This is the most vulnerable essay I’ve ever shared. I’m choosing to publish it because, in the last month that I’ve been discussing my 10-year journey with suicide ideation, I’ve been reminded that talking about suicide actually helps others. Sort of like with sex ed, talking about suicide does not lead to more deaths.

It also pisses me off that suicide only enters the public domain when a celebrity chooses to end their life and during suicide awareness month (September). The reality is people you know are toying with the idea of ending their life year-round. …

Stop №1 for July was Darbster Bistro in West Palm Beach; it offered a creative take on organic, vegan cuisine. We took a crowd of six to enjoy this tasty plant-based bistro’s brunch menu, and all of us walked away in a Good Mood! Here’s what we ate:

Avocado toast seems to follow us around, and Darbster’s raw take on this InstaFood favorite left us speechless. We’re talking crazy flavor bites here with smoky chipotle aioli holding it down on flax crackers you can actually chew. The avocado was buttery and red onion and pepper sharp. …

You live in a go-go society. As a result, you’re taking too many breaths, and your nervous system is on high alert. The GOOD news is your body knows what it needs: breaths! You come out of your mother knowing how to breathe, but as society starts to seep into your soul of sorts, you forget how to breathe correctly. So, let’s return to deep, slow belly breaths using the 4–2–6 breathing technique.

I learned it a few months ago to calm anxiety, but I’ve recently re-learned it from Dr. …

Woman-owned @catch.clean.cook.tv on A1A in Palm Beach Gardens took us right out to the ocean! We did something a little different this time: We ordered out Key West Shrimp Ceviche, then came home and fried up some green plantains or tostones. For us, a $20 quart of fresh ceviche is a smart and delicious spending decision that takes advantage of a local Florida treasure, Key West Shrimp.

Fresh, raw, and vibrant, Catch Clean Cook’s Key West Shrimp Ceviche is acidic and tart but tempered, likely with orange juice. Yellow pepper, garlic, tomato, cilantro, cucumber, red onion, and lime make it…

I recently created a sadness toolkit for myself. It’s not a literal physical toolbox but a place for recommendations when I am experiencing sadness, whether unexpected or hormonal.

Here’s what’s in my toolbox:

Exercise: jogging to help promote my mood.

Friendship: meeting and chatting with trusted people, even if I don’t discuss the issue making me sad.

Petting a pet: I go to my cat Sasha who loves pets.

Writing: using physical pen and paper to write out all the gunk.

Honest conversation: I call my husband to discuss how I’m feeling if he has the space for that.

Creating…

Christopher’s Kitchen is one of Flose’s favorite restaurants, but it was Mel’s first time trying this plant-based Palm Beach Gardens spot. Though it may not have an obvious tie to local farms and produce, Christopher’s Kitchen is GoodMoodFood PB approved: the menu is entirely organic, majority alkaline, delicious, and has plenty of gluten-free options! Here’s a look at what we ate:

🍲 While Gazpacho is wildly popular in Spain during the summer months, Flose was a little hesitant about trying it because she’s “never had a good one.” Yet, two spoonfuls in, she was singing: “oh wow; this may turn…

The first stop for the GoodMoodFood Girls was a new Palm Beach Gardens gem that takes familiar dishes and enhances them with imaginative Indian-ish flavors. stage, pronounced staahj, serves clean and sometimes local GoodMoodFood. Gratitude Farms and aioli make their list of neighborhood suppliers. The majority of the menu is gluten-free, and there are plenty of plant-based options that elevate the gut microbiome with alkaline goodies, such as turmeric, tomato, lime, carrot, and coconut. Here’s a look at what we enjoyed our visit:

We started with Oysters on the half shell served with minced turmeric in a yuzu vinaigrette, topped…

We need food to survive. In modern times, what we consume is about more than nourishment: food speaks to what we value (organic vs. conventional), where we live (farm-to-table), and which flavor profiles we find exciting.

We’re two friends who love food, especially GoodMoodFood — the kind of stuff that flavor bombs your mouth and keeps your gut bacteria cheering on. However, we’re acutely aware that our food system is pretty messed up; we want to help change that in a fun, inclusive way, so we’ve launched GoodMoodFood PB.

Each week, we’ll highlight a Palm Beach County, Florida, eatery or…