I don’t know about you, but when previously when I used to get stressed the first thing I think about is eating and my drugs of choice were either sugar, carbs or wine. I would lose all self-control and shovel my face with it leaving me feeling guilty and worse…more stressed. And listen, I know I’m not alone because I hear this all the time from my gals over in my Facebook Fan Page who really grapple with this. This lead me to share with you one incredible food tip that learn how to make pronto and that is:
How to beat sugar cravings with Holy Basil Vinegar
Now you may have heard about holy basil already, but if you haven’t here’s a rundown.
Holy Basil is also known in Ayurvedic Medicine as, “tulsi.” It’s a wonderful tasting herb that helps us adapt to stress. It also helps to regular our blood sugar which is a sweet double whammy.
The reason why I’ve used vinegar is for a couple reasons. The first is that it helps to improve our insulin sensitivity, which is good news if you are insulin resistant and struggle with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Remember insulin is our fat storage hormone, so improving your sensitivity will allow your body to know when it’s time to stop pumping more of it. The second reason is because sour is on the opposite side of the taste wheel in Chinese Medicine than sugar. So if you got a sugar craving, adding in sour really helps to cancel out the craving.
Truthfully if you don’t get your cravings under control, you will find your hormones will go out of whack. Think painful periods, hormonal weight gain and increasing potential risks for fibroids, endometriosis and ovarian cysts.
In the meantime, enjoy this recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 cup holy basil
- 3 cups unpasteurized apple cider vinegar or a high quality red wine vinegar (my favourite)
- Small sheet of parchment paper
- Mason jar
Instructions
- Add holy basil to mason jar.
- Add vinegar of your choice and then cover lip of mason jar with parchment paper.
- Add the lid over the parchment paper and screw the lid until firmly secure. We use the parchment paper to avoid the vinegar from eating away at the rubber lining in the lid.
- Turn every day gently and then strain with a cheesecloth after 4-6 weeks (longer the better) and use in salad dressing or take one teaspoon directly in the mouth on the onset of a sugar craving
