#literally how do they make them taste like aspartame though

[dvar-trek]

okay i have now tried alcoholic seltzer in two of my favorite seltzer flavors (grapefruit and black cherry) and they were both TERRIBLE you people have been LYING to me. they taste NOTHING like seltzer. they taste fake and metallic, like DIET SODA, in spite of supposedly being made with real cane sugar.

[black-coffee-cutie-blog]

how to handle upset stomach after a binge and when restricting or fasting.

[TW: eating disorders, laxatives, restricting, fasting, binging, emetophobia]

as someone with 3 digestive conditions, a relapse always manages to screw up my digestion and overall comfort. I'm sure that there are others who feel that sentiment strongly, so I'm gonna share some of what works for me.

general upper digestive system issues (heartburn, acid reflux, nausea, etc.): antacids are my go-to medicine. however, they come in a lot more forms than you might realize! if your symptoms are minor, regular tums will work just fine.

i also like to use alka-seltzer tablets mixed with water, mostly because the fizziness combined with the medicine really helps settle my stomach. (hint: if the taste of regular alka-seltzer is too gross for you to handle, put some lemon juice in there. lemon is a natural anti-nausea agent. even smelling a lemon takes my symptoms away sometimes.)

if you're terribly nauseous and don't want to vomit, the scent of rubbing alcohol helps, as does peppermint oil. if you're in public, it's nearly impossible to gag while humming or clenching your left thumb tightly in your fist.

if you have nausea associated with acid reflux, skip the ginger. ginger tends to make that a lot worse **when ingested**. However, smelling or topically applying ginger oil does help considerably.

for acid reflux, sleeping with your head elevated is a good idea. during the day, there are a bunch of OTC medicines that help. There are some purple capsules called Prilosec OTC, and the active ingredient is Omeprazole. They work like a charm and are usually inexpensive. I would always suggest capsules over tablets for acid reflux because tablets tend to make the back of your throat feel like it's on fire the second they hit the acid that's already there. 10/10 would not recommend. also, if you're gonna get non-gummy chewable antacids, please drink a bit of water before you take them. acid reflux can make your mouth feel dry and antacids combined with a dry mouth feels disgusting.

if it isn't reflux, ginger comes in many different forms. I find that anything that allows me to taste and smell the ginger as I ingest it helps a lot. ginger drops are good, but usually don't give long-lasting relief. ginger tea is better because it allows for you to sip with each wave of nausea and settles your stomach. ginger capsules are good if you're okay with waiting 30 minutes for them to kick in.

upper digestive issues after a binge: for me, the worst thing i felt when i habitually binged was the nausea. usually, the reflux got better when I binged and worse when I went back to restricting.

for nausea after a binge, Nauzene tablets are a lifesaver. they look DISGUSTING. they taste DISGUSTING. they work within 4 minutes. they're worth it.

emetrol is a liquid version of Nauzene, essentially, and it is NOT WORTH IT. it works within 15 minutes and wears off almost as fast. and it tastes like absolute horseshit. thats a hard pass for me.

i wouldn't suggest antacid tablets after a binge because you need to drink water with them, and drinking water after a binge makes you feel bloated, in my experience. gummy antacids, however, are a lifesaver. I would not recommend gummy antacids with a hard shell on the outside. they taste and feel chalky.

upper digestive issues during restriction or fasting: tea is a life-saver for heartburn and nausea while restricting and fasting. if calories concern you, drink with an ASPARTAME-FREE 0 calorie sweetener. I recommend Stevia. chamomile, peppermint, and lemon lavender are my personal upper GI go-to teas. just about any tea will work, though I would suggest avoiding citrus or cinnamon.

if it's night-time and your symptoms are severe, boy do i have a reccomendation for you: alka seltzer brand mixed-berry flavored gummy antacids with melatonin. these bitches will have you heartburn and nausea free within 10 minutes, and if they don't? that's okay, your ass will be KNOCKED OUT before you can even complain. these are especially helpful for getting through a fast, because sometimes, the best thing you can do for comfort is sleep it off. plus, they're sweet, and they have an added benefit of helping with low blood sugar and dizziness from fasting and restricting.

for lower body digestive system issues (bloating, diarrhea, constipation, pain) in general: when you're bloated, anything minty will usually help. peppermint or spearmint leaves (just chew them), a LOW DOSE (1 or 2 drops) of peppermint oil mixed into tea, etc.

for diarrhea, my best reccomendation would be to NOT TAKE AN ANTI-DIARRHEAL. unless you want to not shit for 4 days while feeling like you need to every few minutes, that's a nope from me, dog. nah, instead, I would suggest eating mild food. the BRAT diet is always my go to: Banana, Rice, Apples, Toast. A bonus is that those are all generally "safe" foods. they tend to be bland and easy to digest, which makes the loose stool stop sooner. also, make sure you're drinking enough water, because dehydration is the main reason why loose stools have killed people in the past. don't drink a ton of water at once, though. space it out throughout the day.

also, normal Pepto Bismol liquid is my favorite for bringing diarrhea to a stop without causing constipation. I would suggest keeping a big bottle of it in the fridge if you're prone to loose stools. I personally find Pepto Bismol tablets to be ineffective in handling symptoms as quickly as the liquid. the liquid coats your esophagus and stomach, which helps with upper GI symptoms too. DO NOT USE CHERRY FLAVORED PEPTO BISMOL unless it is literally your last option, because it tastes HORRID and you will never forget the taste. it will enter your nightmares and pervade your senses when least expected. you think I'm being dramatic, but I promise you, you would regret it.

for constipation, do not take a ton of laxatives. the last thing you need on top of all this mess is an accidental laxative addiction. laxatives don't do shit for weight loss, and they get your body dependent on outside help for digestion. don't even start it.

one stool softening pill is fine. if it doesn't work, don't try and jumpstart the process. instead, take the RECCOMENDED AMOUNT of a fiber powder, or eat some foods high in fiber (these tend to be low-calorie). a quick google search should bring up a list of high-fiber foods.

for abdominal pain, I recommend heat in some form. a hot bath, a heating pad, a hot water bottle. if you're out in public, there are these portable heat patches that you can buy in a four-pack. they're used more often for joint pain, but they help a lot if your stick 'em on your tummy too. if you are a person who gets periods, these help with cramps too, just as a side note. DO NOT USE HEAT PATCHES WITH CAPSAICIN IN THEM. THEY WILL BURN YOU. I don't just mean you'll feel a burning sensation, I mean that I left one of those on my stomach for maybe 10 minutes and sustained a first degree burn from it. nothing makes stomach pain worse like adding another layer of pain to contend with.

If you're restricting at any level, DON'T TAKE PAIN MEDICINE FOR ABDOMINAL PAIN OR ANY PAIN PLEASE I BEG OF YOU it'll make you so nauseous and it's honestly the quickest way to get an ulcer.

kaopectate is great for lower digestive issues but for the love of all things good keep it in the fridge and don't get the vanilla kind. the taste of warm vanilla kaopectate is beyond horrid. not as bad as cherry Pepto, but close.

Imodium pills are usually pretty helpful too. Kaopectate works better for me, but I'd try both to see which one is most helpful for you personally. In terms of overall effectiveness, they're equal, but Kaopectate works faster.

Final notes:

1. I am not encouraging anyone to develop an ED in these tips. I'm just trying to help people feel better. having an ED doesn't mean you don't deserve basic comfort and symptom relief.

2. if you have dogs or kids running around, do NOT let them get ahold of any minty essential oils. peppermint, eucalyptus, spearmint, etc. will all cause children and pets severe breathing problems. kids have died from smelling peppermint oil. don't use essential oil diffusers at all with kids in the general vicinity.

3. I am not a doctor. I'm a sick person with way too much time on my hands and a severe illness phobia. please don't take my word as law. if a certain medicine works better for you, cool! I'm just giving my personal experiences and trying to help y'all avoid the medicine mistakes I've made. also, if you're on prescription meds, ask your doctor before taking other OTC meds.

4. eating disorders suck. these symptoms that we have to deal with because of them suck. if you are in the initial stages of an ED and you're reading this, get help. if you're in the late stages, get help. it is never too early or too late to get help. no good therapist or doctor will ever tell you to come back when your symptoms are worse, and if they do, they need to have their license revoked. the mere presence of eating disordered ideation or intent is enough to merit treatment. if you think it's too late, it's never too late until you're dead. don't let it get that far, please. you can be happy. you can be healthy. you deserve to be happy and healthy and alive. you deserve to thrive. you deserve to be okay.

i love you all. if you ever need ANYTHING, I'm one message away. i hope y'all feel better soon. 💞

[artsoccupychi]

9 Surprising Reasons People Don’t Get Well, Or Stay Well

In the 25 years since I learned how to get healthy, and then did it–I’ve never stopped researching.

I even went on a global investigative tour of 19 holistic wellness clinics. And I continue to write about what I learned about how people get well.

In that research tour, and my 450-city, 6-year speaking tour, I met a lot of people who are very ill.

Almost always, they immediately want to tell me all the things they’ve done, to try to solve their health problems. They are looking for answers.

The more I research the scientific literature, and talk to people who are happy, and people who are miserable, the more I uncover surprising, powerful reasons why we’re sick. Addressing them can be key, to get well.

In this blog post, I share with you 9 significant but often-overlooked reasons I believe people get sick, and stay sick.

1.  Addictions have you by the throat.

It’s not your fault you’re addicted to…well, everything.

Big food manufacturers like Pepsi and Frito Lay organize focus groups to test the “sweet spot” for exactly how much refined sugar, refined salt, and even neurotoxic seasonings like aspartame and monosodium glutamate, provoke people to eat maximum amounts of their product.

Big food manufacturers test the “sweet spot” for exactly how much refined sugar, refined salt, and even neurotoxic seasonings provoke people to eat and drink maximum amounts of their product.

Literally, millions of dollars are spent to figure out how to get you to eat more.

But even though it’s not your fault they have your number—only you can get yourself free of the addictions.

You’re the only motivated party, in that relationship you have with the processed food–or alcohol, tobacco, or painkiller–industries.

One very hopeful fact is that your ancestors ate virtually no processed sugar, until the past few generations—and your body is actually programmed to resonate with the higher-frequency foods, such as colorful fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds.

When you go completely cold turkey off all sugars and refined salt, for even four days—I’m talking about all processed food—while those first four days can be very difficult, what happens next is very exciting.

In my favorite book I’ve ever authored, The Adventures of Junk Food Dude, we explore how our tastes completely change, in just four days off sugar.

Are you open to story time? I read a story, from a children’s book, to over 100 adult audiences, on my lecture tour, and they loved it.

In my favorite book of the 15 titles I’ve authored, The Adventures of Junk Food Dude, we explore how our tastes completely change, in just four days off sugar.

Does that seem too simple, to possibly be truthful?

It’s not. Sugar, according to several animal studies, is more addictive than cocaine. (In animal studies, unlike human studies, ethically, you can put both cocaine and sugar in a dispenser, and let the rats go for it.)

And, once you’ve been pressing the lever, for a dopamine rush of sugar (or fried foods, or alcohol), you’re far more likely to press it again, and again. And again.

But your neurological system regains control, in a surprisingly short period of time. My informal research has led me to this surprising fact:

Most people have never, not once in their lives, gone four days without refined sugar.

In fact, most people don’t even know when they’re eating foods full of sugar, and salt.

Why? Food is so easy, these days, that there’s little effort to get it, little effort to eat it—and we expend correspondingly little effort to be mindful of what’s in it.

Try it. Go off all sugar for four days. Let the magic happen.

If you’re up for a full 26 days without sugar, eating only whole foods, to completely reset your metabolic system, check out my free detox video masterclass.

It’s a shortcut, to my 20 years of research in how to get our energy back, lose weight effortlessly, and rebalance the hormonal, immune, and digestive systems.

2. You’re taking advice from the “sick care” specialists, instead of the wellness experts.

“My doctor says…” is how I’ve found most people start a conversation about their health.

A small but growing minority of health care practitioners are moving into “functional medicine,” a movement to diagnose, and then treat, the root cause of disease. Functional doctors treat a patient holistically, and preventatively, with treatments that do no harm.

With treatments that resolve problems, rather than masking symptoms.

But the vast majority of the billions of dollars we spend on health care, these days, goes to the complex of M.D.’s who are trained in sick care. That is, if your body is in auto-immune crisis, rather than find out why your thyroid or adrenals are failing–they give you a drug to mask the symptoms.

If you have a tumor, they’ll direct radioactive rays to burn it. Or they’ll inject chemicals in your veins, to poison it—and hope the rest of your body survives the treatment.

What they don’t do is examine why your immune system stopped metabolizing cancer cells in the first place. Or how exposure to toxicity may have caused a serious weakness in the organ where cancer started.

While you might feel better in the short term, if you’re taking the prescriptions from the medical complex run by M.D.’s, you still have a problem.

Masking the symptoms with drugs is like putting duct tape over the engine light signal in the dashboard of your car. You can’t see it any more—but your engine is still in jeopardy.

Masking the symptoms with drugs is like putting duct tape over the engine light signal in the dashboard of your car. You can’t see it any more—but your engine is still in jeopardy.

I don’t mean to disparage doctors, because they’re great at what they were trained in.

They might do the same surgery, three times a day, for 20 years—and they’re the right person for the job, if you need a triple bypass, or a Lasik procedure, or a joint replacement.

They won’t be able to help you recover your cardiovascular health, or stop losing your eyesight, or rebuild connective tissue. They don’t know anything about nutrition, or how to be healthy. Medical school didn’t cover any of that.

They may know their diabetic meds, and be able to teach you how to monitor your blood sugar levels, and adjust your insulin.

What they don’t know how to do, is heal your endocrine system.

So, the best person to have in the driver’s seat of your car, is you.

Getting educated from the best books about human health, and being guided by a very experienced functional-medicine practitioner, is a great idea.

3. You think the latest fad diet will save you. (Because you’re confused about what ‘eating healthy’ really means.)

When one of my readers talks to me about their diet, in growing numbers, they tell me what diet fad they follow. This trend is alarming to me.

Ditch the diets. Don’t be afraid of carbohydrates. (Eat the complex, whole-foods versions, like fruits, whole grains, and legumes.)

“I eat Paleo,” they’ll say, or “I’ve been doing the Ketogenic diet, the past several months.”

If you think that “eating Paleo” or “eating Keto” means “good nutrition,” you’re not alone. Today’s generations have followed so many diets, that they don’t know that a healthy diet doesn’t require them to count their grams of carbohydrates, or avoid some of the food classes people have been eating for literally millions of years.

Ditch the diets. Don’t be afraid of carbohydrates. (Eat the complex, whole-foods versions, like fruits, whole grains, and legumes.)

Don’t buy into the silly idea that “protein” is found only in animal foods, or that you have to maximize your protein intake.

Stop counting calories. Don’t avoid healthy fats found in whole foods—and don’t overeat them, either.

When I opted out of the medical complex, the meat-and-dairy complex, and the processed-food complex—three of the wealthiest industries in the history of the world—I got my health back.

And the hundreds of books and research papers I studied, gave me clarity that has helped me steer clear of confusing my body, disrupting normal metabolic processes, yo-yo dieting and radical changes of diet, year after year.

I feel like I literally got off the roller coaster. The Cliff’s Notes of what I learned can be found in my 12 Steps to Whole Foods Video Masterclass, which I now share with you, for free.

4. You rely on supplements, and underestimate the power of your dietary choices.

So many of us think that health is found through taking supplements. If you’re new on the journey, you may be looking to nutritional supplements, rather than to pharmaceutical drugs. That’s an important first step. Being aware of the destructive effects of chemical drugs, and realizing that they don’t solve underlying health problems.

But too many of us are refusing to address the very foundation of our diet. No handfuls of supplements can cover for a deficient diet.

You see, while I may be able to make a synthetic version of one of the amino acids that could help you see better, or may play a role in a mood disorder, no scientist has been able to put, in any pill, what is found in the magical, synergistic foods that grow on trees, and in the ground.

(When people ate those, we didn’t have an epidemic of depression and anxiety. Or diabetes, obesity, and cancer.)

These types of food have soluble and insoluble fiber, that is stripped out, when a supplement company makes it into a pill.

Any given nutrient works in concert, with potentially hundreds of other nutritional compounds, for optimal human health. Science has less information than you may think, about the elegant way that whole foods support slow aging, living without symptoms and disease, and enjoying energy from early till late, every day.

If you’re taking a lot of pills (of any kind) and not getting well, ask yourself if the foundation of your diet (90 percent of it or more) consists of greens, vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds.

These are the foods that human beings ate, before the epidemic of cancer, heart disease, and auto-immune conditions.

I take supplements. Vitamin D, for instance, is very hard to come by, where I live–where the sun doesn’t shine long enough, or it’s too cold to go outside, for six months of the year. And low Vitamin D levels may be more correlated to high cancer risk, than any other factor.

I also take fulvic and humic acid, found in ancient plant deposits–the most bioavailable source of all 90+ minerals needed, for every transaction in the human body, in a world where soils are depleted.

And I experiment with supplements, for various reasons, on a regular basis. I do so after carefully educating myself, because you can overdose on many supplements, and you can do harm, with the wrong dosing or the wrong supplement.

Science is exploding with natural antibiotics, natural anti-inflammatories, and more. They can be powerful.

Use supplements, but don’t buy into the mindset that with supplements, your diet doesn’t matter. Nothing could be further than the truth.

5. You underestimate the effect of your “natural emotional state” on being physically healthy.

One of the most important findings, in functional medicine in recent decades, is the fact that unmetabolized, low-vibration emotions can seem to “play on a loop” for those affected by anxiety and depression.

Being “stuck” emotionally can affect our ability to get well and stay well.

Being “stuck” emotionally can affect our ability to get well and stay well.

Pretend we’re sitting at your kitchen table, and I’m asking you a question. Answer the truth.

Don’t think about it, just answer:

“What is your natural, default emotional state?”

If “happy” (or something like it) wasn’t your quick answer, the good news is, there’s much you can do, to turn that around.

Tapping the higher vibrations, to stay out of a funk, regardless of circumstances, is the subject of my most recent book, Vibe: Unlock the Energetic Frequencies of Limitless Health, Love & Success.

I wrote the book, after 50 years of finding my way out of a childhood of abuse, and many difficult circumstances, including divorce after 20 years, and several big failures—and achieving a life that by any standards, is really wonderful.

But if you’re happy, naturally, but sometimes struggle? Becoming mindful, and finding ways out of that state, quickly, can completely transform your health—both physical and emotional.

Women who “stuff” their emotions are more prone to breast cancer.

People who are angry or fearful, regularly, are more likely to have heart attacks and strokes. People who cannot forgive, and hold grudges, have mysterious physical symptoms, that often resolve, when that “stuck energy” is released.

While this way of thinking isn’t particularly mechanistic, and not easily decoded, we are holistic beings, and our physical health affects our emotional state, and vice versa.

Thirty years ago, the “helping professions” used mostly talk therapy, to get to the root of your misery, anxiety, depression, fear, anger, and inability to forgive.

The psychological interventions, from Freud to Gestalt to Behaviorism, weren’t particularly effective. Insurance companies even refused to pay for most of it, due to lack of efficacy of most talk therapy.

Most people in therapy didn’t get better, although the patient became more aware, and couples started communicating, with an intermediary–which can start a change process for many.

Now bioenergetic interventions and neurofeedback training, EMDR interventions even in mainstream psychotherapy, and various forms of “energy healing” are having remarkable results in allowing us to emotionally heal, which facilitates physical healing.

If you eat a clean, disciplined diet, but you’re stuck on “replay” with your childhood of abuse or trauma, or can’t release resentments from how others have wronged you, I hope you’ll consider whether this is an area to focus on, in recovering from a physical illness.

After all, there really is no clear distinction between our spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health.

6. You don’t stick to your plan long enough.

The half-life of a new diet, a new cure-all, a lifestyle change, has never been shorter. As soon as you read Guru X’s book, Doctor Y comes along, publishing a competing philosophy.

In the age of media-24/7, you’ve got a lot of noise, competing for your attention–and we’ve all developed a bit of Attention Deficit Disorder.

You’re on to the next fad, quickly, not seeing the healing process through, that takes place from committed dietary and lifestyle changes.

How many programs or ideas resonated with you, but after some quick wins for a few days or weeks, you fell off the wagon, and didn’t get back on again?

It takes time, to learn new recipes, new shopping habits, and truly commit to a whole-foods program. This is required, to get you out of a life dominated by symptoms and fear. Each recipe you discover, that is delicious to you, as well as healthy, is an important step on the journey.

It took you a long time, to end up with poor health, and the “long play” of getting your health back means that you must stay in your program, until it becomes habit, and sustainable.

Even “two steps forward, one step back” is true progress. (No one’s perfect, and even if you decide to eat a 95 percent whole-foods, mostly plant-based diet, you might slip, now and then.) But don’t let that be a reason to quit.

Have a vision in mind of how health is rebuilt–one habit, one recipe, at a time. Replacing 10 dishes you currently eat, with 10 new, healthier dishes, can be a totally game changer.

You start with the first one. Then the second one is easier, and the third is easier still. Remember that old principle of physics you learned in high school:

Bodies in motion tends to stay in motion.

It’s never too late to make small changes that lead to big wins, for your health.

7. You don’t break a sweat every day.

Everyone knows that exercising, for the sake of your cardiovascular health, and disease risk, is critically important.

What you may not know, in the age of Crossfit and ultra-marathons, is that more evidence is coming to light that more isn’t necessarily better.

Even going for a 30-minute brisk walk, six days a week, is powerful, in lowering your disease risk. And pushing the body through “extreme” sports such as marathons, comes with its own set of health risks.

Even slightly overweight people who exercise regularly, may have lower morbidity rates, according to new research, than thin people who don’t exercise.

So, don’t hold the bar so high that you think that if you don’t have time for an hour on the Stairmaster, you might as well not do anything.

For some, with stressed adrenals, regular yoga classes may be just the right type and amount of exercise.

Listen to your body, and do what you can. But whatever you do, don’t be sedentary. Your spine compresses, and combined with the stress many of us face, in our work and our lives, you put yourself at unnecessary risk.

Going for a walk lets you breathe clean air (oxygen!), get some sunshine on your skin (Vitamin D!), and lifts your spirits, in addition to increasing your fitness level.

And for those who aren’t able to be mobile, an infrared sauna can passively achieve many of the benefits of exercise.

Or a vibrational plate you stand on, for 15 minutes a day, can cause trillions of muscle fibers to fire, and raise your vibration in many ways—you’ll notice the difference, after doing any of these easy habits for just a few days.

Small bursts of exercise increase oxygen to the brain, which makes you sharper and more productive.

Get up from your desk, once every 60 minutes, and do 20 sit-ups, jumping jacks, pushups, or squats—because small bursts of exercise increase oxygen to the brain, which makes you sharper and more productive.

Some evidence suggests doing this for a total of 20 minutes a day, in short increments, may outweigh the benefits of a 60-minute jog!

We are the only people, in the history of the world, who go entire days with very little movement. It’s unnatural, it’s a big contributor to the anxiety and depression epidemic, and the solutions are easy, and varied.

8. You haven’t learned a healthier way of being “in relationship” with others.

The old schools of psychology held that an emotionally healthy human being was one who was “independent” of others, and didn’t rely on parental figures, friendships, and intimate relationships.

The newer science of attachment theory has yielded dozens of published papers proving that nothing could be further from the truth. We “bond” with our mothers not just because they provide us nourishment, but because we are fundamentally, innately tribal creatures who need companionship and love from those around us.

Needing others doesn’t make us “needy”–it makes us human.

And when our closest relationships are “toxic,” trapped in cycles of criticism, shaming, neglect, or silence, we suffer. Walling ourselves off from the pain of difficult relationships isn’t the answer.

Yes, babies who can “self soothe” are happier babies. But babies without human touch, eye contact, and affection, have poor outcomes as older children and adults. In orphanages, they sometimes die.

Many of us default into the unhealthy patterns we observed in our parents, and the “dysfunctional family” may describe many or even most of our early-life experiences. But research shows that even having a flawed family is better than having no family.

Many studies now document that those with furry pets have lower blood pressure and fewer heart attacks.

Relationships with pets can help fill the void, for people who have few relationships. I work fulltime from home, the past 10 years, and my last child is about to fly the coop. Having my cat in my lap, while I work, and someone to talk to, when my “virtual” relationships aren’t enough, gives me energetic connection to living beings that helps me feel grounded and connected–until “girls’ night out” on the weekends, or my next work or vacation trip with friends or family.

Many studies now document that those with furry pets have lower blood pressure and fewer heart attacks.

Physical touch is important, and if you aren’t in an intimate relationship, the energy exchange from a professional massage can also help fill the bill. We literally exchange electrons with any kind of positive physical touch. So, hug people more often—the big, long, bear-hug type of embrace.

Seeking out group experiences, and new friendships, can be difficult in mid-life, or when we’re feeling socially isolated—and many of us do, in the digital age when most of our interaction with others is online.

But it’s also a part of whether we’re physically healthy, or not.

Join Meetup, and you’ll find a group in your town based on almost any interest you might have. A face-to-face interaction with another person is far healthier than a text thread.

And above all, solve, or eliminate, relationships that cause you chronic suffering. It’s okay to limit contact with a relative you’ve sought resolution with, but cannot achieve despite your best efforts.

(Owning your part in relationship troubles is also highly beneficial to your health. After all, when you’re accountable, you’re also empowered, and change is possible. You can’t change their behavior and feelings, but you can change yours.)

And seeking out, and spending time with, people who inspire and encourage you in your goals, is one of the most important things you can do, as you seek a healthier life.

The best way to learn if someone is an encourager, the type who can be “wind under your wings?” Make a concerted effort to be the wind under theirs.

These are three proven keys to healthy relationships:

A. Set boundaries. Boundaries don’t have to be ten-foot brick walls. Some healthy boundaries are semi-permeable.

I go to family events with a parent who was abusive and destructive to my self-concept, for the earlier decades of my life. I honor her for giving me life, I’m polite to her, and I do not engage in arguments or conflict—but that doesn’t mean I have to have sleepovers or invite her out with my girlfriends.

Setting boundaries I am comfortable with has led to peaceful co-existence with others, because some people I spend a lot of time with, some people I spend a little time with, and some people, I give myself permission to spend no time with.

B. Communicate clearly and effectively. No one knows your needs, unless you express them.

What your family member or friend does, with that information, is their prerogative, but finding a neutral tone to express how you feel, in “I” language, rather than provocative “you” language, just might help you feel understood, and turn a corner in the relationship.

Expressing yourself when you’re angry, isn’t effective, and can cause additional damage to a strained relationship. When you can revisit an issue, when you’re feeling calm and clear, however, can lead to breakthroughs in even very difficult relationships.

C. Be willing to end toxic relationships.

People trapped in “toxic” relationships are also at higher risk for many diseases.

Amy Poehler’s autiobiography says, “I don’t consider a ten-year marriage to be a failure.” While many would take issue with that, and our culture highly values marriages that last “till death do us part,” some relationships have a natural end.

This can apply to friendships, as well. All relationships can be instructive. And since we are only one of two parties in any relationship, we can’t always control whether they continue, or end.

When we find the gift and learning opportunity in every relationship, then the end of a relationship can be an opportunity to forge new ones, and move forward in peace.

No one maintains every relationship they’ve ever built–and while working through problems is highly valuable, in some cases, “letting go” is the right thing to do, for the sake of your health.

9. You don’t have meaningful work, giving you “life purpose.”

Many people think of work as a chore, and something you just plow through, till quitting time—then, and only then, can you be happy. “Happy hour” starting at 5 p.m. was built on this concept!

But the happiest and healthiest people are those who have meaningful work. And over 80 percent of Americans report that they don’t have their “dream job,” or even particularly enjoy their work.

You don’t have to be a doctor, psychotherapist, kindergarten teacher, or a mother of babies, to love your work.

You do have to feel like your creativity and contribution is valued, you are compensated fairly for your work, and you look forward to doing it.

“Flow states” have been studied, for several decades, as one of the highest-vibration states of the human being. This is where you may lose track of time, a crowbar couldn’t separate you from the task you’re immersed in, and you have extraordinary satisfaction not just in the paycheck or work product—but in the process itself.

Do you experience it, on a regular basis? After reading Mihali Csikszentmihalyi’s book, Flow, over 20 years ago, I began to tune into when I tap that state of high-frequency creation and productivity.

Playing tennis is one of my “flow states,” so it’s one of the activities that I seek out as often as I can.

I find flow states in my life most often, doing three things: (1) when I’m writing or speaking (most of what I do, in my job), (2) when I’m playing tennis (my favorite hobby), and (3) when I’m deep in a conversation with someone I connect with.

So, I now seek those activities out. While I run a business with 22 employees, and some tasks (such as reviewing spreadsheets) do not light up all the pleasure centers, I find ways that research and writing can benefit my influence with others, and my business in general. Because I love it.

If you aren’t in a career that meets these objectives and give you a sense of purpose, remember:

People change careers several times, in a lifetime. It’s not impossible. Create an intention to watch for– and act on–opportunities. Verbalize your career hopes, to those around you. Ask boldly for opportunities. Sometimes the answer will be yes.

And magic will begin to happen.

Remember, people with life purpose are happy, healthy people.

–Robyn Openshaw, MSW, is the founder of GreenSmoothieGirl.com, and the author of the USA Today and Amazon #1 Bestseller Vibe: Unlock the Energetic Frequencies of Limitless Health, Love & Success.

  Disclosure: This post may contain Affiliate links that help support the GSG mission without costing you extra. I recommend only companies and products that I use myself. 

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[stephhannes]

america’s next top sparkling water pt. 1

When I was in high school I got a lot of shit for drinking sparkling water. My fridge was stocked with La Croix, and I was a laughingstock. Now, seven years later, bubbles have come into fashion. People love La Croix, so much so that the pronunciation of the brand has become a hot topic for discourse (the company pronounces it as ‘la croy,’ and after months of that being shoved in my face, I’ve renounced my old pronunciation of ‘la kwah’). Here’s the thing, everything in Texas is cheap. For the last three years, every other week when I’d hit up the HEB I’d pick up two 12 packs of La Croix and drive them back to my home. When I moved to NYC, I realized that it’s $8 for a 12 pack and that’s exactly half of the $16/wk grocery budget I’ve been living on. (Also I am but a weak child, how am I supposed to carry two twelve packs back to my apartment?) I’ve not touched a La Croix in the last month, and have been venturing into the world of 99 cent sparkling waters. Out of all the ones I’ve tried, this is my definitive ranking. Based on general flavor, retention of carbonation, and personal enjoyment- I present to you “Stephanie’s Sparkling Shitshow pt. 1”

As a control, I’ll be basing everything on the La Croix scale. The flavor is subtle, but fresh and authentic. It doesn’t have that weird aspartame-y artificial sweetener aftertaste, no syrupy flavor. Since LC comes in cans, the carbonation retention is at its peak- it bites when you take the first sip after cracking open a cold one with the boys, and that lingers on for as long as you keep it open. There have been times when I’ll drunkenly open one (because I ‘need to hydrate before I fall asleep’) and pass out before I finish it, and when I wake up in the mornings I can still finish it without being upset. The fact that it comes in a can allows for maximum personal enjoyment because it’s easy to share your 12 pack with friends, there’s no stress about opening a liter of it and having to hurry to finish it before it loses carbonation, the flavors pair incredibly well with vodka and can double as a mixer when you don’t have any juices (or if you just want a vodka soda with the fun of using a club soda, with the bite and absence of sugar of a tonic water).

The first sparkling water I tried when I came to NYC came from Rite Aid’s generic brand, Rite Aid Pantry. My first grocery store trip was the one when I discovered that I could no longer afford my preferred water, and my boyfriend quickly suggested the Rite Aid brand. He raved about how he “hates sparkling water, but the peach one is actually pretty decent.” I warned him that I have high standards when it comes to this kind of thing, but nevertheless, he persisted. I took a trip to the Rite Aid, picked up a bottle of their finest seltzer, and walked home. Immediately when I came in the door, I cracked open the bottle, took a swig and felt huge disappointment.

The flavor itself wasn’t terrible. I got “sweet peach,” and there was no misleading there- it tasted like a typical peach flavor. Artificial peach flavors don’t usually have that incredibly fake taste, and this was no exception. However, it had that sweetener taste despite boasting it was a seltzer with no calories, no sugar, etc. In terms of carbonation retention, it wasn’t very carbonated straight away, I tried drinking some the day after I opened it, and there was nothing left aside from the awful syrupy aftertaste. Personal enjoyment was an all-time low, I pawned the rest of the bottle off on my boyfriend.

Next is the Clear Choice brand, which I purchased from Key Food. Honestly, I don’t even want to linger about this disappointment. Reeling from the sadness I felt after the Rite Aid disaster, I was met with heartbreak yet again. I picked up a strawberry kiwi flavor and wished that it had ki-went straight into the trash can instead of in my mouth. It had that awful aspartame aftertaste and the flavor wasn’t refreshing, it was chemically and downright offensive. I threw it out before I could determine much about the carbonation retention. Personally, I would have enjoyed a papercut to the cornea more than this water.

From Key Food yet again, I tried the Vintage brand water. This one is a real gem to me. At 89 cents/L it can’t be beat in price, and in my ranking system, it holds a solid B+ in every category. It’s reliable, and nor disappointing. However, there’s nothing truly special about it. Some of the flavors aren’t as natural tasting, (black cherry in particular, however I don’t really mind a strongly artificial cherry flavor honestly), the raspberry is decent, and the lime is pretty good. The flavors are pretty subtle though. The bubbles last pretty much all day for me, however if I don’t finish the bottle before I go to bed, it’s not good in the morning. I personally enjoy these an average amount, I have no real complaints, but also nothing to rave about. This one will probably remain a staple in my fridge.

Next is something a little different. Perrier from Amazon Pantry. This is one that I wish I could afford to have on hand at all times. It doesn’t fit into my search for an affordable La Croix replacement, but it’s just too god damn good to not talk about. I picked it up because I needed one more item to qualify me for free shipping, and it was cheaper than the 6 dollar shipping fee, so really I’d lose money by not doing it. It was a green apple flavor that came in a 6 pack of 16 oz bottles. I love Perrier, the grapefruit flavor was a staple in my diet when I was in high school. I never really got Perrier much after that because it’s a little too expensive for my scrub lifestyle, but I made an exception this time. The green apple flavor was overpowering, which I didn’t mind because my all time favorite artificial flavor is green apple. It tasted exactly like a jolly rancher, without the sweetness and inevitable cavities. The carbonation retention was at an all time high, there were times when I would start a bottle before bed, and be able to wake up the next day and finish it with no continuity errors in bubbles. And personal enjoyment was also at an all time high. The 6 pack was convenient because I didn’t feel the stress of having to finish an entire liter in one day. Also, this was the first sparkling water that I was able to successfully make a vodka soda with. All the others had flavor too subtle to not get overpowered by alcohol, but the aggression of the apple in this one paired perfectly with some ice and vodka.

Finally, I’ve tried Polar, also from Key Food. It was on sale for 99 cents so I picked a couple up. I’d heard the praises of this water sung by a friend of mine, and after remembering how much my boyfriend hyped up the Rite Aid water, I kept my expectations low. This was good, because it truly exceeded my expectations in flavor- I got pomegranate and mango berry. I wasn’t expecting anything terrible from pomegranate but I was skeptical about mango berry (mostly because mango La Croix is my least favorite flavor and if they can’t get it right….who can?) The flavors were great, very natural, no sweetener, not too aggressive, and refreshing. It was all I could have ever asked for. Carbonation is where it lacks a little bit, there’s not enough bite when I open it up, and I do feel that pressure to finish the bottle before it goes flat, but that’s not much of a chore when it tastes as good as it does. Personal enjoyment was also high, especially because of the flavor selection. Every brand has a lime and a berry flavor, and I get tired of those quickly, but this deviation from the norm from the brand is truly my dream, not only are these flavors that are different from what you usually see, they were flavors I had never seen before in general, and they did not disappoint. Polar, I think, has won my search for best affordable sparkling water, thus far. 

All in all, it’s been a sparkling spectacular trying to find the perfect seltzer for my lifestyle. This isn’t the last review you’ll get from me in regards to water. After all, all I care about is sparkling water and wonderwall.

[envirotravel]

Kicking the Can: How I Broke My Addiction to Diet Coke

For about a full decade of my life, I was a full fledged Diet Coke addict.

It was a part of who I was — I cracked open a can first thing in the morning, friends sent me Buzzfeed articles about things only Diet Coke addicts could understand, I had a little Diet Coke keychain and a Diet Coke mousepad, and my family I would send each other level red, full blown SOS texts when the fridge was running low. I was drinking 2-3 cans a day, plus fountain (my preferred delivery of choice) whenever I could get my hands on it, and I really had no true interest in stopping.

And then, suddenly, I did.

On March 1st of 2016 I started a one month Diet Coke free month while in Thailand, and on April 1st I decided what the heck — I extended another two weeks until I flew through the USA. After six weeks, the spell was broken, and I no longer feel powerless over the pull of the silver can.

So why cut the cord? I admit, of the many reasons people kick Diet Coke habits, I did so for pretty superficial reasons. I was trying desperately to lose ten pounds that had creeped on slowly, and I’d been reading a lot about the connection between diet sodas and weight gain and was curious to see if I’d magically become a size zero again. (Spoiler alert: I didn’t.) But the connection between diet sodas and out-of-whack metabolisms and insulin production were hard to ignore, and the more I learned the more convinced I became that a trial period without it was something I needed to try.

But also, it was at times a very inconvenient addiction and I hated feeling so beholden to a particular can of fizz. When I woke up in the morning, it was the first thing I drank, and I was cranky and irritable when I couldn’t source it — which was fairly often, considering I often travel to remote areas, and Diet Coke is still rare in many corners of the world.

At the time, I searched pretty desperately for first-hand accounts those who were also trying to kick a soda habit, and came up surprisingly empty. So, my fizzy drink loving friends, here is mine.

My uncle — who once ran a Coca Cola museum! It runs in the fam!

How I Did It

I never intended to cut Diet Coke out of my life entirely. Drinking Diet Coke was so much a part of both my daily routine and my identity I don’t think I ever could have started had that been my intention. Yet after years of trying to casually “cut back,” I knew I had to do something drastic if I ever wanted to make it a reality.

Today, I am no longer addicted to Diet Coke and that is all thanks to an initial six week cleanse that I did in which I did not consume a single sip (more about my current consumption later.) In fact, it started as just a month long challenge which I extended for two weeks based on how good I felt! That cleanse was completely necessary to sever my dependence to the stuff and allow me to start living with a normal, non-crazy person’s relationship with soda after it ended. I should probably note that Diet Coke was the only soda I ever really drank — I think Coca Cola tastes repulsive and outside of the rare diet root beer or craft soda on some sort of special occasion (hello, artisanal sodas at a county fair!), so Diet Coke and I had a pretty monogamous relationship.

Everyone warned me about the withdrawal symptoms I’d have. Aside from a few terrible headaches the first few days, I actually didn’t find the physical side-effects to be too dramatic. I attribute the ease with which this cleanse went to my research ahead of time, the replacements I used, and where I did it.

I did a ton of research

Once I decided to do the cleanse, it was actually pretty easy in practice. And that decision was inspired by research I did as part of my DIY Health Retreat.

Watching documentaries like Fed Up and reading books like What Are You Hungry For? made the transition really easy. I was also recommended the documentary Sweet Misery, which I plan to watch on the plane back to the US to strengthen my resolve for another addiction-free summer. Also, I’m not going to lie, I read several interviews with skinny people — LOL — who said that they never drink diet sodas, and message board accounts from those who dropped pounds doing so. In the spirit of full disclosure I also read a ton of comments and message board posts from those who quit and never lost a pound, but everyone who did so seemed to feel it had a positive impact on their life.

Those books and movies really spoke to the specific reasons I was personally looking to cut back — vanity, duh. They dove into how aspartame disrupts the body’s metabolism and craving systems and lead to unintentional weight gain, despite being zero calories.

Now look, it’s not like until last year I was walking around thinking Diet Coke was this super healthy product that I was treating my body like a temple by consuming. Not in the slightest — I knew Diet Coke was bad for me and I literally did not care, at least not enough to make me change. Thankfully, in this case, my desperation to lose a few pounds led me down an unlikely path that has had a holistic and positive effect on my life.

I told my friends

So strong was my resolve that the only serious cravings I had in those first six weeks were the two times I was tragically hungover. And because I had already told my friends what I was doing and they knew how important it was to me, they stopped me from giving in, reminding me how proud I’d feel when I hit the four — and then six — week mark.

I replaced it with something else

One of my primary concerns going into this cleanse was that Diet Coke made up the vast majority of my beverage consumption. Like literally, what the heck was I going to drink? Well, I now drink tea like it’s going out of style, as well as one or two carbonated waters per day and a TON more straight up tap water than I’ve ever drank in my life. Let’s get into each of those:

Tea

I have never been a tea drinker and so I did a bunch of research to find out which teas had caffeine — which I wanted — and which I would actually like. I absolutely loathe black tea (sorry, Brits) but found green tea sort of tolerable, so I started out my putting one green tea bag into a mug with another herbal flavor that I enjoyed more, like lemongrass. For the first week or two of my cleanse, I sweetened my tea with local honey, though I quickly phased that out and I now drink my tea straight up, no sweetener.

A year later, I am a complete and total tea fiend and start every day with a mug of green tea rather than a Diet Coke, and usually go for an herbal tea over ice in the afternoon. I love trying new flavors — this brand from Hawaii is a recent obsession. Still no black tea though — which yes, makes trips to the UK a challenge.

Water

I have struggled my entire life to drink water. My cleanse kick started a new habit in which I drink more than ever. I generally try to drink a full 17 oz. bottle between breakfast and lunch, between lunch and dinner, and whenever I work out. Combined with my carbonated water at meals and my morning and afternoon tea, I now easily exceed the recommended 64 oz. per day without too much trouble.

My recommendation? Get a fun, easy-to-drink stainless steel bottle that you love and will want to take everywhere, and have a jug or filter in your fridge so you have easy access to cold, ready-to-go tap water anytime. If you live somewhere with great water you can literally just use a nice pitcher, if you live somewhere where drinking tap water isn’t advisable — like I do — I highly recommend this Clearly Filtered Pitcher.

Carbonated Water

Or seltzer, or if you’re here in Thailand, soda water. To this day I can’t stand to drink straight up tap water with meals, it just doesn’t feel right. Seltzer is literally just regular water infused with air, and is just as safe and hydrating to drink as regular water (though studies do show it can be slightly more filling, and does have some extremely mild effect on dental health.)

So I now have unflavored seltzer with pretty much every single lunch and dinner. When I’m in the US, I sometimes I have fun with the naturally flavored ones. I drink so much of the stuff I’m thinking of getting a seltzer machine like my mom has at home, and bringing it with me back to Thailand.

I did it somewhere away from the USA

I know this probably isn’t exactly replicable for most people, but it was a huge factor towards my success. Doing the Diet Coke cleanse in Thailand, where I’m not a fan of the local formula, made it so much easier than had I tried it stateside. If you can find some way — any way! — to shake up your routine, I think that will make all the difference in helping you to snap out of deeply ingrained habits.

While you may not want to mar a trip or vacation with withdrawal symptoms, starting a few days before you leave and your enthusiasm is still strong might be the perfect way to distract yourself just as your willpower might be wearing off. (And ya know, now that I added this, it’s totally relevant fodder for a travel blog! Nailed it!)

Make a calendar

I actually didn’t do this, but if I started to struggle or stumble I would have bought or printed out a calendar, and marked off each day I made it without Diet Coke. I always find tracking and visual aids to be incredibly effective in helping me meet goals and stay strong through a challenge.

What I Learned

I have always considered myself to have an insane sweet tooth and ravenously consumed candy, desserts and all kinds of sugary goodness on a near-daily bases. Very quickly after giving up Diet Coke, those cravings have all but disappeared. I still loved my sweet treats but I noticed that I didn’t HAVE to have them, and so throughout the course of my cleanse they were more of an actual occasional treat instead of a daily obsession. I even noticed my cravings for/consumption of things like bread and pasta subsided.

I was somewhat disorienting to realize that this thing I thought was just a core part of who I was was actually induced by a chemical I’ve been consuming daily for the last decade and a half. Some researchers believe artificial sweeteners like the aspartame in Diet Coke actually fuel the brain’s desire for the real thing, and after six weeks, I agreed with them.

Today, recognizing that my cravings are at least partially a result of choices I’ve made has actually been incredibly empowering. When I’m perusing 711 for snacks before a late night work session, I can no longer grab a bag of M&M’s with the excuse that, “Well I’m just a sweet-tooth having, sugar-loving fiend and there’s nothing I can do to change it!” Instead I think, “Well, I’m craving candy right now because I made the choice to have Diet Coke with my lunch. I can choose to go for it, or I can choose to have a banana instead.” It actually feels really good.

No, I didn’t drop a dress size. But I did find a new awareness of what was fueling my cravings. And as someone who considers herself to have like, zero willpower, it was kind of cool to set such a lofty goal and not just meet but exceed it.

One Year Later

Like I said earlier, I never intended to give up Diet Coke entirely — and I didn’t. Some warned that after six weeks I wouldn’t be able to stand a sip of the stuff, and I can assure you that did not happen. But I do feel like I have a normal, non-psycho person’s relationship with Diet Coke now, and that is a beautiful thing.

For the most part, I probably average about a can a week. When I’m extremely stressed and sleep deprived, I definitely fall back into a can a day. But that has only happened a couple times and within a few days I actually now see it as a big red flag I’m waving at myself — whoa girl, pull in the reigns on your life. Something isn’t right.

I split my year between Thailand and the US, and I admit that it’s much easier to go without here in Thailand, where I never even really liked the local formula but drank it out of pure dependence. In the US, I still love the taste of the stuff, especially the fountain version, and so it is much harder to avoid — especially because when I’m stateside I bounce between staying with various family members who are all still hardcore hooked. What I tried experimenting with last summer was not allowing myself cans at home, and instead only treating myself to fountain Diet Cokes when I was out and about running errands. Therefore it felt more like a special treat that I savored every second of, and less like something I was mindlessly downing out of habit. If I’m staying in a house where I have any input over what’s in the fridge, I keep it Diet Coke-free to avoid the temptation.

While there are definitely certain locations that tempt me to spiral out of control again (hello, my mom and dad’s houses!), overall I feel incredibly free from my old aluminum shackles. It kind of grosses me out now to think that in the past I would drink Diet Coke out of a bottle, or even, heaven forbid, the occasional fountain Diet Pepsi at a restaurant — thing I literally don’t even like — just because I felt like I was powerless not to.

It feel so good to go to a four day festival where there’s no Diet version of Coke and not loose my shit. It feels so nice to stay at a resort that stocks Pepsi (gross) and not freak the flip out. It feels very freeing to no longer wake up in the morning, bug out that the fridge is empty, and disrupt my day by sprinting to the closest minimart to stock up before my dang day can start.

While breaking my Diet Coke addiction didn’t make me the size zero supermodel I had hoped — just kidding, there are no catwalks in the future of this 5’2″-er — it was one of the best things I’ve ever done for myself. It made me feel empowered, it removed a frequent hassle from my life, and it was a major game-changer in the healthier lifestyle I am always trying to cultivate.

Are you a current or reformed diet soda addict? Tell all in the comments!

Please note I know there are a lot of different opinions out there about food and addiction and if you happen to disagree with what I write here, please know it isn’t meant to offend you — I’m just sharing my own personal experiences and thoughts, and I respect that other people’s will be different! Feel free to share your own experiences in the comments.

Want to learn more about the science behind Diet Coke addiction? This article is a good place to start. 

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