October 02, 2018 at 01:17PM Jess Altieri picks up the glass to the right of her plate and gives it a swirl, holding the base as to not change the temperature of the liquid she’s about to sip. After tilting it back and giving it a whiff, she takes her first taste, making sure it hits all the flavor points on her tongue before finally swallowing. Then, she sets her water back down. As one of two water sommeliers in the country, Altieri is attuned to the minute taste differences that would be indistinguishable to the untrained tongue. She can taste if a water is high in minerals, like calcium (which is milky and smooth, though too much calcium makes it taste chalky), or electrolytes (slightly salty). She knows if what she’s drinking is Vichy or Smartwater without catching a glimpse of the bottle. And she knows what foods pair best with each brand. But before she was swirling water in her glass, Altieri focused on wine. She was—and still is—a certified wine sommelier and California wine appellation specialist. “As a wine somm, I would travel the world, going to Italy, Austria, France, New Zealand, and Hong Kong,” she says. “I realized that at 90 percent of the dinners and wine tastings I attended, water was offered and served before the wine and dinner, yet the serving staff knew very little about the water or how it was paired with the meal being served.” She started doing a little digging
Day: October 2, 2018
Trader Joe’s on-the-cob microwave popcorn tries and fails to fix a problem that doesn’t exist
October 02, 2018 at 01:12PM First things first, I’m a popcorn fiend. It’s a learned trait for which my fiancé and many, many hours spent binge-watching The Office are responsible. So not only do I know my way around a kernal, but I also have the art of popping the perfect bowl of fluffy white goodness down. And after making a batch using Trader Joe’s new Corn on the Cob Popping Corn—because yes, that’s a thing—I totally understand why it’s causing the internet to go into debate mode. Sure, the snack is, ummm, fun—but it’s certainly not the most effective way to get your popcorn fix. Okay, I’ll say it: It’s straight-up dumb. As one of the latest additions to the healthy grocer’s always-impressive snack lineup, the product is essentially a corncob of dried-out kernels wrapped in a paper label that you can stick in your microwave. After 90 seconds, you’ll wind up with popcorn—but certainly not a heaping bowl of it. Now, nutrition-wise, this $2 product is pretty solid without any weird added ingredients. And per 2.5 cup serving (and you’re supposed to wind up with two per cob…but we’ll get to that), you get 27 grams of carbs, 5 grams of fiber, and 4 grams of protein. Air-popped corn kernels, on the other hand, come in at 16 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, and 3 grams of protein for the same amount. The uptick in fiber and protein piquing my interest, I decided to give these cobs a pop. But, in order
4 ways the change of seasons messes with your health—and how to fix it
October 02, 2018 at 11:54AM Your closet isn’t the only thing that undergoes a transition from summer to fall—so does your body. And we’re not talking about the effects of all those pumpkin spice lattes you’ve been pounding back. (That’s another article.) Indeed, there’s a whole host of scientific research that shows how our physical and mental health is affected by the decreasing temps and increasing time spent indoors. Knowing exactly what to expect and how to prepare will help keep your body in tip-top shape for the fall—and far beyond. 1. Your vitamin D levels plummet It’s not called the sunshine vitamin for nothing. During the summer, most people get their daily recommended dose of vitamin D from sun exposure (about 10-15 minutes a day). But with the sun out for fewer hours and with fewer reasons to venture out (bye-bye, beach days!), it becomes increasingly difficult to get your fill of D. (Er, that came out wrong…) Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to everything from increased colon cancer risk to anxiety, so boning up is important—and there are a few ways you can go about it. “I think it’s always best to try to get nutrients from food, but it’s not easy to get adequate vitamin D from food alone, especially for certain populations such as pregnant women or vegans,” says registered dietitian LeeAnn Weintraub. In that case, you may want to consider a supplement (Weintraub says that while the daily recommendation is 400-800 IU,
3 scientific reasons a lifelong partner-in-crime helps you survive and thrive longer
October 02, 2018 at 11:46AM There are plenty of perks to having a lifelong partner-in-crime. They’re your go-to cuddle buddy for Netflix binge-watching, are always up for spontaneous trips, and are your biggest cheerleader, supporting you in everything that you do. And it turns out always having them by your side is pretty great for your health, too. Researchers found those in happy relationships were 20 percent less likely to die early than those in unhappy relationships. In a new study published in the journal Health Psychology that looked at 19,000 married couples up to 90 years old, researchers found that those in happy relationships were 20 percent less likely to die early than those in unhappy relationships. That’s because there are a few different (very key) reasons why having a ride-or-die can help you survive and thrive longer, and both your physical and mental wellbeing play an important role. Here are 3 science-backed health perks to having a lifelong partner. 1. You encourage each other to be healthier If your partner is hitting the gym, eating a nutritious diet, and making regular appointments with their doctor for check-ups, you undoubtedly will too. Study co-author Mark Whisman told Time that spouses help each other adopt healthy habits that will keep them happy and feeling great for years to come. 2. You keep each other’s mental health in check Physical health is important to living a long life, but so is your mental health. And according to Whisman, having a strong relationship will make
Retire your cold spoons, the Clarisonic can now banish under-eye puffiness
October 02, 2018 at 11:33AM When I wake up, you could easily mistake my eye area as your purse. In other words: My a.m. eye puffiness-slash-bag situation is real. And I know I’m not alone, considering that all of my friends are always discussing their respective methods for getting rid of the situation, combined with the fact that during my morning commute I feel like I’m joined with an army of tired compatriots also donning under-eye bags. So when I heard that Clarisonic, the OG facial cleansing device, just launched a head for the handheld tool meant specifically for combatting eye puffiness, my beauty-obsessed ears perked up. Dubbed the Sonic Awakening Eye Massager (which retails for $59), the product—which looks like a purple disc with two silver balls on it—emits vibrations through the metal tips. You’re meant to massage it around the eye area, and it claims it’ll cool your skin by up to six degrees F, and I do notice that it cools the area. It’s also supposed to, besides squelching the puffiness, firm the skin and reduce fine lines. The next morning, I gaze into the mirror at my bloated eyes, armed with the Clarisonic. As I start massaging it onto my face, it does feel like it’s reducing my skin’s temperature—it’s really cold, like as if you kept spoons in the refrigerator. The vibrating is subtle, but feels really soothing around my eyes. The sensation reminds me of a jade roller, but with the added bonus of massage and
Your October energy forecast: Get ready for things to start moving *fast* in your life
October 02, 2018 at 10:35AM This month is all about one thing: expansion, says “RockStar Shaman” Alyson Charles. The only trick? Avoiding self-sabotage. Here’s how to do that—plus the full energetic forecast for October, divined by Charles. (And don’t worry, there will be spirit animals!) The expansion is real! Wow, have you been feeling the stretch, the growing pains and activation of so much of your new? Once we hit the Autumn Equinox and full moon last month we truly entered into a much more activated phase of energy, and you may have felt a distinct shift that marked a pivot point from a more slumbered, internal energy to one of more electricity and things suddenly happening. With this combination of expansion and activation, be compassionate with yourself and others as the beginning of this month can bring up more worries or overwhelm as our systems are acclimating to these changes! And this brings us to our main theme for October: conscious awareness of resistance. Whenever we are growing in a big way, it can be infinitely fascinating to then be very consciously aware of how our unconscious comes in to try to hold us back—constricting tightly in order to stay where we are and hold on what we know. So, as we are in this time of energy, movement, breaking through, and major expansion, I urge you to be extra awake and aware of how you may get in your own way or subconsciously sabotage the growth. Whenever we are
Apparently everyone wants to be more extroverted, so here’s how to put yourself “out there”
October 02, 2018 at 10:14AM Now that we’re living in peak hygge and JOMO culture, self-identifying as an introvert comes with a certain cool-factor—right? Wrong. Well, at least according to a new published study that found that most subjects felt that society prefers the outgoing and bold over quiet and circumspect. The research, which was was published in The Journal of Happiness, asked 300 Australian adults to answer questions to determine their level of introversion, as well as ones that concerned whether or not they’d prefer to be more extroverted, reports The Cut. The results undeniably swung in favor of extraverted characteristics with a whopping 96 percent of participants agreeing that the traits associated with that personality type were more “socially desirable” than those of their less loquacious counterparts. On a day-to-day basis, almost 54 percent of the subjects reported wanting to be more extraverted, and 82 percent said they felt obligated to flex their affable muscles when navigating certain social situations. Meaning, your introvert status might earn you points when it comes to at-home pursuits like multi-masking, reading, and ASMR-ing, but for the sake of your rep, you might consider adopting extroverted camouflage when venturing out to networking events. Since that’s far easier said than done though, keep reading to learn a few tricks. Keep scrolling to learn how to pretend you’re extroverted in social situations, you know, if you really want to. 1. Bring a little home-style comfort to the party. So you can’t bring Netflix with you when you join your friends for drinks, but you can take something with your
No lie: There’s about to be an F45 on every corner
October 02, 2018 at 09:30AM Just two years ago, Well+Good predicted that the Aussie fitness franchise F45 Training would explode in a big way. And with plans to open hundreds of new studios internationally in 2018, it’s fair to say it’s well on its way to becoming the next boutique workout model to enter the mainstream, alongside Orangetheory, CorePower Yoga, and Pure Barre. Since we last caught up with its founder Robert Deutsch, F45 has sold 1,300 studio franchises around the globe—570 of those will open in the United States, according to Forbes. And this is just a warm-up: Deutsch says plans are in the works to expand everywhere from Canada to Europe to Asia in the near future. The 45-minute, team-based HIIT workout has tons of devotees (celebs like Hugh Jackman and Nicole Richie are fans), and class types rotate. There are currently 31 different workouts (buh-bye, boredom!) and each class has a name and focus: The “Gravity” class, for example, is focused on bodyweight strength training. The F45 signature combo of HIIT, circuit training, and functional movements is a part of each one. Variety is part of why Deutsch thinks F45 has captured the hearts (and dollars) of fitness fans across the globe. “When we first started the business, we only had five [types of classes],” he says. “We’re adding 1,000 new exercises each year and new equipment. The workout really does have a huge amount of innovation to it.” Photo: F45 Hundreds of new F45 Training locations will open worldwide in
How to practice breast self-awareness all year long
October 02, 2018 at 10:00AM It’s October. You just saw six Facebook posts about Breast Cancer Awareness Month fundraisers, walked by a Duane Reade window splattered in pink, and it seems like everyone is yelling at you to check your breasts. This year, Keep A Breast celebrating a decade of its “i love boobies!” campaign, Boarding for Breast Cancer is hosting “Bend It for Boobies” donation-based yoga classes, and the American Cancer Association is hosting countless runs across the country for the cause. All these factors may prompt you to go home, head into the bathroom, lift up your top, and panic. Was it clockwise or counter-clockwise? Two fingers or three? And what the heck are you supposed to be feeling? But take a deep breath: The research on breast self-exam has progressed and top medical institutions and physicians have a new, easier prescription for you: breast self-awareness. “The seven-step self breast exam has gone by the wayside,” says Deborah Lindner, MD, the chief medical officer at Bright Pink, and a clinical instructor at Northwestern University Medical Center. “The problem is that nobody went on to define what breast self-awareness meant. We aren’t telling people ‘don’t do a breast exam’ or ‘never touch your breasts.’ But it doesn’t have to be done every month—it’s more about having awareness of your body.” Why the change? Studies like this one have shown self-exam does not reduce mortality from breast cancer. In response to this and other research, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force issued
5 ways to get your fix of moringa, the inflammation-crushing all-star
October 01, 2018 at 09:50PM Well-versed in the magical-seeming effects of apple cider vinegar, turmeric, and maca, I thought I had my superfood bases covered—and then moringa hit the scene (well, my scene—the buzzy ingredient is hardly new). It has even more anti-inflammatory powers than turmeric, AKA the stalwart wellness-world obsession that’s been credited with everything from improving immune function to giving you glowing skin and even whitening your teeth. But now moringa has everyone talking, thanks to its nutrient-dense punch, with twice the protein as turmeric, and three times the amount of iron as spinach—and it’s popping up in grocery aisles and on beauty shelves alike. You can technically get your fix with a straight-up (and foolproof) powder mixture of the super green, but brands have caught on to the fact that moringa is full of all of the protein, iron, and calcium you could want in a single serving and thus have widened their offerings. Now the stuff is available in supplements, snacks, skin care, and even a kombucha (which is probably a helpful vessel to mask moringa’s polarizing taste, à la ACV). Scroll below to see 5 options for adding some moringa into your routine. Shop the moringa products Buy Now SuperLeaf Moringa Skin Food $32 Buy Now Yogi Tea Organic Green Tea with Blackberry Moringa $3 Buy Now Amazing Grass Beauty Elixir $28 Buy Now Vegan Rob’s Moringa Puffs $2 Buy Now Traditional Medicinals Moringa with Spearmint & Sage tea $8.77 Originally posted November 2, 2017. Updated October 2, 2018. If you want to keep turmeric in your wellness rotation, here are some