i am reading Crazy Sexy Diet by the hilarious, hot and supersmart Kris Carr. this is not necessarily a lose weight program, but a method for nutritious vegetarian eating of pH balancing foods.
the book is very interesting, shameless and informative - Kris (and a panel of additional experts) presents dietary facts in an amusing way that makes it easy to absorb. i must admit, i tend to shy away from material that encourages eliminating the 'good stuff' from your diet (wheat, sugar, dairy - i love my cupcakes and i love my cheese!)
i'm only about 2/3 through the colorful tome and have learned so much. i have not, however, put anything into play yet. i can come up with tons of excuses to continue to indulge in alcohol, mac & cheese and brownies. i've tried to live by the 'everything in moderation' rule, but i'm noticing that's not really working for me as i'm getting older. despite what i've called eating pretty healthy & exercising regularly, i've gained weight and i've been sick, in pain, tired and cranky. is it time for a change then? kick my own ass?
i'm a vegan in principle, but not in practice. when i eat animals, i prefer they don't resemble their live selves (no bones). i am probably the most sensitive person to pain and suffering of animals that i've ever met (people pain, not so much). i cannot look at a squashed squirrel on the road without welling up. i donate what i can to the elephant sanctuary. i can't read about the torturous conditions that animals raised for food endure and forget about the heartbreak of volunteering at an animal shelter. i ponder these things day and night - it's a burden, but i try to throw money at it without getting up close and personal to the problem.
and yet i continue to eat animals and the products they suffer to produce. wtf? oh, the enigma of it all. what am i - a human being? wait - is that an excuse too?
anyway, something that resonated with me in Crazy Sexy Diet last night after i was grossed out by reading about the pus that comes out of cow udders with the milk and mucousy poop was this:
(i'm probably going to paraphrase this ineloquently but hopefully accurately) one of the chapters i just completed talks about how 95% of the serotonin in our bodies is produced by our guts and if you are eating poorly or are sensitive to gluten, lactose or for whatever reason not absorbing all the nutrients you need, your ability to produce serotonin is inhibited.
i am experimenting with gluten elimination now and would like to try going off my anti-dep meds. i'm scared though - being suicidal is no fun for anyone and everytime i try to go without drugs i crash. alas, i have not tried the nutritional route and frankly that scares me too. having to say no to sugar and have control over what goes in my mouth. is that possible for me?
why wouldn't i want to be my best self, especially when it is something under my jurisdiction? that, dear readers, is an all together bigger, deeper topic for another time.
anyhoo, check out http://crazysexylife.com/ and the book....
