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Nearly Enlightened
Join Nearly Enlightened's host Giana Giarrusso and discover the body, mind and spirit connection! The Nearly Enlightened Podcast is for the soul-centered seeker who is on the path of personal growth and spiritual development. This podcast takes a light-hearted approach exploring topics rooted in themes of mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing.
Nearly Enlightened
Sober October: Mocktails, Herbal Wisdom, and Redefining Alcohol Culture with Torie Gehlmeyer
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What happens when you mix personal stories, societal reflections, and a touch of herbal wisdom? Join me, Giana Giarrusso, on the Nearly Enlightened podcast as I sit down with Torie Gehlmeyer to unpack our intricate relationships with alcohol and explore the burgeoning mocktail movement. We delve into Sober October, sharing how cultural backgrounds and personal experiences shape our drinking habits and contrasting the all-or-nothing mentality with healthier approaches. Together, we dissect the historical use of alcohol as both a social glue and a medicinal ally, urging you to evaluate your own relationship with it in the pursuit of a balanced lifestyle.
Our conversation takes a turn into the enchanting world of herbalism and its rising influence in modern culture. Torie and I spotlight the craft of herbalists who are redefining authentic beverage experiences by using whole plants, challenging the norms of citric acid and isolated compounds. In this episode, we take a critical look at the parallels between kava and cannabis extraction, questioning the broader impact of these trends on society. Amidst the societal stressors we face today, we discuss how movements like Sober October invite us to seek genuine connections and presence rather than resorting to numbing agents.
Finally, we dive into optimal cleansing protocols, uncovering the power of herbs and natural detox methods. Together they share insights on accessible cleansing practices like eating raw pumpkin seeds and intermittent fasting, tailored with special considerations for women. We also explore the vibrant world of mocktails, emphasizing the importance of mindful ingredient choices and local business support. Torie leaves us with a sneak peek into her educational offerings at Tea for Torie, including a Sober October mocktail class that promises relaxation and wellness. Come along for a journey into health, connection, and the art of choosing balance.
Connect with Torie:
Website teafortorie.com
IG & TikTok @teafortorie
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Welcome to the Nearly Enlightened podcast. I am Gianna Giarrusso and I am joined by Tori Gellmeier of Tea for Tori today. She has a marketing and business background with experience in health and wellness and sustainable industries. She has over 15 years of experience in hospitality and now she is a mocktail aficionado. She also um brings her love of astrology in, uh, which I love. I love your new series that you're doing, um about addictions and the zodiac. I literally can't wait for. Gemini, which I think you just posted today is next next oh no, it's so much fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that one's coming next um.
Speaker 1:So with it being sober october, I want to talk about that a little bit. I've come, I'm kind of having my own journey with this. Um I I'm a fun loving gemini, so I I have past party days. I feel, like that's a Gemini response. Yeah, it's been a problem and part of the reason why I got into health and wellness. And yeah, this summer I was like I drink a little bit here and there and I'm coming to learn.
Speaker 2:I cannot. It's definitely, I think, an all or nothing mentality for me too, Like that's kind of how. I am also Gemini moon, so there's like a social aspect to my personality that wants to be engaged with other people and it's so funny there's so many in-betweeners. Like I run on the spectrum of all or nothing, and so I also had to kind of evaluate my relationship with it. Um, but I'm not like somebody who's checked into AA or have had alcohol like completely get to the point of dismantling my life. But then there's people like I know my mom can have like one beer and that's it. I've never seen her drunk. She has such a healthy relationship with drinking and even like in Europe there's just a lot different of a relationship. So it's kind of crazy to see how big the spectrum can be.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I grew up with.
Speaker 2:I think I did a post on that. Sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 1:No, it's okay. Yeah, I grew up with an Italian dad. He grew up in Italy and just the mentality around drinking was always a little bit different, like Sunday dinner from a young age it was like, oh, you have a little bit of wine in your orange soda and that was okay. So there was like not really a curiosity around it because it was very open. My grandfather made wine, um, and it was just like it was part of the culture. But then as I got older, um definitely started dabbling more and like more on the binge drinking side.
Speaker 1:And I see now, like I haven't, my comfort show is Grey's Anatomy, and I think I've talked about this on the podcast before. But like any minor inconvenience they have, they're like in a bottle of tequila and it's like, okay, this is like an agenda that they're pushing and it's not just this show, it's like a lot of shows and a lot of like modern society. It's like any minor inconvenience and, like you know, it's like the mom and the wine thing or like even now I think we're getting into it with other substances too, like weed becoming so widely available and legal in most states now, and even thinking about stimulants as like coffee, like we're starting the day with a stimulant. I think like we just have a heavy dependency on that euphoric feeling.
Speaker 2:Right. No, it's like a hundred thousand percent programs, like you said. And when I look at it and I think about like how many times a day I'm being marketed to to drink alcohol, whether that's on TV or I'm at a convenience store or I'm just out socializing or at an event it's just like constant. And I believe that to be by design, because when I think about the history of alcohol and how you know, my background in herbalism plays a huge role in this because we were drinking medicinally. Like I love the idea of enjoying an herbal infused elixir that's preserved with a little brandy and have it be great for digestion or be a great nervous system tonic. And we can think about how liquor is enjoyed throughout the world. We have ouzo in Greece. That's great for digestion, it's anise forward. We have wormwood in absinthe or we have a bitter lemon peel and limoncello. Everyone has their own variation of it. So there was purpose behind drinking and yes, we have certain periods of history where people were crazy binge drinking because of the times I mean, people weren't living very long. There's lots of disease. It was super unsanitary. People were just chopping people's heads off. Like I understand that, like people took it to another level to cope with that life. But, generally speaking, by design, especially when you're in an herbalism background, like we use alcohol for medicine, like it's an amazing extraction method, um, and I will always use it in like tincture form. I just know that I can't at this point in my life, um, I just like don't want to dabble back into having it more than as an elixir or as a tincture just because, like I said, I am kind of an all or nothing person and just all the health implications that I've seen. I know Andrew Huberman did this big podcast about alcohol and how even the smallest amounts can be not great for your health, um, but if it's enjoyed like ritualistically, like with respect, or um in moderation, or, like I said, as your medicine in some ways is like using it with herbs to help with digestion, I feel like that's a really healthy outlook to have on it.
Speaker 2:But totally in culture, it's like the bandaid, it's like right. This is what you do when you're a tired mom, this is what you do when you go through a breakup. This is what you do when you go out, like pre-dinner, post-dinner, late night, morning brunch it's like non-stop and by design, like you said, I think it's meant to keep us away from ourselves, because I know for me personally, drinking to the capacity of getting hung over or blacking out or whatever your spectrum is Like, I feel so depleted, I feel so ashamed, I feel so far away from myself and obviously you know we're on the same page as each other. Uh, when it comes to some of the chess pieces that are being played at large, yeah, but yeah, I think it's it's by design.
Speaker 2:And the mocktail movement I've talked about a lot how I think it's kind of funny, uh, that everybody's getting all jacked up about it because the backbone again is herbalism. Like before we were drinking mocktails per se, we drink herbal tonics per se, we drink herbal tonics and that's really what herbal tonics and elixirs are. Um, you know, because we have this boom in mocktails, especially functional drinks, and a lot of people are trying to get on this train and capitalize on it because it's hot, and come out with marketing products and use fancy words like adaptogen or nervine and they're using it wrong and they're putting in like a sprinkle of an herb in there. That's at like a very insignificant dose to say that it's in there. So, although I'm super excited about the movement, there's a lot of education that I think is missing.
Speaker 2:I also think there's a lot of people just trying to make a buck and they need to slow down and put out something quality. And, as someone who has a background in an industry that is about reading labels and understanding the impacts of the chemicals or the amount of sugar that's in a product Like we have this amazing fucking opportunity to launch like something really cool. Like the fact that everybody's eyes are on mocktails right now and people are pumping out all this crap I'm like trying to redirect everyone as best that I can and say hey, look like we have the opportunity to set a new standard here. Like let's take this new industry and get people to look at the labels and understand what's in them and educate them really, you know, intensely, so that they're not falling victim to you know, brainwashing and like all of the other things that happening in consumerism.
Speaker 1:Yes, I totally agree with this, because something that I've noticed in the mocktail movement is citric acid is at the forefront of every ingredient list and, like the news is out on citric acid, it's not safe, it's not derived from the way that we think it's derived from. Like yeah, if it really came from lemon and orange peels, like great, but it's a black mold product and like that is. You can look that up. They try and hide it. It's buried in there deep, but like it's citric acid, it's not safe, it's not good to use. So when you're marketing this as like a health drink with adaptogens and, like you said, like all of these things that are meant to be good for, but you're throwing in these other ingredients like natural flavors and citric acid, it's like you're doing the opposite of what the goal is intended to be. Right right.
Speaker 2:So, honestly, that's kind of where herbalists can really shine. I feel like there's an uprising for herbalists right now because herbal products on the whole are also trending, but specifically in the mocktail movement, because companies are trying to emulate the feeling of the buzz without having alcohol on there. And that's where our herbal allies come into play. And us, as herbalists, know like we can call the bullshit. You know, we know the right herbs to use, we know the dosage. You know, we know how plants work synergistically. I mean, there's so much stuff happening with technology moving so fast and nutraceuticals, where people are pulling out constituents of plants that give you the most effect.
Speaker 2:So I'll give you an example kava, which we've heard of, it's a great nervous system relaxer. It's basically a natural painkiller. Um, non-addictive, been used forever, originates more in, like, the Pacific islands, hawaii, that kind of thing. But it's so good for feeling like you've had a drink without actually having one. It's really full body relaxation versus something like a cup of chamomile tea, which is like soothing and a nerve vine, but it's more of a digestive nerve vine, so it relaxes somebody who might have anxiety that lives in the gut. So Kava just works on the body a little bit differently, but it's potent and so everybody's trying to capitalize on it, naturally, and it has a chemical compound in it called Kava lactones and people are trying to just extract the Kava lactones and inject into drinks and then throwing like L-theanine and CoQ10 and a bunch of shit in there.
Speaker 2:And I find that a little controversial because of the fact that our body needs to like assimilate something and be able to recognize it and I think when it's in its whole plant form, that's the best way that we can do it. There are also no long-term studies done on these, like compounds as concentrated extracts and a lot of the studies that are done on them. Um, on the concentrated extracts, it's like really it's really hard to like say whether the results are are good long-term because we don't have long-term evidence, like we don't know if that's like another version of a GMO, do you know what?
Speaker 1:I mean, yeah, it's so true. And you know, like I have talked about this, not on this podcast, but with cannabis a lot, because when we started to extract it and make like these shatters and dabs and all of this stuff, we've concentrated it so highly that like, yeah, it's become, yeah, it's a drug, but like now it's really become a drug, because now we're like bringing science into the fold and you can't get these extractions without doing some sort of science to it and we're not having it in the whole plant form. And like I am on the fence about this with cannabis and I see where you're coming from with with plants too, it's like you need the whole plant. There's a reason why God put it in that form and didn't give it to us in pieces yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So I, I get what you're saying and I totally agree, um, because I've I felt this way with cannabis forever and I really think that extracting cannabis, like that has has become I'll say it's become a problem because we want like the biggest effect from it, like Like we're always looking for that, like like the the most high that we could be and I it's. It just goes back to what we were saying about alcohol. It's like we're we're not using it in the way it was intended. We're using it to like stifle part of our soul.
Speaker 2:Right, and it just becomes this, this like we're seeking something outside of ourselves still yes, oh yes and that like there's something to be said about bridging science with tradition and accelerating humanity forward, and I totally believe that there is a balance, but I'm skeptical and you know, at the end of the day it's just reaching for something else.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And we should be getting like our dopamine hits from being in the present moment, like being in your body. I mean, you obviously specialize in this. You know like movement or you know playing with animals, something that's like rich. You know not just numbing and easily turn into that, because it's just replacing one addiction with another.
Speaker 1:Yes, yeah, and it's easy to do in these times Like we are in very polarizing times. We are literally weeks away from an election that has, like completely divided our country for the last like six to eight years. We, you know, there's wars. All over Our country is literally falling, apart from hurricanes, and it's just like look here, look here, do this, do that. It's like it's all the more reason why people are reaching for these things that are that are numbing agents.
Speaker 1:So I think, when I started seeing the sober October thing come up, I was like, oh, this is actually like a pretty cool movement, because if people can do something for 30 days, for 30 days, if you can be completely sober, what's another 30 days? What's another 30 days after that? Like, once you kind of hit that threshold and you realize, like you get over that part where it's like the hard part, the hard hump, and you really start to, like you said, be in your body. You realize, like, how detrimental these addictions are, and that's definitely something that I'm I'm looking at like this summer I would have like two drinks and I would be. I would be fucked up for like three days.
Speaker 1:Why am I doing this to myself, like I keep coming back to that. Why am I doing this to myself, where I'd be like I'm never drinking again and then like the next weekend like weekend, like oh, but here I am and it's like you know why am I doing this? There is like a social aspect, like, like I said, um, a Gemini, and I have like um, like once I get sucked into that social scene, there's like there's no telling what this air sign will do. But I look at someone like my sister, who she's always been very good about, like everyone else could be drinking around her, everyone else could be hammered and she's like totally cool, like drinking her Sprite, and I'm like I want to be like that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, some people just have that.
Speaker 2:They can be just chill with nothing or like barely anything at all. And there's something to also be said about, like seasons of life, you know, like there's different seasons where, like you know, depending on your level of what I believe to be nervous system dysregulation and your relationship with alcohol because I think there's absolutely a link between the two Um and you know, some people might quit for a long period of time and then have a establish a healthy relationship, a healthy nervous system, and be able to enjoy it in a more clear, headed way, in more moderation. Um, or some people just don't like it at all, like I pretty much just won't even go back to it at this point, and maybe I do in some very calculated way, but for me I'm like I love that I've never hung over. That's like the biggest thing for me Never, never hung over. Like I don't have to feel that shame or guilt and, like you said, it doesn't even take that much to make me feel painfully hungover at this point. If I have like one drink, I'm off.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's like the more you clear the channels and the more like healthy you get, like you do become way more sensitive to those things. I can't have caffeine at all, like I used to be able to do. Cacao just the other day, or even this morning, I had um, just like hot cocoa collagen, and even that is like I have to have it with a ton of protein because right, I feel that way too uh like, just a little bit of caffeine, just really just like, will fuck me up for the whole day and even going back like I never had hangover anxiety before.
Speaker 1:but that's something that happened to me this summer, with just like one drink the next day like hangover anxiety, like crazy. And it goes back to that nervous system dysregulation. It's like alcohol is what disrupted the nervous system and now my body is letting me know like stop fucking doing this idiot.
Speaker 2:Right, right, like stop fucking doing this idiot right right now. That's so fun. Funny that you say that, because I think a lot of people you're not the first person who's mentioned hangover and anxiety to me and that's the funny part because we keep doing it.
Speaker 2:I know one for punishment, because it's subliminally everywhere and we're getting messages 24 7 that it's okay and it's part of culture. And that was the hardest part for me to like finally kick. It was like I would convince myself that I don't need it, I'm good. And then society and everything around me I'm like well, everyone else is enjoying it and it seems fine, so why not? And then I would just be painfully hung over or overdo it and just regret whatever the heck happened.
Speaker 2:And and it's just because it's so socially acceptable everywhere it even if you're not surrounding yourself with it's like subliminally being programmed in the background that it's okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm, I'm working on it. Um, definitely, it's funny's funny. I was like I'll do sober October. And then last weekend we went out um with our family, our family friends, like everyone goes out on the boat, and we went to Block Island again this weekend because it was such a triggering environment for me.
Speaker 2:I'd be like how do you not enjoy a drink of something on a boat?
Speaker 1:Yeah, exactly Exactly. So my brother-in-law was making tequila drinks so I was like, oh, I have this gorgeous watermelon juice. Like maybe I just do like a splash of tequila in there with some lime, and I could not even get it down. I like ended up dumping it and then I was like beating myself up because I was like I just wasted that watermelon juice. Like what the fuck?
Speaker 2:oh my god. No, yeah, your sensitivity just like goes through the roof when you stop. And the other thing about like and I posted this recently on Instagram like our generation specifically, I call them the Pluto and Scorpio generation. But the generations for Pluto very much coincide with the different generations, like baby boomers or millennials or Gen Z. They like track very similarly in timelines. So from an astrological standpoint we're in the Pluto and Scorpio generation. So I think that's if you're born between 1985 and 1994, um, I might be like a year or two off on either side. But basically our generation is all about uncovering the truth and like the deep, uncomfortable stuff, a lot of the um, a lot of things related to sexuality actually, and like uh, taboo related topics. So our generation was the one that grew up with the Monica Lewinsky situation. We grew up with what just came out for the Nickelodeon uh like child trafficking, et cetera.
Speaker 2:Now all like the P Diddy stuff coming out like being the whistleblowers, and with that you have to think about the other themes, like very much. So Scorpio energy is about death and rebirth and they tend to have that kind of all or nothing mentality that you have with drinking. So when we think about millennials and how we're also very healthy but we also, at the same time, come from the generation of like binge drinking at, like high school dances and all that jazz. So we have these two extremes that we think about with Scorpio. You know we like want to transmute energy and the study that I had posted about was talking about how millennials are one of the biggest participants in the whole sober movement, or the sober curious movement, uh, but they're also the ones that still drink the most. So when we so fascinating right.
Speaker 2:So we're like the number one target market for the mocktail movement, we'll simultaneously still like going hard when we do go hard. So like mostly millennials are taking periods of time off to be sober, or like restricting their drinking, maybe a little bit more frequently during the week, but when they do drink they go all out. It's like yeah, that resonates. Yeah, I'm like, well, that sounds like a lot of people. Um, I'm like, well, that sounds like a lot of people, but yeah, it's like the need for that intensity.
Speaker 1:I love just a quick aside but I love your social media. You do such a great job. It's so informative and so, like I'm always looking to see what you're posting, because I love when you relate things to astrology. I think that's so fascinating, because I love when you relate things to astrology. I think that's so fascinating and I just love, like, the little info that you post about the different herbs that can be helpful in the sober, curious movements. I've always been kind of interested in herbal medicine. I have a healthy distrust for Western medicine so I always tend to lean more natural. But yeah, just like wanting to come away from alcohol, like I love the little things that you post about herbs that can help. You still feel that like euphoric, awesome feeling without giving you the hangover.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's like the whole backbone, I think to the mocktail industry, is the herbalism, and I just know that for me personally, I'm really, uh, aware of like pattern recognition.
Speaker 2:So after I got deep into herbalism and I was like, well, astrology is a sister science and there's a reflection of the planet and the plants. So like, for example, through the doctrine of signatures, which is sort of saying, like you know how, um, let's just say, like a walnut, for example, looks like the shape of a brain, or kidney beans look like kidneys, like the body parts are reflective of the foods that are actually good for that body part. Same thing with the planets and herbs. So, for example, mars, um, it's a hot planet, it's full of iron, and then one of its planet or plant associations is nettles, and nettles are really high in iron. Um, nettles also have like little like stingers on them. Um, and nettles are a planet that's ruled by Scorpio, and we think about how Scorpio's traditional ruler was Mars, and so all of those things kind of work together symbiotically and I just love meshing them together because I think, well, obviously they're all related.
Speaker 1:Yes, this is something that we've been talking about on the podcast a lot this season is like we have compartmentalized so many things, but like we're coming back to the whole, and I think that's what yoga is about. It's about coming back to the whole, coming back to the oneness, and I think that little insights like this are bringing us back to that as well yeah, no, I love it, and I think astrology is also equally booming, as much as herbalism.
Speaker 2:Mocktails is obviously like taking over, because of the fact that there are much bigger forces behind the beverage industry to propel that forward, whereas, like, astrology and herbalism are booming but, like again, the industry is still quote-unquote new and that we don't have like huge players like Coca-Cola, you know, or whatever. Let's just say, uh, amheiser Bush, like I think, bought C-Lip but they put C-Lip on the map, which was like one of the original non-alcoholic spirits.
Speaker 1:Um, it's one of those double-edged swords where it like becomes more widely available, but also like it's big food, big, big drug, big pharma, it's like. So you're like it's the chips thing that killed me. It really killed me too. But then one of the holistic doctors, um, that I follow kind of posted about it in a different way and I was really I. It was unexpected to see, but he was like this is actually a good thing because it's going to become more widely available and yada, yada. But, um, I'm on the fence about how I feel about it. You know, like primal kitchen was something that I really loved, and now it's like craft Heinz and you know that's a Monsanto, companyanto company, so you have to. I don't know how I feel about it. I don't know. I guess only time will tell if they're um transparent and you know there are other options out there.
Speaker 2:Um, right, it's like the balance of the good and the bad. Right. So like primal kitchen, put like an awareness of quality dressings on the map that don't have seed oils in them, um, or whatever their original messaging was.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think it was like seed oils and dairy they were dairy free.
Speaker 2:And so it got people thinking in another way, which is more powerful than not having existed at all you know what I mean or not having gotten the reach. But then, at the same time, it's like, well, we really have to be the detectives, like 24, seven. Yes, we have to, we have to be aware because, unfortunately, you know, our food industry, and every industry, really has a lot of corruption in it in this country, specifically, like I don't know if you saw the recent and maybe you actually shared this post about the whole Kellogg's case, where, um Kellogg's has guys, oh, the fruit dyes, yeah, well, our products for Kellogg's in the United States are filled with so much chemical shit and they're way cleaner in other countries. And so there are people coming together and advocating to like first of all, expose Kellogg's and like, get a little bit of an uproar, but also like, change some policy and be like hey, like we deserve to be treated.
Speaker 1:The same, like the corporate America agenda is to get us addicted and sick as possible because it has literally cancer causing coloring agents and, you know, gmo, whatever's it's just so it's funny you bring this up because I don't think I was the one that posted about it, but I did see this post and in the testimony the person is holding up fruit loops from um, canada, and then fruit loops from the United States and the fruit loops from Canada are colored with vegetable dyes and you can see they're like not vibrant in color, they like look way different. But then the American one is like vibrant and red and yellow and like all of these colors and because it's coming from chemical coloring and that is just like, it's just crazy to me. And then I saw another thing today, just this morning, about Starbucks and the pumpkin spice in this country versus the pumpkin spice that they offer in America.
Speaker 2:Canada or.
Speaker 1:Europe, in European countries, and the pumpkin spice from America had like ammonia in it.
Speaker 1:Oh, my god, of course and it's like, what the fuck is the FDA doing? Like how is this allowed? Like we trust this agency? And I say this very loosely because I certainly don't. I'm like one of those people who I go to the grocery store for two hours because I'm literally reading every single ingredient. I'm reading where the meat comes from, like I want to know where it was butchered, where it was processed, where it came from originally, um. So I am one of those people who I'm gonna, I'm gonna look at every single label and now even the fruit thing with um, the appeal coding, like it's hidden in other companies now, like they have like these little logos. But I mean, it's a small local grocery store and I don't want to slander them because I do love them, but the limes at Belmont are fucking appeal and I'm like what the fuck? Like what the fuck?
Speaker 2:I know it's sort of like you can't escape it and as much as I want to be like oh, the 80 20 rule and like yes, we can do the best that we can, and like try and buy as much local and do like a CSA share and, you know, do 80, 20. I also sort of feel like we're at a breaking point where that's like not enough, because not only is that happening, but then they're spraying chemicals all over the grass in the park and we go and we walk around the parks and that's there, and there's no warning sign or informed consent. Or we go and we're, you know, bathing in tap water that has a bunch of chemicals in it. It's like we can't escape it.
Speaker 2:And some and this isn't meant to be like scaring people, but like a doctor I remember was talking about how, like we sort of need to treat everything like we're in cancer prevention, like, yeah, or remission, like you're in remission from cancer and you don't want that to come back. So we have to be like really vigilant. We have to really like care about our water, where it's coming from, the quality of it. We don't have to like not enjoy life or not go to the park or whatever, but, like you know, really being on top of it and one of the things that I think it's overlooked and I'm a huge advocate of this and I know we're digressing from mocktails point of it but is is cleansing and detoxing and doing flushes. That has changed my body more than herbs. More than herbs and I've been an herbalist and studied clinically it has changed me and helped me with health issues far more than herbs, and I've been an herbalist and studied clinically.
Speaker 1:It has changed me and helped me with health issues far more than any herb could. But when you, when you cleanse um and do your detoxes, do you use herbs as aid Cause? I know, um, I parasite cleanse several times a year. I it's funny, I was just talking about it this morning. I'm like I it's time for a parasite cleanse, like I can feel my, I'm like craving sugar at night. I'm like, oh, these fuckers. I know I know, but I it's heavy. Yeah, it's heavy, herbal based. Actually it's all herbs.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so I think there's like a couple of different variations so we can talk about cleansing. Cleansing to me is like I do a juice cleanse where I'm doing nothing but drinking mostly green juice, because fruit juice I don't like drinking a ton of. Um, it depends on how like glucose sensitive you are and it depends on the body and I think cleansing protocols can be tailored to your body type and like your metabolism type and it's different for everyone. But I do best on a juice cleanse. I love doing one once a month for three days. That's just to like remineralize my body, first of all cause I'm just drinking like a variation of a couple of different green juices and to just give my digestive system a break. Another variation on that is doing like an Ayurvedic cleanse, like where you're eating kachari every day. So kachari is like basically lentils and turmeric and ghee cooked up and it's almost like a porridge but savory, and you're eating that every day for X amount of days. So there's more like definitely more to it.
Speaker 1:Um right, Like if you're someone who needs to eat, that's a good one right If you need to eat like that because it's. It actually has all the essential amino acids and it's a complete protein. Being vegetarian, I actually um would do one at least once a year, um, and it's something I always have like ready available, um, because the spices are really nourishing as well.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it definitely also goes with your astrological body type. I don't know if I talked about that a little bit but, like for my body type specifically, I'm very Capricorn. Um, there's a couple of different like ways you can look at that in your chart. I love Judith Hill. She is like my go-to for medical astrology and she has a bunch of different books and she talks about how, depending on certain placements in your chart and your like astrological body type, you might need different things.
Speaker 2:So, for example, like we could say, the person who might do an Ayurvedic cleanse, who might need more food, might be like a Vata body type in Ayurveda and they might be like very Gemini or very Virgo, where there's a lot of air in their chart. So there's a lot of crossover between those and and yeah, so those are like the two, like opposite ones. I also think about people who go do just like a raw cleanse, where they're just eating raw foods. Again, I think that depends on the strength of your digestive system, because it does take a lot to break down raw vegetables or people who do, uh, like a detox so I've done detoxes where I've gone basically away on like a retreat for that Cause you're out for the count and that's sort of a combination of cleansing and like, uh, fasting, yeah, so that's where I did the gallbladder flush.
Speaker 1:Oh yes, I remember you talking about that. Swear by the gallbladder flush. Oh yes, I remember you talking about that.
Speaker 2:Swear by the gallbladder flush. Uh, it is like for anybody who has like gallbladder issues you have to be a little bit more considerate about how you go about doing it. Um, in case you are susceptible to like big, bigger gallstones. But it makes my memory so clear and and it's like one of the best things that I've ever done for my body.
Speaker 1:That's how I feel about the parasite cleansing. Yeah, the first one was absolutely life-changing in that it rocked my world. Like I was like, oh, like you know, yeah, I'm going to do this, but it's, it had been calling to me Like it kept coming up in my awareness. And then I in Arizona, I was seeing actually oh, like you know, yeah, I'm gonna do this, but it's, it had been calling to me like it kept coming up in my awareness. And then I in Arizona, I was seeing actually Kat's husband, who has been Kat's been on the podcast before, her husband has not but he is a chiropractor and like he is like a witch doctor. He does a lot of like muscle testing and energy work along with his body work and I really like love the combination and so when I brought it to his awareness and we did some muscle testing for it, he was like oh, yeah, it's time. And I was like, oh, fuck.
Speaker 1:And so I gave it a go and at first I was like kind of skeptical about it but then I had the craziest die off symptoms and you know your brain can't rationalize that away's like okay, that is what this isI can try and like in this however I want, but like, okay, I'm having like crazy die-off symptoms. I felt like absolute garbage for two weeks, like I just could feel things moving around. I was almost like I had the flu like. But it's all biofilm and mucus that's coming up. That's like feeding these parasites. And so I was working with somebody who did lymphatic work, so I was like moving my lymph through. I just kind of like went through it for two weeks and then coming out on the other side I had a ganglion cyst on my wrist that I had for about five years, and week three of that first parasite cleanse it went away and it hasn't come back. And I was like, yeah, and I didn't even realize it at first. I was like vacuuming one day and I looked down at my wrist. I was like, uh, that's weird. I was like where did that go? What the heck? And I was expecting it to kind of come back or or something. And it hasn't, still hasn't.
Speaker 1:And so now I do a parasite cleanse every couple of months, and the last time I finished one up in may. So I did one like right before the summer. And I just think it's something that all humans should do, like we're mammals and we're out there in the world where, I mean, not everyone is eating raw fruits, vegetables, undercooked meats, raw shellfish, but like that I do, and so I'm going to make this part of my lifestyle now, and so I know, every like three to four months, it's it's time to cleanse, and my body is definitely calling for it now. But I've extreme changes, like better sleep, um, just like you said, like clear memory, um not having like these crazy food cravings, or even like I feel like it. You feel like your appetite is suppressed, but then you realize like, oh, this is just my appetite, without being run by parasites, like a lot of our, our appetite, craving, our, our hunger is actually like eating parasites. Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's wild, so weird Did you? What protocol did you do? Because I know that like there are cleanses that you can do that are not food restrictive, but like you have to moderate what you're eating. Like you can eat but you can't be eating like ice cream and caffeine. I think ideally is what they say, right?
Speaker 1:um, yeah, so most um of them say to limit dairy um, limit meat eggs. Um, I actually didn't. I eat a pretty clean diet and I know where all my meat and eggs are coming from, so I actually just ate kind of norm, like what I normally eat. I definitely ate less because I wasn't as hungry, um, and not that it was like suppressing my appetite in any way, but, like I said, you know we're used to eating these gigantuan portions, um, because we've like supersized everything. But really like food portions were meant to be pretty small, so I think I was actually eating like more optimally. But, yeah, no sugar, no processed foods, just like very clean, organic, local, if you can. But I think, like honestly, I think you don't even have to do that, like we're gonna be reinfected by parasites and that's not to, like you said, scare anyone, but that's just like like the reality of being a mammal, um, and that's what we used to do, like in originally like yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, when you mentioned wormwood, like wormwood is one of the ingredients in um yes, in absence, but also in parasite cleanses. Like a lot of the herbal parasite cleanses have wormwood in them. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Like we were supposed to have that like or like fresh herbs on our food. Like cooking them with fresh herbs, not like dried McCormick shit, Like that's not going to cut it. Like medicinal strength fresh herbs out of your garden cooked in like a stew for chicken has an anti-parasitic quality to it. Yes, we don't think about, and because we're not eating like that, our food is not medicine, unless we're going out of our way to make that happen.
Speaker 2:So, again, like you said, not meant to scare anyone and that, like you know, the whole anti-cancer protocol, but like I think the cleansing or the detoxing or the parasite eliminations are super important and if those are something that people are incorporating more regularly, we can loosen up a little bit more in what we eat Do you know, yes, yes, oh my God, yes, I'm like championing this, um, and that's something that Dr Jess Petras, like I that's how I learned about parasite cleansing was through her work, and that's what she says.
Speaker 1:Once we empty out the toxin bucket, we create higher thresholds to handle these outside contaminants Right, but for most of us, our bucket is so full because of mold, because of environmental things, because of pesticides we're spraying, because of weather manipulation, chemicals that we're spraying. It's the reality. And you can say, oh, you're a conspiracy theorist, you just have your tinfoil hat on, but a lot of these conspiracies that I talk about are now proven. So it's like am I crazy or is this the reality of the world that we're living in now? And, like you said, we're starting to pull our generation is really starting to pull the veil back on these things, to be like no, no, no, we have to look at this ugliness because we're not going to transform it, we're not going to be the change until we look at this, and I think it's something that we're coming to now.
Speaker 1:You know we talk about it on the podcast before this dog cancer rates are up Like human cancer rates are up Like why? Why? Like we have to look at this. So I am a big fan of parasite cleansing. I think everyone should, and if it's not something that's in your budget, you can do very cost-effective things like something like eating raw pumpkin seeds. A handful of raw pumpkin seeds every day can be a parasite cleanse Like that's very affordable. That's very doable.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, there's definitely a lot of hacks for cleansing, like you don't have to like spend a lot on a juice cleanse, or like intermittent fasting is also a thing which I learned more about doing it hormonally. So it's definitely different if you, you know, are female, who still has their period, because you know men can fast and it not really affects their hormones in the same way whether you're doing like a 24 hour fast once a week or you're doing a 16 hour fast, um, but women, there's definitely ways to cycle it. Like the first 10 days of your cycle you can fast a little bit harder, so for longer, um, and then I think it's again like for five days right before your period. It's optimal. I believe it has to do with progesterone, but don't quote me on this Um. But there's a science behind.
Speaker 2:You know the fasting and the benefits of fasting and that all playing a huge role in this Um. But it really depends, like it doesn't have to be this scary, like oh my God, I'm not going to eat. Like, yes, people do water fast, people don't eat for 24 hours, or whatever. Or people do fast where, like even if you're just saying, okay, this week I'm going to take a break from meat and eggs and like any processed food and caffeine to just give my digestive system a break and really like focus on mineralization. Um, that's like also a good approach. Yeah, and you can function like you don't have to be out on your ass Like I've done cleanses where I'm out on my ass, but I've also done ones where I can function, um, but it all goes back to, like you know, circling back to the chemicals and the toxicity. That's what I'm advocating for in the mocktail industry is we need to stop pumping all this shit up with the citric acid, the um, you know natural flavors.
Speaker 2:Sugar yeah, Sugar is the big one, but you know, again, like you have to take the good with the bad. It's about the balance. I usually recommend more products that are actually like made by herbalists, to to put into drinks, to make your own drinks, um, you know, or like obviously taking my classes where we just learn how to make herbs or sorry drinks from scratch with our own like herbal infusions. But most of the mocktail products out there right now I don't like.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I agree, Not really, but I haven't come across any that would be like something that I would buy. Like I said, like literally every single one that I've looked at has citric acid in it and it's like no, I'm going to try and avoid that.
Speaker 1:So, I I haven't really found anything, but I would love to do like, like I love herbal bitters, so I feel like I would love like, um, like, even like a shrub, like with a apple cider vinegar base, um, with just like sparkling water, like, I feel like I would love something like that.
Speaker 2:Oh, it's so good. It's like the easiest thing you can do to like just preserve whatever the heck is in season, like figs and like vanilla, and use champagne vinegar and soak that for a couple of weeks and then throw it in a glass of water sparkling, and it's phenomenal. That for a couple of weeks and then throw it in a glass of water sparkling, and it's phenomenal. Yeah, see, I would love that. Yeah, it's like effortless too. It's like the easiest stuff is like or throw in herbs, like customize it for you If you're like okay, you know, I need something for hormonal balance. Maybe I'll add a little raspberry leaf or peony root in that or something like that. You can make it tailored and medicinal essentially to yourself, which is so cool for herbalism.
Speaker 1:I think, yeah, it is cool for herbalism and like even how you've posted about herbs that can kind of give you that. Like that's like the same buzzy social euphoricphoric feel Like I'm all for that. Like when I lived in Florida and when I lived in Phoenix there were kava bars there. I never went to one but I would be so curious.
Speaker 2:I know they can kind of get a rep because they're a little bit I don't know what the word for it is the same sort of stereotype that goes with herbalism, where everybody thinks like herbalists are just sort of like crunchy and a little bit coolly smelling and don't really have an aesthetic, um, and it's just like everything's recycled, repurposed. I think a little bit of that happens with kava too, where people think it's going to be like a smelly, dirty, hippie situation. Um, but kava, yeah, it's been popping up everywhere not in rhode island, obviously, because we're rhode island away.
Speaker 1:It's a little behind on the times, well, and I feel like the the alcohol culture here, like the alcohol bar scene, it's very prevalent. I mean this goes back now, but like I feel like we were at the forefront of the Jersey Shore days.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, oh, my God.
Speaker 1:And that really just hasn't gone away, it's just evolved. We're just, we're in our 30s now our 30s now.
Speaker 2:New england is very slow going to catch on to trends period and being like the epicenter of like die hard sports fans as well, like with the red sox and the patriots like the people here love their beer.
Speaker 1:I mean, we're such a hub for all the Irish and the Italian like it's really hard to get people to break tradition, I guess yeah, and it's true, because I think you know, probably eight, ten years ago now, we were at the forefront of, like, the craft brew right kind of yeah yeah, and now they're like, a lot of the craft breweries around the new england area have been bought out by the bigger companies.
Speaker 1:Um, so it's it's interesting to see where we're going with this, because I mean even some of the big beer companies I mean heineken just came out with the zero proof beer. Um, corona came out with the zero proof beer like, it's definitely something that, uh, it's got some, some buying and staying power behind it yeah, I think it's just gonna take some.
Speaker 2:I don't think here's the thing. I I don't think alcohol is ever going to be going away completely. I think it's always going to be here. I think it's going to be moderated and there are going to there's going to be a revamping in how we experience going out that, like sober bars will become more of a thing. I don't think it's going to be for a little while and I think that right now, geographically speaking, the mocktail movement has pockets of really big success in different areas throughout the United States.
Speaker 2:Um, new England is maybe not super progressed forward on that as much. I think New York has been popping off with that for a long time, especially Brooklyn, but other than that, like there's just random places where it's really happening. Um, obviously, california always is going to lead any kind of health trend, but, yeah, it's going to be exciting to see how it evolves over time. And, um, and I'm just really pushing for like the quality, because I see so many menus around here, mocktail menus that are just like ginger beer and like lime juice and I'm like there's like 25 grams of sugar in that I know well, that's the.
Speaker 1:that is the thing with mocktails like a lot of the the like. I live in a beach town in Rhode Island and we have a lot of bars that cater towards tourists and every single one has a mocktail menu right now. But the amount of sugar, it's all syrups. Yeah, and I hate a sweet drink to begin with, like if I'm eating food, like I don't want my drink to taste like dessert.
Speaker 2:Right, right, yeah, it's sort of how like we're we're getting evolved past the ginger beer and Shirley temple being a mock cocktail, but now we're stuck in this area where, like okay, everywhere I see in Rhode Island, it's like oh, here's this and it has like lavender syrup and like Sprite and you know, insert like random garnishing herb, like mint. You know what I mean. And it's just, it's a start. I'm not going to like complain about it, but, like you said, the message is getting diluted because the point of a mocktail is to be healthier, but instead of being healthier, it's like only halfway healthier because it doesn't have alcohol in it but it still has a bunch of sugar in it. And how, how quality are those ingredients? Like? Are you using a local soda that's like you know, using good stuff and made with honey or something? Or are you using Coca-Cola products?
Speaker 1:So it's like people aren't getting it all the way, the benefits, yeah, yeah, and that's why making them at home is just the better option.
Speaker 1:Right, so make it yourself Um, because yeah, I mean it's easy and fun, Like there's a bulk store um down this way and I love getting my herbs there because it's like so fun going um South coast. Uh, in Wakefield, like on Robinson street, you should go, you would love it. Yeah, it used to be Um, so I don't know if you remember this, but this was like going way back, like pre 2020, there was a place on right on main street in Wakefield called South County co-op.
Speaker 2:Okay, I heard of that and they closed.
Speaker 1:They closed, yes, but um the the I think she was like the president, or she was high up in the co-op she decided to reopen because it was such a staple in this community, like.
Speaker 1:I couldn't believe it closed when it did, but it's a small little place. It's right like diagonally across from Brickley's across from Brickley's, okay, and they just do all bulk, like you can bring your own jars or they have little like compostable sleeves that you can put in. But I pretty much get all of my herbs there. I first of all love supporting local small businesses, but I just love their mission. She really just takes pride in where she gets her herbs and spices from, um and there's a lot of education that goes in it. Like you go in there and it's an experience, like someone's going to help you weigh out all of your herbs and all of your spices and, like I said, it's just an experience. So if you're in the Rhode Island area, check it out. It's um, a bulk free store. You can get everything there, from like shampoo and conditioner to like teas and wait, yes, I have.
Speaker 2:Now that you're saying it, I have. Is it across from what used to be the smoothie place bowl? Yes, yeah, yeah, what went out of business and auntie's kitchen, do you remember? I don't know no they had this amazing breakfast bowl. That is just like. I'm devastated that it's no longer there. But yes now that you're saying it, I know what you're talking about and I have gotten like gourmet little like chocolate covered nuts from there or something.
Speaker 1:Yes, she has all kinds of like like fun little things in there and I've I've like always like left there with like good treats.
Speaker 2:Oh my God. No, I love that. Yes, I have been in there and I don't know if it's the girl that I met that owns it. Does she also garden? Or maybe she just works for them?
Speaker 1:Oh, I think I know who you're talking about. She, uh, she works for them. I actually know her through um like my, my cacao plug um from way back in the day. Rhode Island like my my cacao plug um from way back in the day bird island is so small and, like the healing community is just like it's so small, it's so amazing. Um, but, yes, she, she works there. Yes, the woman who is not older but older okay, I know we're talking about.
Speaker 2:Yes, I need to go check it out again yes, she has.
Speaker 1:Like she just has great stuff in there and, like I said, there's a heavy emphasis on education. Like, when you're in there, you just like meet like-minded people and they want to know what you're doing and actually what I learned about shrubs from that place. So, just like conversation I had in there, so it's a cool place Find your local bulk store because it's going to be, first of all, like a great place to get information from and you're going to find quality ingredients there, no doubt. Well, if somebody is curious and wants to work with you, where can they find you?
Speaker 2:Well, if somebody is curious and wants to work with you, where can they find you? Okay? So my website is T for Tori, so T E A F O R T O R I, ecom, or my Instagram handle is T for Tori, my.
Speaker 1:TikTok is T for Tori. All my social media is tea for tori. Definitely follow on social media you post like the most amazing content, like I always find myself screenshotting your your stories or such an honor uh, you posted about this herb for eye health like a couple like maybe last week or the week before, and I like screenshotted. I was like I have to go get this herb oh my god, I love that so much.
Speaker 2:No, it's a labor of love. I put a ton of effort into my Instagram.
Speaker 1:I'm curating something that's like really gonna help people yes, and you have lots of online classes that are pre-recorded or you do live classes all the time, um, so definitely check that out if you're interested in the herbal movement or you want to make your own mocktails.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I just did. I totally forgot. Um, I just taught a sober October mocktail class. So we learned about herbs that give you a buzz without the booze. So we talk about different herbs that help give you that relaxation, and I did that as a pre-recorded class so people can purchase it anytime and watch it as many times as they want. It comes with actually, three mocktail recipes and we make one mocktail together and then we talk a lot about different herbs. Um, to kind of take it to another level, um, I also have a free ebook when you sign up for my email list and I also include uh 10 herbal based non-alcoholic drink brands that I recommend, because I'm super picky and I will only recommend the best to people. Um, and then I just built out a little meat mini course, which is a seasonal mocktail course where you get four hour long prerecorded videos that teach you step-by-step how to make a couple of different mocktails. It comes with recipe cards and all that jazz, so it's great yeah.
Speaker 2:It's a bunch of holiday recipes too. I think I do like a sugar cookie mocktail on there, something that's like fun that you could also give to your kids. Um, like an elderberry based one. That can be kind of like a champagne style drink, but it's good for prep for holiday and you can batch it too for like holiday parties. So that was kind of like. The purpose behind it is like getting people something to use as a tool before the holidays come up, Cause I know that can be a period of time where people might want to drink less. Or I mean, honestly, the recipes are great, so you could throw booze in it if you wanted to want to drink less. Or I mean, honestly, the recipes are great, so you could throw booze in it if you wanted to. But just get people you know something, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, options and education. That's I love it.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you so much. Thank you, let's not do this again in two years.
Speaker 1:Yeah, maybe like maybe quarterly or something. Yes, well, thank you for coming on. I just always love your, just all of the great things that you have to offer and the education that you bring. I'm always looking forward to your social media posts, so I hope that everyone here agrees. So thank you for coming on. If you liked this episode, please like, subscribe and share on. If you liked this episode, please like, subscribe and share, and if you really liked this episode, share it with somebody who needs to hear this message. I'll see you next time.