February 21, 2020 at 03:00PM by CWC It started with the comeback of the Mediterranean diet. After being named the best diet of 2019 by U.S. News and World Reports, healthy eaters started searching for more ways to minimize meat consumption, getting their protein from other sources, like seafood and legumes. And while we’re only mere months into 2020, plant-based eating—where a person eats less meat and animal products in favor of more fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes—is already proving to be the dominant eating plan of choice, not just a passing fad. There are many reasons that have led to the rise of more people minimizing their meat consumption. Many believe it to be healthier. Some are drawn to it because research has shown plant-based eating is best for the planet and the most sustainable way to live. Others give up meat (or animal products completely) because of ethical reasons and animal rights. Now eating less meat has become a hot topic in wellness and with all the alternative products on the market, living a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle is easier than ever. But given that meat in particular is an excellent source of complete protein and iron, as well as other nutrients, the ascendence of plant-based eating has some people wondering if it’s even healthy to go, well, cold turkey. Here, plant-forward registered dietitian Amy Gorin, RD explains the health benefits of not eating meat, or minimizing meat consumption. She also gives expert tips on how to make
Month: February 2020
How a marketing manager making $125K snags free flights for her international vacays
February 21, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC Do you know how much money your friends make? What about how much their rent is or how much is in their bank accounts right now? I’m guessing no. Even in a world where questions about menstrual cups and the ins and outs of sex are completely (and blessedly) normal to ask, somehow the ever-ubiquitous use of money remains a touchy subject for many. People want to live their healthiest life ever, but—#realtalk—it can add up. Have you ever wondered how your colleague who makes less than you do (or so you think) can afford to buy a $5 matcha and a $12 chopped salad every day? Or how your friend is able to hit up $34 fitness classes three times a week? It’s enough to make anyone want to ask, “Ummm, excuse me. How can you afford that?!?” That’s where Well+Good’s monthly series Checks+Balanced comes in. By lifting the thick, tightly drawn curtain to expose how much women of varying income brackets spend on wellness, we’re spreading transparency and hopefully providing some inspo that’s possible to copy. Because no matter how much you make, it’s possible to cultivate healthy habits that work within your budget. This month, meet Erin, a 32-year-old marketing manager living in San Diego, California, who prioritizes healthy eating, fitness, and using credit card points for flights. Here, she reveals her expenses and how she affords her wellness habits. Keep reading to see how Erin hacks her habits (like by using credit card points for flights). Graphic: W+G
4 real benefits of crying that’ll make you feel great about *all* your feelings
February 21, 2020 at 01:00PM by CWC A while back, I showed my parents a video of a baby moved to happy tears by his mother’s singing. This baby was just about like the purest, roundest, squishiest, cutest angel I’d ever seen, and his tears moved me to tears. And then my dad. My stoic mom stayed dry-eyed, but I digress. What’s good news for me, my dad, and this internet baby is that there are some real, tangible benefits of crying. Sure, for some, crying may conjure a sense of weakness, or feel embarrassing, or reflect being hyper-emotional. The people who feel that way, though, could stand to learn a lot about the benefits of crying, including the different reasons the biological function happens at all and when it might be cause for medical concern. Below, educate yourself on the little-known complexities of shedding a tear, and why doing so might just be good for you. Before we get into the benefits of crying, why do we shed tears anyway? Often the reason we cry is involuntary, depending on the type of tears you’re shedding. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, there are three types of tears, each of which serves its own purpose. Basal tears: This is a protein-rich liquid that your eye ducts secrete in order to lubricate your eyeball. These aren’t the emotive, streaming-down-your face type of tears, but rather an involuntary protective shield for your eyes against dirt and other irritants. Reflex tears: You
Beauty redditors are taking sustainability seriously—and the industry is listening
February 21, 2020 at 12:00PM by CWC Editors may be the beauty industry’s traditional arbiters of taste, but in the digital age, Redditors are just as influential. A vast online forum with discussion groups dedicated to every topic imaginable, Reddit is stacked with highly engaged beauty communities whose members passionately swap acne hacks, holy-grail product recommendations, and skin-care science intel. When top Redditors talk, millions of beauty junkies listen—and lately, the topic of conversation has turned to earth-friendly makeup and skin-care solutions. At the beginning of February 2020, the moderator of r/AusSkincare—an Australian beauty subreddit with nearly 12,000 members—started a wiki for the community titled Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The page was created to be a permanent hub of information for those seeking to be more conscious beauty consumers in the wake of the Australian bushfires. “For a while, [climate] was a source of very high fear and anxiety for me and I felt quite hopeless in what I could do,” says 27-year-old Layla*, the moderator of r/AusSkincare. “As one of my greatest passions and love is skin care and makeup, I realized how much that industry contributes to waste and engages in practices which contribute to climate change. I wanted the wiki to be a way to channel my worry and frustration and provide small ways we can all make changes that are more sustainable while still enjoying a hobby we love.” FWIW: We expected to sustainability within in the beauty industry to reach a fever pitch this year, so
How to use a $20 cast iron skillet to prepare every meal
February 21, 2020 at 03:00AM by CWC There’s something about using a cast iron skillet that seems so powerful. The skillets are heavy, can rust when not taken care of, and storing them involves oil. Andrea Mathis, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist from Alabama, assures me that cast iron skillet recipes are nothing to be intimidated by. “I have always been a huge fan of cooking with cast iron,” says Mathis. “Besides being nonstick, and super easy to clean, my meats tend to brown better and my veggies cook a lot faster.” Unless your skillet comes seasoned, like this Lodge 12″ Cast Iron Skillet ($23), you have to season it, which means sealing it with oil. “After washing my cast iron skillet, I make sure that it is 100 percent dry,” says Mathis. “I then spread a nice, thin layer of vegetable oil into the skillet. I use my hands to make sure the oil gets onto every part of the cast iron. Then, I bake the skillet in the oven at 350°F for about an hour or so.” Seasoning forms a natural, non-stick cooking surface and helps prevent your pan from rusting. You only need to season your new skillet once, but Mathis says you should apply a thin layer of oil after each use. “I always store my skillet in a thin layer of vegetable oil, because that’s what my mom taught me to do,” she says. “Doing this helps prevent rust, so your cast iron will last
What I learned about myself from going from brunette to blond (and back)
February 21, 2020 at 02:00AM by CWC In midsummer of last year, I did something unprecedented to that point in my life: I—gasp—highlighted my hair. My curls are naturally a Rory Gilmore-shade of brown that I’ve never loved nor hated. But when I got the opportunity through work to go lighter under the careful stewardship of Biolage celebrity stylist Nick Stenson, it felt like one of those opportunities to change something about myself without really changing anything at all, because the psychological effects of hair color are just as important as the physical ones. One three-hour appointment later, I walked out with honey-blond highlights that made me want to tie-dye, listen to Joni Mitchell, and learn how to skateboard. In balmy, sticky June, the vibe fit. One appointment later, I asked for even more highlights and leaned fully into the blond living. Which, despite my kick-flip ambitions, actually looked a lot like my standard, brunette life. As the hot, hot months wore on and I learned the wonders of purple shampoo and brassy tone correctors, I started to notice that people said the same things about my newly-blond head again and again: “Oh! You went lighter for the summer!’ “Blond for the summer—good choice!” “Blond! And just in time for summer.” “Since we associate summer with fun and vacations, we might prefer more red or blond,—’fun’ colors,” explains clinical psychologist Aimee Daramus, PsyD. “Dark hair might reflect the way that winter can feel a little more serious and you might
Why foods and supplements for lactation aren’t always the best solution for breastfeeding moms
February 21, 2020 at 01:00AM by CWC If there is one thing that is (often unfairly) hammered upon new mothers, it’s the importance of breastfeeding. It’s also one of the most emotionally and physically demanding things you can ask of a new mother. You’re expected to be the sole source of nourishment for a tiny human! In an overwhelming time with so many unknowns, a mother’s milk supply is constantly on her mind. (I should know—I had a baby in March of 2019 and I am still obsessing about my milk.) A quick Google search will deliver literally millions of articles and references about the best foods for lactation. There are countless supplements and foods on the market that promise to increase a person’s milk supply, from herbal teas, supplements, and even cookies and coffee pods loaded with ingredients like fennel, anise, fenugreek, and moringa leaf. But buying these products for months or years can become an expensive habit—one that may seem vital to moms desperate to ensure their baby is drinking enough to gain weight properly. Are these special ingredients really necessary? How legit are foods for lactation? “Every culture has traditions around birth and breastfeeding, and many involve eating certain foods or herbs to enhance milk production,” says Tanja Knutson, a certified lactation consultant at baby product company UpSpring (which makes its own lactation-promoting products). Herbal remedies like eating fenugreek and drinking fennel tea, for example, have long been practices used by women in an effort to increase
Alt-milk is coming for your moisturizer, and your dry skin will drink it right up
February 20, 2020 at 11:30PM by CWC The alt-milk movement first came for our coffee orders, then it hit the ice-cream aisle. And now? It’s coming for our skin-care routines. “Milk” has commonly been used as a skin product descriptor, meant to describe the texture of a nice, creamy, formula… like a thick moisturizer you can’t help but want to frost your entire body with. But these days, it’s also an ingredient-list mainstay—in many different forms. From oat milk to almond milk to coconut milk, dairy alternatives bring along nourishing, good-for-skin properties that are worth it particularly during dry skin season. Scroll through for our favorites for dry skin, which now officially have a place in your A.M. latte order and your A.M. skin routine and are ready to be milked for all their worth. (Sorry.) Oat milk: Milk Makeup Vegan Milk Moisturizer, $38 Photo: Milk Makeup If MILK makeup’s latest launch is to be believed, the oat milk phenomenon isn’t going anywhere. The brand released its Vegan Milk Moisturizer earlier this year, which is packed with oat, fig, and other good-for-you things to hydrate and soften dry skin while also offering calming properties. Oat has long been lauded as a soothing skin ingredient (remember oatmeal baths, anyone?), so its hardly a surprise that the milk-ified version touts similar benefits. Soy milk: Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Facial Moisturizer with Total Soy Complex and Broad Spectrum SPF 30, $14 Photo: Aveeno The OG of the alt-milks has earned its place in
What happens to your muscles when you snooze, according to sleep experts
February 20, 2020 at 11:00PM by CWC Over the past three years, the recovery industry has been booming. Between stretch studios, $300 percussive therapy devices, and wearables that track your every move, it’s easy to drop hundreds of dollars to get your feet back under you after a hard workout. While all of this tech is undoubtedly flashy and effective, in a newsflash to exactly no one, the best way to recover is through sleep. In order to get stronger, your muscle fibers have to tear on a microscopic level and when they grow back, you gain strength. This process primarily happens while you’re sleeping, so when you don’t catch enough zzzs, it isn’t able to happen properly—studies show that both mental and physical performance are impaired after a single night of sleep deprivation. “Without sleep, muscles become more inflamed and begin to break down their own protein to provide building blocks—aka nitrogen and other protein components—to the rest of the body, which needs more protein to function during sleep deprivation,” says Ben Smarr, science advisor to Oura and assistant professor at UCSD Bioengineering & Data Science. “Sleep allows healing, but deprivation causes breakdown, making getting good sleep doubly important.” Not only that, but when you deprive your body of its most regenerative process or if you get poor sleep, you’re taking away a key element of recovery. “Non-REM sleep is associated with the highest levels of growth hormone release during a day, allowing muscles to heal and grow,” says Smarr.
This is how a longevity expert stocks his kitchen
February 20, 2020 at 11:00PM by CWC The best part of every episode of MTV Cribs (RIP) was when the featured celebrity revealed what was in their fridge. Sometimes it was bottles upon bottles of champagne. Sometimes it was the same foods likely in your own fridge at the time. (Lunchables! Ice-Pops!) It’s similarly entertaining to get a look into healthy kitchens albeit for a slightly different reason: The sheer voyeuristic enjoyment is still there, but there’s also the idea that it could be unlocking a hidden health secret. Author of The Blue Zones Kitchen and longevity expert Dan Buettner discussed his diet and revealed what he stocks his kitchen during a recent conversation with members of Well+Good’s Facebook group Cook With Us. Buettner has built a career studying the best foods and habits linked to living a long, healthy life. Surely his grocery list reflects his insider intel. But what are the foods he always has stocked in his pantry? Despite traveling around the world to study centenarians, Buettner’s answer isn’t hard-to-find exotic foods—it’s staples found at any grocery store. “For the pantry, beans, legumes, whole grains, nuts, and seeds,” he says. When it comes to the whole grains, he specifically likes steel cut oats and brown rice, two foods loaded with fiber. “These foods, along with fruits and veggies, are the staples of the longevity diets of the longest-lived, healthiest people in blue zones regions of the world,” says Buettner. His list of staples shows that eating foods