All posts by Liam Jenkins

Diseases & Conditions, Personal care, Stress Management and Relaxation, Trending

My Cortisol Cocktail Experiment: Spoiler, It Didn’t Fix My Burnout (But Here’s What Did)

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My Cortisol Cocktail Experiment Spoiler It Didnt Fix My Burnout But Heres What Did

Okay, real talk? I stumbled onto the “cortisol cocktail” hype during one of those 2 AM doomscrolls. You know the vibe. Brain buzzing, body exhausted, convinced the entire world rested on my ability to find the one weird trick to finally, finally chill out. TikTok algorithm, sensing my desperation like a bloodhound, served me endless videos of serene-looking people sipping fizzy, pastel drinks before bed. “Lower stress!” “Better sleep!” “Calm your nervous system!” they promised. The magic potion? Magnesium powder, coconut water, citrus juice. Maybe some fancy salt. Sold. Or rather, I was sold.

So, like any slightly desperate human clinging to hope, I bought the ingredients. Magnesium citrate powder? Check. Overpriced organic coconut water? Check. Lemons that cost more than my lunch? Check. I felt like a wellness wizard mixing my first potion. Honestly? That first night, swirling it in my dimly lit kitchen, did feel kinda… ritualistic. Calming, even. Maybe it was just the act of doing something proactive for my fried nerves. Placebo effect is a powerful beast, my friends.

I chugged it down. Tasted… fine? Like vaguely citrusy coconut water with a chalky aftertaste. Not terrible. Went to bed feeling virtuous. Hopeful. Like maybe, just maybe, this was the key.

Here's the thing they don't show you on TikTok:

  1. The 3 AM Sugar Shakes: Yeah, about that lovely citrus juice. Turns out, downing a glass of basically liquid sugar (even natural sugar) right before bed? Bad. Fricking. Idea. Around 3 AM, I’d wake up sweaty, heart kinda racing, feeling weirdly… wired? Not the serene, rested vibe the influencers promised. More like I’d mainlined a tiny espresso shot in my sleep. Thanks, blood sugar rollercoaster! Parry-Jones (one of the experts I later read) nailed it – that crash messes with your sleep big time.

  2. The Magnesium Mumble: Okay, the magnesium did seem to help my perpetually tight shoulders… a tiny bit? Maybe? But the dose in that single cocktail felt like spitting into the ocean compared to the stress tsunami I was surfing. Edwards (another expert I dug into) was spot on – when you're chronically stressed, you burn through magnesium like crazy. One little scoop before bed? Probably not moving the needle much.

  3. The Bloat Factor: Oh, and that trendy sparkling water addition some recipes suggest? Let’s just say my digestive system did not appreciate the midnight bubbles. Hello, uncomfortable bloating. Not exactly conducive to dreamland.

  4. The Morning After (The Placebo After): For the first few days, I convinced myself I felt better. More rested. Calmer. Mind over matter is real! But then… reality hit. The underlying exhaustion, the constant low-grade anxiety, the feeling of being perpetually overwhelmed? Still very much there. The cocktail became just another thing on my to-do list, another “wellness” chore that didn't actually fix the core issue. Parry-Jones calling out the placebo effect fading? Yeah, felt that in my bones.

So, Did My Cortisol Cocktail Work? Nope. Not really.

It wasn’t harmful, per se (unless you count the 3 AM panic-sweats and the bloating). But expecting this fizzy drink to single-handedly combat chronic stress? That’s like trying to put out a forest fire with a squirt gun. Cute, but fundamentally ineffective.

Why Did I Want It to Work So Badly?

Because stress is awful. It grinds you down. Makes you snappy, foggy, exhausted. The idea of a simple, tasty drink fixing it? God, that’s appealing. It feels manageable. Unlike, you know, overhauling your entire life or addressing the root causes of your burnout (work pressure, relationship stuff, global chaos… take your pick). The cortisol cocktail is the ultimate quick fix fantasy.

What Actually Helped More Than My Fizzy Placebo Potion?

Trial, error, and finally admitting I needed more than TikTok hacks:

  1. Prioritizing Sleep Like It’s My Job (Because It Kinda Is): Ditching the screen an hour before bed. Actual winding down (reading trashy novels, not work emails). Blackout curtains. Cool room. This made a way bigger difference than any pre-bed drink. Shocking, I know.

  2. Moving My Body (Gently!): Not punishing gym sessions, but walks. Stretching like a lazy cat. Sometimes just dancing badly in my kitchen for 10 minutes. Moving the stagnant stress energy out. Huge.

  3. Eating Actual Food (Not Just Powdered Potions): Focusing on getting magnesium from real sources throughout the day – think spinach, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate (yes!). Pairing carbs with protein and fat to avoid those blood sugar spikes that wrecked my sleep. Ditching the idea that one magic drink could compensate for a crappy diet.

  4. Setting Boundaries (The Hardest Part): Learning to say “no.” Protecting my time. Turning off notifications. Admitting I can't do everything. This reduced the source of the stress more than any cocktail ever could.

  5. Real Magnesium Supplementation (Wisely): Okay, fine, I do take a magnesium glycinate supplement now. But it's part of a plan, based on talking to my doctor, not because a TikTok told me to mix it with juice at midnight. And glycinate is supposedly gentler on the gut than citrate. (This post about [different magnesium types]( was super helpful when I was figuring it out).

Bottom Line? My Unfiltered Take on the Cortisol Cocktail:

Look, if mixing up a little fizzy drink at night makes you feel good and helps you unwind as part of a ritual? Go for it! Enjoy the placebo effect while it lasts. It’s mostly harmless fun (unless you get the sugar shakes or the bloat like I did).

But please, please, PLEASE don't fool yourself into thinking it's a real solution for chronic stress. It’s not. It’s a band-aid on a bullet wound.

The real work? It’s messier. It’s harder. It involves looking at your sleep, your food, your movement, your boundaries, your life. It might involve talking to a therapist or a doctor. It’s definitely not as photogenic as a pink drink in a fancy glass.

Chasing quick fixes like the cortisol cocktail felt like running on a hamster wheel. Exhausting and ultimately pointless. Stepping off and addressing the real stuff? That’s where the actual calm started to creep in. Slowly. Imperfectly. But real.

So yeah, my fancy magnesium powder now mostly gathers dust. My coconut water gets used in smoothies (with protein and fat!). And my evenings are for books, not mocktails. Honestly? I sleep way better. And my stress levels? Still a work in progress, but at least I'm not waking up in a sugar-fueled panic attack anymore. Small wins, people. Small wins.

Food & Nutrition, Healthy Diets and Nutrition, Healthy Recipes, Supplements and Superfoods, Trending

Choline Rich Foods: 7 Surprising Heroes That Saved My Foggy Brain

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Choline Rich Foods: 7 Surprising Heroes That Saved My Foggy Brain

My Brain Was Melting… or at Least That’s How It Felt 🧠💀

Not gonna lie — there was a point last year when I seriously thought I was losing it. I’d walk into rooms and forget why I was there. Names? Gone. Grocery lists? Hah. I once reheated the same cup of coffee three times and still forgot to drink it.

Honestly, I blamed it on stress, maybe too much screen time or getting older (I’m 34, so not ancient, but also not fresh out of college anymore). I tried meditating, journaling, nootropics, even those overpriced mushroom drinks influencers swear by. Spoiler: my brain still felt like oatmeal.

Then one day, during one of my deep doom-scrolls at 2am, I stumbled across something called choline — a nutrient I’d never heard of. Apparently, it’s essential for brain health, memory, and focus. And guess what? Most of us — especially women and vegetarians — are getting nowhere near enough of it.

So began my choline journey. And let me tell you, it wasn’t all smooth sailing.

What Even Is Choline? (And Why You Might Be Missing It)

If you’re like me and somehow missed the choline memo in health class: it’s a water-soluble nutrient that plays a huge role in neurotransmitter function (aka how your brain talks to itself). It’s involved in memory, muscle control, mood, and — weirdly — even liver function.

Here’s the kicker:
Your body makes a little choline on its own… but not enough. You have to get it from food.

And no, it’s not listed on most nutrition labels, so you probably wouldn’t know if you’re low. Which I was. Big time.

How did I find out? After weeks of brain fog, I finally got bloodwork done. Doctor said I wasn’t deficient-deficient, but definitely low. And then she casually drops:

“Try adding more choline rich foods to your diet. It can make a big difference.”

Cue me aggressively Googling choline rich foods on the car ride home. (Not safe. Not recommended.)

My Real-Life Choline Experiment (Spoiler: Eggs Were My MVP)

Over the next few weeks, I became obsessed. I tried every food I could find that was even remotely high in choline. Some were delicious. Some made me gag. A few made zero difference.

Here’s what actually helped.

🥚 1. Eggs (Especially the Yolks)

Let me just say: Eggs are the Beyoncé of choline. One large egg = ~147mg of choline, mostly in the yolk.

I started eating 2 eggs most mornings — sometimes scrambled, sometimes hard-boiled if I was in a rush. Within a week, I noticed I wasn’t spacing out during Zoom calls. Coincidence? Maybe. But then the dreams got more vivid, I started remembering names, and I felt way more… switched on.

🍳 Real Talk:
I used to skip yolks because “cholesterol.” Don’t. Science has moved on — yolks are not the villain. They’re brain gold.

🐟 2. Salmon (and Not Just the Fancy Kind)

Salmon became my weekly dinner staple — pan-seared, oven-baked, or in a rice bowl. Wild-caught if I could afford it, but honestly, even frozen filets did the trick.

I was shocked to find out just 3 ounces of salmon gives you around 56mg of choline — plus omega-3s for double the brain boost.

Also: less brain fog = fewer snack cravings = less late-night cereal munching. Win-win.

🥩 3. Beef Liver (Yeah, I Know…)

This one was… rough. I mean, have you smelled liver? I nearly passed out.

But — and I say this reluctantly — it works. Beef liver is ridiculously high in choline. Just 3 ounces has over 350mg. I couldn't do it weekly, but once a month? Worth it.

🔥 Tip:
I mixed tiny bits into spaghetti meat sauce. Still kinda gross, but tolerable.

🌰 4. Almonds

Not the highest in choline (about 15mg per ounce), but I snacked on them daily anyway — partly for the brain boost, partly because I needed something crunchy while I worked.

I paired almonds with dark chocolate chips because… sanity.

🥬 5. Broccoli

Broccoli’s not just for fiber or guilt salads. A cooked cup has around 60mg of choline. And it digests easier than raw (my gut says thanks).

I started roasting broccoli with olive oil, garlic, and chili flakes. Way better than steaming.

💡Fun Fact:
Broccoli was the only green my toddler also ate without spitting it out. Bonus!

🥛 6. Milk

I don’t love milk. I’m not lactose intolerant — just emotionally intolerant (childhood trauma involving lukewarm school cartons).

But a cup of milk has about 40mg of choline. So I added it to smoothies or protein shakes a few times a week. That way I got the benefits without gagging.

🫘 7. Chickpeas

Okay, I was surprised by this one — chickpeas have about 70mg per cup. Super cheap, shelf-stable, and easy to throw into salads or soups.

I even made choline-rich hummus once. It was… edible.

🥄 Real Moment:
I tried making a chickpea brownie. Never again. I still have PTSD from the texture.

The Not-So-Pretty Parts (AKA Mistakes I Made)

Let’s get real. This wasn’t a straight shot to brain nirvana. Here’s what didn’t work:

  • Overdoing eggs: I tried eating 4 eggs/day. My skin freaked out. Moderation is key.

  • Buying beef liver supplements: They made me nauseous. Not for me.

  • Thinking food alone would fix everything: Choline helped a lot, but I still had to hydrate, sleep well, and reduce screen time.

But… Did It Actually Work?

Short answer: YES.
Long answer: Not overnight. But within 3 weeks of consistently adding these choline rich foods into my meals, the difference was honestly wild.

✅ Better focus
✅ Less brain fog
✅ Fewer “WTF was I just doing?” moments
✅ Way better memory recall
✅ And weirdly, fewer sugar cravings

It wasn’t magic. I didn’t suddenly turn into Einstein. But I felt like me again — just a sharper, more alive version.

FAQs From Friends I’ve Ranted to About Choline

Q: How much choline do we even need?
A: Most adults need 425–550mg/day, depending on gender and life stage.

Q: Can you take a choline supplement instead?
A: You can — but honestly, I found food sources easier on my stomach and more effective.

Q: Is it safe long-term?
A: From food? Absolutely. Just don’t overdo it with supplements or liver daily.

Q: Do vegetarians need to worry more?
A: Yup. Animal products are richer in choline, so plant-based folks may need to be extra intentional.

Final Thoughts (Like I’d Text a Friend)

So no — choline rich foods aren’t magic.

But for me? They were a quiet, powerful shift. A reminder that sometimes, it’s not about some miracle pill or fancy routine. Sometimes, it’s just about giving your brain the basics it was missing.

I still have off days. I still forget stuff (like my car keys… or that one cousin’s birthday). But I’m sharper, steadier, and — no joke — happier.

If your brain feels like it’s wading through molasses lately, maybe don’t jump straight to caffeine or pricey brain boosters. Try giving choline a shot. Your neurons might just thank you.

P.S. If you’ve got a weird egg recipe, send it my way. I’m two omelets away from burnout 😅