(Updated Frequently)
Things I Avoid (most of the time) Because They Make Me Feel Terrible
- Artificial fragrances and perfumes (THE WORST…especially in detergents, home products, cosmetics)
- Strong scents or fragrances (even strong essential oils)
- Artificial sweeteners
- Caffeine
- Most processed foods (even “healthy”ones because they can still have a lot of cr@p like “soy lecithin” added)
- Pasta
- Pancakes, biscuits, waffles, rolls etc
- Orange juice/fruit juice (especially in the morning)
- Added sugar (duh…well, except for a fresh mint lemonade..then I’m allowed a few sips)
- Mashed potatoes (unfortunately re-confirmed August 2016. Maybe part of the issue is its hard to measure portions?)
- Gnocchi or ravioli
- Fried foods (well except for the occasional fried chicken sandwich…it takes a lot of clean eating before and after to make that work!)
- Sour Mix in cocktails
- Agave
- Honey
- HFCS
- Spirulina (It’s supposed to be a superfood right? It makes my joints hurt…)
- Beer (it’s bitter and not worth the carbs in my opinion)
- Conventional laundry detergents like Tide
- Dryer sheets (even more “natural” ones are soooo scented)
- “Natural” sweeteners like Stevia (even these can still confuse your taste buds)
- “Natural” or artificial flavors (once you remove them and then think it’s ok to re-introduce them, you’ll quickly learn how gross they are)
- Fleshy orange sweet potatoes (yuck! too sweet for me!)
- Talc in beauty products
- Eggs (eating lots of eggs, like at breakfast. I feel much less stressed without them in my life and my TMJ and muscle tension has improved)
- Added flavors (“natural” or other)
Things I Limit Because I Feel Much Better Without Them
- Dairy, especially low fat dairy
- Plastic bottles and food containers
- Non non-toxic cleaners and disinfectants
- Non non-toxic beauty products
- Gluten and most bread (because of the processed nature. I certainly don’t have Celiac’s. And sometimes a girl needs a piece of delicious pizza!)
- Meats treated with hormones and antibiotics
Things I Avoid Because They are Supposedly Bad for Us/Me and I’m Pretty Sure I Feel Better Without Them
- Parabens, Phthalates, Sulfates etc
- Soy
- Aluminum in beauty products and deodorants/antipirspirent
Things I Have To Limit Timing and Quantities Of
- Fruit (I eat more than I used to be the timing portion is crucial. And quantity is still a fine line that changes day to day)
- Starchy veggies
Things I Avoid Based on Superficial Evidence
- Fluoride toothpaste (does it aggravate TMJ??)
Things I Have Trouble Avoiding When They Are Close By
- Sweetarts
- Oreos
- Cinnamon Rolls
Treatments I’m not Ready to Try Again Anytime Soon / Aren’t Recommended for Me
- Hydroquinone
- Retinol or derivatives
- Lasers
- Too many raw foods or juices