Crazy Sexy Diet: Eat Your Veggies, Ignite Your Spark, and Live Like You Mean It! (49 page)

Aside from being careful
to get enough vitamin B
₁₂
and vitamin D, you don’t really have to worry about the other vitamins and minerals when you eat a mostly raw, vegan diet. Or do you? Stuff happens, and sometimes you can’t eat the way you want to. And even when you can, other factors, like illness, food allergies, drug treatment, or even stress, mean that you might need extra on some vitamins and minerals.

To be on the safe side, I suggest taking a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement. Look for a brand that’s designed for adults and has at least 100 percent of the RDA for vitamin B
₁₂
if you are not also taking any B
₁₂
or B complex supplements. Make sure that it’s gluten-free and vegetarian. Quality counts in supplements—but that doesn’t always translate into price. Expensive doesn’t necessarily mean better. If you can’t afford a pricey daily supplement, there are high-quality affordable brands of multivitamins on the market that make it possible for you to never skip a dose.

As I explained in
chapter 4
,
your body needs essential fatty acids such as omega-3s just as much as it needs vitamins. And just as I suggest taking vitamin supplements to be absolutely certain you’re getting enough of what you need, I also suggest taking a daily omega-3 supplement. Look for one that gets the omega-3s from algae—that way you get a pure, animal-free product (no fish oil). I prefer enteric-coated capsules that don’t dissolve until they enter your small intestine—this helps avoid stomach upset and burpiness.

Remember that the capsules are supplements, not substitutes. You still want to have plenty of natural omega-3 sources in your diet, including nuts, seeds, beans, and vegetable oils (especially flaxseed). How much should you take? Capsules range from 200 to 1,000 mg. Generally speaking 1,000 mg (1 gram) a day should be enough. Larger doses can thin your blood a bit, which might be bad for you.

A great vegetarian supplement to add to your wellness arsenal is a product called Life’s DHA Omega 3 (learn more at lifesdha.com). Dr. Mehmet Oz first introduced me to this product when he made a house call to our Brooklyn pad to shoot my Oprah episode. The handsome and helpful doc arrived bearing gifts of a green drink, Life’s DHA supplements, and a pair of scrubs (which I still write in—so comfy!).

I suggest taking daily digestive enzyme
supplements. They take some of the load off your digestive system and let your body divert that energy to other purposes. And they make sure you have the enzymes you need, when you need them, to digest your food thoroughly and get maximum nutrition from it.

Add a digestive enzyme to your diet, especially when you’re eating animal products and/or cooked food. This will aid your body in proper digestion and elimination. Once we heat chow over 118 degrees, it loses its vitamins, minerals, and—most importantly—enzymes. Sooooo chow some enzymes to help everybody out!

You have a lot of choices when it comes to digestive enzymes—so many that this is one of the more confusing shelves at the health food store. Some supplements have ten or more enzymes in them. When making your choice, look for a supplement that has at least three kinds of enzymes: proteases, which help digest protein, amylases, which help digest carbohydrates, and lipases, which help digest fats. Some experts think you also need cellulase, an enzyme that helps break down insoluble fiber from cellulose, which is the main component of the cell walls in plants. Look for a supplement where the enzymes are all plant-based, since this is closer to what your body naturally produces. My favorites are sold at the Hippocrates Health Institute (hippocratesinst.org). They’re called LifeGive HHI-Zymes, and they come in a bucket of 650 caps. Enzymetica brand (enzymedica.com) has several fantastic products. Whatever brand you go with, take one or two capsules with each meal.

Last but not least,
I’ve been sucking on Aloe Life Herbal Aloe Detox Plus Formula (aloelife.com). I put a capful or two in a liter of water and drink it all morning. Aloe is more than just a great sunburn remedy. In fact, numerous studies have shown aloe vera to be a general boost for your overall immune system.

Research has shown three major areas where aloe is effective: anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antiviral. The juice is said to soothe digestive tract irritations such as colitis, ulcers, and irritable bowel syndrome, according to a paper in the
Journal of the American Osteopathic Society
.

In one study, asthmatic subjects took aloe orally for six months, and nearly half of them reported a reduction or elimination of asthma symptoms. Aloe also contains protein, calcium, magnesium, zinc, vitamins A, B
₁₂
, and E, and essential fatty acids; it’s naturally rich in calcium, vitamin C, natural enzymes, and germanium, a mineral that may help people with immunodeficiency diseases, chronic pain, and heart and circulatory problems.

Natural anti-inflammatory substances and analgesics are present in the gel-like yellow sap of aloe’s plump leaves, and that glorious goo can reduce swelling, pain, and skin irritation.

For those of you
who have never downed any kind of vitamin other than a chewable Fred Flintstone, the previous list might seem pretty long. Yet I’ve known people who take a separate carry-on when flying just to carry their vitamins, powders, potions, and pills! That’s overdoing it. The CSD is super-healthy, and the aforementioned give your system an extra boost. My feeling is if you buy the best, most high-quality vegetarian supplements from reliable sources, they can play a part in your ongoing vitality, shimmer, and spark!