by Olga Aura

November 2009 — The problem behind cravings and holiday binging is that we are starving. Yes, starving for deep nourishment that food alone can never provide. But we keep eating. Feeling lonely: We eat. Going through major life changes: We eat. Overly excited: We eat. So how can we enjoy the holiday party season without the side effects of weight gain, the flu and depression?

Here is a recent consultation I had with a student:

Q: Recall a most recent craving. What substance did you crave?

A: Chocolate chip cookies. I ate a whole plate of them.

Q: What were you feeling right before eating all these cookies?

A: I was at a holiday party. And in a room full of people, I was feeling lonely.

Q: Where do you feel this loneliness in your body?

A: In my chest and throat.

Q: Breathe into the chest and ask: What am I disconnected from and replacing with cookies?

A: It’s intimacy. I have been avoiding intimacy.

Q: So what is it that you really want, that which will replace the food?

A: I want connection, trust and love.

Can you relate to this story? Haven’t you been struggling long enough? You might have been asking for a magic key or a portal to transport you into a new vibrant body, a new life.

Key No. 1: The food is the portal.

Like Alice in Wonderland who falls through the rabbit hole, you fall deep into the golden core of yourself. As you fall you surrender the “story” you have written about yourself: “I am fat, unlovable, a Virgo, an addict, a wife, a banker; my father left me when I was five.” Story. What you are starving for is freedom from the story! Underneath the extra pounds you are “weighting” to spread your wings and fly like an eagle.

As you are brushing your feathers, ready to fly, let’s be clear: Cravings and stress eating are not just in your head.

Key No. 2: It’s in your gut, too.

And it’s called candida. Many people think they have a willpower problem when it comes to sugar. You do not have a willpower problem. You have an overgrowth of yeast bacteria in your colon. These are living microorganisms that eat sugar to reproduce, causing bloatedness. The more sugar — cookies, alcohol, bread, pasta — you eat, the bigger the colonies of yeast grow, and the more sugar they demand to sustain themselves. It’s a vicious cycle. How to break free? Cleanse the yeast and restore the good bacteria in your gut.

The holiday season is here. But don’t worry; even if you slip a lot you can still look and feel lean and vibrant in your favorite outfit!

Olga’s Antidotes to a Holiday Sugar Binge

Better than Soda

1 glass purified water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 pinch Stevia

Mix together and enjoy first thing in the morning. The apple cider vinegar is a natural pro-biotic; it supplies good bacteria for better digestion and weight loss.

Avocado-Kraut-on-the-Go

1 avocado

½ cup raw sauerkraut

Halve the avocado, take the pit out, and fill the opening from the pit with sauerkraut. You’ll be delighted with the salty, creamy texture. Raw cultured foods convert sugar into useful acids and aid digestion.

Olga Aura is the founder of the 21-day Cleanse. She healed herself from bulimia and bipolar disorder using the tools she   now teaches to groups and individuals. CoastViews readers save $125 on weight loss coaching for the holidays. Call Aura at 415-512-5775 or visit www.IamFullyAlive.com.