth/
http://www.wisechoicemarket.com/benefits-of-bone-broth/

I found these really great videos on detoxing metals from your body. This is great information for anyone who is interested in learning more ways to get the chemicals out, and the good stuff in.

Last week, Tazmin and I tried out the infrared sauna at Tao Healing Arts Center. For $20 you get a 45 minute session in the sauna and 15 minutes to use the shower. You can also purchase package deals for a cheaper session. The sauna’s were in an area that was technically outside so you got a breeze, but were still under a roof. The facilities were clean, and the place was much more minimally decorated than an upscale spa, which I liked. It’s located in Santa Monica and parking is metered which is a downside, but the meters took credit cards so you don’t have to scramble for change.  Plus, we weren’t rushed out when we decided to stay in ten minutes longer and skip our shower – we showered when we got home.

I went into the sauna in a lot of pain, and when I came out I definitely felt better. By the time the session ended, I was dripping sweat. The infrared sauna isn’t as hot as a traditional sauna, and the heat is able to penetrate deeper. I’ve been to a regular sauna and I could barely stand to sit in it, so I was really surprised at how comfortable this was.

This is also another great way to detox, which can only help me in the long run. Plus, if I’m experiencing detox symptoms again I might come back and see if it deceases them. Overall, I think this is a repeat experience. I was looking for a way to bring this to my apartment, and I found a Infrared Heat Lamp on amazon, that seemed promising. My acupuncturist used a heat lamp on me, and it really helped me feel better as well.

Furthermore, I’ve recently read the book Pain Free in Six Weeks by Sherry A. Rogers, M.D. and detoxing away pain from chemicals and heavy metals is something she goes into depth on, and her preferred method of detoxification is the infrared sauna.

You may all know that I’m not a fan of the carbs, but that wasn’t always the case. My mom used to call me her carbohydrate queen. I grew up in northern New Jersey with a 100% Italian mother, who happens to be an amazing cook. I’m a complete food snob when it comes to pasta, and always preferred to eat it al dente. The first thing I cooked myself was cous cous. Pasta was a college staple for me, and then when I moved out to California I figured out how easy it was to use a rice cooker. I’ve never been a big fan of eating a lot of meat, and although I did enjoy fish every so often, like the majority of us carbs made up a big portion of my diet.

I’ve since learned that carbohydrates can be very controversial and confusing. Are all carbs bad? Then, why are some carbs considered a superfood? What about beans and starchy vegetables? Are they considered carbohydrates, or is it just seeds? Why do I need to go gluten-free? The reason this information is so confusing is because the carbohydrates found in processed food are subsidized. For food companies this is important, because if the ingredients are cheap and then they sell you that product, then their profit margin is high. That means there is lots of propaganda out there and misinformation about this food.

What is a carbohydrate? Most people don’t know this word really means. Here’s wikapedia’s definition:

“A carbohydrate is an organic compound that consists only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen…The term is most common in biochemistry, where it is a synonym of saccharide. The carbohydrates (saccharides) are divided into four chemical groupings: monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides, and polysaccharides. In general, the monosaccharides and disaccharides, which are smaller (lower molecular weight) carbohydrates, are commonly referred to as sugars.”

“While the scientific nomenclature of carbohydrates is complex, the names of the monosaccharides and disaccharides very often end in the suffix -ose. For example, blood sugar is the monosaccharide glucose, table sugar is the disaccharide sucrose, and milk sugar is the disaccharide lactose.”

Basically, this means the majority of my diet has been sugar.

So what do I eat?

Many foods contain sugar, so just be conscious of how much sugar is in what. If you are looking for whole grain food at the grocery store, the label needs to say 100% whole grain. Otherwise, they can just had a little whole grain to the mix but the majority is still processed grain. When you are shopping for processed food (anything in a bag or box), always double check the ingredients. Sugar is often added to whole grain products, even bread. For an ingredient, look for something like 100% Quinoa flour, bulk bins are great for this stuff. Whole grains are just seeds so if it’s a whole seed, it’s a whole grain. Example: Flaxseeds, Quinoa, buckwheat groats. Also check for gluten free labels, many people have different levels of gluten intolerance, which can negatively affect your health. I try my best to stay away from sugar in general, it just spikes your blood sugar, turns into fat in your body, and feeds dangerous bacteria and yeast. Check out my post on my Favorite YouTube Lectures for more information on sugar.

Source:
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbohydrate

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