Healthy soda alternative

I've never been a big soda drinker but every once in a while I'll get a strong craving for a cold Root Beer. While shopping at our local health food store, I saw a bunch of flavored Stevia drops and then I saw Root Beer and wondered if this would actually taste like the real thing. It was almost $12 a bottle (they are even more expensive online) so I was hesitant to spend the money if it was going to taste horrible. Using a 20% off coupon, I justified the purchase. I had some Trader Joe's Sparkling water and plopped in about 8 drops of the liquid Root Beer for 8 ounces of water, stirred it up then added a bunch of cubes and took a sip. It tasted just like the real thing, except it doesn't turn color - it's a clear beverage, really light and crisp, not thick and syrupy like traditional root beer but ohhhhh so refreshing. If you are trying to wean yourself away from soda, this may be a great alternative. They have Cola flavor too! And I think the Cinnamon and English Toffee would be delicious in coffee. Bottom's up!

Perfect Skin

Wow, 7 months to the day since I posted on here. Not surprising since during these last 7 months I've had some set backs with my health and well being (THANK YOU HOLIDAY SPLURGE EATING AND A COLD, DARK, WET WINTER AND SPRING!) Why do we always crave what's bad for us when it's so gloomy and cold? I tried really hard to be good about what I was eating/drinking the past 6 months but after a while it was my only comfort and I got a little carried away. That being said, I had some not so pleasant side effects, some more visible than others. Starting around November/December when I would eat something sugary, I would get a horrible face rash in a matter of moments. It started on the lower right side of my face, near the bottom of my mouth and spread down my chin. At first it was mainly on the right side, and I thought, Ok, as long as it doesn't spread anywhere else...and then a few weeks later, it was on the left side. It was like some sort of bizarro goatee. I went to our Natural Pharmacy, concerned that soon it would takeover my entire face. I was told that since it was related to my body not digesting the foods and allergens, which was the cause for inflammation in and outside of my body, it would mainly contain itself in the lower quadrant of my face. Here is more info on Chinese Face Mapping in case you are interested. I was relieved to hear that but also frustrated since aside from a monthly breakout on my chin every once in a while I have never had issues with blemishes before.

I left with a topical gel, that I used for about two months, with no change. After that, I got some high end skin cream that was supposed to produce miraculous results, and again, after about 2 months, still no difference. At this point I was pretty discouraged, not only was the rash unattractive, but it was also horribly itchy and uncomfortable. Wearing make up made it even worse so needless to say I was in a bit of a face funk. And then one day at the pharmacy a skin specialist recommended I try the Perfect Skin Vitamins. She said the feedback on these vitamins has been very positive, but she wasn't sure if they would work on skin issues related to allergies. I figured it can't hurt to try them so I bought a bottle. After about two weeks, my rash was gone. I've been taking them for almost 2 months and continue to be blemish free (even after indulging in the "bad foods" - which I am really going to try to stay away from now!) The bottle recommends two pills a day, morning and night, but I've only been taking one in the morning with food and am extremely pleased with the results.

One thing I wonder about is when you give up certain foods completely for an extended period of time, like sugars and sweets, and then re-introduce them, your body views them as toxic and becomes inflamed (both internally and externally). So what's best? Do you give up whatever it is completely, never eating it again, or do you just have it in controlled moderation? This is the part of the puzzle I'm still trying to figure out.