It’s finally strawberry season, so here are 6 healthy reasons why you should stock up while they’re ripe

April 24, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC As a kid growing up in the South, field trips to the local strawberry fields were a yearly tradition. My classmates and I would run through the fields with our plastic buckets, trying to fill them up with as many ripe berries as we could. (Although admittedly, more made it into our mouths than our buckets, because who could resist a fresh strawberry?) Then I grew up and kind of forgot about strawberries. Other fruits like papaya and kiwi seemed like more exciting choices. And the fact that they were always on the Dirty Dozen list freaked me out too. But right now it’s peak strawberry season and they keep calling my name at every farmer’s market…making me want to reconsider my relationship with the fruit. According to registered dietitian Mascha Davis, RD, not eating strawberries would mean missing out on a whole lot of nutritional benefits. “They’re loaded with great benefits like vitamin C, antioxidants, and fiber,” she says. And if you buy organic, you significantly lower your risk of pesticide exposure. Win-win. Here are all the reasons why you should def be making the most of strawberry season. Strawberry shortcake, anyone? 6 strawberry benefits that make them worth adding to your cart 1. They’re good for your immune system. As Davis points out, strawberries are high in vitamin C (just a half cup of the fruit gets you to half your recommended daily intake!) which is always good news for your

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I switched to a sunrise alarm clock, and I’m no longer dreading early wake-up calls

April 24, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC I don’t care how much of a morning person you are: getting jolted out of a deep sleep by a blaring alarm clock never feels like good times. (Especially when it interrupts a really good dream, like the one I recently had involving a figure-skating session with JVN. Now I’ll never know if I landed my double axel…) Perhaps that’s why sunrise alarm clocks are having such a moment right now. Devices like Philips’ Wake-Up Light Alarm Clock ($43) and Casper’s Glow Light ($99) gradually illuminate your room in a way that mimics morning light, softly waking you from slumber without any obnoxious beeping, chiming, or buzzing noises. The idea is to feel as if you’re waking up naturally—despite the fact that you’re doing it on demand, at a specific time of your choosing. And according to Alex Dimitriu, MD, founder of Menlo Park Psychiatry & Sleep Medicine, sunrise alarm clocks can actually be effective because they tap into the body’s innate biorhythms. “There is some evidence that natural morning light can actually help prepare the body to wake up,” he says. “This make sense, as our circadian system is closely tuned to natural as well as artificial light. Light-based alarm clocks can provide a gentle wake signal, to prepare the body for wakefulness.” Here’s how it works, according to the National Sleep Foundation: When we’re exposed to light in the morning, our brain prompts our body temperature to rise and our cortisol

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Why you need oil- and water-based products in your skin-care routine

April 23, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC When it comes to my diet, I try to squeeze in the whole comprehensive smattering of vitamins that experts recommend on the reg so that my body can function at an (at least somewhat) efficient level. I think I apply the same philosophy for my skin, but there’s a lot more to skin nutrition than just slathering on vitamins A, B3 (niacinamide), and C. “All skin thrives off of the same nutrients,” says April Gargiulo, founder of skin-care brand Vintner’s Daughter. “That’s why so many skin issues come from the same source, so it’s very important to be feeding your skin proper nutrition, which is what can alleviate inflammation and imbalance.” But while it’s important to get the right vitamins and nutrients on skin (and quick!), you also have to think about solubility of them and how they impact the skin’s barrier. “Vitamins are classified as either water soluble or fat soluble,” says Rachel Nazarian, MD, a board-certified dermatologist with Schweiger Dermatology. “Those that are water soluble are not stored in the body and need to be replenished often, versus fat soluble vitamins, which can be stored.” Then there’s the matter of absorption, which Dr. Nazarian says is more complex than just solubility. “The skin barrier is partially fatty and partially water-based, but the solubility matters as much as the size of the molecule, the thickness of your skin, and the number of hair follicles and glands that are in the area,” she explains.

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