Health Products I Swear By

So obviously on the wedding To Do List is your products and routines for looking and feeling your best. In an attempt to leave no stone unturned, I bought almost everything Amazon has to offer in the realm of health/beauty. Some products I’m still reordering to this day; some I threw in the trash after use #1. Here’s my roundup of favorite purchases when it comes to overall health:

Viter Energy Mints:

The best thing you never knew you needed, until now. Each mint is equivalent to half a cup of coffee (40 mg of caffeine), so obviously I was shoving 8 mints down my throat at a time. They somehow don’t leave you with the jitters or with a crash (maybe because each one is filled with vitamin-B and folic acid). Perfect for late night planning sessions, bachelorette parties, and the wedding day itself. Each one is sugar-free and comes in 5 different flavors…Amazon lets you buy a variety pack to test them all out.

If you’re one of those “i’ll just take my coffee black” folks, all the power to ya. But I personally need my cup to taste as close to a milkshake as possible, and four cups of pumpkin spice creamer just ain’t healthy.

Spark Hidrate:

Is $55 a lot to pay for a water bottle? Yes, it absolutely is. However, read all the expert tips about how to look your best for the big day (or get yelled at enough times by your esthetician mid-facial) and you’ll notice a trend: it all starts with hydration. This proved problematic for my hot yoga-loving self whose solution for thirst consists primarily of coffee and wine (depending on the time of day).

So I decided to give this bad boy a shot…it syncs to your smart phone and fitness trackers to guide you on daily water consumption. And by “guide” I mean it acts as a strobe light until you drink from it…awakening you from your Netflix coma, scaring the shit out of your yogi peers mid-class, and serving as a Pavlov’s dog type of experiment. I swear if I ever see a flickering of light even to this day, I automatically reach for the bottle and start obediently drinking from it.

Elderberry Syrup/Gummies:

I am one of those freaks who never gets sick. Pretty sure I could count on one hand the number of times in my life I’ve had anything beyond a common cold. And yet, as January 1st hit this year, marking the 5 month countdown until the big day, I became bedridden with a 102 fever, chills, body aches, you name it. Came to find out I had the flu. Fast forward two weeks later, and I finally rid my body of this nasty plague. Which is why I was confused when I began feeling similar symptoms start to re-appear. Turns out the flu does not mimic lightening, and it can strike twice. That’s right, I got the flu back to back. Which should be tragedy enough, but wait, there’s more. A few weeks after ridding myself of THAT nastiness, I started getting symptoms of neck soreness, pounding headaches, and another fever….turns out I had viral meningitis. At this point, it was almost comical how this year was starting off.

I 1000% relate these illnesses to the stress and sleep deprivation associated with wedding planning. While I thought I was calm and stress-free, my body was clearly screaming at me to slow down and take care of myself. Good excuse for me to up my once-a-month routine massages to bi-monthly, am I right? My doctor (who is not usually into natural-based remedies), told me she swore by Elderberry syrup and that I needed to get some. I started with the syrup but then moved to these delicious tasting gummies.

Elderberry is known for its system-boosting, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory properties. I’m sure you’ve heard before that darker colored fruits are healthier for you (blueberries, blackberries, acai, etc)…well, it’s due to them having something called anthocyanins. According to the Dept of Agriculture, the highest concentration of anthocyanins are found in black elderberries (double the amount found in any other fruit). Thus, they have twice the natural antioxidant capacity of our beloved berries. I can attest to the fact that they’ve managed to ward off any other sicknesses, and my husband and I continue to take one a day even now.

PB2:

One of my fun facts is that I can go through a jar of peanut butter in one sitting….no toast, crackers, banana, etc needed. A spoon is typically involved, but at my laziest I’ve settled for my fingers instead. When I’m trying to act less disgusting I’ll claim that was a part of my college days when everyone was eating velveeta and cup-a-noodles, so my peanut butter addiction was nothing special. But truth is, that habit started far earlier than college, and as I sit here typing this post with sticky fingers and an open jar beside me, I’m not quite sure what I can blame it on now. Knowing full well that a jar of peanut butter is NOT going to help me fit into my wedding dress, nor is it healthy in any way/shape/form, and that moderation is out of my realm of possibility when it comes to this creamy gift from god, I turned to PB2. It’s powdered peanut butter, has 85% less calories (2 tablespoons comes in at 45 calories vs 190 for regular peanut butter), and only 1.5 grams of fat vs 16 grams for its decadent counterpart. Small amounts of sugar and salt are added to help with the taste, but even those additions come in at less than most brands of traditional salted peanut butter.

You can use it in its powdered form by adding it to smoothies, oatmeal, etc, or can add water to it to make it into a paste and spread it on Ezekiel bread, bananas, etc. I am never going to claim that this stuff tastes better than my beloved Skippy, but it’s a great alternative and allowed me to still indulge while keeping calories/fat in mind.

Collagen Peptides:

Ok, this is a controversial topic. I started taking this a little after getting engaged and am convinced I saw a HUGE difference in both my hair and nail growth. I put a scoop into my coffee each morning and let science take its course (vanilla and coconut are my fav flavors).

The powder claims to improve key areas of your health including: joint recovery, bone strength, injury prevention, skin hydration, hair and nail growth, gut health, etc. However, online reports claim this is an edible hoax and that it does absolutely nothing. Considering I’m not a nutritionist, scientist, or someone who understands ingredient labels, I can’t really comment on the validity of this powder. But, whether it’s the placebo effect or not, I’m going to continue using it and flip my fast-growing hair at all the haters.

Olly Melatonin:

I’ve tried many types of sleep remedies ranging from CVS brand melatonin to benadryl to sleepy time tea. Each time, I would wake up groggy and definitely a danger to society as I drove myself to work. I read about the Target brand Olly and figured it was worth a try.

My husband and I still take this each night to help us sleep, and we swear by the brand—it does the trick without any morning drowsiness. I will warn you that sometimes melatonin gives me vivid, weird dreams, but it’s a small price to pay for 8+ hours of uninterrupted sleep. Definitely a must leading up to the big day and for the night before so you can wake up well rested! Would recommend testing it out a few weeks before to see how your body reacts!

Salt-Free Seasoning:

Never realized how much salt I used on food until trying to eliminate it altogether. Salt is absolutely a huge factor in bloating, which is something none of us want as we strut our hot selves down the aisle. I made it probably 3 meals of tasteless chicken and veggies before throwing in the towel.

Refusing to settle for sugary bbq sauce or another salt-replacement, I found this salt-free seasoning in the back of our cabinet and gave it a shot. Definitely helps with the flavor and serves as a good alternative when salt is the enemy.