Hi there!
Question, whats wrong with caffeine? you mentioned it as though it was bad. im actually really curious about this because ive been drinking it a lot lately. isnt it better than drinking decaf for instance which has been chemically produced? inbox me please!! i really am curious.
Hi there!
I don’t know what’s better chemical wise – decaf or caffeinated – but caffeine is a stimulant. You drink caffeine and you get high and then you crash because of what it’s doing to your blood sugar levels. Crazy blood sugar swings release insulin and androgens which create acne. This effect is even more pronounced when you mix caffeine with refined sugars, as many do in their morning cup.
The other reason caffeine isn’t good is because it directly works on your adrenals to release the stress hormone cortisol – another hormone directly linked to acne.
I know caffeine is very physically addicting and hard to quit – so that’s a hint that you should! Herbal tea is a great replacement. That’s about the only liquid I actually drink aside from water.
Hi Tracy!
I noticed my acne starts feeling weird after i eat foods with iodized salt. Are there other types of salt I could use instead so it doesn’t bother my acne or should i stop using salt =(
Hey there!
Yes, apparently some people’s acne gets a bit aggravated by excess iodine. I think this may just be a food sensitivity that some people encounter and nothing wrong with iodine itself. It is an essential mineral after all and extremely important for thyroid health. In fact, iodine deficiency is what causes this. (Probably why they put iodine in salt in the first place!)
Plus, table salt is a processed food, so it is best to switch your salt over to unrefined sea salt or unrefined crystal rock salt. They at least have some minerals that will be beneficial to your body and skin!
And just to clarify any controversy over salt – salt itself is not bad. Sodium is an electrolyte that is needed in order to maintain the balance of fluids in your body and your blood pressure. A lack of sodium could cause a whole host of problems including overheating, dehydration, exhaustion and even stroke! However, excess sodium often results in high blood pressure which can lead to things like heart disease.
These days, sodium deficiency is pretty rare because sodium is found in ridiculously large amounts in almost all processed foods, so excess sodium is much more of a risk. Once you change your diet to whole foods and cut out most processed foods though, it’s more than okay to use some sea salt on your food! In fact, I couldn’t live without my sea salt – to me it’s what makes my food yummy!
Hi Tracy,
First off I would just like to say I love your bog! I’ve spend the past few weeks researching everything I can about holistic skin care, and I think something is starting to happen. I’m a little worried at the moment because I am going through end of term assignments/ exams right now so lack of exercise/ stress is an issue.
Anyway, my question is about Sauerkraut. The ingredients on the kind i bought say white cabbage, water, salt and spices. I know it would be best for me to make my own ( which i will be doing over the holiday) but seeing how no wine/vinegar has been added to this product, do you think its doing any benefit for me?
Thank you so much!
Hi there!
If you bought the sauerkraut and it was just sitting on the shelf, it’s a bit useless because all beneficial bacteria will be dead. Was it refrigerated? I think Bubbies is an okay store bought brand if you can find that, although I still don’t think it would have the amount of live bacteria of homemade.
Either way, read over this article carefully and it will explain why it can’t just be off the shelf at room temperature and what to look for if you’re going to buy sauerkraut.
I have a batch of kimchi (spicy korean sauerkraut) fermenting in the cupboard right now and I’m really excited to try it!
Lots of love
Tracy xo
19 Responses
You may want to check out some of Dr. Brownstein’s work on iodine before saying you only need miniscule amounts. He is a holistic doctor who has now used iodine in his practice for over 2o years. Many times what you are seeing is a detox reaction where the individual is so iodine deficient that even small amounts cause issues. Dr. Brownstein has written a book “Iodine and Why you Need it”
Hi Weldon… hmm very interesting what you say about it being a potential detox reaction! The reason I said you only need it in miniscule amounts is because it is a trace mineral that is needed in ‘trace amounts’ compared to other minerals…. but then again – you are right. Most people don’t eat enough seafood these days and maybe the iodine in table salt isn’t overkill. It’s too bad table salt is devoid of all the other minerals that you get in sea salt though :/ Maybe I’ll change that part.
Tracy:
Do you know how much caffeine is contained within 62-80% dark chocolate or cacao? Is it bad to eat dark chocolate every day? How often do you consume chocolate?
Thanks!
Apparently 20 mg per 30 grams of chocolate… in comparison to 60 to 120 mg per cup of regular coffee.
I think how much dark chocolate you can eat depends on how sensitive you actually are to caffeine. 2 or 3 squares of dark chocolate is fine, I’m sure.
I only consume chocolate if it’s a holiday, or someone has chocolate, and I have a weak moment… haha.. ..soo.. it’s often not dark chocolate! I really shouldn’t touch it because I’m a chocolate fiend. It’s hard to quit once you’ve started 🙁
Anyway… there’s no reason why I wouldn’t have some dark chocolate though – I just don’t, not for any particular reason
All store bought chocolate is highly processed and contains white sugar which should be avoided at all costs. Although it is a stimulant and should be taken in moderation raw cacao has incredible health benefits and be be used in hundreds of recipes. This is the best dessert book ever: http://www.amazon.com/Sweet-Gratitude-New-World-Desserts/dp/1556437447
I buy the raw cacao nibs from nutsonline or the longevity warehouse then blend it in a coffee grinder to add to my smoothies. I feel it’s fresher then buying the powder…it comes out dark and moist. This is my favorite right now:
1/4-1/2 cup ground cacao nibs (in coffee grinder)
2 bananas
2 cups almond milk
1 tablespoon raw virgin organic coconut oil
dash of pure vanilla extract. (make your own by storing a vanilla bean in vodka for 30 days.)…use the size jar that vanilla comes in.
2 tablespoons raw local honey.
I’ve heard a lot about how good cacao is for you, but I have yet to actually make a point to try it. I should see if I can get some in Australia, because I’ve heard Longevity Warehouse charges ridiculous shipping prices here
3 questions…come on. and the third was really just referencing an old post i feel like this blog had so much more before you switched to the mwf routine =/
I’m sorry you don’t like it Linda. Thanks for the feedback, is it just the Q & A articles you don’t like? I don’t feel like the blog is all that different aside from that.
Does anyone else out there agree that you don’t like the mwf format?
I like the Q&A articles as well as other ones. You’ve been posting a lot and there’s a lot of new material. Plus, I often have questions. Btw, do I have to e-mail you a question in order for you to blog about it or just post here? Curious.
well i really love the articles on fridays and i know they take up a lot of time, but yeah i feel like before that you used to give more info. maybe you could use questions about stuff that really hasnt been talked about on the site, unlike saurekrat or bcps?
Hmm fair enough. This is just the type of things that people seem ask me about (stuff already on the site), so I assumed this was what people wanted to know.
I guess it depends on who you are…. if you’ve been following a long time and have read everything closely, then I understand this not being helpful. I kind of assumed that for most people when you stumble into a well established site and look at the archives, it’s like “whoa there, thats a lotta stuff to get through”, so most people don’t read it all (judging by the questions I get in my inbox) and a little bit of short reiteration would be helpful.
Anyone else have feedback on the Q & As before I throw them in the trash bin?
Thanks for the info- I know coffee does me no favors, but I slip back into the daily routine over and over! Back on the herbal tea wagon tomorrow morning!
Tracy:
Thanks for responding. I’m definitely sensitive to caffeine as I suffer from headaches if I skip a day on the chocolate. I gave up drinking coffee a year or so ago for this very reason. However, chocolate has remained a staple in my diet, regardless of the fact that I am somewhat sensitive to the caffeine. I consider myself quite the chocolate fiend too, but unlike you, I have a hard time reserving chocolate for special occasions. I can go maybe a week max without it, but if I’m having a bad day, it’s a quick fix. I think I have candida which is why I am attempting to quit eating it so often, but it’s hard. It’s my preferred dessert food. Do you have some dessert suggestions for someone who is trying to do a candida cleanse and stop eating chocolate every day? Do you eat dessert? If not, how do you go without it? How can I stop the craving? It’s like the ultimate of all comfort food. If I could only convince my complexion to agree!! Ugh.
Thanks again!
Hi Beth!
It’s a bit of a catch 22 isn’t it…. if you’re trying to get rid of candida, you can’t eat sugar, but it’s your candida that is making you crave it so much. Plus we crave things we’re addicted to, so if caffeine effects you that much, you are definitely addicted.
My suggestion, especially if you’re doing a candida cleanse, you’re not even supposed to have any natural sugars, so you’re gonna just have to use everything in your being to avoid sugar…. don’t have it in your house. Don’t buy it. I mean, if you cant stop eating it, how do you get your hands on it? You must be buying it, I would assume! I’d also highly suggest making sure you don’t watch any TV in this time. The food commercials will kill you. Any time you think about chocolate or sugar, take a deep breath and immediately use all your force to put your mind on something else. Once you have detoxed a bit and have released the physical addiction and dropped your candida levels a bit, you definitely won’t crave it as much.
As for dessert normally… I don’t really eat regular dessert… only if I’m at a special event in which dessert is right in front of my face. You could try baking some apples or something with cinnamon and honey on them 🙂 I’ve done that before, it’s pretty yum
Hi tracy, i hv someting to ask u regarding abt avocado which u made a video earlier abt e top ten anti inflammatory food in your list, e omega 3 to omega 6 ratio for avocado is a unhealthy ratio, excess omega 6 is inflammatory so in your opinion do u tink eating a avocado everyday is beneficial?
Hi Ed! I’ll answer this in next week’s Q & A 🙂
Thanks for sharing this great information! It helped me a lot! I think that this information is really helpful for me,thanks for it.
Hey Tracy,
You are right about being addicted to foods because of candida. I am starting to do somewhat of cleanse; I have stopped eating chocolate 4 days ago. Thanks for the suggestions (don’t buy it, avoid commercials). It seems chocolate/sugar is everywhere!! My cravings are still present but I’m trying to push thoughts of the cravings aside until like you said, my candida levels drop a bit. I’m doing much better than day 1 or 2. I’m challenging myself to go at least one month without chocolate/sugar. My problem is when I even allow myself once piece, I eat more than I should. It’s going to be tough on Christmas! I’m going to try to substitute the bad sugar with good sugars, like fruit, honey, etc. Thanks for the feedback!
You must be candida free if you don’t have to have dessert every night! I hope I get to that point!
Hi Beth!
I think I actually do have some candida.. I have been noticing that I’ve been craving sugar more lately – like when I go to the store and see chocolate, I want it so bad. I can usually resist, but I find myself giving in more than usual lately as well.
Anyway, I think I’m going to do another candida cleanse soon, but I think I’ll wait till after christmas, lol!
Also, yeah… it’s funny how addictions work. In reality, one piece of chocolate isn’t a big deal, but when you’re addicted, one turns into two, and two turns into three…. it’s almost easier if you just admit to yourself that you’re hopeless, because then you know that it’s not inconsequential to ‘just have one’. That’s why I think dedicated cleanses are a good idea to kick things off… if you put all your willpower into it and don’t cheat, then you have a better chance of getting past the detox phase and you will crave it less soon.