Kris Carr

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Ask Kris: Elimination Diet, Soaking Nuts, Fibrous Breasts & more!

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Hi Sweet Friends,

It’s “Ask Kris” time again! I’m absolutely loving the questions that have been rolling in and I’m excited to share my second batch of answers. Today, I’m covering juicing for depression, fibrous breasts (you read that correctly), nut soaking and the elimination diet.

Boobs, nuts, blues lifters and allergy busters—all in one post, could it get any better? Nope.

And just so ya know, I fact checked these answers with our Crazy Sexy RD, Jen Reilly, to make sure my responses were up to date with all the current research. Let’s dive in…

Carmen A: I’m wondering if you know of a specific juice I can make that will enhance mental health and well-being, specifically to combat depression?

Yes! But before I get to juicing, I want to point out that in general, fruits, veggies, and other plant foods are loaded with important nutrients that help alleviate depression.

Here are a few mood-boosting superstars:

  • Folic acid found in dark leafy greens and oranges
  • Choline found in broccoli and quinoa
  • Selenium found in Brazil nuts and garlic
  • Essential omega-3 fats found in flax seeds, walnuts and chia seeds
  • Vitamin D found in fortified plant foods and supplements. Vitamin D2 is from plants and isn’t as well absorbed as animal-sourced Vitamin D3. While there are some companies who sell vegan Vitamin D3, some folks are skeptical if the D3 is truly plant-sourced. So, vegans may want to go with D2, or better yet, get some sun!

Having said all that, try juicing 1-2 times daily (or make enough for 2 servings) and include kale, broccoli stems, spinach, and oranges on a regular basis. My daily green juice would be a great recipe for you, and you could replace the apple or pear with an orange for an extra boost of folic acid. You can also try this antioxidant-rich smoothie 3-4 times a week. It has chia and flax to increase your intake of Omega-3’s.

In addition, I’d avoid simple sugars and high-glycemic index foods as they jettison your body into a more anxious state. Check out my sugar blog here and limit sweeter foods to those in my chart with a Crazy Sexy grade of “A.” Focus on complex carbs like quinoa and whole grains to help stabilize your blood sugars and plan to eat regularly throughout the day.

You may also consider yoga, meditation, and tapping as healthy additions to your diet and juice regimen. They can be powerful mental health tools, especially in combination with your plant-powered diet.

 

Michele S: Kris mentioned somewhere that she takes primrose for fibrous breasts. Can you please tell me anything else that might help?

For fibrous breasts, there’s a great deal of anecdotal evidence out there that certain supplements and diet changes may help, but very little proven scientific research. Many women find relief when they avoid caffeine, chocolate, and fatty foods, and supplement with primrose oil (most naturopathic docs recommend 1,000 mg 3 times a day, but check with yours to be sure), iodine (or eat iodine-rich sea vegetables on a regular basis), vitamin E, and magnesium. In supplementing, I would suggest no more than the recommended tolerable upper limits found in the tables here.

Nicole H: I was just wondering how long you are supposed to soak nuts typically? Do you soak them on the counter or in the fridge, in hot or cold water?

When making almond milk or cashew milk, I soak raw nuts on the counter overnight (about 10 hours) in filtered water (room temp). In the morning, I drain the water and whip up some milk using this recipe. You can soak nuts up to 2 days at room temp. The longer you soak ‘em, the creamier your milk will be, so experiment and see what tickles your taste buds. I also love making hemp milk with raw hemp seeds because they don’t require soaking (or even straining if you don’t mind a little texture). Most nut milks last in the fridge about 2 days, but hemp milk can last 5-7 days in the fridge.

Jon T: What is the elimination diet and how do I do it?

The elimination diet is a bear of sorts. It’s commonly used to identify foods that you may be sensitive to. Check out my blog here for more info on the difference between food allergies and sensitivities. An elimination diet removes the most common sensitivity foods, and then adds them back in one by one. Keep in mind that this is a challenging approach to identifying food allergies. I would recommend working with a registered dietician (who is plant-based friendly!) to lead you through the process. Another great resource for identifying and thriving with food sensitivities (especially if you’re vegan) is the Food Allergy Survival Guide. It includes it’s own version of the elimination diet plus recipes.

Here’s a basic overview of the elimination diet approach:

  • You begin by eliminating caffeine, alcohol, and junk food for 2-3 days.
  • Then, for 3-4 weeks, you avoid the most likely food triggers: gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, corn, pork, beef, chicken, beans/lentils, coffee, citrus fruits, nuts (coconut, pine nuts, and flax seeds are allowed), and nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, and hot peppers). If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, I recommend keeping split peas, beans, and legumes (minus all soy products) in your diet and filling up on gluten-free foods like rice, buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, teff, and millet.
  • After at least 3 weeks, you add each food (one at a time) back in for 1 day only, and observe symptoms on the following 2 days (so, reintroduce gluten on Monday only and observe any possible side effects on Tuesday and Wednesday).
  • If nothing is observed, add that food to your diet and add another single food back in for one day, observing how you feel on a second and third day.

It takes a while to determine which foods might be triggers, but it can be well worth it if you’ve been struggling! There are also a variety of tests you can do to identify food sensitivities and intolerances, which are listed in my blog.

Hope that helps!

Now I want to hear from you. What are your “Ask Kris” questions? Add them in the comments below.

Peace & knowledge,

Add a comment
  1. OlyveOyle says:

    What is the point of a breast biopsy if you’ve already determined no chemo or radiation?

  2. Sanjai Taneja says:

    Hello kris

    I have been gluten sensitive for the past 3 years. My gastro did a test for celiac disease and found one of the tests to be positive. He did not suggest giving up gluten completely but said I could if I felt better. I had to givie up gluten as I started having IBS symtoms and diarrohea upon eating gluten. I have avoided gluten all these years and feel great, however, of late I have started having gastric trouble when I eat corn and eggs. It is difficult for me to determine which foods I should eat and which ones I should not.

    I feel that I need to introduce gluten back in my diet. Can someone contact me regarding this?

    Thanks

    Sanjai

  3. Virginia says:

    Hi Kris, Just gave up dairy after also going gluten free last September. Going gluten free has resulted in tremendous benefits, especially dealing with autoimmune Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Lost a pants size and decreased my meds after improved lab numbers. Yay! Have noticed inflammation in my joints lately, usually following dairy consumption, so OUT goes the dairy! I printed out your Coconut Ginger Ice Cream recipe because that is one thing I miss…ice cream. In reading your article above, you list gluten free alternatives, one of them being millet. People with thyroid issues should avoid millet as there is a substance in it which is unhealthy for the thyroid. I experienced this first hand after trying millet last year; within minutes of finishing about a cup of cooked millet, my thyroid felt like it was being pinched. Classic attack reaction. Just an FYI for those unfamiliar with this specific condition. Thanks for sharing great information and educating people to improve their health!

  4. Sofia says:

    Dear Kris,
    Thank you for everything. I know every one is telling you this all the time, but it’s true: you are such an inspiration…I thank you with all my heart.
    My question is: I have eczema and I am worse since I got pregnant and had my wonderful baby boy, almost 2 years now. What I would like to ask you is if you know if there are any kind of foods related with eczema and in other hand, if there are foods that can improve my condition.
    Thank you so much. Keep your beautiful smile shining through the world.
    Sofia

  5. Susan zumback says:

    Can Jen Reilly suggest a natural smoothie recipe comparable to ensure?please!!with the nutritional values listed?thiscwould be a prayer answered!i heard you discuss it on her interview and have wanted to ask ever since!

  6. Sarah says:

    I have gone from a junk-food junky to a vegan. Now I sense that the pendulum is swinging back to a desire for junk food. In particular, when I travel, I feel bombarded by junk food options. It is literally everywhere. Even when I have organic, raw nuts and fruit in my bag, I feel jealous of all the people mindlessly shoving french fries into their mouths. How do you deal with those moments?

  7. Sharon says:

    Kris, I have been following you since I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. You were my inspiration! Still are! I chose not to do chemo as they required and followed you and have felt really great!
    I have a great Dr. here in VA and last year got Lyme, did the same thing with herbs etc. and feel great. The new issue to me is more perplexing and that is I just did the E95 and A95 food allergy test and found that I am highly allergic to most everything I am doing. I won’t even mention all the foods like dairy, whey etc. that I don’t eat but the one’s like flax, quinoa, almonds, peanuts, sesame seed, sunflower seed, banana, pineapple, pea, soybean, lima lentil, rice protein, safflower seed, all gluten and flours, poppy, ginger, vanilla, brazil nuts, cashew, chia, macadamia, pine nuts pistachio, garbanzo, kale etc. Help, what would you do? These are all foods I either eat or drink in my smoothies or have in salads. I am at a total loss, where would you go from here. I so highly respect your network, experience and advice.

  8. Paula says:

    Kris, what do you think of the baking soda/molasses in a glasss of water protocol for reducing inflammation ?

  9. Debora says:

    Hi Kriss,
    Thank you for creating a wonder source for information. Your site is great!
    I found it on Pandora and I’m looking for a resource for better health.
    I have passed about 20 kidney stones over the past 20 years. I finally was sent to a “Specialist, urology doctor”, because my last stone almost required surgery to remove it, last December.
    This Doctor told me that I must stop eating all berries, nuts, beans, dark green vegetables ( spinach, kale, Brussel sprouts, broccoli and other foods high in vitamin K, like red meat and also food that has high protein content ) I’m also not allowed to eat or take caffeine, coffee, chocolate, tea or alcohol.
    I like to cook my own fresh food and do not like prepared packaged foods.
    I miss eating berries and nuts. I’m allowed 3 oz of protein from fish or poultry 3 times a day. I do drink caffeine free tea 1 a day because I miss coffee. I also miss spinach, but I love eating asparagus!

    I love your recipes! Could you please start posting recipes that align more with my diet restrictions.

  10. Vicki says:

    Kale – can’t live without it – can’t juice it! Kris, do you have a secret to share about how to get this awesome leafy green to juice? I use a ‘leading brand’ juicer, but all it does is send my leafy greens into the catch bin – even on the lowest setting. Someone suggested I soak the kale first. Any guidance? Thanks so much!

  11. Janet says:

    Hi Kris, I’m a bit concerned about using Ultrasun sunblock because I think it possibly actually changes the chemical composition of the skin. Do you know of a gentle, natural sunblock that I could use (I have sun spots on my hands and want to try and prevent getting more).
    Thanks and blessings
    Janet, UK

  12. jann says:

    Hello Kris,
    Thank you so much for all of the information you share with us and the joy you do it in! We are blessed by the knowledge and your joy. I do have a question. I have battled with hodgkins lymphoma and as of today my last pet scan was clean while having chemotherapy. My next scan will be june 20 after being off treatment since the first of April. Anyway, I am confused about the sugar intake. I cut out all processed sugar (white sugar) in my life, which consisted of alot of baked goods. Then I read that almond flour, and honey/agave baked goods would be ok. Well, now I have read sugar is sugar whether you eat processed or organic, or raw, or honey, or agave. I know cancer feeds on sugar, so my question is. Do I completely leave all types alone and what is the safe consumption of sugars in a diet, knowing that fruits and carbohydrates produce sugar. I just want to have the healthy intake and that I am not feeding any cancer cells. thank you for your time! have the best day! Jann

  13. Kathy says:

    Hi Kris, I just got your book Crazy Sexy Diet and I really love it so far! I would like to try the 21 day plan. I have been vegan on and off the past few years but really need to jump back on as it helped my cholesterol go down 100 points! Also learned that I have a dairy allergy. I was hoping to find some people who would join this adventure with me so I was wondering if you would start something on a private fb page where we could all do it together and talk to each other and share our experiences good and bad. Do you have any desire to do something like this or no? I just thought it is worth asking 🙂

  14. Dawn Brady says:

    What do you do with all that fabulous pulp that is extracted when you juice? I would love to dehydrate it into crackers, but am not sure how. Some muffin recipes would be great too. I know I can compost it . . . Can you provide a bit more info on composting as well?

  15. Moya says:

    Thank you for this My mom has had breast cancer 2 times and I had a scare about 5 years ago, I also have 3 daughters and with all that is going on it is really scary and I heard of you,saw your dvd, and now have been collecting your books I have been not feeling well (had blood work done), but feel like i’m (in a bubble) and no one hears me. So I decided that I need to take control myself I just got your kitchen book and I am going to get started and see if this will help me feel better and like you said (I just might lose weight a long the way!) This was what I was trying to do before, but for me, now that would just be a bonus! Thanks for all you do. I did want to ask 2 things In one of your drinks it calls for E3Live (2 ounces) But I went to my health food store and they said there were all kinds (brains, different functions) So I wanted to know which 1 And I looked to see what blender and juicer you thought were the best (to hold up) to use were, but couldn’t find it. So I would like to find out. Thank you for your help

  16. Denise says:

    Hello am dealing with fatty liver (non alcoholic) please any recommendation really respect your input! High regards

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