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Day: May 4, 2019

2019 Health

WTF do all those ingredients on my sunscreen bottle actually mean?

6 min read

May 04, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC Ask any derm: Of all the beauty products in your arsenal, sunscreen is by-and-large the most important, but it also happens to be the most confusing. As words like “mineral blockers,” “broad spectrum UV,” and “reef safe” become more common in the conversation surrounding sun protection it’s critical to understand what the heck all of those ingredients on the label actually mean. “In the United States, sunscreen manufacturers are required to list the ingredients active and inactive ingredients on the label. The active ingredients in sunscreens are the UV filters that protect our skin from UV rays. The inactive ingredients are the carrier lotion that holds the UV filters,” says dermatologist Dr. Terry Zickman, founder of Love Sun Body. “The active ingredients can be chemical, mineral, or a combination of both. Similarly, the inactive ingredients can be chemical, natural or a combination of both.” First up: Understanding the different types of sun protection products out there on the shelves. There are two different types of sunscreen ingredients on the market—”physical” and “chemical”—both of which protect your skin from the sun’s rays, but in different ways. Physical sunscreens create a literal physical barrier between your sun and the skin to form a protective barrier, while chemical sunscreens skin into your skin to absorb the UV rays. Speaking of UV rays, there are two primary types that you need to worry about: UVA, which penetrate the deep layers of your skin to cause aging and

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2019 Health Keto Vegetarians

8 healthy vegan Instant Pot recipes that will make meal prep a breeze

4 min read

May 04, 2019 at 08:00AM by CWC The Instant Pot, beloved kitchen staple and maker of super-fast meals, has one big apparent flaw: it seems to be mostly a thing for cooking meat. Just look at most of the recipes out there: shredded pork, beef stews, whole barbecue-flavored chickens. It’s enough for any plant-based eater to just assume the device isn’t for them. But au contraire, dear vegans. The countertop pressure cooker has as much potential for your cooking as it does for omnivores, thanks to its ability to cook vegetarian staples like dried beans, rice, and lentils in mere minutes. Need convincing? Not sure where to start? These eight vegan Instant Pot recipes are a case study in why every non-meat-eater should consider trying the pressure cooker for themselves. They’re so easy that it doesn’t even feel like you’re really cooking. Keep reading for eight healthy vegan Instant Pot recipes you’ll want in your rotation. Photo: A Virtual Vegan 1. Potato curry  The current anti-carb movement has given potatoes a bad rap, but in actuality, the spud is full of fiber and potassium. One way to get your fill is with this recipe from A Virtual Vegan. Add veggies, coconut milk, and chili peppers for heat (and longevity) and you’ve got yourself a cheap, easy, and satisfying healthy dinner. Photo: Delish Knowledge 2. Burrito bowl Rice and beans are central to many Mexican dishes—which is great news for vegans. This recipe from Delish Knowledge utilizes the Instant Pot to

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2019 Health

Share your dreams with your S.O. at the right time to boost intimacy

4 min read

May 04, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC When I wake up from a weird dream, my instinct is to regurgitate every last detail to my unenthused fiancé in hopes that doing so will help me remember the story for longer. He, on the other hand, sometimes shares with me snippets of a sleep-time vignette he “sort of” remembers. Our differing levels of enthusiasm about our REM-world goings on haven’t caused a rift in our relationship (yet), but I am curious as to why these veritable lunatics (sorry, honey—it’s just how I feel) are apathetic at best when it comes to remembering their dreams—AKA a message from their very own subconscious. To my fiancé’s (and all the other dream wet blankets’) credit, the way in which we experience dreams differs from person to person. While one partner might be able to remember a full spectrum of visuals, another person, with a different sleep-cycle pattern, might have a hard time recalling any bit of a dream. “Typically we remember dreams when we wake up in or near them,” says sleep specialist W. Chris Winter, MD, author of The Sleep Solution. “We tend to dream for 20-to-40-minute cycles, 4 to 6 times during the night. These cycles get longer and more robust as the night progresses, [and] awakening during a dream is usually our best chance to remember them.” As a result, these nightly musings can affect some of us more directly and vividly than others, which can also lead some of us

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2019 Health Vegetarians

And I’ll have the jiggly Japanese soufflé pancakes for breakfast, please

2 min read

May 04, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC I’ve always thought of pancakes as fluffy and golden brown. But Japanese pancakes are more like a jiggly soufflé. It’s like eating a cloud! The trendy breakfast treat has gained popularity in the U.S. recently, with hot spots like Taiyaki NYC drawing ridiculously long lines of people wanting to dig their forks into the airy breakfast food. But there’s no need to wait around. You can make a healthier version right at home. Skyler Bouchard, a Food Network host and the creator of the popular Instagram account @diningwithskyler, is known for creating lightened-up dishes of popular restaurant faves. In her most recent quest, she figured out how to make a batch of Japanese pancakes in only 10 minutes by using the microwave. “I’ve seen these soufflé pancakes explode all over the Internet, and I realized the main component for that fluffiness is really the egg whites, which are good for you,” Bouchard says. “I wanted to maintain that fluffiness while taking out the refined flour and sugar, which I swapped for oat flour (already a great breakfast food!) and coconut sugar. This recipe is basically just a fun way to get your oats, pancakes, and matcha in the morning.” In her Healthy Oat Flour Soufflé Pancakes recipe, Bouchard created her own oat flour by grinding up oats, ditched the egg yolks for egg whites, and used almond milk instead of dairy milk. For an antioxidant boost and a pretty green hue, she also added

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2019 Health Fashion Yoga

How to stretch your quads without getting off the couch

5 min read

May 04, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC One of my favorite places to be is on the couch. It’s where I read my beloved thrillers, re-watch The Office, cuddle up with my dog, and—as much as I hate to admit it—eat dinner on occasion. One thing I’ve yet to utilize the comfy piece of furniture for, though, is a solid “couch stretch.” If you haven’t heard of the couch stretch, it’s about to be a total game-changer for your body. A variation of a hip flexor stretch, it focuses on stretching the muscles that help you lift your leg toward your torso or fold forward. In doing so, you get some much-needed relief from being stuck behind a computer the majority of your day. “Hip flexor stretching—combined with hip extensor strengthening—is a good idea for anyone who sits during the day. While sitting, these muscles are often in a shortened position for long periods of time, causing chronic tightness,” says Stacy Dockins, yoga teacher and corrective exercise expert. “Since muscles work in reciprocal pairs, when the hip flexors are tight, the glutes tend to get a little sleepy. This leads to a lack of tensional integrity around the hip complex. Some muscles are over-firing and tight, while others are lax and stretched. This soft tissue environment creates an imbalance in the joints, which can eventually lead to pain and degradation in the sacroiliac joints, lumbar spine, and hip socket.” Aside from benefiting the hips, the couch stretch also helps out your

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