Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Day 12: Aspartame Free! Plus, My Oil Pulling Journey

Yesterday was a busy day! Although I had a bunch of errands and work, I managed to finish up early and enjoy a long walk with my Maggie May! All in all, I would say day 12 was a great success. While I do not look any different and have not lost any actual weight, I am experiencing many benefits from my aspartame-free lifestyle including:


  • Improved Mood - Seriously, I have been very happy lately. No real mood swings, no emotional outbursts, and not much in terms of anxiety or stress, either. This is actually abnormal for me so I'm still surprised by my overall elation.
  • Bloating - This may be TMI, but I seem to be less bloated. My jeans are no longer painful to button right out of the dryer. :) 
  • Appetite - I never really had a huge appetite, but I seem to be hungry even less now. Also, I'm not  having any sugar cravings.
  • Energy - Although I'm drinking less caffeine, my energy has not decreased.
  • Jaw or Tooth Discomfort - I have not had any clicking or popping in my jaw and no sensitivity in my teeth. 
Are these improvements related to my aspartame-free lifestyle? Maybe, possibly. Probably so.

Yesterday, I began another journey - Oil pulling. You may have heard of  oil pulling since it seems to be trendy in Hollywood right now. After reading all the health benefits, I decided to give it a whirl....




I'm using coconut oil because I read it offers the best results. It also is known to have the best taste, but I can assure you, it doesn't taste that great! 

I read that you should swish the oil in your mouth for at least 15 or 20 minutes. Due to the taste, I'm having trouble getting through 10 minutes, but I'm going to stick with it. 

To learn more about the history, benefits, and process of oil pulling, visit OilPulling.org


Sunday, May 11, 2014

Day 10: Aspartame Free

Well, I got behind on my posts.

Today, is Mother's Day and day 10 free from aspartame! I'm doing great, feeling great, and I'm still motivated!

I'm having a great day with my husband and son who have both spoiled me!

Stay tunes tomorrow for day 11....

Friday, May 9, 2014

Day 8: No Time for Aspartame

With carpool, an honor roll ceremony, a bunch of errands, work, and a recital to go to, I had a very busy day. I was on the road a lot, but managed to stay true to my aspartame-free lifestyle. 



I'm still incredibly motivated, happy, and physically well. So, I'd say day 8 was a success!

Stay tuned tomorrow for day 9.....

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Day 7: Another Day Free from Aspartame

There really isn't much to say about day 7 except I made it. I did not experience any headaches or moodiness, but did have one intense craving............






I stopped at the store to fill up my gas tank and caught myself grabbing a nice, cold Diet Mountain Dew from the cooler by the register! It was animalistic, really. I just went right for it! Of course, I decided against doing the Dew...........

Stay tuned tomorrow to see how day 8 goes.....

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Day 6: Ooops

Hmmmmmm............

Yesterday was weird. I did not feel great. Day 6 free from aspartame started off fine....but, it just was not a good day. I was tired and cranky all afternoon and evening. Ooops.




I tend to skip meals because I just am not hungry until later in the afternoon. I drank a ton of water and completely forgot to eat. Walking out the door for afternoon carpool around 2pm, I grabbed a celery stalk. Around 3, I had a bit of peanut butter. That was pretty much it until dinner.


HUNGRY + ANGRY = HANGRY






Fortunately, I still made it through the day without any aspartame or artificial sweeteners. So, it ended up being a good day.

Hopefully, my 7th day will be better...stay tuned. 



Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Day 5 Happy: Aspartame Free

Nothing could have destroyed my good mood yesterday! Day 5 free from aspartame was a great success. I had energy, felt good, and my husband even said I looked good! (How incredibly nice of him! However, I'm sure it was a lie for motivational purposes! )

After my 2 cups of coffee, I quench my thirst with water. Here is my delicious concoction:



Water, sliced lemon, lime, and cucumber! Although it does not taste anything like my lovely Diet Mountain Dew, it is actually very yummy!

So, Day 5. I had a craving but never indulged. I had tons of energy...tons. And, I was very happy. Seriously. Happy. Like I said earlier, nothing could have disturbed my mood.



Also, I'm noticing my skin seems to be clearing up from my traditional breakouts very quickly.

Can I attribute all of these things to living aspartame free? No, I can't. It is rather ironic, though...

Stay tuned for day 6......

Monday, May 5, 2014

Day 4 Uprising : Aspartame Free

Sunday, May 4th was my 4th day free from aspartame. Wow! No headache, blurred vision, or odd pains yesterday! No headache? I have had the same headache for many years. The headache usually begins around the same time, right after my  morning coffee. Since giving up soda and anything with aspartame, my headache has been less painful but longer lasting. Yesterday, nothing. All. Day.



So, with no headaches and a very improved mood, I got to thinking.

The government approved aspartame for human consumption even after all the unappealing tests they conducted on animals. 

If the government concluded that aspartame was safe for us, does that mean we should also believe it is safe? Why should we believe it is ok? Because we want to? We enjoy or sodas, sugar-free snacks, and diet drinks, but we don't NEED them.




The song, Uprising, by Muse, came immediately to my mind due to a few lyrics:

"They'll try to push drugs and keep us all dumbed down..."

Well, we could go on and on about my beliefs in prescription medications and various diagnosis' that doctors push on us....but why we should we allow it in our everyday foods?

 While I am writing this, I am beginning my 5th day and I feel overwhelmingly great! Although my 4th day free from aspartame was a success, I feel today is going to be even better. 


Stay tuned for day 5........


Sunday, May 4, 2014

Day 3: Aspartame Free

Yesterday was my 3rd day free from the toxic Aspartame!

Although I had some terrible cravings yesterday, I never gave in to them. This is definitely an accomplishment because we had a quick lunch at Five Guys! Of course, there is nothing better than a bubbly Diet Coke with their juicy burgers, but I enjoyed my ice cold water instead!

Unfortunately, the burger and fries were not the most healthiest of options so I'm getting back on my low carb lifestyle today.

Geeez. Low carbs, no aspartame, no soda. Sighhhhh.

See you tomorrow - if I survive.

Saturday, May 3, 2014

Day 2 : Aspartame Free

First off, this will be a short post because it's the weekend and I don't usually work/write on the weekend. So, sorry about that in advance.

Yesterday was day 2 of my aspartame-free lifestyle! Honestly, it was harder than the first day!

I had a dull headache from 8am until I went to sleep! Around 2 in the afternoon, I literally felt I was going to die from fatigue. A nap would have been wonderful but it wasn't going to happen.

My mood was strange, too. I mean, stranger than it usually is! I was happy ( that overly excited/elated feeling) all day except for a 30 minute break of losing it over the dinner dishes! Hahaha! Sorry hubby! I listened to music, watched funny videos, and did some online window shopping...which all made me so happy! Weird.


Stay tuned to day 3!

Friday, May 2, 2014

May 1st, 2014: Day 1 Free from Aspartame

DAY 1: Yesterday was a success! I did not consume one diet soda or anything containing aspartame!

As far as beverage choices were concerned, here is what my day consisted of:

2 cups of coffee, which is my usual routine. Around 8am, when I sit down to work, I usually have a diet soda in hand. Not today! I was equipped with water!!!!!!

Water during dinner, as well!

I'm thankful I was pretty busy yesterday. I had morning and afternoon carpool duty, worked all day, and enjoyed a lovely dinner out with a friend!

Thankful for all of the distractions. However, here are some physical and emotional things that were felt through the day:


  • 11:00 am - A light throbbing headache started and lasted all through the day until around 4:30pm- ish. Nothing unmanageable but it was rather annoying.
  • Noon - Strange feeling of elation? There were no changes, but I had a surprising feeling of happiness midday. My good mood seemed to last all through the evening, too! Maybe this was due to my increased intake of water?
I'm not entirely sure if the headache or happiness was due to being aspartame-free, but these were unique moments that I documented and wanted to share. Maybe the aspartame is already departing from my body, mind, and soul? 

Stay tuned to see what happens today, tomorrow! Wish me luck!!!



Thursday, May 1, 2014

Aspartame: The Bad

It began in 1964.

A group of scientists were developing a drug for ulcer patients. While synthesizing the product, some of the ingredients spilled over. The scientist attempted to clean up the spill and unbelievabley licked his fingers. The taste astonished him due to the overload of sweetness. It was compared to sucralose but was much stronger.

Aspartame was technically created in 1965 accidentally. It sounds like a freak science experiament gone wrong but it became an innovation for food and drug scientists.

It is made up of these 3 key components:

  • Methanol - Poisonous, colorless, and flammable. It is used for making formaldehyde ( Ahhhh! My worst nightmare!), paint strippers, and numerous additives for gasoline. 
  • Phenalynine - This is an amino acid which is suppose to be good for us. However, when found in aspartame, phenalynine is separate from its protein and offers no health benefits. 
  • Aspartic acid - A type of excitotoxin, aspartic acid stimulates the brain and nerve endings. 
Grouped together, you have aspartame. When consuming foods, beverages, candy, and other items with aspartame, we are basically poisoning ourselves into a drug-induced state of excitement.

After years and years of animal testing and governtmental mumbo-jumbo, aspartame was approved for consumption. If you head to that link, you may find some of the test results surprising. Since there are so many to list here, I decided to just give you a link. 

Anyways, due to all of those findings, many people today are questioning its safety. I am one of those people. In my previous blog post, I stated that I was a genuinely healthy person. Although I need to lose some more weight, I am basically healthy but I do have some things that occur in my mind and body periodically that are strange. 

Studies have shown that aspartame poisoning is a real thing. Look at those signs, symptoms, and diagnosis'. Check them out! Are you dealing with unexplainable cramps, vertigo, pain in your joints, or slurred speech? Have you been tested for this issues and have not found results? Do you drink a lot of diet soda or foods that contain aspartame?

  • Dizziness and headaches - I have both of these issues everyday or so. Nothing major but odd and annoying. 
  • Tinnitus - No, I have never been diagnosed with tinnitus but I do have occasional ringing in my ears.
  • Slurred speech - Yep, there are many times where I am conversating and completely slur my words. Overly excited or aspartame poisoning?
  • Blurred vision - Yea, all the time. I have glasses but my prescription is not something I require all the time. There are instances where my vision is more blurred than others. 
  • Jaw pain - yes, I occasionally have clicking, popping, and grinding in and around my jaw area.
  • Mood swings - Mood swings are not listed above but after some research online, I found that change in your mood is a common sign of aspartame poisoning. Friends? Family members? Do I have mood swings? Don't answer that.
I know I'm being too personal and telling readers a bit too much information about my physical and emotional well-being. But, I'm doing this to help you and to help myself. Could aspartame poisoning be real? Seriously, the above signs are a little scary to me because they are too close to home!

Today, May 1st, is the first day of my attempt at living aspartame-free. Each day, I will post my progress...how I feel emotionally and physically. I look forward to this journey and will update you tomorrow on the full day of an aspartame-free life!