February 03, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC There are few foods out there with more of an enduring healthy reputation than smoothies. Experts love to recommend them for breakfasts, colorful recipes are splashed all over wellness influencers’ feeds, and they’re a mainstay of many wellness-minded restaurant menus. It makes sense as to why we love them, too. They’re delicious, beautiful, portable, and relatively easy to throw together in the blender. They seem to be a perfect snack or breakfast, depending on what you put in them. But considering that we are unfortunately in a climate of peak nutrition information overload—even second-guessing the health merits of certain vegetables, no less—it’s worth revisiting the health merits of the perennial favorite that is the smoothie. Are smoothies healthy, or have we just been fooling ourselves for years? Here’s what you should know. So, real talk: Are smoothies healthy? Unfortunately, not always. “Not all smoothies are truly healthy—some can contain a lot of added sugar and sweeteners and if you’re having it pre-made somewhere, you don’t [always] know if they’re using unsweetened milk or what type of protein powder exactly of the portion size,” says Maggie Michalczyk, MS, RD. It can be super confusing—smoothies are often seen as being packed with vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber and protein (if there’s a source like nut butter, milk, or avocado inside, and there usually is to make it creamy). And if you compared a smoothie to a bacon breakfast sandwich, you’re probably thinking that
Month: February 2020
Sex educators want you to have pillow talk after sex (because postgame analysis isn’t just a sports thing)
February 03, 2020 at 01:00PM by CWC Even dating back to my first-ever kisses, I adhered to a specific post-smooch routine: Call up my best friend and tell her about it in excruciating detail: the saliva situation, tongue use, hand placement, you name it. The debrief was as thorough as the kiss itself. And now, even as someone with a sex life that goes beyond kissing alone, I’ve continued this habit of postgame analysis (an analysis that, to be clear, has nothing to do with which team won the Super Bowl) with my closest friends. Whether a sexual encounter was particularly gratifying, satisfying, or horrifying, they heard about it—until recently, when my routine suddenly changed. That’s because my current partner introduced me to a new after-sex tradition: pillow talk about the sex we just had together. And it turns out sex-educators are huge fans of the practice. The case for introducing a postgame analysis into your bedroom Post-sex analysis are similar in spirit to the postgame-analysis broadcasts that occur after sporting events—but sexified. After catching your breath, cleaning up and disposing of contraceptive barriers, and in general letting sex-brains symptoms subside, get comfortable (cuddle, even!) and take turns hashing out the details of the sex that just took place. “That kind of frank back-and-forth can increase intimacy and provide the opportunity for each of you to better understand what is most enjoyable for you sexually,” says clinical psychologist and sex therapist Christopher Ryan Jones, PsyD. “That kind of frank back-and-forth
I put snail gel on my face for a whole month—here’s what happened to my skin
February 03, 2020 at 10:00AM by CWC You could say I’m familiar with snails if you count Gary from Spongebob and the time I ate a few on top of toast when I visited Paris (insert chef’s kiss). What I didn’t know until about a month ago is that snails could be used in my skin-care routine. No not the spiral-shaped animal itself, but the snail secretion that can be made into a skin-softening gel for your face. As the official will-test-anything woman in the Well+Good office, I figured why not rub this stuff all over my skin to see what my complexion thinks? But rather than blindly plunging head-first into my gastropod experiment, I wanted to learn what in the world someone was thinking when first applying snail mucin to their face. So I asked Victoria Harrison, director of technical services at Dr.Organic®, to shed some light. “Snail farmers in South America first discovered the unique healthy-aging properties of snail mucin when they realized how soft and supple their hands felt after working with the snails,” she says. Soft hands, soft skin—makes sense. I decided to take the leap (if it could make even farmers’ hands supple, and is free of parabens, cruelty-free, and made with select organic ingredients, what’s there to lose?) and added Dr.Organic® Snail Gel to my routine. I monitored my skin over 30 days, but lucky for me, I noticed results way quicker than a snail’s pace. Keep scrolling to see how I felt after
With Venus in Aries, you’re due for a fiery dose of bravery this week
February 02, 2020 at 10:00PM by CWC With Imbolc (aka Candlemas), the halfway point between the last solstice and the upcoming equinox, happening on Sunday, February 2, the month kicks off with an invitation to settle into the opportunities this midseason moment presents. Simultaneously, on this cross-quarter day, we’re able to set our sights on what’s yet to come into fruition, centering ourselves in the light of our home amid the continued darkness of this time of year. Imbolc asks us to commit to the actions, goals, and dreams we most want to cultivate as we come closer to the season of growth around the corner. More specifically, it’s important to check in with our bodies in this heart of winter, introspecting about how we can better nourish ourselves so we don’t merely endure the remaining cold months but rather thrive. What does your body need? How does your skin feel? How can you deeply heal yourself? To fortify yourself from the inside out, consider what you can gain by providing yourself with broths, stews, and other easy-to-digest foods. Don’t underestimate the power of hydration, either. And if you’re prone to symptoms of the winter blues, be sure to supplement with sufficient vitamin D. Also, take diligent care of your skin, perhaps even scheduling a facial. You can’t over-pamper yourself right now. Venus wants you to lean into your beauty routine this week From an astrological perspective, on February 2 and 3, Venus, the planet of love and beauty, sextiles
Restrictive dieting doesn’t work—here’s how to make sure your healthy habits actually stick
February 02, 2020 at 08:00PM by CWC There are a lot of bad health trends that we were excited to say goodbye to last year, from detox teas (ugh) to antidepressant shaming. But unfortunately, restrictive diets that promote cutting out whole food groups and severe limitations on what foods are “allowed,” continue to be a mainstay of the healthy eating world. To be clear, some health conditions such as celiac disease require the shunning of specific foods. But for most healthy adults, overly restrictive diets aren’t likely to lead to any kind of success, whether that’s healthy weight management, sustained energy, nutrition, digestive health, and an optimal relationship with food. Not only do eating plans that cut out whole food groups can make it isolating and hard to stick with, restrictive diets—and the behaviors they encourage—can lead to orthorexia and other forms of disordered eating. For example, studies have shown that being fixated on nutrition labels and calories can increase the risk of binge eating, anorexia, and bulimia. So how to stick to a diet that’s genuinely healthy, without having to restrict what, when, and how much you eat? Here, holistic health coach and intuitive eating counselor Rachel Cole shares the habits to stick to that will set you up for long-term success. How to stick to a healthy diet for the long haul 1. Stop thinking of certain foods as “off limits” The most important change to make, Cole says, is a shift in mindset. It’s crucial to stop
I’m an RD, and these are the 3 most common questions I get asked about gut health
February 02, 2020 at 06:00PM by CWC With the increasing amount of evidence linking your microbiome (the bacteria that call your body home) to your overall health and well-being, it’s safe to say that many people are now listening to their gut, so to speak, when making their food choices. And with that percolating interest in all things gut-health, questions have also bubbled up—lots of ’em. Just ask the registered dietitians who answer them daily. Oh wait, we did that for you. Here, three RDs let us in on the gut-health FAQs they get from patients. 1. How does fiber help gut health? When it comes to keeping your gut in tip-top shape, getting enough fiber is key. According to Amy Gorin, RDN, owner of Amy Gorin Nutrition in New York, the two types—soluble and insoluble fiber—are necessary for maintaining good gut health. “Insoluble fiber is found in foods such as whole grains and veggies. It helps get things moving through your digestive system and also helps bulk up your stool, helping it to pass,” she says. “Soluble fiber is found in oat bran, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, and some fruits, and veggies. It soaks up water as it moves through your body. This helps bulk up your stool and prevent constipation. It’s best to include sources of fiber in each eating occasion.” 2. Should I be taking probiotics? “Probiotics are living microorganisms that can provide many health benefits [when consumed],” says Tony Castillo, RDN, LDN, and nutrition consultant for
I’m a Sephora beauty director and these are the 4 best foundations money can buy
February 02, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC I’ve always considered myself a tinted moisturizer devotee, but after two minutes on the phone with Sephora Beauty Director David Razzano, I’ve had a change of heart. The makeup artist who tries thousands of products each year talks about full-coverage foundation the way Anthony Bourdain talked about butter. And after hearing what he considers the four best foundations out of the 599 sold at Sephora, my wallet is seriously hurting. “I think the reason why people are so obsessed with foundation is because even if you’re not into makeup per se, even if you’re not a makeup person, you still want good skin. You still want to look your best,” Razzano tells Well+Good. If you, like me, are thinking “retweet,” keep scrolling for the foundation Razzano uses down to the very last drop. The 4 best foundations at Sephora, according to the brand’s beauty director 1. NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation, $49 All Photos: Sephora “This particular foundation really stood out to me. It wears beautifully, and it’s got a semi-matte finish, which I think is a really good standard for [a product] you can use on anyone. It can be used on someone with dry skin to oily skin… There is a radiance to this that gives it a skin-like look and finish,” says Razzano. If you tend toward the dryer side of the skin aisle, he recommends applying an ultra-hydrating moisturizer before layering on your NARS. Shade range: 34 2. Sephora Collection
5 foot posture exercises that feel a lot like a foot massage
February 02, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC There are a lot of variables that go into having good posture. Keeping your shoulders back, your spine in its proper curve, and your pelvis straight (and not tilted) are key to keeping yourself upright, rather than hunched over. Lesser known, however, is that a foundational element of having good posture is all about your feet. “Imagine that your feet are the trunk of your tree,” says Carey Macaleer, founder of A-line Pilates. “If you’re not working equally throughout your feet, it will offset the alignment for the rest of your body, which could cause issues,” she says. Think: knees knocking inward or hips splaying outward. And that’s exactly why adjustments to foot posture when working out are so important. The key is to make sure that your weight is being evenly distributed between your toes, and that as much as is possible barring pronation, your ankles are getting even distribution on the inner and outer edges of your feet. “If you’re not working equally throughout your feet, it will offset the alignment for the rest of your body.” —Carey Macaleer According to Macaleer, this can allow you to activate other muscles throughout the body that might not be getting properly worked. “If you can push down into your pinky toe, that could help you connect with your pelvic floor,” says Macaleer. “If you have a hard time connecting to that, that affects the back chain of your body, into the lower glutes.” It’s
This is how often you should be washing your pillows, because dust mites love them
February 02, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC Okay, so, confession time: I don’t think I’ve ever washed my pillows. Like, ever. I sometimes give ’em a good spray of Lysol when my sheets are in the wash, but other than that, they don’t get any attention. I’ve never considered the fact that they even needed washing—am I disgusting? The answer is yes. According to Lindsey Boyd and Gwen Whiting, cofounders of The Laundress, you should apparently be washing your pillows every few months. “Because pillows come in such close contact with your face and tend to breed allergens, they should be washed two to three times per year, and even more frequently if you live in a warm, humid climate—warmth is a breeding ground for dust mites,” says Boyd. Whiting shares that dust from the air, dead skin cells, dust mites, oil from our hair and skin, and other allergens live in our pillows. Even worse: dust mites feed off of dead skin cells. Just washing your pillow cases doesn’t cut it, they said, because pillow cases don’t fully encase your pillows. “A good way to protect them better is with pillow covers, which go over your pillows and beneath your pillow cases and have zippered enclosures,” says Whiting. “These should be washed on a monthly basis.” For pillows made of natural fibers like down, fiberfill, feathers, or synthetic blends, Boyd says you should pretreat any oil-based stains, like makeup. She recommends using The Laundress Wash & Stain Bar ($6), along
This 5-ingredient cookie dough bread is packed with protein
February 02, 2020 at 12:00PM by CWC When it comes to desserts, cookie dough is hard to beat. So much so that only a small percentage actually makes it to the baking sheet. But maybe you should skip the cookies altogether. One food blogger is proving the next best thing to eating it raw is baking it up into a fluffy loaf of bread you can enjoy all week long. Bethany Ugarte of Lilsipper decided to combine two of her favorite things with her gut-friendly, protein-packed cookie dough bread—a recipe that’s gotten rave reviews on both her Instagram and her website. The reason for that is simple: Despite using no flour at all, it’s super soft and spongy. It also only requires a total of five ingredients, including the all-stars that give it that beloved cookie dough flavor: cashew butter and unsweetened chocolate chips. If you want to try it for yourself, here’s everything you’ll need. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bethany Ugarte || Gut Health (@lilsipper) on Sep 23, 2019 at 6:39am PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js Cookie dough bread Ingredients 4 eggs 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 tsp baking soda 1 cup of cashew butter unsweetened chocolate chips to taste 1. Whisk all ingredients (except chocolate chips) in a stand or electric mixer until well incorporated. 2. Fold in desired amount of chocolate chips then pour batter into a standard bread loaf pan lined with parchment paper. The batter may be runny depending on the nut