wbur Bottles of Diet Coke. A new study has found an association between frequent drinking of diet sodas and an increased risk of both stroke and dementia. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

A new study has found an association between frequent drinking of diet sodas and an increased risk of both stroke and dementia.

Here & Now's Meghna Chakrabarti speaks with Dr. Matthew Pase,the study's lead author and a neurologist at the Boston University School of Medicine, about what it means for the average soda drinker.

On the studys findings

"It's important to note that our results are observational, which means we observe trends amongst a large group of people, but our results certainly do not suggest causality. In other words, we can't be sure that diet sodas are causing stroke or causing dementia. But we are seeing associations between those who more frequently consume diet soda, and a higher risk of both stroke and dementia within the next 10 years.

"Those who were drinking diet soda on a daily basis, their risk for stroke and dementia was about three times as high. As compared to someone who was not drinking diet soda." On whether the study looked at other possible variables behind the elevated risk

"Now that we're showing this association, it's going to be important to understand why that association might be there to try and understand it in more detail. It's possible that diet sodas are associated with risk factors like obesity and diabetes. This might be linked to a higher risk of stroke, or a higher risk of dementia. But on the other hand, it's also possible that those people who are unhealthy to begin with say, those who already have diabetes, who already have obesity gravitate more towards the diet sodas to begin with. So now this is something we really need to understand in more detail, to understand which way the association is going."

On the utility of the study if we can't understand cause and effect

"We don't have a lot of data on how diet beverages relate to a lot of different health outcomes. It takes a long time to develop stroke and a long time to develop dementia. It's not something that's really been investigated before. So now we really need these sorts of studies to investigate, what are the associations between diet beverages and different health outcomes, so that consumers can make informed choices about the beverages that they're having."

On how full-sugar soda is no better than diet soda

"That's an excellent point. We certainly don't recommend that people drink normal or regular sugary sodas. These are known to be associated with a range of different health issues such as weight gain and diabetes. Certainly drinking regular soda is not a healthy option. I guess our study is calling for people to be somewhat cautious about diet beverages, questioning whether they're a healthy alternative. But as I'm saying, we now need more research to investigate this further before we can make solid recommendations."

On how samples of different demographics may affect results

"I agree completely, and that's something we noted in our paper. One interesting thing about our study was that people were much more likely to drink diet beverages as compared to regular sodas. It's possible that we might see different associations in different groups that more frequently consumed regular soda, for example. So now we really are calling for other studies to see if our results hold up in other samples of different participants."

On why the study focuses on stroke and dementia

"These are the two diseases I am most interested in, and thus it's the two diseases I wanted to study. It's important to note that we know that increased sugar is associated with vascular risk factors, and this includes things like obesity and diabetes and high blood pressure. We know in turn that these conditions have adverse effects on the brain. So we felt it was important to understand the associations, therefore, between intake of regular soda, of diet soda, with different aspects of brain health."

This segment aired on April 21, 2017.

Read the original here:
New Study Says Diet Soda Linked To Stroke, Dementia05:15 - Here And Now

Good Food

by Jane Rice, April 21, 2017

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You know something billed as a high-fat diet is bound to create some buzzeven if it doesnt exactly mean eating Ho-Hos for breakfast. But as more and more celebs sign on (thinkMegan Fox, Adriana Lima, and Kim Kardashian), its hard to ignore: The ketogenic diet is having a moment.

At its core, the nearly-100-year-old approach to eating is acelebration ofhealthy fats(from fish to coconuts). Under the ketogenic diet, youre supposedto get a whopping 80 percent of your calories from fats, 15 from protein, and only 5 from carbsa ratio which science has shown to be effectivewhen it comes to weight loss. And yes, that meanslots of avocados.

Youre supposedto get a whopping 80 percent of your calories from fatswhich science has shown to be effectivewhen it comes to weight loss.

Almost every cell in our bodies can burn two fuels: glucose and ketones, explains keto evangelist Maria Emmerich, the best-selling author of The Ketogenic Cookbook and her newest, The 30-Day Ketogenic Cleanse. Glucose is made from sugar and ketones are made from fat. This lifestyle switches our bodies to burn ketones as its primary fuel source, she says. That means more balance for your bodyincluding your hormones and metabolism.

Emmerich says the diet is great for anyone who suffers from inflammation-related issues. She personally noticed a huge change: For years she adhered to a low-fat/high-grain diet, but still had acid reflux and weight issuesdespite being a marathon runner. I began reading all the latest science on nutrition while writing my books, and it brought me to a ketogenic diet, she says. Imsurprised just how good I feel.

Generally speaking, people notice a difference in about a month, hence her latest books 30-day peg. It takes about four to six weeks for your body to get efficient at using fatand ketonesfor fuel, she says. But after that transition time you should see [your] energy soar. An added bonus: she says you might notice a major mood boost and less brain fog, too.

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A cup of hot tea can be healing and good for your gut, but after Emmerich noticed that many loose teas have added sugar, she crafted the recipe for this homemade chai.The nut milk gives it a creamy texture and the cardamom addsan anti-inflammatory kick.

Ingredients8 whole cloves 7 cardamom pods 2 cinnamon sticks 1 1/2 tsp black peppercorns 1, 2-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced into thin rounds 5 cups cold water 5 bags black tea 2 cups unsweetenednut milk2 Tbsp Swerve confectioners sweetener 1 Tbsp coconut oil per cup of tea

1. Place the spices and ginger in a medium saucepan. Toast on low heat while lightly crushing the spices with the back of a spoon.

2. Add the water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover the pan, lower the heat, and simmer for five to ten minutes, depending on how strong you want the chai flavor. Remove from the heat.

3. Place the teabags in the saucepan and steep for four minutes. Remove the teabags and add the nutmilk and sweetener. Stir, taste, and add more sweetener if desired.

4. Bring the chai to a simmer over medium heat, then strain it into a teapot. Just before serving, place a tablespoon of coconut oil in each teacup, pour the hot tea over it, and whisk to blend the coconut oil into the tea. Store extra tea in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.

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These jiggly little fat bombs are perfectfor on-the-go energy, Emmerich sayskind of like a savory Jell-O. Or, throw one into any stew or soup that calls for bone broth to give a thicker texture and amp up the flavor.(Note: youll need a silicone mold with 12 cavities.)

Ingredients1 Tbsp grass-fed powdered gelatin2 cups bone broth, any type, warmed

1. Sprinkle the gelatin over the broth and whisk to combine.

2. Place the silicone mold on a rimmed sheet pan for easy transport. Pour the broth into the mold. Place in the fridge or freezer until the gelatin is fully set, about two hours. To release the fat bombs from the mold, gently push on the mold to pop them out.

3. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for several months.

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Ingredients1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil 1 Tbsp coconut oil 1 12 oz. package fully cooked pork belly cut into 1/4-inch dice 1/2 cup minced onions 2 cloves garlic 1 Tbsp red pepper flakes 4 cups chicken bone broth 2 Tbsp coconut aminos 1 Tbsp coconut vinegar 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger 1 Tbsp tomato paste Fine sea salt and fresh ground black pepper 1 serving Zoodles (zucchini noodles) 4 large eggs, soft-boiled Sliced green onions, for garnish

1. Heat the oils in a large soup pot over medium heat. Fry the pork belly in the hot oil until crisp on all sides, about four minutes per side.

2. Remove the pork belly from the pot with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pot. Add the onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook over low heat for four minutes, or until the onions are translucent.

3. Add the chicken broth, coconut aminos, vinegar, ginger, and tomato paste and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer for 8 minutes, then add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Just before serving, divide the zoodles among four bowls. Top each bowl with one cup of the broth. Place a soft-boiled egg in each bowl and garnish with green onions and red pepper flakes. This dish is best served freshly made.

For dessert, try making one of these (healthy) fat bombs. And if youre curious how the ketogenic diet compares to other eating plans,check out thishelpful guide.

Read more here:
Why the celeb-beloved ketogenic diet is having a moment - Well+Good

Time to face facts: You're not gonna finish all those shows.

There are a few things you can count on every spring: baseball, barbecues, a Drake album, and people telling you something about how you should do some spring cleaning. It's generally a good idea. Cleaning up can do a lot to make you feel more productive and cheer you up some, and it's a good way to welcome the wider world back into your life after a long winter hibernationgiven, of course, that you live somewhere that has a winter. But let me make a case for another kind of spring cleaning: one for your Netflix queue, that pile of books you've been meaning to get to, or those video games still in the shrink wrap.

Almost all cleaning is a solution to the same problem: too much stuff. Accumulate stuff, and that stuff is bound to get out of hand, thanks to, like, entropy and shit. Because of the internet and Netflix and all manner of smart, connected devices and apps, there is so much stuff to entertain ourselves with. Way too much. Getting to it all can feel like a chore, and well, that kind of defeats the purpose of entertainment, doesn't it?

So let mesomeone whose job it is to consume an unhealthy amount of entertainmenthelp you out with a few handy tips of tidying up your entertainment diet, a few things to help you sift through what's great and what's not, and generally come to terms with the notion thatas Linda Holmes wrote in this essential 2011 NPR essayyou're going to miss out on most things, and that's okay.

You will never be caught up with all your friends. Here is a fact of existence, one that holds true in your work life, social life, and even romantic life: Someone is going to try and bully you into watching a TV show. Before you let them, think long and hard about how big a part of your life this person is, and how much you value their happiness. Outside of a very small circle of people, the answer will probably be "not that much," and you can feel free to ignore their recommendations. This is just simple survival math. Let's say people actively watch between one and five shows at a time, and you've got maybe four people tops that you really want to actively talk shop with. There's enough TV out there that all of these people can have an entirely different lineup of shows, and none of them are ones you watch. You can't keep up with all that and still have time for what you want. Y'feel?

So make acquiescing to a friend's recommendation the lavish, special occasion that it is, and make sure they know how highly you think of them when you agree to check out something they tell you about. They will probably tell you to stop being such a diva about it. But tough noogies. Netflix isn't going to watch itself.

If it's been a month, it's time to move on. It's easy to spend a lot of time thinking you like something when... you might actually not. Ask yourself: If it's TV, how long has it been since you last dropped in on a show that you made an effort to follow, or watch all of? More than a month? You're probably better looking for something you like more.

I'm not saying that the only shows worth your time are the ones that make you immediately clamor for more, where resisting a binge becomes a test of willpower. But if you enjoy something, it ought to linger. It doesn't have to be in some profound or obsessive way that has you scouring the internet for easter eggs or drafting your own fan theories. It can be simple as, Hey, this silly sitcom makes me feel good. I want to see these people tell jokes and make ill-advised decisions again sometime soon.

If you can't remember the character's names, put the show on notice. It doesn't have to be bad news if you don't know the names of the main charactersas shows have become more sprawling and ambitious, it can be hard to get a bunch of names down while you're trying to orient yourself in a show's sprawling world. But if you don't actually know what any of the characters are named, you should be able to articulate something specific that you do like instead. If you don't, think about ditching it. Or making it what I call a "laundry show," something to put on while I'm doing laundry or assembling furniture. Everyone needs a good two or three laundry shows.

Do you have a favorite episode, or at least, remember one specific episode? In the streaming era, people making TV shows have all figured out what "good" TV is supposed to look and feel like: usually quite serious and cinematically shot, with an arty and catchy opening credits sequence. But sometimes, "Good TV" and actual good TV are kind of hard to distinguish.

I'm not saying that the only shows worth your time are the ones that make you immediately clamor for more, where resisting a binge becomes a test of willpower. But if you enjoy something, it ought to linger.

A litmus test: Try to tell someone you know about one specific episode. It can be a favorite, or it can just be memorable, but a TV show is made up of episodes, and the episodes should matter somehow, and have some kind of point, however small or silly it may be. Otherwise, you're stuck with what I call the House of Cards problem, wherein hours of television go down smooth but largely consist of empty calories, with the only truly important stuff happening at the first and final few minutes of every episode.

Don't get hung up on endings. You don't have to see how everything ends. Conversely, the time you spent with an entertainment property isn't invalid or a waste if you never make it to the end either. This last point is something well worth keeping in mind when it comes to lots of video games and most superhero comics books, which are sprawling and long and don't always have proper endings anyway. But if you do like endings and find the journey to get to them insurmountable, Wikis are your best friend.

Don't worry so much about missing things. Here's a secret: Even plot-heavy, weighty shows like The Americans still use "previously on" montages to catch you up on just the things that you need to know for the episode you're about to watch. Also, if a show's any good, an individual episode will also still be a satisfying, complete hour or half-hour of television, and the confusing parts you can sort out later whenever you do go back and watch what you've missed, if it's a show you truly love. Don't let a couple missed episodes weigh you down and turn something you love into something that makes you feel guilty.

This also works really well with a lot of comic books and serialized works, especially if they're published monthlyimportant plot points are often repeated, recap pages usually catch you up to speed. I wouldn't recommend skipping a boring chapter in most novels, but if you're reading a nonfiction book for pleasure? Skip away.

Binge/read/watch/play for the moment. "I'm catching up," is often a default opener for a lot of conversations about pop culture, and homie, it's not a race. Don't let entertainment feel like a to-do list. So what if someone says you need to plow through all the Marvel movies before the next one comes out? If you don't feel like watching one, don't watch it. All these things are here for youto make you laugh, think, puzzle, cry, dance or just forget about all the other shit you have to do for a little bit. Don't let anyone take that from you.

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See the article here:
How to Clean Up Your Entertainment Diet - GQ Magazine

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Kim and Marc Ramirez of Clinton Township(Photo: Provided by Marc Ramirez, Provided by Marc Ramirez)

When Lois Maljakthinks of the switch to a plant-based way of eating, a quote from Hippocrates comes to mind: Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.

Maljak, owner of Willow Pond Farm in Armada, is part of the miHealth North Macomb Challenge aplant-based diet campaignthat gets under way Saturday.

Health professionals believe that switching to a plant-based diet can help people get control of their health and off medication, and the challenge aims to deliver that message.

The challenge was brought about by several community members, including life coach Marc Ramirez, Ruth Heidebreicht of TheMitt.tv, an Internet-based broadcast company serving Macomb County,and Maljak, whose farm offers locally sourced dinnersand healthy living classes.

Related:Cinnamon adds distinctive flavor, without the salt, sugar, fat

Ask the test kitchen: Do you peel bananas before freezing?

At its core, a plant-based diet consists of eating fruits, vegetable, legumes, nuts and grains. It's devoid of animal fat.

A screening of the documentary film "Eating You Alive," featuring Ramirez, kicks off the nearly month-long challenge at 6 p.m. Saturdayat Grays Opera/Masonic Lodge, 231 N. Main St., Romeo.

By adopting a plant-based lifestyle more than five years ago, Ramirez of Clinton Township said he not only shed weight but cleared his medicine cabinet of daily doses of several medications, including daily insulin injections.

Ramirez, 49, is an AT&T operations manager and former University of Michigan football player. Along with his wife, Kim, he founded Chickpea and Bean, which offers plant-based lifestyle seminars and cooking classes.

The whole idea (for the challenge) is to try and get people to think a little bit differently about how we eat, Ramirez said.

The cost is $50, which also includes pre- and post-challenge blood testing for cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose. Blood testing begins April 29, and the 21-day challenge startsMay 1.

The campaign includes meetings on Wednesdays and Saturdays that will offer food demonstrations, samplings and lectures from renowned health professionals, including Dr. Joel Kahn, who also is an owner of Greenspace Caf in Ferndale, along with food demonstrations and samplings.

Along with the lectures, the challenge includesan iOS app or e-mail with all the foods, recipes, and nutritional values of the food during the challenge.

And because eating out can be daunting, a dozen area restaurants have developed plant-based menu items for the event.

For nearly a decade, Ramirez suffered from Type 2 diabetes, as did many of his eight siblings. Ramirez controlled his diabetes, a disease that affects millions, by taking insulin shots along with two oral medications. Ramirez also took medication for high cholesterol and blood pressure.

His eureka moment to do something about his condition came after watching the film "Forks Over Knives," which looks at how adopting a plant-based diet and avoiding processed foods can control or possibly reverse certain diseases. He also read Dr. Neal Barnard's "Program for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes Without Drugs."

Its helped me reverse all the chronic illnesses I had, Ramirez said.

Thechallenge cameabout through Ramirez's relationship with Willow Pond Farm, where Chickpea and Bean have hosted Farm to Table seminars, and TheMitt.tv.

Ruth Heidebreicht, owner and director of the nonprofit station thatprovides coverage of community events and government meetings, took the 21-day challenge, along with her staff.

Heidebreicht said shefelt like a million bucks afterward.

"One gal on our team lost 28 pounds and improved her blood pressure and cholesterol," Heidebreicht said.

Maljak, along with her daughter, have been following a plant-based diet. "We met Marc and he talked about reversing his diabetes," Maljak said. "I listened to hisstory and soon after I did my own journey."

Since then, she's dropped 44 pounds and is on what she describes as "lighter medication."

Admission to the optional film screening today of "Eating You Alive, is $10 per person.

Register for the challenge here.

Contact Susan Selasky at 313-222-6872 or sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.

Read or Share this story: http://on.freep.com/2pMjv1l

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Challenge aims to introduce plant-based diet to Macomb County - Detroit Free Press

Carbs are an important energy source in our diets, but can having too many be bad for our health?

It depends on the type. In general, carbohydrates get a very bad reputation, Dr. Nuha El Sayed, a staff physician at the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, told Fox News. Carbohydrates are not all the same, and theyre not all bad. And eating too many carbs wont, for instance, lead to diabetes, she said.

6 WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT AS YOU AGE

Lauri Wright, a dietitian and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, told Fox News that generally speaking, about half of your daily calories ought to come from carbohydrates. Still, she noted, too many simple carbs like sugars and sweets can actually act as an inflammatory agent, causing damage to the linings of the arteries and affecting our heart health.

But given that carbs are an essential nutrient (they give us energy, after all), how can we incorporate them healthfully into our diet? Fox News spoke to Wright and El Sayed for their tips:

1. Reach for whole grains. All carbs are not created equally, Wright said. Reach for fruits, vegetables, and whole grains such as brown rice, she said, which are packed with nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT WHILE STILL EATING CARBS

2. Avoid simple sugars. Try to cut back on simple sugars like sodas, candies, and white breads, which often lack important nutrients and antioxidants that you can find in whole grains and fruits, Wright said. For example, try a whole grain cereal with berries for breakfast, rather than coffee and a donut, she suggested.

3. Watch the portions. Carbohydrates pack a lot of energy, so always watch your portions, Wright said. That means one cup of pasta versus a whole plate full, or sticking to one breadstick rather than three or four, she said.

4. Be careful about what you add to your carbs. Also be careful about the sauces and spreads you add to your carbs, which could pack a lot of calories, Wright said. For a bagel, try a tablespoon of peanut butter versus a whole smear of cream cheese, or for pasta, go for marinara sauce rather than Alfredo sauce, Wright recommended.

FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE FOX LIFESTYLE NEWS

5. Focus on fiber. If you eat more fiber-rich carbohydrates, like fruits and vegetables, youll feel full faster and avoid the surge in blood sugar that you get from simpler carbohydrates, El Sayed said.

6. Above all, strive for a balanced diet. In the end, its all about a balanced diet, El Sayed said. Its not about limiting one food or another. Because when you go for a balanced diet, youre unlikely to overdo it on one particular macronutrient or another.

Read the original post:
6 tips for making carbs a healthy part of your diet - Fox News

Dear Doctor: Do I really need to take a multivitamin? My sisters are convinced that you cant get all the nutrients that you need without one, but it seems to me that as long youre eating right, youre covered.

Dear Reader: Multivitamins are the most widely used supplements in the United States. It is estimated that between one-third and one-half of all Americans take a multivitamin each day. As a result, your question is one that comes up often in our practices. And while we cant offer specific advice, we can share and explain the information we give to our patients.

The short answer is that for most patients, we believe that if youre eating a balanced diet, one that includes whole grains, a variety of vegetables and fruits, adequate lean protein and dairy products, there is no need for a multivitamin. However, when a patients diet isnt ideal, then a multivitamin can offer insurance for the deficient vitamins and/or minerals.

Of course, there are exceptions. Pregnant women and women who are trying to become pregnant need at least 400 micrograms of folate per day, a B vitamin that helps to prevent neural tube defects. For these women, a prenatal vitamin or a daily folic acid supplement is recommended. Nursing women have unique nutritional needs that may call for supplementation. Some elderly adults whose appetites have diminished and who therefore dont eat a balanced diet may benefit from adding a multivitamin.

Someone on a restricted diet, such as a vegan, typically needs a B12 supplement. A strict vegetarian may require additional zinc, iron or calcium. And for individuals with chronic conditions such as iron deficiency anemia, B12 deficiency or malabsorption, or a history of gastric bypass surgery, then supplemental vitamins and minerals are necessary to maintaining good health.

So what are vitamins, exactly? Theyre nutrients that we need in small quantities to maintain various metabolic functions that, when taken in total, add up to good health. Vitamins help the body to produce energy, ward off cell damage, facilitate in the absorption and utilization of minerals, and play varying roles in the regulation of cell and tissue growth.

Vitamins must be taken in food because the body either doesnt produce them in adequate quantities, or doesnt produce them at all. Vitamin D is a bit of an outlier. Its an essential nutrient that does not naturally appear in food in adequate quantities, but is produced when our skin is exposed to the ultraviolet B rays in sunlight. It is also available in fortified foods like milk, fish and mushrooms.

Take an honest look at your diet. If you find some nutritional holes, our advice is to adjust and improve your eating habits. If you do decide to make a multivitamin part of your daily regimen, keep in mind that it cannot take the place of a balanced and healthy diet. Not only do fruits, vegetables, whole grains and leafy greens contain vitamins, they also provide fiber, which is important to good health. Whole foods also contain trace nutrients and other useful compounds that no pill or supplement can re-create.

(Eve Glazier, M.D., MBA, is an internist and assistant professor of medicine at UCLA Health. Elizabeth Ko, M.D., is an internist and primary care physician at UCLA Health.)

Read the original here:
Multivitamins can't replace a healthy, balanced diet - NRToday.com

It's baby time right? On the Wednesday, April 19, episode of Total Divas, Brie Bella was stressing over her struggle to conceive. She went to lunch with her twin sister, Nikki Bella, and spent most of the time lamenting her fertility troubles. Nikki tried to lend an ear, but also thought Brie was psyching herself out too much. Then they headed to an acupuncturist, where Brie discussed how stressed she was about not being pregnant already. "I feel really lost right now," she lamented.

During that appointment, Nikki said she thought Brie should reconsider her diet and add meat into the mix. The acupuncturist did agree that vegetarian diets often led to iron deficiencies, but suggested that Brie could get enough iron by eating spinach to make up for it.

Brie Isn't Going to Ride the Meat Train

Later, Nikki ordered dinner for herself and Brie. For herself, she ordered a delicious steak. For Brie, she ordered about 10 spinach salads. The point was to show Brie how much spinach she would need to eat in one sitting to get the same amount of iron in one piece of meat.

Brie's response was to say, "I don't think kids are it for me in this lifetime." She insisted, "I would never eat meat, and if my body needed that to conceive, it wouldn't happen." She further explained, "There's no way that I would sacrifice my beliefs on animals to be a mom." (Brie and husband Daniel Bryan announced in October that they are expecting their first child.)

After giving it some more thought, however, Brie called a friend who had been a vegetarian too until she was trying to have a baby. The friend then began eating meat, got pregnant and gave birth, and now was continuing to eat meat even though she felt guilty about it. "It's disheartening," Brie said after learning that her friend had abandoned her vegetarianism for a child. "It's hard."

Maryse Sexts a Group of Dudes

Maryse was having her own physical struggles, but hers was with her eyes. Her husband was getting tired of having to read things to her because her sight was so bad. He bought her a bunch of glasses, but she refused to wear them. She also refused to wear contacts. He then suggested Lasik surgery. She was very opposed to the idea until she accidentally sent a naked pic of herself to a bunch of people when she was trying to send it just to him.

After enough of the other recipients teased her about the nude image, she finally agreed to have the surgery. It turned out it wasn't half as bad as she'd thought, and she was happy she'd done it.

Paige Gets Suspended

"I can't f---ing believe this!" Paige said as she stormed around in the parking lot. Apparently, she had an issue with her WWE-sanctioned drug test and been suspended. She wasn't actually in the ring yet because she was still recovering from an injury, but she was upset just the same.

"First of all, I don't do drugs. Second of all, I did the test, and I passed it. They're only suspending me because I didn't take it in the allotted time that they gave me." She said that her takeaway from this experience was to "do things exactly the way they want" her to. That's probably a good takeaway.

Lana Threatens to Call the Cops on Renee

Meanwhile, Renee, Lanaand Rusev headed to Anguilla to do some charity work. (Well, technically it was supposed to be a girls' trip, but Lana brought Rusev along.) Lana forced Renee to act as the unofficial photographer taking photos of herself with Rusev, making Renee felt like the third wheel until Trinity arrived. At that point, Renee and Trinity took off for some drinking and left Lana (and Rusev) in the dust.

Rusev couldn't care less, but Lana was very hurt. She and Rusev were already home and asleep when Renee and Trinity rolled in. They were drunk and having fun when Lana stormed out, upset that she'd been woken up, and threatened to call the cops on them. "Sorry, we can't hear you over all the fun we're having!" Renee screamed back.

The next morning, things were icy between Lana and Renee, until Lana went over and apologized for being somewhat psycho and annoying. "I think there are parts of me that get jealous," she said. "I'm not there at Smackdown, and I'm like, 'Where do I fit in?' I feel like the third wheel." Renee and Trinity both assured Lana that she did fit in, and the three hugged and made up.

Tell Us: Do you think Brie should start eating meat?

Total Divas airs on E! Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET.

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'Total Divas' Recap: Nikki Bella Worries About Sister Brie's Pre-Pregnancy Diet - Us Weekly