[greenbunny]

So glad to hear you're doing better!

Here is what I would eat when confronted with the cravings that you told us about. What I find is that often my body is really wanting something in the food but doesn't know how to get a better version. Make a deal with yourself that you will eat at least a certain amount of the raw alternative before going after the old version just in case you can get your needs met with raw. The key word is before. Don't be too angry with yourself if you still want the cooked version because it might have something else you need in it - even if it's just to slow down your detox.

1. Salt and vinegar chips = cravings for salt, oil/fat and perhaps simply vinegar. salt and fat are essential for life. Get yourself some cletic sea salt (a whole salt raked from pristine salt marshes in Brittany) and some excellent cold pressed oils. If you don't know where to get them I can find out the name of a company for you to order from and have them delivered to you. I buy them at my health food store. Must be in dark bottles and dated. Very important. And get yourself some raw apple cider vinegar. Before going after the chips put these ingredents on some raw food and chow down. Eat as much as you want. Put it especially on something starchy and sugary like carrots, beets etc. You can even put it on dehydrated chips made from veggies to give the crunch.

2. Chocolate cookies = craving for the superfood cacao. Chocolate is filled with anti-oxidants and many chemicals that affect the hormones and it is great for you. What's not good for you are the additives and when it is processed. Get some raw, powdered chocolate. I eat it every single day mixed with a fork with medjool dates. You can make the most delicious chocolates using raw coconut oil or butter and agave. They are every bit as good as your standard truffles. You can add the chocolate to smoothies or mix the chocolate with agave and dip strawberries or other fruit in it. Chocolate is a delicacy that no raw foodist should be deprived of. Chocolate cake also has sugar. The medjools, agave or fruit in smoothies could satisfy this need as well. Raw chocolate is also an apetite suppressant.

3. Hamburger = Craving for concentrated protein, B12 or a number of factors. I would simply go for sushi. I go to restaurants that have ahi tuna and ask for it as raw as they can make it for me. You might also try a raw egg. You can heat the raw egg with some miso on the stove to 118 degrees. It's quite good. It is also very grounding like meat (if you know chinese medicine terms it would be very yang). If you are a vegetarian then you can get protein and fat from sprouts but need to eat A LOT of them. Also try adding blue green algae to your diet in pill form. It has all the amino acids. Wheatgrass also has all the amino acids but it can make you spacey - the opposite of the grounding nature of meat.

4. Tobasco Sauce = Cayenne pepper. Cayenne is another superfood that heats up the digestion, cures ulcers, balance heart function and many other wonderful things. If you want Tobasco just put some cayenne powder on whatever food you want it on. It's fabulous for you. Mix the cayenne in tomato juice and oil if you like. Make your own live version of tabasco.

5. Italian dressing and peri sauce = Italian dressing is once again fat. Make your own with cold pressed olive oil, raw vinegar and italian seasonings. I'm sure that there are many raw recipes for this. Ask for one on the site. You need fat. I don't know what nanos peri peri sauce is.

It sounds to me like you are a normal human being that has been eating way too concentrated and processed versions of things that are perfectly good for you. You need fat and protein, sugar and salt/minerals. When you have enough of these things in your diet the smells won't bother you much.

Here are some more things that might help you. Soaked nuts and seeds provide the perfect source for protein and fat. Avocados are another great source for fat. Fat helps keep your blood sugars stable and good fats are needed by all your cells to keep the cell walls healthy and permeable. Eating more frequently will help you balance your blood sugars and crave sugar less. Eating even just a banana can help your cravings for sugar. Salt is necessary for your cells to be able to take in water. Celtic sea salt is a necessary nutrient. Table salt is a killer because all the minerals except two have been taken out. Even plain sea salt has most of the minerals taken out. Celtic is the way to go. Chocolate is God's way of saying she loves us. Just get the good raw stuff.

Hope this help you. Once again - glad you're back up on that horse!

Greenbunny