2 Detox Related Comfort Foods & Comfort Food Psychology

It's not just me who is all about these two foods, there's a Marbella wellness "reset" sanctuary that is all about them too. 

The other day I found myself having a "moment" and I reached for grapes. I thought to myself, "wow, really? Is this my comfort food of the moment?". Yes, in that moment it was. For me, the association rewinded me back to a nostalgic time with my dear friend Nina when we went down a grape rabbit role when I was coincidentally living in the south of France, surrounded by wondrous, miraculous, delicious grapes. More on this a little later in this post. First I want to share about the psychology of comfort food and how you can cause change with this. Positive change, of course.

Also to note: potatoes are a longtime comfort food of mine. I'm German-Ukrainian and not a meal went by when there wasn't potatoes of some kind. They are little nuggets of warm heaven for me, preferably slathered in butter and salt. I also love adding sour cream to my mashed potatoes. These 3 ingredients - so key. I also want to talk about the important that actual potatoes play in your diet. Many people villainize "real potatoes" when in fact they're actually quite a necessity to a healthy physique. Many things can be true at one time, and we all have different body conditions - and hence my reasoning on why potatoes are a health food and someone else's reasons why they may not be - can both be valid. You choose. Your mind will do what it wants to with the information and your body will respond to how you feel about your thoughts. Now that, is science ;) 

Back to the topic of comfort food psychology before I dive into potatoes and grapes and why both will remain omnipresent in my life. I also like touching on food psychology once in a while in my shares because it's something I'm super passionate about, have mastered and that I coach (I have a mini course on this called Eat For Brain and Mood). Satiation is at the heart of it as it creating a different memory (feeling) bank. To me, it's two-parted. If you jump to this page you can hear a 2 minute video where I talk about this mini course and how it may be able to help you.

Ok, REALLY, back to the topic :) We revert back to whatever a "comfort" food is in order to have us feel closer to feeling whole (satiated and content in mind). The thing is, often times the go-to comfort food isn't necessarily the best choice. It could be junk food or overly processed food, that is an "instant pleasure" deliverer to your brain, so it does tick one box in "instant comfort", the irony is that if the "comfort" food you're seeking and ingesting does more harm for you than good, than it's really a harm not a comfort, right? It is completely possible to change habits and rewire your brain to reach for a better choice that serves your brain and body better for the long term - and that also checks that comfort-pleasure box in the short term. I've done and can show you how. Join Eat for Brain and Mood, or join UNSHAKEABLE: Whole Body Healing, Confidence and Goal Achieving, and if you have any questions (before then), you can always reach out: [email protected]. 

I am deeply passionate about supporting others to master food because food can be a huge stress point in one's life. When you master food and have a healthy relationship with you body - you a) feel better, b) usually look better, and c) you have more brain space and energy to allocate to honestly - more important things that fill your heart. I make it simple. No shame, just laying it on the table and moving forward. 

Let's quickly chat potatoes and then let's dive into GRAPES!! In nutshell, potatoes are not a "bad" carb. They are fibrous, vitamin-rich, and help neutralize free radicals. They contain tryptophan and potassium which produce serotonin and can help regulate mood (aka hormones). Regulated hormones equal lower cortisol. Sure, potatoes can cause a spike in blood sugar, however - the point is to satiate with them, not eat VOLUME. End of story. I love potatoes for the comfort and satiation factors and still want to mention their place in relation to detox of the body, if one is doing a detox protocol. To note: potatoes are not a "detoxifying food in and of themself, but what they are, IF you are on some sort of detox mode, potatoes are fiber-rich and are a complex carb so fiber aids in digestion and carbs will give you energy. You need these things (good digestion and energy) to have an effective, active detox protocol, if that's what you're going for. Moving onto euphoric grapes! 

I kid you not, the euphoria I felt on grapes, was wild. The energy, the mental clarity, and I wasn't even eating grapes exclusively. A dear friend of mine, Nina Morgan Jones, shared the concept of grapes with me this summer and I haven't looked back. Her and I have so many interests that intersect, and natural health & healing, longevity and spiritual connection are among our vast shared interests.

If you are someone who wants to dive into the technicalities in full of the concept of grapes, feel free to order the book "The Grape Cure", it's available on Amazon. I wasn't able to order the book, because Amazon has decided to lock me out of my account (I updated my phone number and it has an old number on file; two factor authentication, etc), and I still honestly can't log into my account. It's not the end of the world, but there are some things in which only Amazon can deliver. Like this thing. The thing, is an amber reading light that clips onto a book. It's literally perfect for evening or early morning (or outdoors under the stars) reading. It's one of those things that I did not bring with me to St Barth when I moved because I didn't think I would miss it that much. WRONG. It's literally something I used to use everyday and would still use every day. My point: where else do I find this thing, aside from Amazon? Not like Amazon delivers to the island, but I could send it to someone else's home and have them DHL it to me. Moving on :)

GRAPES. When I was consuming a mass amount of grapes daily, I was also making myself a cacao with milk in the morning. This particular cacao is highly nutrient dense. I also had some butter biscuits (so obviously this wasn't a "grape cleanse" moment for me), but I listen to my body and these are the things my body wanted in the moment in conjunction with the grapes. I did the grape protocol (eating primarily grapes (as many as I could possible handle or want) a few times for a day at a time each. I was also drinking lemon and lime water, but no coffee at the time.

So, specifically what I had on my "grape high" days was: cacao + milk first thing in the morning, as many grapes as I wanted + and these yummy butter biscuits + drinking lemon and lime water. 

The Grape Cure protocol says to do grapes 3 days at a time and up to 3 weeks at a time, consuming only grapes (and water). If you think about it, many people water fast for days at a time, so doing a grape protocol where you eat as many grapes as you want every day (plus water), this is completely reasonable. It goes without saying, this clearly isn't something everyone should endeavor. Check with your health professional before making any modifications to your daily nutrition intake protocol. 

Back to the grapes. You can eat as many grapes as you want, and as many different types of grapes. as you want. I liked having a variety of grapes on hand to switch up flavor and texture and all in all, I was satiated and satisfied. I could have easily bypassed the cacao and biscuits, but the cacao was part of a comforting routine at the moment and the yummy biscuits were staring at me in the face (they were a gift).

What's the deal with the actuality of grape euphoria? Well, it's real. 

Number one, grapes are highly detoxifying, so in consuming the grapes, you'll feel and reap the benefits of detoxification.

Allowing your body to experience the effect of digesting solely grapes (or almost solely grapes) allows your body a lightness that you wouldn't experience when eating heavier foods, i.e. steak, mashed potatoes and truffle mushroom cream sauce (all things I eat and love as well). When the body doesn't have to work so hard to digest heavy foods, you naturally have more energy. 

When we aren't foggy from eating heavy foods, we are more clear of mind. When the body isn't expending so much energy to digest heavy foods, the body also has more energy.

Grapes are high in water content (and sugar) which, higher water content contributes to hydration and sugar (glucose) this converts into a natural source of energy. 

 Grapes are great for immunity and heart health. Those who should absolutely not do the grape cure are diabetics (due to high sugar content) and those who are pregnant. 

I could go on about the grapes...but mainly just wanted to share a few facts about them and share my love for them. Grapes and potatoes! You can't go wrong, am I right?