Do you suffer from sugar cravings?
If you do, you certainly aren’t alone. Over 80% of the food on grocery store shelves have refined sugar, and every day more and more people struggle with sugar addiction!
In this blog I wanted to share a few tip’s which I personally have done to kick sugar cravings.
Most of us have experienced from time to time occasional sugar craving. Many times sugar cravings are a sign of psychological and spiritual imbalances while other times it is a cue that we need to eat something healthy to nourish our bodies. Either way having a sugar addiction leads to a laundry list of health problems. Everything from diabetes and obesity to hormonal imbalances and immune system problems. Believe me, it is definitely in our best interest to rethink our diet and cut out refined sugar.
An inability to stop sugar cravings and carbohydrate cravings that happen when you should not be hungry can be a good indicator that you have an uncontrolled case of Candida.
If your sugar cravings are out of control, then it could be that your body is trying to clue you in that you are out of balance. If you are unable to stop sugar cravings you may be suffering from Candida overgrowth. Frequent cravings for sweets, bread and other baked goods, are all classic symptoms of Candida. Candida is a yeast that occurs naturally in our digestive tracts and is usually kept in check by the healthy bacteria that live alongside it.
The reason why sugar is so difficult to kick, is that the candida microbes are a form of yeast, and they need sugar to survive. If you have a healthy, balanced system, you will probably only crave sweets once in awhile, and if you are a person who stays away from sugar, you may never crave it at all.
Some additional symptoms of Candida include: Craving alcohol, brain fog, fungus problems, itchiness and rashes , vaginal infections, mood swings, headaches, diarrhea, constipation, digestion disorders, eating disorders, frequent yeast infections, gas and bloating, feeling lethargic, and hormonal imbalances.
These are just a few physical, emotional and psychological imbalances which are caused from Candida, no wonder why western medicine is clueless in identifying the root cause with so many different manifestations which affect overall wellness.
What to Do About Your Inability to Stop Sugar Cravings And how to stop Candida Overgrowth.
The first thing which should be done; The first sign of an infection, go to your doctor for a blood test to confirm the you have yeast overgrowth. Than incorporate plenty of alkaline foods, such green veggies, fermented foods such as dill pickles, sauerkraut, kimchi, tempeh, and Miso soup. Also, kombucha tea, yogurt and kefir are all very helpful in combating Candida.
If you are female, it is important to practice good vaginal hygiene to stop overgrowth of Candida. Keep the vaginal area clean and dry to prevent moisture build up because Candida tends to multiply faster in moist environments.
Avoid any kind of sugar intake for at least a period of two weeks to one month. Instead replace sugars with green juices, vegetables and make sure you are on a healthy diet.
Yeast infection is a very treatable condition, the earlier you treat the infection the less suffering you will have.
Incorporating probiotics from home made kefir, instead of store bought because homemade has much less sugar added as well as more microbe’s in it. The other problem with most store bought, bottled kefir is the microbe’s do not survive stomach acid, so the benefits of the probiotic never make it to the gut. Kefir’s active yeast and bacteria provide a clean and balanced environment for digestion and colon health.
It is important to know that you should never continually use the same strain of probiotic, be sure to alternate strains, so you will not become probiotic resistant.
Making home made Kefir and Kombucha isn’t only extremely easy, but has much more health benefits, and is a lot less expensive than purchasing it from your local market and grocery store.
Here are two really simple drinks you can make at home to get your daily dose of probiotic
The first recipe for Kefir.
1. First gathering all your supplies to make Kefir. Get Kefir seeds from either a health food store or on line. You will only need to purchase a starter batch because kefir seeds reproduce, so you should never run out. Do not expose your kefir seeds to extreme temperatures or chemicals, because they will die.
2. Get a quart size glass mason jar. Kefir needs to breathable lid so use either a cheese cloth or a coffee filter and put a rubber band it to hold in place. Do not use plastic, because molecules can leach into the kefir.
3. Pick a kefir base such as goat milk, whole milk, coconut milk, almond milk.
4. Put 2 Tablespoons of kefir into a clean glass jar. 2 tablespoons is a good place to start, because the amount of seeds affect the flavor. So in the beginning you will experiment to find your own personal preference.
5. Pour 2 1/2 cups of (base) whether, it’s milk or almond milk etc. Remember not to fill the jar all the way to the top because the mixture needs breathing room during the fermentation process.
6. Cover the jar and store it at room temperature.
7. Let it ferment for 8 hours. Coconut kefir takes up to 16 hours.
Kombucha Tea
How to make Kombucha Tea
1. Wash hands well, do not use antibacterial soap as it can contaminate the good bacteria in the Kombucha tea.
2. Fill up a pot with 3 liters of water and put the stove on high
3. Purify water by boiling it for 5 minutes.
4. Add 5 tea bags to the hot water. Use green or black tea. According to taste, you can either remove the tea immediately after brewing, or leave them in for the next two steps.
5. Turn off heat and add 1 cup of organic sugar.
6. Cover and let sit until it is room temperature, around 75 degrees. Do not add culture until tea mixture has cooled to the 75 degrees otherwise it will kill the culture.
Part 2 in Making Kombucha Tea- Adding the culture
1. Wash out jar, cover, you can also put the jar in the oven for about ten minutes at 285 degrees (only if the jar is glass or ceramic).
2. When the tea is cool, pour into the glass jar and add the starter tea, which should consist of 10% of the liquid. Using about 1/4 vinegar per gallon of tea also works. This keeps the pH low to prevent mold and yeast growing in the tea.
3. For precautionary reasons, which is recommended but optional, measure the pH level. It should be below 4.6 pH. If it isn’t keep adding starter tea, vinegar or citric acid until the desired pH is reached.
4. Gently put the culture, otherwise known as Scoby into the tea, cover the top of the jar with a cheese cloth, and secure tightly with a rubber band.
5. Place jar in a dark area where it will not be disturbed. The temperature needs to be consistently between 75 and 86 degrees. Lower temperatures make the environment for unwanted organisms.
6. After one week the tea will begin to smell like vinegar, at this point you can begin to taste and check pH levels.
The best way to pull a sample is with a straw, but do not drink from the straw, as backwash can contaminate the tea. Dip straw about half way into the tea, cover end with your finger and pull out and let the liquid pour onto a test strip.
If the Kombucha is very sweet, it probably needs more time for the culture to consume the sugar.
When the pH level gets to 3 the brewing cycle is complete.
Step 3 Removing and Finishing up
1. Gently remove mother and baby culture with clean hands and set them aside in a clean bowl and cover with some Kombucha tea and a cheese cloth to protect them (they may be stuck together after the process).
2. Using a funnel, pour most of the finished tea into storage containers, fill to the top, so the tea doesn’t take forever to get fizzy.
You can use each layer of culture to make a new batch of tea (it is not necessary to use both). Some suggest using the new layer and discarding the old one.
It is important to note that every fermentation cycle creates a new culture from the mother culture. So once you have fermented your first batch you will have two mother culture. This multiplication will occur every subsequent fermentation
3. Cap or jug your finished Kombucha Cap them and let the bottled kombucha sit for three to five days at room temperature.
4. Refrigerate after the tea has sat, because Kombucha is best enjoyed cold.
There are 500-1000 different types of microbial, which inhabit and reproduce in the gut. So, in order to have healthy digestion and all around wellness in the gut we need to consume microbials regularly. Incorporating Kefir and Kombucha regularly guarantees we get the recommended daily dose, not only easily but enjoyably as well!
Laura Schwalm is a Master Psychic Healer that incorporates Holistic and Spiritual principals and practices that not only heal but balance the body, mind, and spirit. If you are looking to heal yourself of physical, mental, psychological/emotional or spiritual imbalances please contact me through my website http://www.pureenergyhealer.com and until next time “Be true to Yourself” Love and light, Laura Schwalm
Also check out my affordable Holistic and Spiritual workshops by going to http://www.meetup.com/holistic-and-spiritual-transitions/ On line classes available through my website http://www.pureenergyhealer.com
