April 03, 2019 at 05:00AM by CWC Sometimes, I miss the food habits of my early 20s. I ate my 25 cent ramen blissfully unaware of the dangers of processed food. Buying organic wasn’t really a thing because I didn’t really know how bad pesticides were. I’d never heard the words “Whole30,” “ketogenic,” or “intermittent fasting,” so my brain wasn’t muddled by what “eating plan” I should stick to. I knew fruits, veggies, protein, and healthy fats were good for you, and that too much sugar wasn’t great, but I didn’t know why, and besides—it tasted too good to give up. (Come back to me, 22-year-old metabolism!) Now, I’m 32, have been a food reporter for four years, and am a certified health coach. All day, I’m bombarded with information about something else lurking in our food that is linked to very scary health problems. Or the importance of counting your macros. Or how coffee can just make anxiety even worse for some people. Yes, knowledge is power, and I think it’s important to know as much as I can about what I’m putting into my body. But constantly keeping up with healthy food news can be scary (everything is bad for you!), confusing (wait, eggs are good for you now? Last week a study said they were bad!), and exhausting. Despite all this, I still love food. I love cooking, I love eating, I love trying new cuisines and new restaurants. And I promise the two things—knowing…a lot about
Category: 2019 Health
Science told me the idea alone of coffee is energizing, so I looked at a photo of it for a week
April 03, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC What if simply looking at a cup of coffee could give you Gilmoresque abilities to perk up and talk 80 miles per minute? Well, maybe the concept isn’t so crazy: A recent study published in Consciousness and Cognition suggests cues of coffee alone can promote a sense of alertness (sans the jitters over-caffeination can promote). And, my God, if anyone was meant to test this out, it was me, the awful human equivalent of a “But First, Coffee” mug. The study authors came to their buzzy (had to!) conclusion after analyzing four separate experiments of 871 total participants, that tested responses to both coffee and tea. Ultimately, those exposed to coffee-related cues (but not real cups of the energy juice that they could actually drink) perceived time as shorter and had clearer, more precise thoughts after the experiment. Let me repeat: They were more alert and they hadn’t even caffeinated. It’s a mind-blowing result for anyone who got through college on the sugary jet fuel of four caramel macchiatos a day. (Just me? Bueller?) Dubious but intrigued, I decided to see for myself whether the mere image of a morning cup of joe could be the best part of waking up. Day 1: I’m so excited I open my MacBook to catch up on emails, and see my new desktop-screen photo of twin coffee cups cradled in pink saucers. My desktop is cluttered beyond any sort of joy-sparking repair, yet these two coffee
The one thing people often forget when sculpting their butt, according to a trainer
April 03, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC Whenever I’m strength training in the gym, you can find me working on my butt. I’m all about the squats, donkey kicks, and bridges galore in the attempt of sculpting my very own peach emoji. The thing is, though—butt-sculpting exercises aren’t just about working those muscles within your glutes. “I see a lot of people make the mistake when working on their butt of ignoring their hamstrings,” celebrity trainer Chase Weber tells me. “You can’t just work your butt and forget your hamstrings—they’re just as important.” Whoops. He says to think about it like this: “There are three parts to your butt—your the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. You wanna attack that lower part of your butt—it’s attached to your hamstring.” So your peach is essentially held up by that often-neglected muscle known as your hamstring. It’s like a muscle pillar. It makes sense—not only do people forget about the hamstrings when working their bum muscles, but they also tend to be “quadricep-dominant.” Meaning that they tend to work the crap out of their quads, while also neglecting the poor hammies. “People often forget that there is an anterior chain and a posterior chain to the body,” Weber explains. “If you work one more than the other in turn you will eventually get hurt. Your hamstrings—posterior chain—are connected underneath your glutes.” Hence why it’s so important to work them, too. So how is one to work the hamstrings, then? Weber says
Tacos are back on the menu for low-carb eaters with this high-protein tortilla swap
April 03, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC I wish the name of every day started with the letter “T” so that we could enjoy the satisfying alliteration of “Taco Tuesday” to the tune of seven times per week. And if you’re living that low-carb or gluten-free life, you can still experience the magic of Taco Tednesday (just watch, it’s gonna be a thing) by swapping out the corn or flour tortilla for…an egg. While I spotted this health-forward hack on the Bulletproof blog, Taco Bell may in fact be the (surprising) brains behind the operation. According to Food&Wine, the fast food chain debuted the tortilla-less taco back in 2017, when the Naked Egg Taco first hit its menu. This Taco Triday (not giving this one up), skip the drive-thru by frying up your own set of eggs (the Bulletproof blog recommends using ghee to grease your pan, but you should really do you when it comes to choosing a cooking fat) and wrapping them around your fave fixings. Need some inspo? Try mixing and matching the ingredients below. Pick your protein: chicken, ground beef, black beans, crispy vegan taco meat Load up the veggies: sliced peppers, tomatoes, avocado, caramelized onions, mushrooms, lettuce, corn, green chiles Spice things up: taco seasoning, cilantro, parsley, lime, Top it off: salsa, guacamole, healthy queso, pico de gallo, sour cream Eggs are kind of magical: You can also use them to make two-ingredient “squashbread” and supercharged oatmeal. Continue Reading… Author Kells McPhillips | Well and Good
The most important part of forgiveness actually happens way before anyone says “I’m sorry”
April 02, 2019 at 05:00PM by CWC Let’s take a time machine back to 2003, when the Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan remake of Freaky Friday premiered in theaters. The gist of the epochal flick is this: When you put yourself in somebody else’s shoes—or, y’know, switch bodies with them—finding forgiveness becomes so much easier. (Plus, you might just land a new fling, go on a shopping spree, and have an epic guitar solo in the process.) Unfortunately though, the real world doesn’t afford us such literally transformative opportunities for striking amnesty with a relative, best friend, or someone else who’s recently been excommunicated from the “Favorites” tab of our contact list. But according to clinical psychologist Jennifer MacLeamy, PsyD, we can practice forgiveness in three steps—two of which come before either party even utters the words, “I’m sorry.” Dr. MacLeamy says the single hardest (and most important) part of making amends with anyone is step one, which is to unhook yourself from the narrative. “I think, in some ways, [latching onto the story is] a way of staying hooked; it’s a way of staying connected to the hurt and to the pain, which is ultimately not particularly healing for people. It’s not that we have to forget completely if someone does something wrong to us. But oftentimes, whether we want to or not, we’re engaging in behaviors that are subtly trying to control other people.” If you’ve ever given someone the “silent treatment,” then you know exactly what she’s alluding
Move over, sun signs: Moon signs are the real key to understanding your personal astrological identity
April 02, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC Whether you fall into the category of “astrology obsessed” or just happen to be aware of the day and month you were born, chances are good you’re familiar with your sun sign. It signifies where the sun was when you were born and points to many major aspects of your life, including your personality traits and whom you’re romantically compatible with. (Fun fact: You can now even filter Bumble matches by astrological sign). It’s usually what you check when you look up your horoscope, but while the solar element of the zodiac tends to get all the good PR, when it comes to understanding the real you, another part of the universe is worth your attention. Meet your moon sign, or what astrologers like to refer to as your “emotional personality.” Similar (but different) to your sun sign, your moon sign is dictated by where the moon when you were born. It speaks to your below-the-surface qualities that really make you, you—even if few people ever see them. “Your moon sign governs how you internalize and emotionally respond to life,” says Paula Pavlova, co-founder of Moonbox, a beauty and wellness kit based on the lunar cycle. “By understanding your moon sign, you can gain a better sense of your inner-workings and why you react and respond to life the way that you do.” “Your moon sign governs how you internalize and emotionally respond to life.” —Paul Pavlova, co-founder of Moonbox When I recently
Jackfruit is *almost* the perfect meat replacement, except for one big catch
April 02, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC On the vegetarian scene for years, jackfruit is now also a regular member of Meatless Monday menus. Similar in texture to pulled pork, unripe jackfruit soaks up whatever seasoning you add mix in—with health benefits to boot. But hold on a sec, jackfruit what? If you haven’t seen this before at Asian supermarkets or on the menu at your favorite vegan bistro, the jackfruit is a large tropical fruit that’s distantly related to figs. According to the California Rare Fruit Growers (CRFG), the jackfruit tree likely came from India, then spread throughout southeast Asia, the East Indies and the Philippines. Today it’s also popular in Africa, Brazil, and Surinam—and, for the past four to five years, in the U.S. According to the CRFG, a single jackfruit can grow to 80 pounds (!) and over 36 inches long and 20 inches in diameter. When the fruit is ripe, it’s super sweet. But the unripe fruit has a more neutral, less sweet taste, per the CRFG, and has a texture inside that “shreds” like pulled pork. There’s a reason why it’s suddenly gained such a devoted following in the plant-based community. However, there is one big catch with jackfruit: It doesn’t have very much protein compared to other meat substitutes, says vegetarian nutritionist Alex Caspero, R.D. One 75 gram (2.65-ounce) serving of plain jackfruit has just 1 gram of protein (versus 10 grams of protein in the same amount of tofu or 12 grams in a
Those sore muscles? Yeah, they actually might be inflamed
April 02, 2019 at 12:46PM by CWC After a particularly grueling sweat sesh (looking at you, SLT), you’re pretty much guaranteed to wake up the next morning with sore muscles. And, if I’m being honest, I kind of like that feeling, because it’s how I know whatever workout I did was actually working. Instead, though, you may be dealing with inflamed muscles, which is technically something different than sore ones. They tend to happen post-workout or after repetitive use, and are an important part of the muscle building process. “Muscle tissue breaks down and ‘microtears’ in the muscle occur, and this is part of the rebuilding process and how muscles become stronger,” explains Austin Martinez, director of education for StretchLab. “These ‘microtears’ create an inflammatory process that is actually needed and beneficial.” However, inflammation can also occur due to injury, which is decidedly not beneficial to getting stronger. “This occurs because the above outlined process becomes ineffective,” says Martinez. “When the muscle breakdown process outpaces the muscle rebuilding process, then injury occurs.” Soreness, on the other hand, is more common and is usually correlated with post-workout. “Common signs are muscle fatigue, tenderness, and lack of mobility,” says Martinez. “Soreness is beneficial and part of the muscle rebuilding process. Inflammation pertaining to injury is different, and you will notice increased pain, redness, and potentially swelling.” The more you use certain muscles in your daily activities, the more likely they are to become inflamed. “Smaller muscles in the shoulder, such as a the
Potatoes are actually pretty damn good for you, according to these registered dietitians
April 02, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zYQBK7Nq18] Thanks to the ketogenic diet and other low-carb eating plans, potatoes have an even worse rep than Emma Stone’s character in Easy A. (The only exception: sweet potatoes, which have somehow managed to secure a shiny health halo.) But as people increasingly shift away from “meat and potatoes” to “grass-fed beef and cauliflower mash,” spuds are left in the corner looking like a sad sack of…well, you know. Which begs the question: Are potatoes healthy? And do they deserve their fate as culinary outcasts? “Potatoes have been vilified over the past few years because they’re high in carbs and they also raise your blood sugar quickly,” says 80 Twenty Nutrition founder Christy Brissette, RD. “So a lot of diets and nutrition experts give the advice to avoid eating white, starchy foods because of that blood sugar surge.” But despite that, Brissette is not anti-spud. And neither is Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, host of Well+Good’s new video series You vs Food. Here’s why both nutritionists say that the humble potato is a worthy addition to anyone’s diet. TBH, potatoes have a pretty stellar nutritional profile Potatoes have it going on in the nutrition department. “Because they’re a vegetable—and not, say, a nutrient-void processed food—they come with a lot of benefits,” Brissette says. Need proof? One large, raw potato also has nine grams of fiber, 1502 mg of potassium (three times as much as what you’d get in a banana!) and 34 mg of vitamin C. “People
I’ve never been able to fix my hair, so I took a blowdrying lesson to figure it out
April 02, 2019 at 11:06AM by CWC Despite mastering makeup and skin-care tricks heralded by pros around the Internet, I’ve never managed to figure out how to fix my own hair. When I attempt a blow dry, I wind up with a frazzled, frizzy mess that frankly isn’t for public consumption. But at the hands of an actual stylist, my hair’s shiny, with nothing more than the help of a few styling products and some hot air. Since I sadly don’t have unlimited funds to spend at DryBar, but still want to look like a healthy-haired pony on a regular basis, I decided it was time to learn how to blow dry my own hair. Before you laugh (because, yes, even I’ll admit it’s kind of ridiculous), just think about how much time and money, one (ahem: me) might save by mastering a professional-level blowout. So for the sake of my mission, I hit up the new IGK Salon in Soho to take a blowdrying lesson. No, this is not an actual class that they offer, but rather the case of me begging Aaron Grenia, the salon’s founder, to teach me his magician-like ways. After nearly two hours together and a few burnt fingers on my part, I felt like a true blow dry pro. Here’s what I learned. Steal these blowdrying secrets from the pro 1. It actually begins with the towel dry: Before you actually blow dry your hair, you need to get the excess moisture out of your