Vol. 1, Issue 7: August 10, 2007

From The Desk of The Divas

This week on the Body Enlightenment System, we had a special teleseminar on cravings. That served as inspiration for this week’s article: 5 Survival Strategies to Handle The Most Common Food Cravings.

Next week we have Victoria and Valya Boutenko who will be doing an exclusive interview with members of The Sisterhood. It’s the first time this mother and daughter duo have come together for an interview and we’re honored they’ve chosen to make their debut with The Divas!

We’ll be talking with them about how to approach the raw food diet with children, which is one of Valya’s passions in life. Victoria, the Queen of Greens herself, will be letting us in on her latest research developments.

The Raw Diva Community is growing and we really want to thank you for helping us spread the word to your friends and loved ones. We are constantly blessed, impressed and amazed at all the wonderful people who have come onboard to be a part of what we do.

Thank you. Have a delicious week!

Juicy Treats: Banana Sandwiches

2 ripe bananas
2 large romaine or leaf lettuce leaves

Wrap each banana in a lettuce leaf and enjoy!

Raw Food Kitchen Tips

What to do when your smoothie ingredients just don’t budge in the blender?

Grab a stick of celery to stir things around! You’ll be adding valuable minerals to your favorite smoothie, and you’ll avoid the unpleasant experience of chunks of wooden spoon in you smoothie!

Feature Article
Survival Strategies to Handle Your Worst Food Cravings
By Tera Warner

We’ve all been through the tortures of cravings. Just thinking about that “forbidden” food can send a wave of urgency pulsing through us that can seem stronger than ourselves. If you’ve ever heard the expression:

“What you resist persists”

…then you know that resistance is futile, and the more you try to avoid what you’re craving, the more it impinges itself upon you.

For those of us trying to implement new lifestyle choices, handling cravings can feel like it requires either superhero strength or some kind of magic. Well, The Raw Divas have called upon both kryptonite and fairy dust to put a few solutions together that just might help do the trick when cravings strike.

Physiological Barriers

Before we even begin to address solutions for stubborn cravings, let’s start by addressing the fact that some foods are ADDICTIVE -- just flat out physiologically addictive. When you’re trying to remove these foods from your diet, it may require a bit more gusto to get through the process.

Coffee
Cheese
Chocolate
Bread and Grain products (especially wheat)
Meat

I’m sure there are more to add to this list, but these are the most common ones by far. If these are the foods you’re craving, understand that half the battle is going to be physiological. Take heart! The following suggestions and tips will help you to kick these habit forming foods, but it can be helpful to be aware of the extra challenge that may be involved in breaking free.

Let’s take a look at the most common cravings and some possible solutions for them!

Salt Addicts Anonymous

If there was such a support group, I would be the founder. There’s nothing quite as irresistible to me as salt. Who came up with the idea? I’d like to know. It is beyond me that even though every sailor knows that if you drink sea water you’re as good as dead, we’ve decided somewhere along the way, that it would be a great idea to dehydrate sea water and sprinkle the end product all over our food.

I don’t believe salt has any place in a diva’s healthy diet, and for some of us, it’s down right addictive.

If you struggle with salt cravings, then here are some recommendations:

Snack on celery sticks or succulent tomatoes, both of which are naturally very high in sodium. Try making yourself a delicious raw soup of blended tomatoes and celery. Very satisfying!

Also, be sure that you’re getting enough minerals in your diet. Minerals are best provided in greens. Simply increasing the volume of greens in your diet may be enough to get rid of salty cravings. You can also easily and enjoyably up your mineral intake by choosing to eat a broad selection of crunchy vegetables.

Have you got a mouthful of Sweet Teeth?

If you’ve got a regular hankering for sugar, then chances are that you’re not getting enough calories in your daily diet. The best way to ensure you’re getting enough calories is to eat fruit. If you’re getting enough fresh fruit, there’s no reason you should be suffering from sugar cravings. Please note that we do not recommend consuming dried fruit outside of an occasional treat. Fresh fruits are the best way to meet your caloric needs.

Everyone is responsible for observing the reactions in their body, but as long as you’re getting sufficient greens, and avoiding an excess of fat in your diet, there is not reason to have any fear of fruit or fruit sugars. Nature wouldn’t have made them so gorgeous and tasty if they weren’t meant to be enjoyed.

“I’m craving PROTEIN!”

Well, if it’s protein you’re looking for then you’re best bet is definitely going to be found in crispy, fresh greens and sprouts. Since sprouts are up to 35% protein and greens like spinach are between 40 and 50% protein, increasing the quantity and quality of greens in your diet will more than adequately meet your ongoing protein needs.

Green smoothies are our recommended way of consuming sufficient greens. Just take your favorite fruit smoothie and add any of the following: kale, chard (take out the stalky part), spinach, lettuce, parsley, mint or celery.

Contrary to popular belief there is absolutely no problem mixing these leafy greens (or celery) with fruit. Enjoy!

“Feed me FAT!”

If you’re craving fat in the form of nuts, avocado, etc., then chances are that you’ve simply been eating too much of them. One of the first things that happens to people who overeat fat is more cravings for fat. This can be true for anything to a certain degree, but holds especially true in the case of fats.

To help you kick the fat habit, be sure that you’re getting enough calories, and include more green smoothies in your diet.

Here are a few other reasons that you may be struggling with cravings and what to do about them:

Insufficient Calories and Under-eating

If you’ve been transitioning yourself to eat a more raw food diet, and find yourself running into regular cravings (every few days) then the culprit may simply be that you are not getting enough calories from your raw food diet.

If you have a tendency to under-eat on calories, then you do risk running into cravings for cooked foods simply because your body is looking to refuel from the most efficient source it can get. (Efficient in the sense of high concentration of calories per bite.)

To be sure you’re getting enough calories, try using a free online service such as www.fitday.com.

Are you thirsty?

While it’s true the raw food diet has a much higher quotient of water naturally occurring in its foods, when the cravings strike, grab a glass of water and you may be surprised to see you were actually just thirsty. This can be especially true in the early days of a new raw food regimen when the body is hard at work clearing out the remains of your previous eating habits.

Boredom Breeds Fridge Invasions

If you find yourself spending too much time staring into the fridge between meals, try getting more active and involved in something you love. Get out, get fit, and get productive. When you are actively engaged in life you will feel better and be less attracted to the foods that drain your energy or cause you to feel unwell!

A Final Word

Above all, remember that the spirit with which you enjoy your food affects EVERYTHING. If you do give in to cravings, well, do it with extreme gratitude and appreciation for every bite. Make it a celebration and leave guilt at the door. Making anything a “forbidden” food only increases our attraction to it. Continue to choose the foods that nourish you the most and you’ll be well on your way to greater health and energy.

p.s.

Members of The Body Enlightenment System participate in a special course on how to handle Cravings using Emotional Freedom Techniqes (EFT). They also receive full menu plans designed to handle the most common causes of craving and avoid them. If you’ve not yet signed up to take a test drive of our Body Enlightenment System, you can do that here!

The Divas Recommend:

Have you got your membership yet?

Join Valya, Victoria and The Raw Divas’ Sisterhood Today! Join us in time for the next interview and you’ll qualify for the Diva Discount on everything we sell.

Will You Be Our Next Raw Food Chef ?

You told us you want more recipes, so we’re pulling out the blenders, the cutting boards and rolling up our sleeves to get busy in the kitchen to get YOU some hot new recipe books in your hands.

But, we’d like your help.

We want these to be fun, simple and packed with diva charm. If you want to be a star in our next book, then send us any recipes, quotes for empowering women or little anecdotes that you think would bring charm and style to our new recipe book collection.

**If your contribution is selected for the recipe book, not only will you be a hot new raw chef, but we’ll also send you a thank you gift and a free copy!**

If you would like to send The Raw Divas feedback, suggest a "Health in High Heels Newsletter" topic, or ask a question that could be featured in a future issue of "Health in High Heels", please do not hesitate to send us a message customerservice@therawdivas.com. Please note that we are unable to offer medical advice.

Missed an issue? See the archives!