February 07, 2020 at 09:00PM by CWC If you’ve ditched dairy for sustainability reasons, you probably assume that alt-milks like oat, soy, and dairy are better for the environment, period. You’re right. But each type of plant milk does have an environmental impact—some greater than others. However, understanding that impact is still a growing field of study. “There is very little research comparing environmental impact of the various plant milks,” says Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN, a plant-based dietitian. Perhaps the best estimates yet come from Oxford University scientists, led by researcher Joseph Poore, who created a database of over 10,000 farms worldwide and extrapolated data from various crops to estimate the environmental impact of soymilk, almond milk, oat milk, and rice milk compared to dairy. Their conclusion, which was published in the journal Science in 2018: No matter what plant milk you pick, dairy milk is worse for the environment on every indicator—greenhouse gas emissions, water use, land use, and eutrophication (which refers to how that crop contributes to excessive algae and plant overgrowth in water sources from runoff pollution and other factors). Poore’s research also found that meat and dairy combined use 83 percent of the world’s farmland and produce 60 percent of agricultural greenhouse gas emissions while supplying just 18 percent of calories and 37 percent of protein eaten by humans. “It’s much more efficient to just eat grains, pulses, and vegetables directly as a crop, rather than to grow that crop to feed animals,” says Palmer. “No
Month: February 2020
A definitive ranking of the best collagen-stimulating skin-care ingredients money can buy
February 07, 2020 at 08:00PM by CWC Collagen has become a beauty buzzword thanks to the fact that it results in plumper, stronger skin. But before you go out and stock up on hundreds of dollars worth of collagen-infused skin-care, you should know that upping your collagen levels isn’t quite as easy as slathering your face with the stuff, since collagen molecules are too big to penetrate the surface of skin. So instead, you’ll have to rely on collagen-stimulating ingredients that’ll give kick your skin cells into gear produce more of the stuff on its own. “Collagen is considered the ‘youth fiber,’ and it’s the foundation of healthy skin,” says board-certified dermatologist Rachel Nazarian, MD. “With the production of collagen, you’ll find that skin appears tighter, pores appear smaller, and fine lines and wrinkles are improved.” When collagen stimulating ingredients are applied topically, they activate your fibroblast cells, or “collagen factory” cells, to produce collagen. They also help protect this new collagen from being broken down by other enzymes in your body. So just which beauty ingredients do the trick? Keep scrolling for the top collagen-stimulating skin-care ingredients on the market. Collagen-stimulating skin-care ingredients 1. Retinoids: Retinol is famous for its ability to stimulate collagen, so it’s no wonder it tops the list. “Some of my favorite collagen-stimulating ingredients are retinoids, which are vitamin A derivatives such as adapalene,” says Dr. Nazarian. Since retinoids can be drying for certain sensitive skin types, bakuchiol also works as a gentler (plant-based!) alternative.
The $50, dietitian-approved grocery list that opens the door for so. many. healthy meals
February 07, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC Walking into the grocery store without a plan of attack (also known as a “shopping list”) is a calculated risk. With so many shiny-new products hitting the shelves every single week, breaking the bank at Trader Joe’s or your supermarket of choice has become as easy as snatching up a free sample. That’s why registered dietitian and best-selling author Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, never enters the sliding glass doors of the supermarket without a budget-friendly healthy grocery list. To get you started with shopping for frugal, healthy ingredients, Palinski-Wade wrote up a list that will cost you a mere $50. In addition to 14 core plant-based food items everyone should shop for, she also budgets for a few optional protein add-ons that fits into plant-forward diets (like the Mediterranean Diet or Paleo), as well as vegetarian and vegan diets. Over time, you’ll get the hang of swapping items out for similarly priced alternatives (for example, canned black beans for canned pinto beans)—so no need to fear flavor boredom. Keep reading for a dietitian’s 17-item healthy grocery list on a budget Graphics: Well+Good Creative Fresh produce to add to your healthy grocery list 1. Prunes: “Lower in naturally-occurring sugar than other dried fruits, prunes contain three grams of fiber per serving and only 100 calories. Eating five to six prunes per day may help to prevent bone loss,” says Palinski-Wade. To boot, ground prunes can acts as sugar substitutes in your favorite desserts—so don’t let your
Adinkra guidance cards combine spiritual health and West African history to steer self care away from one-size-fits-all routines
February 07, 2020 at 06:00PM by CWC Self care. Mindfulness. Staying present. These phrases are synonymous with today’s holistic health movement, but that doesn’t mean everyone’s approach to wellness is the same. For some, self care includes addressing past traumas; mindfulness involves applying ancient wisdom to contemporary challenges; and staying present means honoring their ancestral legacy in their daily lives. Simone Bresi-Ando, a Ghanaian-British boutique owner and PR powerhouse, considered these very ideas when she created the concept for the Adinkra Ancestral Guidance Cards ($70), a 44-card oracle deck built on re-establishing a connection to the ancient symbols of the Akan and Gyaman people of modern-day Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana. “The spirit is eternal and it is always searching for freedom,” says Bresi-Ando. “And I’m on this journey to decolonize my life.” Photo: Courtesy of Bresi-Ando Bresi-Ando sees the Adinkra symbols of her parents’ native roots as a way to help others dig deeper within, guiding them on their own self-care journey that goes beyond the mainstream approach to holism. As spirituality has begun to play a larger role in personal self-care routines, Bresi-Ando, a diviner for over 15 years, conceived the idea of creating an oracle card deck based on the “brilliance of our ancestors” as a potential path to reintroduce the African Diaspora to a communication form many of them have lost. Like most oracle decks (including tarot cards), the Adinkra Ancestral Guidance Cards (produced under Bresi-Ando’s brand, Tools for Living) are designed for self-discovery and spiritual growth. But
You shouldn’t fear fats and oils—these are a functional medicine doctor’s 5 healthy favorites
February 07, 2020 at 05:30PM by CWC We’ve certainly come a long way since the ’90s—and not just because someone figured out how to milk oats and almonds. By now, virtually all healthy eaters have come around and accepted that some types of fats (namely, unsaturated ones) are full of nutritional benefits. (Ketogenic dieters live by this principle.) As with any food group, not all unsaturated fats are created equal; some are more nutrient-rich than others. To help healthy eaters know which ones are the best of the best, author of Food: What The Heck Should I Cook? and functional medicine doctor Mark Hyman, MD, named his top five healthy fats in a recent Instagram post detailing why they rank as his favorite good fat foods. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Mark Hyman, M.D. (@drmarkhyman) on Feb 5, 2020 at 3:00pm PST //www.instagram.com/embed.js Dr. Mark Hyman’s list of good fat foods 1. olive oil His ride-or-die absolute favorite healthy fat? Olive oil. “You should not live in fear of fats and oils,” says Dr. Hyman. “They make food taste better, offer many nutritional benefits, make you feel fuller, and help you lose weight.” While he says refined vegetable oils are not healthy and can actually cause inflammation, he’s a big fan of olive oil, which is a good source of omega-3s and antioxidants, working to reduce inflammation in the body. Watch the video below to learn more of the health benefits of olive oil: [youtube
The full snow moon is in Leo—and it’s gifting each sign a wintertime jolt of energy
February 07, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC During last month’s full moon in Cancer, we collectively felt all the feels. But the full moon this month—the second of the decade—is in Leo, so things will carry on a bit differently. Nicknamed the snow moon, it takes place on Sunday, February 9 at 2:34 a.m., EST (so, overnight on Saturday). “Leo is the sign associated with playfulness, passion, and creative expression. Leo rules the heart, and this full moon invites us to have the confidence we need to follow our hearts in all ways,” says Rachel Lang, intuitive astrologer and healer. This is a particularly powerful time if you’ve ever felt a fear of judgment that has held you back (so, in all likelihood, most of us.) “This full moon allows you to temporarily let that go, take a step in courage, and follow your heart. The sun in Aquarius, the sign of the rebel, helps inspire courage where you may have had fear or doubt,” Lang says. “Aquarius rules the circulatory system, and the sign of Aquarius is associated with community and social groups. Drawing on this metaphor, you can use this influence to find out how to better express your unique gifts to make a difference in the world. You really can make a contribution at this time.” Also, as tempting as it may be to have a cozy, winter night in, the full snow moon pushes you to flex your social muscles. Lang says you may find that
3 steps to stop self-sabotaging behavior from ruining your potential and happiness
February 07, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC Ever have something really great happen in your life and then you follow it up with an action that’s deeply self-sabotaging? If so, you’re not alone; whether or not we consciously realize it, many of us engage in activity that directly stunts our potential when things are seemingly going well in our lives. This struggle of not knowing how to stop self-sabotaging behaviors from taking over is what’s known as an “upper limit problem,” a concept psychologist Gay Hendricks, PhD, coined in The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level. “The upper limit problem is the way human beings respond to change,” Dr. Hendricks says. “Often when change starts happening, we contract in fear and then that causes us to drop back down to a more familiar level of being.” This threshold of sorts for allowing ourselves to accept good fortune can show up in all areas of life, but it’s the most predominant in the relationships and career arenas. In relationships, it can appear as conflicts with a loved one right after a period of getting along very well. In the career, money, and success areas, an upper limit can look like self-sabotaging following a big promotion or after receiving an influx of money. “Often when change starts happening, we contract in fear and then that causes us to drop back down to a more familiar level of being.” —psychologist Gay Hendricks, PhD So, where do
How to increase flexibility throughout your entire body, according to pro stretchers
February 07, 2020 at 03:00PM by CWC If you’ve never been able to touch your toes, fear not: It’s totally possible to increase flexibility. But like getting stronger, faster, or better at anything in your life, you’ve gotta work at it, and that starts with targeting the right muscles. Certain spots in our bodies get tighter than others, mostly because of the way we use them on a day-to-day basis. And considering the large majority of us spend hours on end hunched over our desks, we tend to wind up feeling inflexible in a lot of the same places. While I won’t go so far as to call sitting the new smoking, sitting is responsible for issues like hip pain and spine compression because of the way it crunches up our bodies. And if you don’t stretch things out regularly, it can leave you with too-tight muscles that can mess with your overall flexibility. The best way to limber up, then, according to stretch pros, is to hit those spots one at a time. “Go up through the body and thinking about what sitting hunched over shortens,” says Aaron Alexander, author of The Align Method: 5 Movement Principles for a Stronger Body, Sharper Mind and Stress-Proof Life. “Then, go through with a stretch routine and open those things up.” Even if you aren’t particularly worried about figuring out how to increase flexibility to, say, drop down into the splits, loosening these muscles is still really important. “There’s nothing separating flexibility from
There are 3 different friend types, and knowing yours can lead to more fulfilling relationships
February 07, 2020 at 01:00PM by CWC I could plot out a linear map of the course my life has taken to this point based solely on a handful of close friendships. Even though each pal is a unique snowflake, the retrospective viewpoint I now have has distilled the reality to me that most of these friends are more similar than they are different. Because of this, I contend that there are certain types of friends, and, just as is the case with romantic relationships, we all have certain preferences that dictate our platonic compatibility. Since I’m no social science expert, I sought the intel of someone who is to make sure my theory holds up. And lo and behold, clinical psychologist and friendship expert Miriam Kirmayer, PhD, says there are indeed different types of friends. (So, maybe I am a social science expert?) Furthermore, these archetypes hold the power to teach us about who we are and what we seek in others. “I do think there’s something to be said for the fact that there are certain people who we click with better than others. And that’s true of love, friendship, and even when we’re choosing a therapist,” Dr. Kirmayer says. “There are just certain people with whom we feel at ease, we feel safe, we feel comfortable. And that comfort can come from many different places.” As far as determining which types of friends most resonate with us, Dr. Kirmayer says it has a lot to do with
How your perception is your reality, according to psychologists
February 07, 2020 at 12:00PM by CWC There are two types of people in this world: those who view the glass as half-full, and those who see the glass as half-empty. This phenomenon is called perception, and our perceptions profoundly impact how we experience life. “Perception molds, shapes, and influences our experience of our personal reality,” says Linda Humphreys, PhD, a psychologist and life, relationship, and spirituality coach. “Perception is merely a lens or mindset from which we view people, events, and things.” In other words, we believe what we perceive to be accurate, and we create our own realities based on those perceptions. And although our perceptions feel very real, that doesn’t mean they’re necessarily factual. Dr. Humphreys says that our past experiences greatly influence how we decode things. Certain people, things, and situations can trigger you to interpret things through a positive or negative lens based on those past experiences. If you’re the type that leans more toward the glass-half-empty perspective, don’t worry. Although it does require some work, your perception is something you can change because we choose how we see things. That power is in your hands (er, mind). Keep reading to learn more about the pros and cons of this way of thinking, how it impacts different areas of life, and what actionable steps you can take to change the way you view yourself, other people, and life in general. The pros and cons of negative perception Your perceptions influence all areas of life. “The totality of your perceptions— regarding yourself, your life,