And then walks out, because the only beer options have gluten and are terrible for you.
(ba dum bum-chhhhhh)
All jokes aside, those of us with dietary (or lifestyle) restrictions, drinking is practically out of the question. Plus, many of my friends and contemporaries are hitting their late 20’s and early to mid 30’s, where drinking starts to cause a lot more wear and tear on our bodies and alcohol finally shows us it’s uglier side – the one you have to face in the morning, on the weekends and in the dressing room.
I first started drinking on my 21st birthday. I had legitimately never bought alcohol before that. No fake ID. No sneaking into bars. Never got kicked out of a nightclub. But that doesn’t mean I never drank.
VIP parties in my hometown of New York City were at my disposal by the dozen in my early modeling days, at ages 18-20, and also fairly common for me to attend. I never had to show my ID, and I never really cared to buy alcohol outside of a night out. Unless it was available at a party, I didn’t drink it. In fact, I first stopped drinking alcohol at 24 – a mere 3 years after I started.
That doesn’t mean I gave it up completely, but I started to evaluate what it meant to me and why I was doing it. I started to consider why I constantly felt crappier and crappier after every beverage. Even just a pint would throw my whole body off, and so there were many months I swore it off completely. I wondered, Was there something in it that was making me sick?
At it’s core, most beer is comprised of 4 ingredients: filtered water, hops, barley and yeast. The yeast and barley, which contain gluten, are the culprit here. For many people, beer is a great pleasure. For others, it is a source of excruciating pain. The bogeyman of your belly is gluten, which most people can digest with ease. However, for millions of people who suffer from celiac disease or have gluten sensitivities, ingesting gluten causes horrible stomach upset, bloating, cramping and pain.
For me, it just wasn’t worth it.
Then recently I came across a UK based brewery that claimed to be gluten free, organic, filtered but still incredible tasty!
I was willing to give it a shot…
On a warm, beautiful San Diego beach day worthy of a beer photoshoot/commercial, I popped open a chilled beverage and had a sip.
And my life is forever changed! I cannot say enough about how impressed I am with Celia Organic Beer. They have truly taken beer to a whole new level! I couldn’t NOT share this with you…
First of all, it’s incredibly tasty! Celia’s double filtered, organic ingredients and de-glutenized brewing make it fresh and refreshing, even for someone like me who doesn’t normally partake.
Second, no hangover! Absolutely no shitty feeling, upset belly, or hangover in the morning (or even that night, if you’re into ‘day drinking’.) I was so, so happy that I could enjoy a little buzz without any kind of crap-tastic feeling following it. My belly was happy too.
Also, it’s reeeeeallllyyy enticing! With that beautiful golden color and it’s super organic ingredients, Celia Organic Beer is a hard choice to resist. Even a dear friend who does not drink asked me for a sip! It just looked so refreshing and invigorating on a hot beach day, I was happy to share.
I am so happy that a great tasting organic, gluten free beer is an option! This will come in really handy during gift time for the holidays!
I often get asked what my favorite, go-to natural makeup choices are. While I’ve recently set up a storeto answer what brands and boutiques are my personal preference for their purity and luxury beauty products, I want to share which particular items I actually use to create my daily look. This post will link you right over to these faves of mine – and how I keep a flawless face on the daily (even in this ridiculous end of summer heat!)
This all natural face mask will have your skin thanking you! It’s luxurious, effective, very affordable and easy to make. It also smells amazing! I use mine 3-5 times a week to cleanse and detoxify my skin and it has worked wonders in preventing break outs and curing acne and post-acne redness! It also works really well as a spot treatment. As you can tell, I’m a little in love with my skin saving concoction. And super excited to share it!
Exotic, lush fabrics. Perfectly thrown pillows, overgrown indoor foliage and the fairytale queen dream bed. That’s right – I’m planning my wishlist for spring redecorating, and recently I’ve been drooling over articles (like this one) that feature stunning bohemian homes. Since my home is right by the beach, the bohemian style I’m craving is slightly laid back, super bright and sophisticated, so I headed on over to one of my favorite luxury stores, Frette. Frette linens have been featured everywhere from the altar of St. Peter’s Basilica to the dining car of the Orient Express, and more than 500 European royal dynasties have slept beneath Frette sheets!
So what will you need to create the perfect bohemian home?
Most candles don’t actually freshen or deodorize anything, they just mask smells with chemicals stronger and dangerous to our health. I adorn my bedroom with candles like this Tosca scented summer candle with it’s beautiful gold holder and safe ingredients. Beeswax is a safe alternative to most candle wax, which can be harmful to your health because of petroleum, stearic acid, or synthetic oils. Beeswax candles bring a homey glow to any room and brighten up a space instantly.
The comfiest slippers are a must have for any bohemian home. I love traipsing around my abode in styles like these pink lady slippers, made from the finest Italian fabrics. They keep my feet warm and comfortable while providing great support for my back.
You can’t have a bohemian home without a ton of throw pillows to greet you! No boho-couch is complete without them, and I also love to use big, fluffy throw pillows on my bed for when I end up there daydreaming, meditating or working. I love finding pillows with interesting and beautiful designs for the extra added “wow” factor.
Throw blankets are another must-have for each and every piece of furniture in your bohemian home. I love to snuggle up with a throw blanket, oversize pillow and a good book and listen to the ocean from my living room. Great for guests, but be careful – just about everyone who comes over falls fast asleep on my couch!
No proper boho home is complete without thoughtful guest accommodations. This recently became clear to me when some friends were in town and I realized in horror that I only had 3 towels for four people! Uh-oh. Worry no more – Frette’s $25 guest towels have you covered at an affordable price. I’ll be picking up the gold trim and leaving my embarrassment on the side, thanks!
Are you redecorating this spring? Do you have a boho home? I’m obsessed with this beautiful style so share your stories below!
There’s a new tea in town and I’ll admit that I fell in love instantly! It’s been amazing to have another totally natural, organic, caffeine free option to sip on during these super sunny summer months! These bottled, ready to drink, convenient formulas from Teaonic are delicious as well as healthy. Each flavor is jam packed with nature’s most delicious herbs, leaves, fruits, barks, flowers, spices and teas to support different functions for the body. No added sugars – because none are needed!
I am obsessed with tea and Teaonic has come along and filled a huge gap in my delicious, organic cold-tea needs.
Favorite blends?
I Love My Adrenals– Feeling stressed out or run down? This is your happiness tea! I adore chugging this in the beginning of the day to set my mood, or right before I go surfing to get me going! This tea improves our body’s ability to cope with stress, alleviate fatigue, increase overall energy and stamina, and strengthen immune function.
I Love My Femininity – This delicious tea is perfect for balancing female hormones, promoting a more regular and healthy female cycle, improving mood balance, and supporting overall reproductive health. Contains a powerful combination of Vitex (my favorite feminine herb!), Raspberry, Jasmine, Spearmint and Roobis.
I Love My Gut– Your entire overall health starts with your gut! In fact, 80% of your body’s immune system is located in the gut! I Love My Gut #1 is a soothing tonic that helps support the body’s natural elimination process, soothe occasional indigestion, and improve overall energy and immunity. Milk thistle, dandelion leaf, roobis, cardamom and clove make this one of my favorites for it’s unique, refreshing flavor.
I Love My Skin – Did you know that your skin is the largest organ in your body? It also requires the most hydration! I Love My Skin is a tasty, refreshing tonic that will help you flush out toxins and impurities and promote healthy skin from the inside out!
Coupon Code
To try out this tea, you can use code organiclife at checkout for a delightful 30% OFF! (SHOP)
“ Well your teeth are so white! What do you use to brush with?” asked my friend Jennie one afternoon, after we went over all the nasties in her toothpaste. My fun answer?
“ I brush with charcoal and essential oil! And I love it!”
I was so excited when Well Scent reached out to me about checking out some of their products. I have been following them on IG for awhile now, and had heard nothing but amazing things. I’ve also wanted to switch up my dental ritual, so I was excited to see that they had a healthy, natural dental line! This line coupled with frequent trips to practices similar to that of this Manhattan dentist is sure to help keep your teeth, gums and mouth in perfect hygenic condition!
I’ve been pumped about brushing my teeth in the last few weeks! Using a powerful combination of the Shine Dental Powder + Sparkle Dental Powder + Watch Your Mouth, my teeth have never been cleaner or whiter! Before I brush, I anoint myself with Well Scent’s Pause For Peace (which you can tell from these photos I use quite a bit!) on my third eye and on my collarbone for a calming, irie feeling. This centers you and helps you to keep focused on the most important aspect of your dental ritual: your health.
WHAT IT IS: Sparkle is a natural and systemically supportive alternative to toxic mainstream teeth whitening treatments. Sparkle utilizes earth’s gifts to detox the mouth, eliminate plaque and naturally brighten and strengthen dental enamel.
How I use it:
I add this to my brush first and use it on my teeth with a little filtered water.
Why It Works:
Activated charcoal is perhaps a counter-intuitive option for teeth brightening, but the truth is, my teeth have never been brighter, stronger or more healthy! Charcoal has been found more than capable of disarming the lethal properties of thousands of man-made pollutants and is a key ingredient in many detoxification protocols. Activated charcoal works through the principle mechanism of adsorption. It acts by electrostatically binding molecules to the surfaces of the charcoal particle. One teaspoon of activated charcoal powder has about the same surface area as a football field. This expansive surface area translates into a tremendous potential to adsorb toxictity. It also contains Myrhh, Plaintain and Baking Soda.
WHAT IT IS: Exfoliant, tooth brightener and polish that supports locally and systemically. The natural ingredients are transported directly into the bloodstream from the gum mucosa. This formulation strongly inhibits the bacteria that cause heart disease, gingivitis, bad breath and inflammation from other microbes. It has received praised amongst medical and naturopathic doctors as well as biological dentists. (Vegan, Gluten-Free, Paleo)
How I use it:
After I brush with Sparkle, I add Shine + my preferred essential oil (Watch Your Mouth) to my tooth brush and go to work!
Why It Works:
Green Living Clay is a rare desert clay that has been protected from contaminants and leaching by the climate. Sealed away and isolated from natural elements by a cap of zeolite minerals for forty-three million years, this highly charged Calcium Bentonite Clay has tremendous drawing power, making it useful as a gentle mouth detox. Baking soda has been shown to neutralize acids in the mouth which reduces the amount of acid-loving bacteria that cause cavities. Baking soda has also been shown to reduce dental plaque. It will naturally and gently remove surface stains.
I add this invigorating essential oil blend to my toothbrush along with my Shine Powder. It tastes really fresh, with a blend of cinnamon, peppermint, thyme and clove blended with all star neem oil, to clean and balance. I also love that I can switch this blend to other essential oils, as sometimes I prefer a different flavor to my toothpaste.
I also use this for oil pulling, adding some to coconut oil and then swishing the blend around in my mouth for 5-10 minutes. This helps to prevent cavities, kill bacteria and heal any funky stuff going on. I love it!
Why It Works:
Peppermint has a wide range of actions (antiviral, anti-fungal, anti-infectious, antispasmodic, analgesic and others). It is a tonic to the liver, heart, stomach and pancreas. It acts specifically against Bacillus subtilis, Candida albicans, E. Coli, Staphylococcus and many others.
Studies have shown that Neem Oil can benefit oral health by reducing plaque and bacteria. It is antioxidant and mineral-rich (zinc, magnesium, copper, iron, phosphorous and potassium) and is generally well tolerated and particularly useful in cases of gingivitis.
You can Win the dental set and clean up your own dental practice by entering here!
It’s super simple and I can’t wait to share this life-changing ritual with one of you!
Hi, I'm Tara! A bestselling self-help author, singer and speaker. The Organic Life is a place where I share my healthy life hacks - so we can all become our best selves!
