Healthy Living can make you sick

Question: To avoid sugar, I use artificial sweeteners and drink diet sodas. After exercising I drink a sports drinks to stay hydrated and replace electrolytes. For vitamin C I drink O.J. first thing every morning. Are these good practices?

Mimi: It’s great that you want to be healthy. Diet sodas and aspartame are poison to your body and mind, in my opinion. I have seen people give up diet sodas and have their fibromyalgia and depression lessen. Artificial sweeteners can actually make you fat. By “fooling” your body into thinking that you are eating sugar, your body will crave sugar. Just cut out sodas altogether. Drink water.

Sports drinks are expensive and unnecessary. You lose water, salt, and potassium when exercising. Replace the water with water and the potassium with an orange or banana. If you perspire excessively while exercising in extremely hot weather, put a pinch of salt in your drink. A healthy, inexpensive sports drink would be ¾ water, ¼ O.J. with a pinch of salt.

First thing in the morning, drink a glass of plain water. Your body is dehydrated. Every cell is longing for water. The first glass of water in the morning is the most important. The body will take up that water more efficiently than any that you drink later in the day. A glass of water ½ hour before breakfast is best. Some people like warm water with a squirt of lemon first thing in the morning. Then eat breakfast including your O.J. Orange juice is high in natural sugar and acid. If that is the first thing in your stomach after fasting all night, it can throw your system out of kilter.

Warning: the following is a taped message. For good health, drink lots of water, get plenty of sleep, eat fruits, veggies, beans, nuts, and whole grains, PLUS, most importantly—cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude.

Mimi Barre is the owner of International Day Spa, 325 Cajon St., Redlands.
Send your skin care questions to her at MimiB@INTLdayspa.com. She and her estheticians are available for personal consultations. (909) 793-9080. Past columns of Ask Mimi are on the web at www.INTERNATIONALdayspa.com.