Month: October 2019

October 15, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC For people who are pregnant and excitedly expecting, no amount of information is enough. Knowledge about every stage of development is yours for the taking both online and from friends or family members who are a life-stage ahead. But when it comes to miscarriage—which affects up to 20 percent of pregnancies—the paucity of information about the experience leaves many women with more questions than answers. The possibility of miscarriage is often why women wait three months before sharing news of a pregnancy with others, and experiencing a miscarriage is often done secretly, a pain many grapple with alone, unfairly coupled with a feeling of guilt. According to a new survey released today by digital health startup Ava, 66 percent of women who have experienced a miscarriage blame themselves. Fifty-nine percent of women who have experienced a miscarriage believe stress can cause a miscarriage. No wonder they blame themselves: Who hasn’t been stressed? (Fully 95 percent of respondents to a Well+Good survey reported feeling stressed at the time.) Yet, while the belief that stress causes miscarriage is one of the most pervasive pregnancy myths, according to Mayo Clinic, “there’s no evidence that stress results in miscarriage.” Maureen Cronin, MD, the chief medical officer for Ava, has a hunch as to why so many women blame miscarriage on themselves—and their stress. “Most miscarriages are caused by chromosomal abnormalities, and when this occurs, there is no way to save the pregnancy. One reason why this might

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October 15, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpAjl3cFn6A] Looking for improved digestive health? Here are the foods you should eat—and the ones you should avoid. I can’t quite believe I’m typing this right now, but the official kickoff of holiday party season is just a few weeks away. While that may be great news for your Insta story game, all those late nights, cocktails, and skipped workouts can be a serious bummer for your gut. How to get things back into balance—and keep them there—when bloating and bathroom disruption strike? Well, one place to start is with your diet, and it’s just as important to know the worst foods for gut health as it is to load up on the best. In the latest episode of You Versus Food—Well+Good’s YouTube series that simplifies confusing nutrition topics—registered dietitian Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, lays out four ingredients to avoid for optimal gut health. Suspect number one: sugar. “A growing body of evidence is showing that a high-sugar diet can alter gut bacteria,” Beckerman says. “Plus, refined sugar stimulates the growth of harmful bacteria, known as candida, that can damage your gut lining.” (Swap these no-added-sugar “peanut-butter cups” for the real thing, thank me later.) Beckerman also makes a case for reducing your meat consumption in the name of good gut health. “There is a link between a meat-based diet, gut bacteria, and heart disease,” she says. “Because bacteria changes swiftly in the gut—which can either be a good thing or a

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