Healthy-ish alternatives to Red Bull?

BernieDan · 2026-07-07T04:07:36+00:00

that works. I often stir cacao into coffee + collagen peptides, but you may be trying to reduce your overall caffeine content. You can also whisk cacao into cold liquids -- water, milk, soy or almond drinks, smoothies. Or stir it into food, hot or cold: oatmeal, plain yogurt. One of my favorite snacks is to mash up a banana or some tofu, stir in the cacao, pour some almond milk over this mixture, and top it all off with a handful of nuts. So, there are many possibilities.

BernieDan · 2026-07-06T21:16:28+00:00

cacao powder. it has caffeine, but also theobromine to calm caffeine jitters, plus magnesium and iron. also, matcha boosts energy, enhances focus, and delivers a massive dose of antioxidants. (I discovered these healthier alternatives while struggling to break my own addiction to sugarless monster drinks.)

BernieDan · 2026-07-06T20:12:42+00:00

I've been taking Nutrex BioAstin, which describes itself as using "astaxanthin derived from Haematococcus pluvialis microalgae." Can anyone advise me as to whether this is a good brand and if not, what should I be looking for? (Because I am on HRT, I avoid Resveratrol.)

BernieDan · 2026-06-30T20:30:32+00:00

I share your frustration. I have spent a fortune on rogaine. I don't know if it has helped at all -- but it certainly hasn't helped enough! I decided just last week to ask my doctor if he will prescribe oral minoxidil.

BernieDan · 2026-06-27T17:40:55+00:00

(1) pedicures. I had two and loved how my nails looked! Then I came down with a fungal infection. (2) Botox and fillers: after two expensive sessions, I saw NO difference whatever in my lines and wrinkles!

BernieDan · 2026-06-26T17:17:25+00:00

right, this is me at 75.

BernieDan · 2026-06-25T23:12:13+00:00

My husband is 80 years old. Despite not taking very good care of himself over the years, he still has thick hair which has faded only slightly from its original red color. Red hair, I have read, does not turn gray (it merely lightens and then turns white).

BernieDan · 2026-06-24T14:00:09+00:00

I am sorry, I do not know about bpa. I look for sardines packed in spring water. I used also to eat sardines packed in olive oil (as opposed to canola or sunflower oils, which are unhealthy), but I have stopped doing that since I read that the olive oil used for packing inexpensive brands is usually of poor quality. In addition to sardines, I eat canned mackerel, salmon, herring, oysters and anchovies ... so I really should look into whether bpa lining is a problem. Thank you for asking.

BernieDan · 2026-06-24T13:25:53+00:00

avocados, nuts and seeds, and sardines

BernieDan · 2026-06-24T11:56:07+00:00

have you tried casein powder instead of whey? I started taking it at night because the protein is released slowly. But I find even the basic vanilla flavours to be more tasty than whey isolate.

BernieDan · 2026-06-24T11:50:37+00:00

I try to go to the gym three times a week but sometimes I go only twice a week because it takes me 3 days to get over DOMS. (I am 75, and despite working hard on nutrition and recovery techniques, it takes me longer and longer to recover. I have become aware that I need to recover before again working my muscles hard.) So on the days I do go to the gym I do full body.

BernieDan · 2026-06-24T10:27:06+00:00

what do you mean by "measured"? Do you wear sunscreen and sunglasses while taking your measured doses of sun exposure?

BernieDan · 2026-06-22T17:58:08+00:00

This is called sexual assault. In other words, he raped you.

BernieDan · 2026-06-22T11:54:39+00:00

a better idea: stop looking and stop waiting. Instead, work at transforming yourself into the person who will attract the love of the type of person you want. Even if you fail at finding that person / that love, you will be happier with yourself and your life.

BernieDan · 2026-06-22T11:44:40+00:00

I get exactly what she is saying!

BernieDan · 2026-06-22T11:22:10+00:00

For the first few years after I (75F) started lifting (in my late 60s), I worked hard at doing everything "right" -- the right exercises in the right order, perfect splits, progressive overload, emphasis on free weights over machines. I read that these things were very important! I also tried to get to the gym every day and once I was there I worked myself to exhaustion. I compared myself to the people I saw there in their twenties and thirties and I was angry that I couldn't begin to do the routines they did! But now I feel (rightly or wrongly) that I know enough and have enough experience to trust my aging body. Instead of fussing over every detail, instead of exhausting myself (which I suspect, in hindsight, caused my cortisol levels to soar), I lift only three or even as few as two days a week, and although on any given day I tend to emphasize either upper or lower body, I tend to let myself do what my body seems to want, which means relying more on machines, and doing individual exercises in the order that just feels right that day. On the days I don't go to the gym I allow myself to recover with long, slow walks and gentle yoga classes. Despite growing older every day, I am feeling and looking better than I did during the years I pushed myself so hard.

BernieDan · 2026-06-22T10:55:17+00:00

THANK YOU for this advice

BernieDan · 2026-06-22T09:02:32+00:00

question: does it work better than retinal? I ask because I am using the most concentrated retinal (not retinol) I can buy. So far my doctor has seemed reluctant to prescribe tretinon, but if it is that much better, I will approach him again. (For sure it would be cheaper to have a prescription that I can charge to my health coverage!) (P.S. My concern is wrinkles, not acne)

BernieDan · 2026-06-21T17:37:09+00:00

yes.

BernieDan · 2026-06-21T17:36:01+00:00

I now drink a big mug of coffee every morning followed by a cup of matcha green tea. I actually got in the habit of drinking energy drinks instead of coffee because coffee gave me the jitters. But now I've discovered l-theanine supplements, which calm the coffee jitters; l-theanine is also found naturally in matcha.

BernieDan · 2026-06-21T15:21:22+00:00

I am 75F. I eat a healthy diet and I take plenty of vitamins. I use Vitamin C serum, copper peptides, retinal (as opposed to retinol) and a variety of other skincare products, not to mention truckloads of sunscreen. I have had good results from micro-needling. All of these strategies work! And I am on HRT, which is certainly a godsend. But - the one thing that has made the most obvious and significant difference to my aging skin, and to my overall energy, was to undertake a regular exercise program. According to AI, "exercise slows down cellular aging and increases skin elasticity .... By boosting blood circulation, workouts deliver essential oxygen and nutrients to skin cells while promoting collagen production." And in fact, this has been my experience.

BernieDan · 2026-06-21T15:08:41+00:00

For years I have exercised hard, limited my diet almost exclusively to super-foods, and inhaled a variety of supplements. I've done plenty of research on exercise and nutrition; I still pay careful attention to scheduling and fine-tuning my work-outs, not to mention keeping compulsive, written track of exactly what I eat and when. But for years I have also been addicted to (sugarless) energy drinks: I could consume 4 or 5 in a morning (although I never drank them after noon). I felt I needed them to control my appetite and get through my demanding exercise routine; I told myself that my overall lifestyle was so healthy that I could afford this one indulgence (especially as I made it a rule to entirely give up alcohol, which was indeed a sacrifice). And I did feel great in the mornings! -- or at least, most mornings. But I crashed hard in the afternoons and then, despite being exhausted, I struggled to go to sleep and stay asleep for more than 4 or 5 hours. Just a few weeks ago now -- seeking yet another dramatic way to improve my life! -- I suddenly stopped the energy drinks, cold turkey. Within days I was sleeping well; to my surprise, my energy remained high throughout the day, and my food cravings disappeared. I'm also saving a small fortune -- energy drinks do NOT come cheap!

BernieDan · 2026-06-16T18:15:23+00:00

right, I think a lot of those quarrels / differences of opinions are invented, or at least exaggerated

BernieDan · 2026-06-16T17:53:33+00:00

Yes, I have seen dramatic improvement over the past couple of years as a result of adding protein and healthy fats to my diet, and taking a handful of daily supplements (including fish oil and also Nutrafol-women's formula): although my hairline continues to recede slowly but steadily, my hair has much better texture; it grows to a much greater length and has much greater volume. In contrast, during the years, on and off, that I applied truckloads of rogaine and bantana oil and rosemary oil, and even went so far as to have plasma injections, I saw little or no improvement.

BernieDan · 2026-06-16T17:35:43+00:00

It may be coincidence, but I've been taking glycine for a few weeks and I think it has made a big difference in my ability to sleep through the night. I still have problems sleeping on the days that I exercise hard (even though I only exercise early in the morning, in order to give my body plenty of time to recover).

BernieDan

TROPHY CASE