We all get unhealthy food cravings from time to time that are hard to control.  There can be many reasons why we crave certain foods: it could be that we’re just plain hungry, stressed/emotionally upset, or physically addicted to the foods we are craving. Certain foods are more addictive than others such as high fat and high sugar foods, chemically processed foods, and sometimes we can be addicted to the foods we are allergic to.

However, no matter what the reason for our food cravings we are trying to satisfy a need in us, whether emotional or physical. To put it simply, we are trying to make ourselves feel better. Unfortunately, most of the time, if we give into unhealthy food cravings we end up feeling worse! Fortunately, there are other ways to comfort ourselves without food that won’t make us sick or leave us feeling guilty!

Here are ten ways how to control food cravings and comfort yourself without food. Try them next time the craving monster hits!

Next time you get a craving . . .

Tip #1  Try chewing on something instead of eating such as a piece of sugar free gum, a straw, seaweed, licorice root sticks . . .(etc.)

Tip #2  Try stimulating your mind by playing a crossword puzzle or suduko.

Tip #3  When wanting to zone out and eat mindlessly try flipping through a magazine instead, it doesn’t take much mental effort and can have a calming effect.

Tip #4  Try bringing yourself back to present moment by paying attention to you breath and any bodily sensations you are experiencing in the moment. Repeat the statement, “I am here now”.

Tip #5  Try making yourself more comfortable by changing into sweat pants, letting your hair down, finding a comfortable place to sit or lay down, and or snuggling up with your favorite blanket.

Tip #6  When looking for comfort without using food, try using the soothing effect of heat to calm your body such as drinking your favorite cup of herbal tea, or applying warm washcloth over your eyes or forehead.

Tip #7  Try giving yourself a quick self massage on your hands, feet, shoulders, ears, face, and scalp.

Tip #8  Try changing your mood with different scents. Essential oils are great way to experiment; some scents have a calming effect and others have an invigorating effect. You can use an aromatherapy humidifier, lamp or diffuser or simply pour the oil on a cotton ball and sniff anytime you need it!

Tip #9  Try listening to a piece of beautiful relaxing music such as classical or new age type music that has a calming or uplifting effect on your mood. If you need a quick pick me up try dancing for a few minutes to your favorite energizing music.

Tip #10  Try looking at pictures of loved ones that make you smile, and make sure to have these pictures handy next time a craving hits.

This blog post was inspired by the book 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food by Susan Albers, PSY.D, so if you liked these tips, check out the book! (Available on Amazon.)

If you have any other ways you like to comfort yourself without food, please do share!

♥,
C

P.S. If you would like some personal guidance on how to conquer cravings I am also available for a  raw food coaching session.

When I started Raw Glow I never dreamed that I’d start eating cooked food again because I was so happy being all raw, but as time went on I realized that the warm comforting nourishment of cooked food did me no harm and actually helped me to feel grounded and psychologically satisfied.

The bulk of my diet is still raw, but a percentage of my diet is full of whole foods that are cooked with water such as soups, stews, and steamed vegetables and grains.

Many people ask me what I eat when I eat cooked and here is a sampling of two recipes (a hearty vegetarian lentil stew and a steamed kale recipe) from Cathy Fisher who teaches whole food and vegan cooking demonstration classes at the True North Center in Santa Rosa in Northern California.

If you like these recipes please check out her amazing vegan recipe blog for some more healthy recipes!

Enjoy!

♥,
C

Hearty Lentil Stew

Ingredients
¼-½ cup water, for sautéing
½ large yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 ribs celery, diced
2 carrots, diced

8 cups water
2 medium Yukon potatoes, diced
1 ¼ cups dry brown lentils

1 teaspoon powdered cumin
1 teaspoon dried coriander
2 teaspoons dried basil

½ of a medium green cabbage, sliced thinly, (about ¼-inch thick)

Directions
1. In a soup pot on medium-high, sauté the onion in a bit of water until soft, about 3 minutes (add water as needed to prevent sticking); add the garlic, celery and carrots and sauté another minute or two, adding water as needed.

2. Add to the soup pot: the 8 cups water, potatoes and lentils, and bring to a boil. Add the cumin, coriander and basil, stir thoroughly and then reduce heat to a low boil and cook for 30-40 minutes (until lentils are not hard but also not mushy).

3. Turn up heat and stir in the cabbage, cooking until it is tender (about 5-10 minutes). Serve garnished with diced green onions or chives.

Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Makes: 4 big, hearty bowls of stew

Rosemary Mushrooms & Kale

 Ingredients
½ cup water
1 large yam or sweet potato, skin on, cut into 1/2–inch slices
1 clove garlic cut in half
1 bunch curly kale, roughly chopped, end stems trimmed
6 large cremini mushrooms or 4 portobellinis (small Portobellos)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Directions
Place ½ cup water in a large fry pan or skillet with the yam slices and garlic and bring to a boil. Place the kale on top followed by the mushrooms (place them stem side up). Lay the two sprigs of rosemary on top and cover. Decrease heat to medium-low and steam for 10-15 minutes, until the yams are easily pierced with a knife. Remove the rosemary and serve immediately, dividing between two plates or pasta dishes.

Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves: 2

Both recipes by Cathy Fisher at  www.straightupfood.com/blog

I was lucky enough to find fresh turmeric at my local Whole Foods Market and decided to try a few fresh turmeric recipes. If you have never seen fresh turmeric, it looks like ginger except for it is a bright golden orange inside. I love the sweet and slightly spicy taste of the fresh turmeric compared to the powder, but the powder is more widely available.

You might have heard of all the amazing health benefits of turmeric lately some people even call it Indian gold! It is most widely known as a natural anti-inflammatory.

It contains a natural compound called curcumin and an overview published in Advanced Experimental Medical Biology in 2007 states, “Curcumin has been shown to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities and thus has a potential against various malignant diseases, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic illnesses.”

If you are lucky enough to get a hold of some fresh turmeric here are a few fresh turmeric recipes and ideas, but if you can’t find it, just substitute with the same amount of powder as the fresh root.

Fresh Turmeric Recipes

Fresh Turmeric Almond Milk

1 ½ cups almond milk

1-2 teaspoons honey

1/4 -1/2 inch knob turmeric

pinch of cinnamon powder

Make a batch of almond milk with a nut milk bag. (Click here if you don’t know how to make raw almond milk.) Then put the milk back in the blender with the turmeric, honey, and cinnamon. Blend until smooth. If you have a powerful blender such as a Vitamix Blender you might not need to strain the milk again, but if it’s grainy strain it first and then enjoy!

Fresh Turmeric Tea

Bring four cups of water to a boil.

Add one teaspoon of grated fresh turmeric and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Strain the tea through a strainer into a cup and then add honey to taste.

You can also add ginger if you want to make a spicier turmeric/ginger tea.

Fresh Turmeric Juice

You can also juice fresh turmeric in a juicer such as the Omega Vert, Omega 4000, or Omega 8004.

Fresh turmeric tastes especially good with the juices of pineapple, orange, apple, pear, beet and carrot.

At a local restaurant called True Food Kitchen they make a delicious juice called “Bright Eyes” which contains pear, pineapple, beet, ginger, and turmeric and there is no reason you can’t make this juice at home.

Hope you learned a few things about using fresh turmeric and if you have a fresh turmeric recipe to share please post it below in the comments section.

♥,
C

Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that bring us great joy. My new favorite recipe for a coconut water drink is a perfect example of how something so simple can be so good!

I call it Sunshine Juice and it really brightens my mornings. It is perfect for a Sunday brunch gathering or anytime of day you need a refreshing elixir to wake up your taste buds!

Coconut Water Drink Recipe – Sunshine Juice

2 cups of young coconut water from the juice of 2 young Thai coconuts
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (at least 4 oranges)
1 cup freshly juiced pineapple juice (at least 1 half a pineapple)

Makes 32 ounces of Sunshine Juice.

Safely open your Thai young coconuts and pour the young coconut water into a carafe. Peel the oranges and remove the skin of the pineapple and juice them in a juicer until you get one cup of juice each. I like to use my Omega Vrt350 or a centrifugal ejection style juicer such as the Omega 4000 to juice the pineapple and oranges. Pour the orange and pineapple juice into the carafe with the coconut water. Enjoy!

* If you do not have pineapple juice just add two cups of orange juice instead of one. Still tastes great but the pineapple juice takes it over the top!

Do you have any other coconut water drinks recipes? Please share in the comments section below:

♥,
C

Here is a quick 100% Pure Review.

Over the last ten years I have transitioned to more natural, vegan, non-animal tested cosmetics, skin, and body care. I am so grateful that I can still be girly, dress up, and wear make-up while still feeling good about what I’m putting on my skin.

I often get e-mails from people asking me what’s my favorite natural cosmetics and skincare company. Although I have many that I like, one stands out above the rest.

My absolute favorite company at the moment is a small company based in the San Francisco Bay Area called 100% Pure. They have two retail locations in Berkeley and San Jose, California. They also sell their products on the web, with some killer weekly deals and free shipping on orders over 50 dollars.

The company 100% Pure lives up to it’s name because their products are truly 100% pure – no synthetic chemicals, chemical preservatives, artificial fragrances, artificial colors, harsh detergents or any other unhealthy toxins.

The company focuses on antioxidants and you’ll find ingredients in their products like: Pigments of Peach, Apricot, Carrot, Pomegranate, Cocoa Bean, Boysenberry, Blackcurrant, Blueberry, Raspberry, Acai, Goji Berry and Tomato!

100% Pure products smell good enough to eat (not recommended), because the wonderful aromas in 100% Pure products are from real fruits, pure essential oils, and pure absolutes.

Only natural preservatives are used such as Japanese Honeysuckle, Thyme, Oregano, Goldenseal, Rosemary, Lavender and a high concentration of vitamins and antioxidants, so on each product there is an open jar symbol with a number on it. That number indicates how long you can use the product once it is opened.

My favorite products are the fruit pigmented tinted moisturizer (they also have a great foundation if you need more coverage) which gives your skin a natural glow and the fruit tinted mascara that smells like blueberries and makes your lashes thick and full. I also like their fruit pigmented powdered blushes (my favorite color is healthy) and their fruit pigmented island kiss lip palette which contains 6 different shades of lipstick.

In the picture below I stepped out to give the dogs a walk and I’m wearing the tinted moisturizer and the masacara. I like that the tinted moisturizer evens out my skintone without looking like I’m wearing any make-up!

They also have a great selection of gift sets and online gift certificates that I’ve given out as presents to friends and family with rave reviews. Everyone that I have told about 100% Pure thanks me and ends up being a loyal customer.

http://www.100percentpure.com/

I hope you enjoyed my 100% Pure Review and I hope you’ll go ahead and treat yourself on Valentine’s Day! Please forward this article to friends and family and if you have had any positive experiences with 100% Pure products please comment in the comment’s section below.

♥ ,
C

P.S. In the spirit of full disclosure I was given a few samples from the company for free, but since then I have ordered their products for myself and family and friends because I like them so much!