Friday, August 15, 2014

Moving On

Hey Guys!

It was my birthday on Wednesday! It was so much fun! Everyone just gave me cash so I could go shopping! I got an R2-D2 bow, cat earrings, 2 new belly button rings, a new dress, a new pair of jeans (that fit my butt!), a new jacket and I still have $50 bucks to spend on whatever else I'd like! I think I'm going to get a new work out outfit! I also got a leadership 101 CD, two P90X protein bars, a sharpie and a Awesome note book! 

I made the veggie burgers that I was thinking about making for my first cooking show and they blew me away! I loved them! The best part was that Ryan loved them too! Plus I was able to make them for dinner twice out of one batch! 

My beachbody work is going great! I'm learning all kinds of new things. I got my Piyo video and shakeology yesterday. It came with so much stuff!




I got 11 different work outs, a work out calander, quick start guide, and get lean eating plan. Plus my shakeology, which is DELICIOUS!! So far It's lived up to all It's promises and I'm very happy! The first workout is a tutorial to get you familiar with the moves so it's awesome for beginners. She was teaching me some things even I didn't know! If you want to know anymore about beachbody comment on here, or if your a friend message me! I can't wait to help everyone meet their goals! 


Ok as soon as blogger let's me create a new blog we'll be working on "Step Two: Food", So you have that to look forward to! I was going to start it today but it doesn't like me at the moment so I'll see if I can get Ryan to make it work. Technology likes him better.

It will be all about overcoming your old grocery list! The hardest part of eating healthier is buying healthier. When you go into the store with no real plan you leave with junk,and a cart filled with things that were on tempting displays. This causes you to rethink eating healthy. 

I can't wait to start talking about food with you guys! It was even harder to navigate myself through the grocery store when I had no clue what I was doing so I'm excited to help you guys with this. Change is hard but I'd like to make it as easy as I can for you guys! 

Ok I have to wrap it up! I'm working out with a friend in a bit! Have a wonderful day guys and if you need anything email me! starlastar21@gmail.com. I'd be more then happy to answer questions and help in any way I can! As always feel free to comment what you thought!

-Sara Star

Friday, August 8, 2014

Cravings?

Hey Guys!

Sorry I was gone so long! It my have only been two days but I missed sharing my knowledge and thoughts with you guys! I didn't get any comments on my question about what my healthy kitchen should cook first I think it will probably be a good idea to start with meat and work my way into peoples hearts before i take away meat! Probably a good idea if I actually want views! (btw I don't know the name yet so I'm just calling it that for now.) 

Also to keep you up to date, Beachbody is going great!! I'm having a blast digging in and learning how to run my own business and connect with others! I also have some amazing people backing me up and giving my some awesome positive energy! I love the team and I can't wait to get my first coach under me and start working out with others! I can't believe this is going to be my job! It will be stressful at times but I think everything that's great is usually a challenge. With every challenge we become stronger. I strongly believe that anything can happen in life if you give it your all! So with that said I will be posting some beachbody stuff. I don't know how much but I would love to keep you updated and if you Like my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Health-and-fitness you can fallow me in my journey of being a coach! Thank you so much for all of your support in my adventure to live my dream! :D


Now for the fun part! Cravings and why do we have them? What is our body wanting? How can you satisfy them with out eating junk? Well I have something really awesome to show you guys!  



I'm sorry that it's so huge but that's the best way to see it. It was fuzzy other wise!


http://www.wesupportorganic.com is an amazing site that tries to keep others updated on ways to buy organic cheaper and what's going on in the organic community. They were my first Like on Facebook to a health page. They share a lot on Facebook so if you want more of those kind of posts in your news feed I'd highly suggest giving them a like! 

So here is the craving chart! Pretty awesome huh?! When I found this I was so excited! But I never used it. D: However I went off board and gained ten pounds back and some tummy so that's what I get for not using it! HA! I do crave salad a lot around my lady time so at least I have that down! I hope this helps you guys and I hope you save it and use it!   It's a great resource when your just starting out and everyday is a struggle to either be someone new and better or fall back into your old habits and be upset with your self. It happens I know. #Beentheredonethat


Alright sorry to make it short but It's 1:40 so I should probably get off here! I'll write more on Sunday! Till them feel free to leave any feed back, It's always welcomed!

-Sara Star

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Wrapping Up Sweets

Hey Guys!

I made an awesome super yummy breakfast this morning that kept off my cravings for sweets today! I often crave sugar at two times in my day, right when I wake up and after dinner. There's very good reasons for both so I of course when straight to Google to find out why! (what a wonderful resource!)

In The Morning :
"Low blood sugar might be to blame for intense morning sugar cravings. If your blood sugar isn't properly managed and maintained, it can fall extremely low during the night when you’re not filling your body with food. When you wake up, your body craves sugar as a quick fix for low blood sugar. " " If you’re not getting enough quality sleep, your sugar cravings could be related to spending too little time in dreamland. In this case, you’ll probably have sugar cravings that pop up sporadically throughout the day -- not just in the morning. When your body and brain are tired, you begin craving carbs because they provide a quick boost of energy. Because sugar is a simple carbohydrate, it has a very quick effect on energy levels. "
(credit) http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/craving-sugar-morning-8579.html

After A Meal:
"Eating an unbalanced diet high in carbohydrates will cause your blood sugar levels to rise and then drop suddenly after dinner. Our bodies want this "high" again, so we look to sugar. We also experience low blood sugar when we're tired, which causes us to need more carbs for a pick-me-up."
 (credit)http://www.naturade.com/articles/healthy-living/health-tips/why-do-i-crave-sweets-after-a-meal/

Some of the other reasons I was finding for after dinner is that we've almost been trained to think dessert comes next after dinner. I find that one especially true because for a long time I had been having some kind of dessert after dinner. However I found if I eat breakfast in the morning I won't crave sugar so early. This is extremely important to me because I work at a self-serve frozen treats shop. The fist thing I do in the mornings is fill the low toppings from the night before. I'm way more likely to eat a topping or crave the yogurt. Which if you didn't know is pretty high in sugar. There's a reason it taste like ice cream! So here's my master piece! 

Super Simple Breakfast Wrap:

Tools you'll need
-1 deep bowl or small mixing bowl
-Whisk
-Rubber spatula
- A 8 1/2 in/21.5 cm Skillet
- Cutting board
- Knife

Ingredients
- 2 eggs (free range,cage free or organic if you prefer that)
- 1 TBS Extra virgin olive oil ( I highly suggest organic over any off brand) 
-Lettuce ( or spinach!)
-Tomato (or salsa!)
- 1 tortilla (Large)
   
Directions

Put pan on stove at 31/2 for electric stoves or low flame for gas stoves and wait for it to heat up. In the mean time whisk two eggs in a bowl until well mixed. A good tip for whisking is to go left and right or up and down instead of in a circle. Basically a straight line quickly incorporates more air faster and requires less work! Plus it's easier on your wrist! After that cut up veggies if you'd like to make it with tomato. You could also add cucumbers or avocado. The possibilities for this are endless.  Next pour a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in the pan. This will tell you if the pans hot enough which it should be by now. If it's sizzling pour the eggs in! Now cook it like an omelet, which is actually kinda hard. Here's a good instructional video that I learned from. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUqlLoOaAds (Soon I'll have my own exciting video on this!) Don't worry if you suck at it in the beginning. My omelets we're falling apart and a mess when I first started and now I'm getting better and better! You only have to watch how she flips the egg. After you've cooked the egg sit it in the middle of the tortilla. Put the spinach and veggies on top of the egg. If your in a hurry you can use salsa instead! In the mornings I hate making a ton of dishes so this cuts out the cutting board and knife. You could also cut them the night before and store them in the fridge! The more hard work you put into it though the yummy it is. Next fold up tortilla in a wrap or burrito style if all else fails ( It would not do a wrap this morning!) Then Eat up! :D

There you have it! I really want to try using coconut oil instead of olive oil soon! I'll let you guys know how that turns out! But as long as you get organic extra virgin olive oil your still in the clear! This recipe is 80/20 in what I'd like a meal to be at this point in my journey. Meaning 80% of the meal is organic or GMO free and the other 20%  isn't ,the tortillas and salsa.  I got this idea from a inspiring free book. Unfortunately I can't find it :( when I do I'll credit her! She had an amazing story about going organic!

All right that's all for tonight! I hope you guy's enjoyed this and please feel free to leave feed back it's always welcomed! See you tomorrow!

-Sara Star      

Monday, August 4, 2014

Fake Sugar

Hey Guys!

Today has been an amazing day! I had the pleasure of waking up and listen to an amazingly motivating conference call! I just started being a coach for BeachBody! I couldn't be happier right now! It's been my dream for the past year to help others be fit and healthy. Now I can do just that! It's not going to be easy! I've always been a very shy person. I actually looked up what was happening to me. I was having a ton of anxiety just talking to others. Turns out I had social phobia. Apparently it's pretty common.

"Approximately 7% of the population suffers from some form of social anxiety disorder* "
"Social Anxiety is the third largest mental health care problem in the world today.  Alcoholism is first, depression is second, and social anxiety is third.   Social anxiety causes chronic anxiety and fear over social situations.  It prevents people from leading the life they want; it stops them from taking the job they are good at doing; it prevents them from having friends and relationships, even though they want them." http://socialphobia.org/

Just in the month I've found this out I've improved greatly! With the help of my wonderful husband/the internet I have bloomed beautifully! I plan to make even more progress everyday. After reading all about it I was able to use many of the techniques they suggested to calm myself down. 

As soon as I started to deal with this and overcome it I was tagged in the comments of a status for BeachBody coaching by Ryan (my hub). He's always there for me! I decided that this opportunity came at the best time! What better way to continue my progress! So I thought long and hard about it. It's only $40 to become a coach so money wasn't why I was thinking. I wanted to make sure I was ready for this huge step. After thinking it over for a couple weeks I decided I really couldn't pass this up! So now I'm learning everything about coaching! I can't wait to start this journey in my life. Now I have even more to share with you guys :D


Today I wanted to talk about fake sugar. Acesulfame K, Apartame , Saccharin, Sucralose. I am against anything that would harm my body and fake sugars are a big offender. For whatever reason the FDA says it's safe and allows it to be in almost every no sugar added product, diet products and even work out products. I find Sucralose everywhere! I even found it in gummy bears. We feed those to children.... Until I looked this up just now I didn't even know about Acesulfame K and Saccharin. Here's a run down of each one and why they're bad.  

You can Google any of these and find plenty of evidence why they're bad. I'm using http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/top-number-most-dangerous-artificial-sweeteners.html#b for my Info today. But if you want to know more or want more proof I can find more! Just let me know in the comments!

1. Aspartame

What's in it: Phenylalanine, aspartic acid and methanol.
Reported side effects: Headaches, fibromyalgiaanxiety, memory loss, arthritis, abdominal pain, nausea, depression, heart palpitations, irritable bowel syndrome, seizures, neurological disorders, vision problems, brain tumors and weight gain.
Concerns: Phenylalanine and aspartic acid directly impact brain and central nervous system functions; evidence shows they play a role in mood disorders, memory problems and other neurological illnesses.
Methanol is converted into formaldehyde when metabolized.  Makers of aspartame say methanol and its byproducts are quickly excreted.  But research has found measurable amounts of formaldehyde in the livers, kidneys and brains of test subjects after ingestion of aspartame.
At high temperatures, phenylalnine breaks down into diketopiperazine (DPK), a known carcinogen. Phenylalnine is especially dangerous for people with the hereditary disease, phenylketonuria.

2. Aceslulfame-K

What's in it: Acesulfame-K is a potassium salt containing methylene chloride, a known carcinogen.
Reported side effects: Long term exposure to methylene chloride can cause nausea, headaches, mood problems, impairment of the liver and kidneys, problems with eyesight and possibly cancer. Acesulfame-K may contribute to hypoglemica. 
Concerns: Of all artificial sweeteners, acesulfame-K has undergone the least scientific scrutiny. Early studies showed a potential link between the sweetener and development of multiple cancers in laboratory animals. 

3. Sucralose

What's in it: Sucralose is a synthetic additive created by chlorinating sugar. Manufacturers say the chlorine in sucralose is no different from that in table salt. Fact: the chemical structure of the chlorine in sucralose is almost the same as that in the now-banned pesticide DDT.
Reported side effects: Head and muscle aches, stomach cramps and diarrhea, bladder issues, skin irritation, dizziness and inflammation.
Concerns: Research has shown sucralose can cause shrinking of the thymus gland, an important immune system regulator, and liver and kidney dysfunction. A recent study by Duke University found sucralose reduces healthy intestinal bacteria, which are needed for proper digestion and can impact the effectiveness of prescription and other drugs.

4. Saccharin

What's in it: Saccharin is a sulfa-based sweetener; its primary ingredient is benzoic sulfimide.
Reported side effects: For those with sulfa allergies, saccharin may cause nausea, diarrhea, skin problems or other allergy-related symptoms.
Concerns: Early safety studies of saccharin showed the sweetener caused bladder cancer in rats. The FDA recently lifted the requirement that saccharin be labeled as a probable carcinogen on food packaging. 
The link between saccharin and bladder cancer has contributed to saccharin being the most investigated of all artificial sweeteners. To date, no connection between saccharin and bladder cancer in humans has been proven.
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/top-number-most-dangerous-artificial-sweeteners.html#b

I Just copied and pasted the article because I think they did such a fantastic job! I love anyone who tries to open the eyes of consumers to the evil deeds of fake sugars! Not everyone is going to believe this. I understand! Before I started looking into it more I ate splenda or sucralose which is it's scientific name way more then I thought I did. I didn't even think about it either. It can also make you gain weight! Silly thing to have in a diet product huh? 
"A team of researchers at the Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis recruited 17 obese, non-diabetic subjects to test the effect of sucralose (i.e. Splenda) on insulin secretion. The results were interesting to say the least.
First, these people were given sucralose with 75 grams of glucose. The point was to simulate the eating of a meal with a diet soft drink. A week later they repeated the experiment. But instead of sweetener, the subjects drank water.
What they found was that when sucralose was given with glucose, insulin levels rose 20% more than they did with water. Not only that, but blood sugar levels peaked at a higher level with the artificial sweetener.
So, what’s the take-away here?
If you’re swapping Splenda for sugar in hopes of saving a few pounds you may be shooting yourself in the foot. And while the former may indeed be the better of two (bad) choices – you may be making things worse." Credit goes to:
http://www.cruisecontroldiet.com/why-splenda-leads-to-weight-gain-even-though-its-calorie-free
So there you have it! It's really hard to control everything that goes in your body. I have never felt happier or more alive then I have in this last year. But it took hard work and I'm still working hard! Not so hard that you can't do it. We as humans are capable of anything! Our minds can overcome some of the hardest struggles and we become stronger with every challenge!

It's 3 now which is when I promised I'd post so I'm going to stop it here! Thank you so much for reading again today! It makes my day that I can continue to learn while being able to share that knowledge with others!  Please let me know if there's anything you want me to look into or if you have any feed back! 

-Sara Star

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Guilty

Hey Guys!

What's up!? Sorry I didn't write yesterday! I had some very close friends come in from out of town! We went to the fair and had a blast! Oh man did I cheat! And in all the bad ways!
First we went out to a pizza buffet. One that has go-carts, lazer tag and tons of tickets to win! It was a blast! Then we wen't to the fair and had even more fatty foods! Like fries, a pina colada and a turkey leg. Oh the horror! But sometimes it's OK to splurge. As long as you don't make a habit of it and fall off the health nut train! Thankfully I got half way on track today. My friends treated me to sushi though! Now I feel even more guilty! Must eat health tomorrow! 

So there's my normal human temptation off the week! I WILL get on track this week! It's my goal for the week! So I'll keep you updated on how it goes!


So I read this a while back and it didn't surprise me. 
In fact, the results of one study showed that a greater neurological reward was provided by intense sweetness than by the drug cocaine. Similar findings occur when we look at withdrawal from sweet as well, indicating that getting off sugar may cause the same neurological symptoms as withdrawing from nicotine, morphine and alcohol. Now more than ever, we are seeing more and more associations linking addictions of sugar and drugs in the same bucket.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kristin-kirkpatrick-ms-rd-ld/sugar-addiction-_b_3861957.html

Oh My Goodness. I'm a drug addict! (sugar being my drug of course :D ) I Seriously Have a craving for sweets ALL of the time! It's crazy. No wonder it's hard to quit soda. I won't let this get the best of me though! I've slowed down a lot. Not enough but I'm way better then I was. I'm proud of my self that I've gotten this far! I know this will be hard and I'm going to hate it at times. But I want to run with my kids (when I have them) And still be working out when I'm 60 like my grandpa. I want to have a happy future. I would give up anything for that. Especially something as silly as sugar.  I'm the only one that can do that for myself. While it helps having others here to support me I have to take this leap with my own two feet! While I'm in the air I will shake my imaginary pom poms and yell " I can do this!" lol Can you imagine me doing that? If you can't you will once you get to know me! 

So with my pep talk talk out of the way I'd like to ask you guys a question. Should I do a veggie burger for my first cooking show? I found an awesome turkey burger recipe too. So I'm really stuck :(
I go to pinterest when I really want a good recipe so each are from bloggers.
http://www.thekitchenwhisperer.net/2014/04/12/chunky-portabella-veggie-burgers/
http://www.mykitchenaddiction.com/2010/04/teriyaki-turkey-burgers/
 So look them up and tell me what you think! The only think that sucks about the turkey burgers is that I would have to do them on a George foreman Grill. I almost feel that's more down to earth though because grilling happens more when you have a house and lots of money. I'm not quite there yet! 


Thanks for reading! Please feel free to send me feed back! <3

-Sara Star

Friday, August 1, 2014

Soda

Hello!

How is everyone today?!? It's been a bright sunny day here! As promised I'm focusing this blog on quitting soda! I am more then happy to say that in a recent poll of Americans 63% are actively avoiding soda! However the poll was for 18 and up. So it did not include all the teens and children. 

 " According to CBC News, researchers made beverages with sugar concentrations on par with those in commonly consumed sodas available to rats on a daily basis. Then, after 30 days, they tested the rats on their cognitive functions by — what else? — running them through mazes. Although the adult rats found their way through the mazes just fine, the adolescent rats had some trouble: They had difficulty navigating their environment, indicating issues with spatial learning; additionally, a closer look at their brains also revealed inflammation in the hippocampus, the part of the brain that controls a lot of our learning and memory functions. Said lead author Dr. Scott Kanoski, “It’s no secret that refined carbohydrates, particularly when consumed in soft drinks and other beverages, can lead to metabolic disturbances.” He continued, “However, our findings reveal that consuming sugar-sweetened drinks is also interfering with our brain’s ability to function normally and remember critical information about our environment, at least when consumed in excess before adulthood.” http://www.bustle.com/articles/33952-is-soda-bad-for-your-brain-you-should-see-what-it-does-to-those-of-adolescent

Not good to hear considering I drank soda my whole childhood. Thankfully being the health freak I am my children will most likely not be having soda! Just another good reason to Quit soda. If not for yourself then for your kids!

Step 2

Another great substitute to soda is infusing your water with fruit! There's lots of fancy water bottles out there for it but I just put the fruit straight in the water! Lemons, kiwi, strawberries whatever you like! Just cut it up drop it in and give it a shake! My coworker told me banana is good as well but I've never tried it! I usually pack a water bottle with just water and another smaller bottle with lemon water. "Having warm lemon water in the morning flush out toxins." http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/cheers-to-drinking-warm-lemon-water
Also according to some of my health Facebook pages it helps with weight loss by reeving up your  metabolism. How ever that part hasn't been proven. But I did lose weight when I started doing it so I feel like it's true :D

Step 3

Tea Is loved by many. Most who love it drink Sweet tea. Sadly Sweet tea can have as much sugar as soda! Eek! I'm kinda crazy about the tea I buy because of an articles I read a while back. It talked about how in Europe they did a study on different popular tea brands. What they found was the some teas were half fake. Meaning that they weren't tea leafs. And some of them still had pesticides on the leaves. Some of the different bagged teas had a plastic in the bag that leaked into your tea while it was steeping. So I got super crazy and now this is the only brand of tea I buy. http://traditionalmedicinals.com/
They have a million flavors that I like as well that I can enjoy without adding any sugar!
However since your just starting out feel free to buy any tea you like and migrate your way to what you feel is best.  

So how should you go about this? Should you quite cold turkey? Or ween yourself off it a little at a time? Sounds like an addiction huh? I've read a couple different articles including wiki how. http://www.wikihow.com/Quit-Soda-Pop 
They suggest slowly weening your self off because of the caffeine. Suddenly quitting caffeine can give you terrible headaches! However there's teas that have caffeine in them. Dark chocolate also has caffeine in it! So if you wanted to quite cold turkey it could be possible! The only reason I would suggest the idea of quitting cold turkey is because as long as your having even one a day your craving for it will stay. Usually leading you to relapse.   

Alright that's all for today! Tomorrow I'm going to talk about something more cheery! Thanks for reading! Feel free to comment as well!

-Sara Star


Thursday, July 31, 2014

Popsicles

Hello!

I have had a very relaxing day off today! I wouldn't be able to do that if it wasn't for my sweet husband always working so hard! I spent this whole day thinking about my dinner choices. Nothing can make you fall off the band wagon like getting bored with your meals. I found so many awesome ideas I want to try in the next couple of weeks. I'll make sure to tell you guys all about them. Plus my husband suggested I make a Healthy cooking show! How exciting! It's also a great idea for opening me up and making me comfortable with being more social!

If you follow my Facebook page Then you've been waiting all day to hear about my Popsicle attempt! Here's what I did:

Equipment you'll need
-Blender
-Popsicle mold (dollar store has them for a $1)
- knife 
-cutting board
Ingredients 
- 1/2 Watermelon
- 5 Ice cubs
- 6oz Almond milk
(This is a ruff estimate. I didn't plan to put these on here but I thought it would be fun! However it's really easy to taste it and adjust if needed :D)


Cut up watermelon and place in blender. Add ice and almond milk. Blend well. Then just pour into Popsicle mold and freeze overnight!

You'll Have left overs unless you have two molds. I just drank the leftovers as a smoothie so I could enjoy some of it then too!


And here they are! I added almond milk because I'm try to get as much as I can out of these sweet treats! I couldn't taste it but I haven't asked anyone else what they thought of it so if you want you can leave the almond milk out of it!

With my extreme craving for sweets I have to have something handy to tide me over! Sometimes just eating fruit isn't exciting enough! I can't wait to try more Popsicle out and tell you what I thought! 

That's just one way I've been dealing with my cravings for sugar! There are tons of fun creative ideas out there and as I find them I'll share them with you guys! 


For People just starting to clean up your diet the hardest part is quitting soda. I've talked to so many soda addicts since I decided to change. I personally didn't have a hard time giving up soda but I know lots of people that do. I've Drank a ton of soda in my life. I grew up on the stuff. It's at every BBQ , Outing and social event. It has a whole wall and lots of adverting through out every grocery store. It's EVERYWHERE and it's terrible for you.


Each can of Coke contains 10 teaspoons of sugar. This is 100 percent of your recommended daily intake. In normal circumstances, the extreme sweetness of this much sugar would immediately cause you to vomit uncontrollably. However, since all that sugar is addictive and keeps you coming back for more, Coca-Cola adds phosphoric acid -– an ingredient that cuts the sweetness to manageable levels.” - See more at: http://1doubt.com/all/is-it-true/14225-if-not-for-one-ingredient-drinking-a-can-of-coke-would-make-you-vomit/#sthash.KxQyb2aR.dpuf (Sweet it put the link for me! )

That's just awful. When people have a soda they don't just have one 16 oz glass either. Soda actually makes you thirsty and want to drink more. There's no wondering why so many people are sick these days. Sugar feeds cancer cells. Your killing yourself with every drink and enjoying it. 

Step 1 to kicking soda:
I suggest getting a Brita water pitcher. This was how I started with my husband for quitting soda. One of the number one reasons people give me for not drinking water is that it doesn't taste like anything or that they don't like the taste of it. Filtered water is so good! If you get the pitcher it will be in the fridge as well making it oh so cold and thirst quenching! It's well worth the investment and it will be less expensive then buying soda all the time! Especially with the price some places charge for fountain drinks! I also suggest getting a stainless steal water bottle so you can have it on the go. Making it less likely to stop for a drink somewhere. I wouldn't suggest Disposable water bottles. They fill up land fills and have tons of chemicals in them from the plastic. Companies often like to put Minerals and natural flavorings in them. I don't really see a point in that and If they can't tell me what those "natural flavorings" are I don't care to have them.

That's The first step I took! I hope that helps anyone who's struggling! I'll be back tomorrow with some more suggestions on how to stop drinking soda. Have a great night everyone!

-Sara Star