Desire Cravings - A helpful diet?

[Mighty Mouse II]

Hi Everybody. I hope all of you are well today. I didn't get to pop into the forum much yesterday -- things are hectic since I got back!!! As I was looking over the threads this morning, I noticed there is a lot of discussion regarding the desire to drink, the cravings to drink, and a goal to overcome both. So, I thought I would share some ideas on a diet & exercise program that really helps me a lot. I am hopeful others will share their diets and exercises that are helping them as well. Part of the MWO is revolved around nutrition and exercise. I spent some time in that section of the board and corresponding blogs, and I was amazed at how the recommendations were consistent with a diet that I have been using intermittently for a couple of years.

Let me start by saying that it was Roberta Jewell, the moderator of the forum, through her article "Amino Acids and 5-HTP", who sparked my interest in this matter and gave me the idea that this diet may be connected and helpful to the drinking issue. According to Ms. Jewell, "Amino Acids play a critical role in craving reduction" Id. So, I started to compare my diet to this philosophy and I believe that it is true.

I use "The Perricone Prescrption" diet and exercise program. I have been on this diet intermittently for about three years. It is probably the highest amino acid diet out there. I went on the diet because it is an anti-aging program. A few years ago, I started getting light little lines around my eyes and it drove me nuts! So, I started researching medical journals for the latest geriactrics anti-aging solutions. I stumbled on the work of Nicholas Perricone, MD. He is one of the most world renouned anti-aging specialists. I later saw him on the Oprah Winfrey show, where she supported that his work was valid. So, for my 47th birthday, my husband bought me the book, "The Perricone Prescription" and his introductory topical face treatment. The book explains how the diet works scientifically and provides the diet, which is extremely rich in amino acids and non-starchy-type of carbohydrates. I can tell you that within two months my wrinkles were gone, I lost my "middle-age bulge", and I didn't drink any alcohol because I didn't want it. Though I will be 50 this month, people tell me I look like I'm in my thirties. I attribute a great deal of this to the Perricone diet. But until now, I never thought that it had any benefits relative to alcohol. About a year ago, I had a trauma in my life. I started slipping on my diet, gradually reverting, drinking more, having sleeping problems at night, tiredness in the morning, and slowly beginning to show my age. So, when I decided to join this program a couple of weeks ago, I went back on my Perricone diet. I'm losing weight again (fortunately I don't have much that I have to lose). I'm sleeping at night, vibrant in the morning, and I don't have any craving for alcohol. I still want it when I'm stressed, but I am using behavioral modification to change the way I deal with stress. This process is helping, but slowly. I do exercise (Dr. Perricone gives specific exercises in his book -- they are really easy). The bottom line is that when I am following his diet and exercise, I handle the alcohol a lot better and totally without cravings.

So, that is my story relative to amino acids, exercise, and my drinking. Since it has been helpful for me, I thought I would share it with you. Does anyone else have a particular diet or exercise that works for them?

Hope everyone is well today.

MM

[tinkerbell]

Desire Cravings - A helpful diet?

isn't the perricone diet and skin care regime really expensive? Don't you have to eat salmon every day?

[Mighty Mouse II]

Desire Cravings - A helpful diet?

Dear Tinkerbell:

Like any diet, the Perricone Prescription can be expensive or accomplished on a budget. He is known for his support of Salmon which is high in both amino acid and, more specifically, omeg-3 fatty acid. And he does have a three day special "face lift diet" where you eat salmon everyday, but the enitire monthly diet does not have salmon everyday. But I have to say that I have 2 oz of salmon most days, not because of Perricone, but because of the joint study by FDA & EPA that supports that people should eat two 6 oz portions of fish a week. Only three fish are considered healthy because of other contaminents; WILD salmon is one of them. It is also the cheapest because you can get canned wild salmon (tastes a lot like canned tuna). I have a gazillion recipes if you want them. Salmon does have amazing positive effects on the body.

But the bottom line is that dairy products, eggs, meat, poultry & fish are all rich sources of amino acids and are all included in the Perricone diet. We have been trained to stop looking at these foods because of the calories. Beans and nuts are also amino acid rich sources. According to Dr. Perricone, amino acids are a form of natural antioxidants in our system, which would support how it would battle the bad side effects of any chemical substance in our body, including alcohol.

So, as far as foods, Dr. Perricone supports fish and gives an index that ranks the healthiness of fish (keep in mind there is a big difference between Atlanic salmon (expensive and high in mercury) and wild salmon). He also ranks different types of meat, fruit and vegetables that are healthy.

So, a typical Dr. Perricone diet would be:

Portions of fish, poutry, beef, egg, or bean
broccolli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, or cabbage
blueberries, strawberries, or canteloupe
yogurt
nuts

As far as the face creams, when I first ordered them I thought they were outrageous. But you use them so sparingly that they last forever. I average about $30 a month. I could actually make it cheaper if I had to.

It kind of gives you an idea of the cost. Its not the cheapest in town, but it helped me to overcome some medical problems (arthritis for one), so my prescription medicines went down.

If you want more information on specific recipes, let me know. It really does work. My husband thought I was nuts when I first started. Like you, he thought it was something for the well-to-do. Now, he places the orders for me because it works and our grocery bill is actually less. As you use the Perricone prescription, a lot of prepackaged foods go away. In America, prepackaged foods are not only unhealthy. They are expensive.

Hope this information helps. If you need more specific information, let me know.

MM

MM