Verne Varona's top ten sugar craving strategies

The following could be individual or collective reasons for sugar cravings. Read each suggestion and notice how it applies to your eating or lifestyle. Reducing your desire or addiction for sugar should not require Herculean will power. Becoming conscious of the physiological and lifestyle factors that stimulate sugar cravings should make taming your sweet tooth a piece of cake--so to speak...

1. REDUCE SALT & PRODUCTS WITH SALT The need for dietary salt from natural sources (sun-dried sea salt) is dependent on several factors; a lack of salt can cause fatigue, stimulate a desire to overeat and often result in a craving or animal protein. However, with the availability of good quality sea salt, miso paste, tamari soy sauce and natural pickles, it's quite easy to overdose. Thirst and a craving for sweet foods is one of the most reliable indicators of excess dietary salt.

2. REDUCE ANIMAL PROTEIN The standard four basic food group propaganda was force-fed to the American public along with the myth that animal protein should be a dietary staple. The meat and potatoes mentality has to re-think its philosophy since established research shows excess animal protein can lead to colon and prostate cancer. If this applies to you eat less in volume (2 to 4 ounce servings) and limit it to three to four times per week (maximum), as opposed to daily.

3. REDUCE FOOD VOLUME Overeating leads to fatigue and sluggishness. This makes a stimulant like sugar (or coffee) more appealing. Eating more frequently will allow you to reduce overeating with a minimum of effort.

4. EAT MORE FREQUENTLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY One of the most common reasons for sugar cravings--especially at night. By skipping meals or waiting long periods you stop supplying your blood with glucose. The blood sugar drops and by the time you finally get around to eating, you're going nuts for simple sugar. You're also likely to end up overeating or craving something fatty as a compensation for sugar. Initially, don't wait more than 31/2 to 4 hours between meals.

5. AVOID EATING PRIOR TO BED If your body's digesting when it requires much needed rest, you'll require more sleep, dream excessively and find it difficult awakening with alertness. Good deep sleep will result in wide-awake days. Eating to close to bedtime creates a groggy awakening craving the stimulation of sugar (or caffeine) the following morning. Eat a light evening dinner at least 21/2 to three hours before retiring.

6. AVOID SUGAR This might sound obvious, however, continuing to eat simple sugars results in a falling blood sugar. This stimulates a need for more sugar and the cycle continues. Even though fruit is a simple sugar, switching to fruit instead of sugar is a good first step. Eat the skin of the fruit as well since fiber slows blood sugar elevation.

7.EXERCISE MODERATELY, BUT CONSISTENTLY Daily aerobic exercise will increase circulation and strengthen will power. Brisk walking, biking, light jogging, etc. naturally increases sensitivity to the effects of sugar. Try to get 20 to 30 minutes of some type of pleasurable exercise at least 5 times per week. Enjoy this. It should not be a chore.

8. EMPHASIZE NATURAL WHOLE COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES- If your daily diet is includes whole grains (brown rice, oats, millet, barley, etc.), vegetables (roots, greens and round vegetables such as squashes, cabbages, etc.) as a primary fuel, you'll find you automatically crave less sugar. Emphasizing sweet vegetables such as carrots, cooked onions, corn, cabbage, parsnips, squashes, etc., adds a natural sweetness to meals. Introduce some sea vegetables (aka "seaweeds") for much needed minerals to enrich blood.

9. DON'T SUPPRESS FEELINGS This doesn't mean you have to broadcast every feeling--only those that matter and to those who really matter to you. Food indulgence, especially with sweets, is a convenient way to anesthetize feelings. Sugar can consume you with sensory pleasure, temporarily providing mental relief from whatever might be stressful. However, sweets can hinder energy levels and mental clarity so in the long run your emotional coping ability becomes compromised.

10. BEWARE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TRIGGERS The many psychological associations we connect with food have a powerful influence. Beware of family associations, movie rituals, familiar restaurants, childhood habits, etc.

"true health" according to philosopher George Ohsawa

George Ohsawa the Japanese philosopher, rejected the definition of health as solely the absence of disease, instead he maintained that health is a multidimensional condition including both physical and psychological aspects. True health according to Ohsawa consists of:

~consistent and high physical energy
~the ability to fall asleep easily and to awake after a few hours totally refreshed
~a hearty appetite for simple, nourishing food
~a positive and happy frame of mind, even in the midst of difficulties
~a good memory
~clarity and speed in thought and in action
~a profound gratitude for the gift of life

easy october dinner...

This meal has all the colors of fall in it. I simmered some cinnamon and cloves on low on the stove while I cooked, and pretended I lived in New England again. This is Ryan's "meat and potatoes" sort of meal. He loves this dressing, and seems to always forget he's had it a million times before. Totally kid-friendly too...

short grain brown rice
dinosaur kale
azuki beans and squash
fall vegetable and dried tofu medley
tahini scallion dressing

Yum. This was good. It's not complex, as the ingredients are few.
you will need:

brown rice
kale, ( I used dinosaur kale)
azuki beans
sea salt
kabocha squash
carrots
rutabaga
dried tofu
leeks
spike seasoning
shoyu or braggs
olive oil
tahini
scallion
ume plum vinegar
lemon

Daytime Prep:

Soak the azuki beans for 4-6 hrs.
Soak the brown rice for 2 hrs.

(Soaking aids digestibility, and hastens the cooking process)
Cook in this order, beans, rice, vegetable medley, greens, (sauce can be made anytime)

azuki beans and squash- "a nice sweet dish for Autumn"~Aveline Kushi
thoroughly wash, and soak for 6-8 hrs
1 cup beans to 1 cup kabocha squash , (cut in 1" by 1" chunks)
Place beans in a pot, put squash on top of beans, add just enough water to cover.
Place on a low flame and cook for about 1 1/2-2 hrs. Add water occasionally, because beans expand as the water evaporates. Add sea salt to taste. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.

macro foodfacts: Ideally beans make up about 10 percent of the macrobiotic diet, especially azuki, lentils , and chick peas. Azuki or Aduki beans, are the "king of beans" according to the Japanese. They are cooked with rice on holidays to make "red rice", and frequently eaten plain or sweetened in dessert. The small red beans have been cultivated for centuries in Asia , and now grown commercially in the U.S. Aduki beans tonify the kidneys. In Oriental medicine the strenght of the kidneys is the indicator of overall strength. Weak, depleted kidneys and overworked adrenal glands are the by-products of too much sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and stress. Aduki's are a rich source of protein, are low in fat and easy to digest.
The kabocha squash nurtures the stomach, spleen and pancreas, helping to keep blood sugar even and stabilize mood.
This is an all around fabulous dish for when you are feeling depleted, and need some strengthening food.

brown rice
Wash, and soak for two hours.
2:1 water to grain ratio
Boil for 50 minutes.
Add Sea salt to taste.

fall vegetable and dried tofu medley:
Soak dried tofu in water for ten minutes. Cut into little squares. Cut up rutabaga and carrots. If you have a Japanese Nabe pot, this is ideal. Slow cook the vegetables and tofu in a little water until almost tender, then add the leeks, and finish cooking, adding a little olive oil and shoyu or braggs to season. I added a little spike seasoning, rosemary may be nice too. This was flavorful and delicious. I love dried tofu, It's hard to find, but is worth it for it's chewy texture, and ability to take on the flavors in a dish. This dish tastes great with the tahini sauce.

dino kale
chop, steam greens in a steamer basket, add a little sea salt and a squeeze of lemon

tahini scallion dressing
buy good quality tahini, blend with a little water chopped scallion and some ume vinegar- to desired taste.

locally grown foods taste like they should!

Today I was reminded of the gift of fresh food. On my way back from an audition in L.A. traffic today, I just had to eat something. I was in bumper to bumper traffic on La Cienega blvd, and the only place that dotted almost every other block was Starbucks. I stopped for some roasted cashews, and went on my way. They seriously tasted like bland salty cardboard. God knows how old they were, completely devoid of their vitality. I started thinking about the miles these cashews probably traveled, the amount of fuel that it took to get them to Starbucks' all over America, and it solidified my desire for all foods local. The larger supermarkets that most of us shop at, provide us with a meal in which our food has traveled 1,500 miles or more! At a weekly play date this morning at the park, other moms and I were talking about how nice it would be to have a vegetable garden, how economical, how fresh, and convenient. Our local farmers market only has a couple of organic stands (certified and non-certified), and although Southern California grown, still not that local. My rooftop garden in currently in progress...
We are lucky to be able to share in the abundance of delicious foods all over the world, but I think we sometimes our need for the exotic makes us take for granted the energy it takes to have, say, strawberries in winter, mango and pineapple, and of course many other foods that travel miles from all over the globe. Obviously it may be very difficult to eat entirely locally, depending on your lifestyle and where you live, but if you can't grow your own food, it is easy enough to look out for the labels at the supermarket-supporting our local farmers, and eating foods that keep us in harmony with the earth around us. Please feel free to comment on any other input, statistics, or thoughts you have about this topic!

a decadent dessert for a very special occasion...

Vegan Carrot Cake!

This past Sunday, Sylvie had a 1st birthday party at the park with her baby-toddler-kid-friends and their parents. I had planned on making an Apricot Couscous cake, which is a classic macrobiotic favorite, (and rightly so), it really is good. The apricot couscous cake, (which I will make later on this week), is something you could have rather often, and feel good about.

This birthday cake I made, was certainly more wholesome than a standard store bought cake, but definitely a treat too. You will not find it in any traditional macro cookbooks, as it does contain sugar. But remember, the essence of macrobiotics is about freedom. You can eat whatever you want, as you know your way back to balance. Sylvie's birthday is a day to be free!!

The original recipe is from a vegetarian website, but after reading the comments from people who had made it, I revised the recipe, and also chose to use whole wheat flour, instead of the suggested white flour. It was as moist as any carrot cake should be, full of flavor, and sweet but not too sweet. I usually like to cook very very simply, with only a few ingredients, so this was a bit of a stretch for me. I don't own a blender, just a mini baby food blender, so Ryan and I mixed it all by hand. We put an immense amount of love into the cake...which is probably why it turned out So Good! I doubled this recipe and had two medium cakes. Can you tell what the decorative greenery is made of? Carrot tops!

Vegan Carrot Cake- (I used organic ingredients wherever I could)

2-1/4 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup light brown cane sugar

3/4 c spiced applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup safflower oil

2 cups finely grated carrots

1 can (about 14 oz) crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup shredded coconut

handful of raisins

Faux Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 8 oz package of vegan cream cheese

1/3 cup vegan soy margarine (like Earth Balance), softened.

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups vegan powdered sugar

directions:

preheat oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit. In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, spice, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, mix sugar and applesauce until creamy, add vanilla, then add oil. Mix wet and dry ingredients together and add carrots, pineapple, and coconut. Grease pan. Smooth batter into pan. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Be sure to let the cake adequately cool before frosting.

faux Cream Cheese Frosting recipe: Beat cream cheese and margarine. Add vanilla, then add powdered sugar. Mix.

chilly fall morning-soft rice and squash breakfast

I always have a leftover grain to use for a lunch stir fry, rice balls, even breakfast. Sometimes it's barley, sometimes quinoa, sometimes oats. This morning it was brown rice. I also had some kabocha squash and onions left over from my squash soup...so I decided to make it for breakfast. I was up at 5am, and crept out of the room, careful not to disturb the baby, who seems to make her way into our bed halfway through the night, inching her way over until Ryan, the cat and I are almost falling off the bed. Finally, it's beginning to feel like a chilly fall morning, my feet are cold, and I want a hot cup of tea.
Making soft rice is so easy, just put the leftover rice in a pot and cover with water, bring to a boil and then cook on low for about 40 min, till the rice is soft. I like using this time to stretch or check facebook, (oops did I say facebook?), uh, I meant do yoga; It's hard to update your status and do sun salutations at the same time, so keep the computer turned off:) The house warms up,a gentle sweet rice smell wafting all the way upstairs and waking Ryan, just in time for daddy to keep the baby from toppling over the bed rail, guard his nipples from sylvie's pinching fingers, or do the dishes. The kabocha squash melts into the rice, giving it a peachy- orange color. Garnish with a little purply shiso leaf condiment, scallion, or nori strips, and you've got a delicious autumn breakfast. Not to mention, Sylvie ADORED it, as it's nice and sweet.
If only there were a pile of leaves outside to jump in, but alas not here. As non-seasonal L.A is, I find that eating locally and seasonally really connects me to what is really going on around me, and reminds me that there is still a cycle of transformation happening, as subtle as it is.

tangy tempeh sandwich

tempeh sandwiches are a savory treat, that are simple, high in protein, and energizing.
I like mine with a little raw, organic, cheddar from happy cows of course! Or you can try a little tomato or avocado.

Here are the basic ingredients:

toasted sesame oil
tempeh ( slice lengthwise down the middle)
braggs aminos or shoyu
whole wheat sourdough bread
sauerkraut, homemade or of good quality
romaine lettuce
stoneground mustard

Heat a little oil in a skillet. Fry the tempeh on med-high heat for 1-2 minutes each side. Lower heat to med-low and add enough water to cover tempeh halfway. Season with a little shoyu or braggs. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Simmering the tempeh really softens it and brings out it's flavor. Spread a thin layer of mustard on both slices of bread. Top with tempeh, sauerkraut to your liking, and lettuce. Serve warm. I enjoyed this with pureed squash soup, and a side of leafy greens.

Macro food facts:
-tempeh is a staple food in Indonesia
-Rich in B12 (if unpasteurized), protein, and omega 3's
-made from fermented soybeans and grains
-digests well
-very appealing for those in transition from eating meat
-restores energy and vitality