I did the same with the NFL when players desecrated the flag and our troops kneeling during the national anthem. +
Brussel sprouts - I would never eat them in my childhood, but I love roasted brussel sprouts now. My kids do not. Religion - I was in college when the whole "new atheist" thing with Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, and Dennett took off, and I got swept up by it. I got to be somewhat knowledgeable on the philosophy and history of religion but that lead to me being very immature about it and my ego grew to be the size of a mountain. I wasn't abusive or anything crazy like that, but I was so lacking in humility that it is embarrassing to even think back on those days. Nowadays, while I'm still not religious, I am very open to others' perspectives and could not care less what someone believes. Believe what you want, I love you all the same. NFL and MLB - I just don't watch it anymore. And it's not because of concussions or cheating or any moral reason or anything like that, it's just because I don't have the time for it. And I found that I don't feel like I'm missing anything by skipping all of that. Politics - I went from being uninterested to being very passionate about it to now, where I am probably best described as disappointed. Music - I used to be passionate about music, always seeking out new, interesting bands and listening to entire albums or discographies. Now, I don't keep up with anything - even with the bands whose music I like. I have a much more casual approach. Mushrooms - as in the food, not the psychedelic. I like them now. Lawn care - I don't know if there was anything I hated more as a child than doing lawn care. Now? **** me, I can't believe it, but I actually enjoy it! I'm not the super duper lawn guy who has the world's best lawn by any means, but I have a decent sized yard for a suburb house and don't mind the 2+ hours it takes to do the full mowing/edging/blowing routine.
Sports - I used to love the NBA and buy everything about Rockets merchandise, and watch all the games I could, now Im all about the NFL, and my house is filled with Texans stuff. I spend all sunday watching NFL games. Clutchfans - I posted a lot in GARM and NBA Dish, now I post more in Texans forum and in Hangout.
Yea it’s best to avoid the sugar, if I have a “soda” I’ll drink one maybe once a week of Coke Zero if that. The sugar is what I want to avoid (I have relatives younger than me that got diabetes, for my age I am pretty fit owning and being active in my lawn care business) , but I want to avoid or should I say reduce my intake of aspartame; carbonated sparkling water doesn’t have that… the reason is years ago, I had a sudden panic attack and anxiety that hit me inside a mall - (I thought I was having a heart attack, scary AF) I am pretty much over that now but the doctor after tests were reviewed said my vitamin D was low, to get that corrected and suggested I avoid sugary foods including aspartame ….not sure why as I don’t think aspartame causes anything like that, buy I guess the Doc was right… the panic attacks and anxiety diminished after that. Since I avoided regular cokes, my body adjusted to repulse it altogether and I was stuck with tea or sparkling water but to make a long explanation short lol yea I’ll still go fir Coke Zero just not often
I gave up aspartame years ago except for .... Coke Zero which I still drank. Then I gave that up. I don't drink sodas anymore except every once in a while I'll drink Zevia. They don't taste as good, but they probably won't jack with you as bad. lol. I may try doing the sparkling water stuff. I always read that aspartame had been linked with anxiety, panic attacks, and possible bouts of depression, but I'm not sure if it was definitive or not. And, of course, there was always the behavior of lab rats. I've given up artificial sweeteners except Splenda. I haven't been able to kick that. Out of curiosity, do you just drink the sparkling water plain or do you put anything in it?
Good stuff I appreciate that on the words about aspartame … My doctor did tell me that Splenda is pretty safe compared to all the sweeteners that’s out there so I trust him he helped me when I was in a real bad situation and I didn’t understand what was going on… As far as the sparkling water I just make sure that it’s as natural as possible if it’s flavored , a good brand.. But I don’t add anything to it- Also I think Zevia is about the safest soda that you could drink because it has that Stevia (plus no aspartame) which is another safe sweetener However to me it’s a little too sweet
I'm a fairly healthy man with about 2 Coke Zero's a day, fwiw . But I try to drink like 5-6 water bottles a day as well. Helps to balance things out a bit I think.
NFL : It's never been the same since the Texans decided to become a stupid franchise. I don't really follow any of it much anymore. I'll take a peak at the Texans to see if they've gotten their head out of their ass every so often. I'll come back when there's something to come back for. NBA : I've always loved the Rockets and still love them. I still watch most games, and find it to be an exciting time for the franchise. I really don't care about the rest of the NBA anymore, though I'll watch a game here and there. If a player leaves the Rockets, I don't really care about them anymore. Athletes : As a kid, they were superheroes to be worshipped to me. Now, they seem like clowns waiting to be taken down or ridiculed. I think this is part of the social media/Twitter effect. Lebron in the 80's would've been elite to me. Now, he is an all-time player, but there's no air of "super hero" about him from what I read (outside of Lakers fans). Social media has made these guys "just another celebrity". Maybe I'm forgetting, but Jordan was either loved or hated, but I don't recall him being ridiculed. Again... the social media effect? Politics : I used to want to be involved in it as a kid (high school), but now I just shake my head at it. Politics is basically a cult of stupidity for the most part and it seems to be getting dumber and more dangerous. Stupid and dangerous is a bad combo. I was a staunch conservative as a kid. Then I became more liberal. Now, I don't know what I am, but it's a mishmash of conservative, liberal, and libertarian views. I'm that "moderate" guy, I think. Odd to think that many teachers told me I may end up this way when I was younger. lol. Steak : If my steak showed any signs of pink/red, I would barf, and thought people that loved steak that "undercooked" were cannibals and satanic. Now, if a steak is cooked beyond medium-rare, I think it's ruined. lol. Cheetos/chips : Loved these as a kid and can still eat them, but they were like food of the gods to me back then. I could eat bags of the crap. Now? I'll probably eat one or two before fearing dropping dead because of the amount of salt in them. I'm not a huge chips fan anymore, in general. Vegetables : I used to eat them -- I mean, they were there to balance the rest of the plate out, I guess. Now I enjoy them. Sleeping/Doing Nothing : In my 20s-40s, I rarely got more than 2-4 hours of sleep. I always operated under the motto "being unconscious 1/3 of your life is a waste". Now? I get a whopping 6 hours of sleep sometimes! It's great! Also, nowadays I can sit and watch tv and not feel too guilty about it. I used to have to be doing "something useful" while the tv was on. Heavily-populated areas : This one is weird. In my 20s and most of my 30s, I wanted to live in big cities. Now I just want to get the hell away from them. I want to be within maybe 50-100 miles of one, but ... that's close enough. Weird foods : looking at crawfish made me gag as a kid. How could people eat that crap? Now, if it weren't for inflated prices, I'd be devouring them. Any kind of cheese other than the usual Kraft american, swiss, etc. slices used to be weird. People eat brie? You mean they eat that white fungus-looking crap on the outside? Gross. Calamari? Are you serious? You're paying what to eat tentacles? You're disgusting! Now? I'll try pretty much anything at least once and don't mind eating brie or calamari. I actually like brie, but I don't throw the pinky up while eating it.
Yeah, my daily beverage intake nowadays pretty much amounts to a lot of plain water and some coffee. Every once in a while, I'll drink some coconut water or a Zevia. There's a wonky Stevia aftertaste for me in the Zevia, and some flavors are way better than others. I think there's a sweetness to it, but it goes away faster than "regular" soft drinks.
