Do you ever wonder why one alcoholic becomes sober and another doesn’t?

Or why one person makes dietary changes in the face of chronic inflammatory disease and the other doesn’t?

I do. I think about this a lot. It is clear that there is an element of grace, but there’s also something else, at least for me. Fear helps me avoid my drug of choice – sugar.

You see, if we are going to celebrate food’s ability to heal the body, then we also have to respect its ability to destroy the body.

I know that fear isn’t a welcomed word in the wellness community. We need to do everything out of love, right? Nope. Fear is healthy, and there is evil in this world.

A healthy fear helps us avoid things that have the potential to hurt us. I’m not going to jump head first into shallow water. I’m not going to put my hand in boiling water. And I’m not going to eat frosted fucking cornflakes for breakfast.

Some of these may strike you as common sense but then why do we eat sugar when we know it’s harmful? Because if you’re not tuned in to your body, the effects seem “down the road.” It’s true, there are fast poisons and there are slow poisons. Sugar is the latter.

Alongside fear is this simple question I ask myself: is it worth it?

This is the question I carry with me every time I’m faced with a decision as to how I treat my body.

The donut isn’t worth it.

Staying up late to watch a movie isn’t worth it.

Having a glass of red wine with dinner isn’t worth it.

Eating my son’s leftover sweet potato fries isn’t worth it.

That beer with a plate of hot wings isn’t worth it.

The convenience of wireless connections in my home isn’t worth it.

These things aren’t worth it because I understand their impact on my body and won’t feel as well if I partake in them. Sure, they are fun in the moment, but what about the aftermath?

The truth is that life is FULL of fleeting pleasures. They will always be there for us. But right now, in this moment, fleeting pleasure doesn’t interest me. I want to build my life force, not deplete it. I want to love my body, not disrespect it.

In the words of Fifth Harmony, baby I’m worth it! And so are you! (I would kill this song in a karaoke bar, by the way.)

So in the spirit of finding treats that give something back to our body (or at least don’t take something away from us), I want to share my favorite low-carb root beer float recipes with you. This is a hit with my entire family:

Start with making a low-carb, high-fat vanilla ice cream. These are my two favorite recipes:

Keto Vanilla Ice Cream from Healthful Pursuit

A Low-Carb Ice Cream Miracle from Bulletproof

Note to self about this recipe: I only use 3 Tablespoons of xylitol. 5 is too sweet for me.

This is the ice cream maker I use.

Once you make the ice cream, you know what to do: scoop into a cup and pour a stevia-sweetened root beer on top. My two favorite brands are: Zevia and Virgil’s Zero Sugar Root Beer. While both are delicious on a hot summer day, I must say that I am partial to Virgil’s because it has a darker color which makes it more like a “real” root beer, but that’s just me! Either one is a winner.

Enjoy your root beer floats in peace, my friends!

Love,

Charlotte

PS: If you are longing to improve your relationship to food and your body or maybe you feel like there’s something you’re missing in terms of your wellbeing, you might want to check out my book Eat in Peace to Live in Peace: Your Handbook for Vitality. Thanks for being here!