Jaded #4

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Every time I open social media, I find out something else I’m using, eating, or drinking is poison… and if I don’t stop immediately, I’m apparently going to die. Because God forbid people educate without terrifying us first.

Let me give you a few examples of what women hear nonstop:

• Makeup? Full of parabens and endocrine disruptors. But if we don’t wear it? We’re “unkempt” and “not pretty.” Next.
• Clothes? Polyester (hey Lulu) is apparently filling our blood with micro-plastics, and if we dare wear it to hot yoga again, RIP.
• Alcohol? Poison. But don’t drink and suddenly you’re “no fun.”
• Coffee? Poison. But don’t come to work tired.
• Candles? Poison. But God forbid your house doesn’t smell like pumpkin spice in the fall.
• Water? My personal favorite. Tap water = chemicals. Bottled = plastic. Filtered = “wrong” unless you buy the $500 filter you might as well never drink water again.
• Laundry detergent, cleaning sprays, creamers, soda… The list never ends.

Here’s my hot take: you know what’s worse for your body than all of this combined? The stress of trying to avoid it all.

Chronic stress will wreck your health faster than a latte, a margarita, or your Lulu leggings ever will. Now, as a dietitian, I’m fully aware of the health risks tied to all the things I just mentioned. I can find all the studies, lab values, give you all the “right” recommendations.

But as a human, I’m also aware that it feels nearly impossible to remove them all.

And as a woman? Well… good luck with that. We’re constantly expected to do it all perfectly … look flawless, eat clean, smell good, be fun, be healthy, be glowing…all while being told every tool we use to get there is “toxic.”

Which is exactly why you have to pick your poison.

Meaning: choose the things you love and can’t live without and let go of the ones you honestly don’t care about.

Me? I’ll never light a candle in my house. But I’ll happily drink 5 coffees a day because I just love it that much. I’m picky about cosmetics (give me mineral makeup and tallow-based skincare), and you won’t catch me in a cloud of perfume. But hand me a margarita? Never saying no. Ever.

Unless a doctor tells you otherwise for a real condition, stressing over every single “toxin” is just not worth it.

Soon, I’ll break down the real benefits and the sketchy side of certain products—so you can be aware, not scared. But for now, this one’s just to get you thinking about what actually matters most to you.

At the end of the day, it comes down to this: find what works for your body and your happiness.

Life is way too short to stress over every tiny detail. And honestly? Women are already trained to stress about everything. At some point, you just have to say f*** it.

Pick your poison, love it, embrace it, and move on.

Xoxo

Olivia Jade