When I first started off on my green journey my bible was Kris Carr’s ‘Crazy Sexy Diet’. Kris was diagnosed with incurable and inoperable cancer of the liver back in 2003 (a rare sarcoma called epithelioid hemangioendothelioma or EHE) and set out to find an active way to heal and get better, figuring the wait and see approach advocated by her doctors was not going to be the route for her.
After her poignant documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer, which got featured on Oprah, she went on to write the ‘Crazy Sexy Diet’ book to share what she had found on her journey into health and healing. The big message was that if you want better health you have to do a lot of figuring out on your own – medicine is a business and not necessarily geared to making you feel better. See trailer for Crazy Sexy Cancer here.
12 years on and she is still here with lots of energy, good blood value and a strong immune system. Whatever she is doing seems to be working. Due to her likable personality and honesty she has become one of the most influential and public faces of the vegan and alkaline movement with her particular voice helping thousands of peeps around the world get more curious about taking health into their own hands by chosing and using food as medicine.
One of the chapters that really resonated with me was her writings on sugar and cravings, which is something many of us may have issues with. I naturally gravitate towards savory foods 9 times out of 10 but occasionally I will fall head first into a bag of wine gums or liquorice all sorts without knowing what happened. Yes it raises our mood hormone dopamine so we feel better which could be one of the reasons we reach for the sweet stuff in times of trouble. But due to my interest in nutrition I know that sugar is acid forming and can cause inflammation in the body so finding ways to turn a craving into something else is an interesting concept to me. Here are Kris Carr’s very own top tips on how to curb a sweet craving. Bring it on!
Kris Carr’s Top Tips for busting a sweet craving
– Have a high protein and fat snack, like nuts, seeds and avocado.
– Sip some herbal tea with stevia
– Blend a green smoothie with coconut fat and avocado
– Rice cake with almond butter and/or baked sweet potato
– Almond milk and cacao – naturally lovely hot (or cold) chocolate.
– Fruit salad with cherries, pear and black berries. Or any other berry compositions you can think of.
– Brush teeth, floss and gargle with natural minty mouthwash. Sends clear signals that the office of eating is temporarily closed for business.
– Go for walk, have sex, take a bubble bath or cuddle your children or animals.
As sugar is a highly addictive substance, reducing or stopping intake also reduces the cravings so keep at it. I know that when I keep up with good fats and protein I don’t crave sweets. A teaspoon of coconut oil in the morning or a fatty piece of fish can be all it takes for the craving to subside. Try it and see how it works for you. I’d love to hear what you think.
Happy Thursday! x