March 26, 2019 at 05:00PM by CWC I was minding my own business and doing some online shopping when, out of nowhere, I stumbled upon a fashion edit of…flip flops. It is too early in the morning for this, I thought to myself. (Okay, it was 3 p.m., but it’s never a good time to discover that flip flops may be coming back in style.) Fashion is apparently ready to make flip flops happen: Brands like Isabel Marant, Zimmermann, and Proenza Schouler—brands that I generally like—have these monstrosities in their spring lineups. And Vogue is telling me I should “give this silhouette of the past a second chance.” No thanks. Hard pass. When I’ve shared this hot take/correct opinion with others, they’ve asked if this applies to all sandals and slides. And no, it does not. For the purposes of this discussion, I’m talking about thong flip flops, which take the ugly shoe trend (one I can otherwise totally get behind) way, way too far. As I write this at a coffee shop, multiple people surrounding me are wearing thong sandals. Admittedly, I live in Venice (the Los Angeles variety), which is basically the last place you should live if you want to avoid people wearing flip flops. A couple of them have slid their flip flops off, and are now barefoot. In public. The noise flip flops make is a death knell for my libido. It’s like every uncomfortable encounter I’ve ever had with another human turned into sound.
Month: March 2019
Seitan is the devilishly-healthy vegetarian meat alternative we’re all sleeping on
March 26, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC Real talk: Even the most devoted vegans or vegetarians might find themselves craving something “meaty” from time to time. And while alt-meat options have honestly never been better, sometimes it’s really easy to get into a food rut when you have more limited dietary options than most. (I mean, there’s only so much tofu a person can eat before getting sick of it, right?) Enter seitan (pronounced say-tan)—a plant-based protein option that’s often used as a fake meat dupe. “Seitan in a relatively new term for a centuries’ old plant-based protein made from wheat protein, aka wheat gluten,” says Maggie Moon, MS, RD, and author of The MIND Diet. It’s been a staple in Asian diets for years, Moon says, and it has been historically popular among Buddhists, since they’re often vegetarians. “It’s different from tofu and tempeh because it is not made from soy, making it a great alternative for vegans and vegetarians with a soy allergy,” adds Maggie Michalczyk, MS, RD. Cool…so is seitan good for you? In a word, yes. “Seitan contains more protein than most other vegan protein sources,” says Michalczyk. For example, 100 grams of seitan has around 22 grams of protein, while an equivalent amount of firm tofu has only 7 grams. However, seitan isn’t a complete protein—it lacks the amino acids lysine and threonine, says Michalczyk. As with other incomplete vegetarian protein sources, she suggests pairing seitan with other foods like beans to make sure you’re getting enough
Trust your gut and skip the big salad before working out
March 26, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC As someone who works out almost every single day, I’m well-aware of how to make sure I’m ready to get my sweat on. The most important thing? Being properly fueled. I’m one of those people who just can’t work out on an empty stomach. I’ll feel too weak! But in terms of what I snack on pre-sweat sesh, that’s taken some experimenting to figure out. It was only recently that I came across a shocking revelation: Despite being generally nutritious, salads are actually not the best pre-workout option. Every time I’ve eaten a salad shortly before a workout, I instantly regret it—my stomach feels crampy and bloated and all-around uncomfortable. I asked a nutritionist about it, and she confirmed my feelings. “Salad is A) raw, which means it’s hard to digest before a workout,” says Gabriela Peacock, clinical nutritionist and founder of GP Nutrition. “B) It doesn’t include protein that’s important for your blood sugar balance and muscle recovery.” Unless you’re adding protein in some other form, that is. Because salad can be so complex—not to mention filled with fibrous leafy veggies—they take a lot of time and energy for your body to digest. “Salad takes anything between 45 and 90 minutes to be digested, depending on the type of leaf and vegetables used,” says Peacock. “Also, by the word ‘salad’ one could mean lettuce with some protein, which would take much longer to be broken down—two to three hours, approximately.” Try to run
Butt workouts gas me up, so I asked an exercise psychologist to explain why
March 26, 2019 at 01:10PM by CWC For far too long, I fell into the propagated trap of believing that adding strength training to my workout routine would make me “bulky,” “too strong,” and other labels traditionally deemed “unfeminine.” Then a friend put a pair of dumbbells in my hands and taught me how to do a front squat—and just like that—my sweat life changed for the better. Now I pair cardio with strength circuits that rotate muscle groups each workout. Lower-body days remain my favorite by far. Why? Quite frankly, butt workouts (e.g., lunges, squats, and fire hydrants) make me feel like I’m slaying nonstop. I couldn’t put my finger on why I feel a burst of self-love every time I feel my glutes engaged (honestly, even writing that down seems worthy of an LOL), so I asked Hillary Cauthen, Psy.D, of Association for Applied Sport Psychology to shed some light on the subject. According to her, my reaction is due to a combination of factors. “You are experiencing a physical reaction to the workout,” says Dr. Cauthen. “The physical benefits you gain throughout the workout are providing a chemical reaction in your brain letting you know this feels good. The endorphin rush.” That is, my body’s chemical response to the workout is seriously gassing up my perception of my derriere. “Glute-based activities may give you a boost in confidence due to how you or others, specifically women, have been socialized about the importance of body image and areas
The skin-care ingredients that hail from Mexico and add a glow to complexions
March 26, 2019 at 12:56PM by CWC The beauty spotlight has shone brightly on countries around the world. Should you love water-based beauty products, turn to French pharmacies. Perhaps you enjoy pampering yourself with 10-steps at night, in which case K-beauty principles are in order. Or maybe you want mineral-rich formulas, in which case Icelandic products are definitely your go-to. However, Mexico also happens to be richly populated with some of the best skin-boosting ingredients in the world like corn, cocoa, and tamarind. “Mexico enjoys a privileged geographical location that gives life to an incredibly rich biodiversity,” says Adriana Ruano, founder of the Mexican beauty brand Vervan. “The plants and fruits that grow from this soil were discovered by its earliest settlers, and have been experimented with through the years to promote a healthy lifestyle.” Ruano’s had experience with this firsthand. “I grew up attached to my mother and grandmother who were wonderful cooks, and it was normal to create our own preserves, clothes, and ointments,” she tells me. “That’s how I became interested in artisanal processes, to create using my hands and natural ingredients.” As such, she harvests native Mexican pants for her handcrafted skin-care line. Here, four ingredients you’ll find throughout Vervan. Maize “Maize is a source of ferulic acid that’s converted to ethyl ferulate, which has demonstrated activity to protect phospholipid membranes from UV-induced peroxidation,” says Ruano. (That essentially means it protects against free radical damage on your skin.) “It’s effective to protect your skin from redness
There’s a scientific reason why certain food textures are dealbreakers
March 26, 2019 at 12:47PM by CWC I wouldn’t call myself picky when it comes to food texture. Bring on the gooey (okra), the chewy (taffy), and the mushy (week-old bananas). I’m here for all of it. Others are more particular. In recent months, I’ve seen friends reject a smorgasbord of delicious eats—including pizza crust, eggplants, and oranges—all in the name of a weird “mouthfeel.” So I went on an internet quest of find out why, exactly, textures can make or break an otherwise palatable meal. I quickly stumbled upon food rheology—the science of finding appetizing “food structures,” the building blocks of texture. How ingredients feel in your mouth proves so consequential that those in the food industry often consult specialists, reports The Guardian. While researchers don’t yet know each and every factor that goes into affinity (of lack therof) for, say, pineapple, part of it is cultural. Westerners tend to dislike slimy delicacies, but many people raised in other parts of the world couldn’t be bothered. Even though the why is still a big question, scientists have broken successfully broken down the various texture groups. In 2011, food sensory researchers from the Understanding and Insight Group, came up with four paradigms of “mouth behavior,” according to Popular Science. So now, you can chock up your disgust for apple sauce or smoothies to the fact that you’re more of a “cruncher.” Are you a chewer, a cruncher, a sucker, or a smoosher? Learn your food texture type. Chewers: Those who love
Attention, desk slouchers: Gua sha can help to improve your posture
March 26, 2019 at 12:44PM by CWC Using only your hands in your skin-care routine is so passé. One glance around beauty shelves and on beauty influencers’ social media feeds and you’re definitely going to see plenty of ancient skin-care tools—like jade rollers and gua sha—because those old-school staples are back, baby. And not only do these crystalline gadgets look really, really pretty in Instagram photos, but they also happen to have real benefits. Gua sha, for example, is a Traditional Chinese Medicine practice that involves massaging a sharp-edged crystal tool across your body and/or your face for pain relief and sculpting purposes. It’s been on the rise as a beauty ritual as of late, since it’s got tension-relieving, circulation-boosting, and lymphatic-drainage promoting abilities. But then a TCM pro told me another power I never realized that little crystal tool could have: Gua sha can be used for better posture. “Gua sha can be used on the body as well as the face to relieve pain and tension,” says Dr. Nadia Musavvir, a licensed naturopathic doctor. And if you, like me, spend approximately 24/7 hunched over a computer, well, the source of that “pain and tension” is glaringly obvious. “During times of stress, it’s common to subconsciously hold tension in the neck and shoulders, causing tightening of the muscles which often brings your shoulders up and rounded forward—especially if you’re sitting at a desk all day.” That’s where gua sha comes in as a massaging technique. “Using gua sha along these
How to make a decision when you’re paralyzed by the inability to decide
March 26, 2019 at 12:11PM by CWC The average person makes about 35,000 decisions each day. (But who’s counting?) Between which leggings to throw on, what to put in your smoothie, which podcast to listen to on your commute, you probably make more than 1,000 choices before you even get to work. Is it any surprise that by the end of the day, figuring out how to make a decision about what to eat for dinner feels impossible? Well, here’s a handy little hack. Behold, the Eisenhower Matrix, or the Urgent-Important Matrix, which helps you prioritize your tasks based upon their, well, urgency and importance. Apparently, this is how Dwight D. Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States, used to figure out what to do—and chances are, the decisions he was making are a bit more complicated than most. How to make a decision using the four quadrants to Eisenhower Matrix: Quadrant 1: Urgent and important. If the decision you have to make is urgent and important, this is the one to handle first. All the other decisions you have to make can wait while you act fast and take care of these ASAP. Examples would include helping someone who’s drowning, putting out a small fire, or catching a vase that’s about to fall off the dresser. Action: Do first. Quadrant 2: Not urgent and important. If you’re trying to figure out if you should quit your job, move, or other life-altering decisions that are important but can be
A major drugstore chain with 9,900 locations embraces CBD
March 26, 2019 at 11:46AM by CWC If this isn’t CBD going mainstream, I don’t know what is. Up until this point, most of the CBD items currently available on the market—whether it’s beauty products or oil for your lattes—are things that are more easily found online. But now you can get your CBD at CVS, one of the largest retail pharmacy chains in the world. According to Bloomberg, CBD-infused products are officially available at CVS stores across the country due to a distribution deal with the marijuana company Curaleaf Holdings Inc. While the products CVS carries won’t have anything in them that actually gets you high, you’ll be able to reap the benefits of THC-free CBD through creams, sprays, and lotions. So far, there’s no plan to offer CBD in supplement or food-form, so those anxiety-relieving oils and gummies you love will have to wait. “We could not be more excited to be partnering with CVS in bringing CBD to their stores and raising awareness around CBD. We applaud CVS for taking one of the first steps at a national retail level and expect this to be a significant catalyst for the CBD industry,” says Jay Hartenbach, CEO of Medterra CBD, one of the brands now on shelves at CVS. “National retailers are now comfortable with carrying CBD products and this will lead to widespread availability across the county.” Right now, CVS’ CBD products are already available in eight states, including California, Illinois, Colorado, and Alabama. The current plan
Check out the best places in the country to learn healthy cooking
March 26, 2019 at 11:07AM by CWC I remember when I first started to learn how to cook, I had little more to guide me than a hand-me-down copy of the cookbook Clueless in the Kitchen, a malfunctioning stovetop, and my talented older brother looking over my shoulder, judging my knife skills. (Not exactly the best learning environment for a gun-shy chef.) I have since overcome these hurtles—and only cut myself once in the process—but there’s still part of me that wishes I had learned how to cook in a calmer environment. Maybe somewhere with actual counter space? Or without cats jumping up on the cutting board? Newbie chefs, you don’t have to have my experience. At Well+Good’s first retreat of the year at the Miraval Austin, a wellness-oriented spa and resort, we’ll teach the fundamentals of mood-boosting cooking at Miraval’s new Life In Balance Culinary Kitchen. All the recipes are straight from The Well+Good Cookbook (which, if you haven’t pre-ordered your copy yet, WYD?), and the classes are led by psychiatrist and farmer Drew Ramsey, MD, as well as other wellness experts, like nutritionist Dana James. (At future retreats, attendees will similarly be learning important healthy cooking skills—although those menus are still being fleshed out.) A taste of what’s on the menu: Creamy Sweet Onion Dip Kale Salad with Chickpea Croutons Creamy Cashew-Black Bean Enchiladas Even if you can’t join us on our retreats, the Miraval kitchens are open to guests at the resort’s Tuscon, Arizona, and Austin, Texas,