Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Diet…
I am close to finishing up an awesome book called Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr. Another endo sister recommended this book to me and I highly recommend it too for anyone struggling with endometriosis, for any other chronic condition, or for anyone who just wants to get healthy, as it lays out the basis for a healthy, clean diet and lifestyle practices that promote overall healing.
Kris Carr is so funny and her writing is down to earth — making the subject matter, which could be dull and lifeless, much easier to breeze (and laugh) through 🙂
I first saw Kris Carr in the highly recommended documentary – Hungry for Change and I could not help but notice her “glow”! I also recently watched her first documentary called Crazy Sexy Cancer — also highly recommended! After listening to her story I totally related to her.
Kris was diagnosed with a rare cancer on her liver and lungs late in her twenties. She speaks in the films about how she lacked knowledge on how to eat healthy for most of her life. Her normal breakfast was coffee and a power bar (Oh No).
Her cancer diagnosis forces her to go back and essentially re-learn about basic nutrition. She starts to study different natural healing methods and tries out different things, different diet plans. She finds the most success from a raw, living foods diet, based around wonderful green plants.
By the end of the film – Crazy, Sexy Cancer – Kris Carr’s cancer is in remission.
The book Crazy Sexy Diet outlines her discoveries on how to eat to get better and tips on lifestyle practices to care for what she calls your “God Pod”.
Importance of PH Levels in the Body
One of the biggest take-aways I have from Crazy Sexy Diet is the importance of PH levels in the body. Our bodies need a balance between alkaline and acid levels to function properly.
PH levels in the body should be 7.365 — a little on the alkaline side. When PH levels are below 7 then oxygen levels decrease and cellular metabolism stops.
Subtle signs that the body is too acidic include a runny nose, heartburn, eczema, inflammation, arthritis, poor circulation, chronic fatigue, IBS, a weakened immune system…. cancer. Sound familiar? I’ve checked off more than my fair share on this list.
If the body becomes too acidic, then the body is forced to rob precious mineral and enzyme reserves from bones, teeth, tissues and organs. This can eventually lead to osteoporosis and bone density loss.
If the acid gets too high, then it dumps it into the bloodstream and into the tissues of the body. Then the lymphatic system tries to neutralize these acids, but the only way to do this is to dump them back into the bloodstream.
Over acidity puts strain on the digestive system, liver and kidneys and creates free radicals — which damage our cells and rob electrons from healthy tissue.
An overly acidic body is a breeding ground for bad bacteria, yeast and fungi and is one more likely to get sick.
Animal products, fried foods and alcohol are all highly acidic, as are drugs, coffee, cigarettes, lack of exercise, anger and stress.
Turns out that most of what is bad makes the body acidic: chemicals, heavy metals, pesticides, preservatives, corn syrup, fructose, MSG, margarine, trans fats, refined vegetable oils, white bread, pasta, soda, energy drinks, soft drinks, table salt, white sugar, yeast….
According to Kris Carr — an acidic diet will make you snore, sneeze, swell up, gain weight and get sick….
Alkaline Me!
Happy, healthy cells love oxygen. They thrive on an alkaline, oxygen rich, plant based diet. Unhealthy cells (like cancer cells) or viruses, bacteria and other nasty microorganisms hate oxygen.
– Kris Carr
To keep our PH levels balanced, 60-80% of foods we eat should be alkaline and 20-40% should be acidic. Flooding the body with alkaline foods is an important component to the detoxification process, as acids stored in the body’s tissues can finally be eliminated.
For our bodies to remain balanced, we must eat a primarily alkaline diet made up of lots of veggies and greens. Raw, living foods (like sprouts that are still growing) — are the most alkaline, oxygen rich foods we can eat.
Chlorophyll is also super alkaline. It is what allows plants to absorb light from the sun and convert to energy. It increases red blood cell production and enhances the cells ability to carry oxygen. It strengthens the immune system, improves circulation, eases inflammation and counteracts harmful free radicals.
Foods high in chlorophyll include asparagus, green bell peppers, broccoli, green olives, kale, leeks and turnip greens.
Top alkaline foods include almonds, brazil nuts, sesame seeds, avocados, green veggies, lemons and limes, miso, olives, raw tomatoes, root veggies (sweet potatoes, potatoes and turnips), seaweed and sprouts.
Paying Attention to Body PH Levels
An easy way to check the body’s PH is to test your urine with litmus paper strips. I ordered some off of Amazon and yesterday I started testing my pee throughout the day, comparing the color on the strip of paper to the different colors on the PH level chart.
According to Kris Carr, the best time to test the body’s PH is on the second pee of the day, before meals or at least one to two hours after eating.
When I woke up yesterday, my PH test showed the perfect shade of green – 7 = Balanced PH. Yay! Kind of weird for my first test to be perfect?
To confirm that the papers were working correctly, I tested them with a little apple vinegar and the paper turned super orange, or acidic, confirming they were working and that my levels were right on 🙂
Late in the afternoon yesterday, my husband and I decided to go out for Mexican food. This means of course one of my favorite things — corn chips and salsa. Yum.
I snacked on these before my meal arrived — grilled chicken fajitas with onions, green peppers, avocado, rice and refried beans. I did refrain from a Margarita. ACID! My mind reminded me, LOL.
Later that night I tested my urine again and the strip came back super orange – Yup – 3 = Very acidic! My Mexican meal did me worse off than I expected. I only ate a few pieces of the grilled chicken and primarily vegetables, but all of it was likely grilled in vegetable oil and the corn chips were acidic.
In response to my orange PH paper results, I took a Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water then re-tested a couple of hours later — back up to 6 (still slightly acidic).
When I woke up this morning, my levels were still at a 6 so I took another Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and when I re-tested I was back to 7 — Yay! 🙂
On the Positive Side?
Testing my PH levels has helped keep me mindful of my food choices the past couple of days and the PH strips have kept me accountable for the results of these choices.
Most of the time I think I am eating OK, especially when I eat out somewhere, but I suppose I haven’t really stopped to consider other acidic variables like the fact that the veggies are likely sprayed with pesticides and cooked in an acidic vegetable oil.
I did discover first hand the power of alkalizing apple cider vinegar. While apple cider vinegar tested acidic on the PH papers, it actually has the opposite effect in the body. It helped my body go back to it’s proper PH level and it has a host of other benefits too — not a bad idea to add it into the daily routine, especially when Mexican food is on the menu, LOL.
I think that my first test showed up perfect because my last meal the night before was a big glass of green juice made with black kale, cucumber, green apple and parsley.
Kris Carr is a huge advocate for green juicing. After seeing her in Hungry for Change I became inspired to start juicing and have been doing so ever since.
In the month of January I committed to a green juice every night and I must say that I did notice a difference. The juice keeps things flowing out of me, while providing energy and helping me to sleep 🙂
Are you as big of a fan of Kris Carr as I am? Have you tried juicing? I would love to hear from you in the comment section below.
And if you are interested in continuing to be inspired by Kris Carr, as I am, then please follow her blog at Crazy, Sexy, Wellness Revolution!
Much love and alkalinity to you 🙂
