Crazy Sexy Diet: A Review

So, I am not one for diets or diet books. Ever. However, Crazy Sexy Diet by Kris Carr is not a book about how to loose weight, it is a book about how to eat so your body will be happier. Some people may loose weight during that process, but that is not what the vibe behind the book is about. Carr talks about how Americans eat a highly acidic diet, which causes all sorts of stresses on our bodies. She believes that switching to a more alkaline diet can help cure diabetes, cancer, bowel issues, and many of the other common illnesses that people are suffering from today. Carr started this new way of eating after she was diagnosed with cancer. Her cancer has not disappeared, however, it did stop progressing and she is leading a happy and healthy life.
So, her main points are to greatly reduce your consumption of animal products and gluten (or eat none at all), eat much less sugar, and eat many many many more vegetables. She also believes that the majority of your diet should be raw foods (like salads and juices). I enjoyed this book because Carr goes through each of the typical "vices" (sugar, caffeine, dairy, etc.) and explain why each takes its toll on our body. Her basic premise is one that we have heard over and over again (eat less processed crap and more fresh vegetables) but she actually explains the "why" in easy to understand scientific terms.
I enjoyed Carr because she is a realist, and knows that everyone is going to slip. She doesn't say "never eat sugar again", she just says don't make a habit of it and if you do, don't beat yourself up and move on. You don't need to cut anything out of your life completely, but just eat mainly veggies and you will do just fine. A good reminder, even if I am not going to give up my ice cream stash in the freezer.
The one thing that annoyed me about this book was that Carr apparently has plenty of money, a large home, and lots of time (aka no children). She talks about preparing all of these healthy foods (which is time consuming) but also adds that you need twice daily meditation for 30 minutes each time, yoga, an hour a day of exercise, 8 hours of sleep each night, regular massages, and baths every night. Ummm, sure. As soon as my kids are all in college I might have that much time if I also quit my job. She also suggests buying a trampoline and talks about how she works out on her exercise machine while watching tv. Sounds nice, yes. However, an eliptical would cost as much as our mortgage for a couple of months and it would take up about 1/4 of our home area. Not happening.
So, in general, I mostly loved this book and can't wait to try the 21-day cleanse that is included. I would recommend this read to anyone who is interest in their health, however, I also think that her "to-do" list for a healthy body is completely unrealistic for anyone who has kids or a regular job. But, as Carr says, whatever small changes one can make to their health will add up to big benefits in the long run. So, no, I am not going to get nightly baths or regular massages, but maybe the bath that I can squeeze in every few weeks will be really worth it.