June 03, 2019 at 12:27PM by CWC A classic PB&J is one of the only things that tastes just as good now as it did straight out of a brown paper bag in elementary school. So pour yourself a tall glass of ice cold milk—you’re going to need it while you’re chowing down on a healthy peanut butter and jelly sandwich made with fresh berries. Most popular jellies/jams/marmalades/preserves are made with a mix of fruit and high-fructose corn syrup, and several varieties just add sweetness and flavor to the spreads with fruit juice. Using just a few tablespoons to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich means you’ll be consuming a lot of sugar. But Amanda Meixner, the food blogger behind the popular Instagram account @MeowMeix, has a healthy recipe to recreate the childhood favorite with wholesome ingredients that cuts the sugar by 90 percent. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Amanda Meixner (@meowmeix) on Jun 1, 2019 at 4:07pm PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js A healthy peanut butter and jelly sandwich takes just seconds to make. First, swap store-bought jelly for mashed berries. According to Meixner, all you need to do is take a 1/2 cup of washed raspberries (or strawberries, grapes…whichever you prefer!), put them in a bowl, and mash them with a fork. Then, spread your homemade jam onto the bread with your favorite nut butter. A typical sandwich might call for 2 tablespoons of raspberry preserves from Bonne Maman, for example, which contains 26
Category: 2019 Health
The Women’s World Cup uniform finally—finally!—includes a sports bra
June 03, 2019 at 10:23AM by CWC Twenty years ago, soccer champion Brandi Chastain kicked the winning goal for Team USA, ripped off her shirt to bare a swish across her chest, and opened her arms to greet sports legends like Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Billie Jean King, women whose down-to-the-wire, overtime efforts punctuated history with a jaw drop and a fist pump. While the defining moment of the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup final was hopped up on all kinds of girl power, what remains most pronounced is the one piece of equipment that wasn’t repurposed from the men’s line that day: the sports bra, an essential garment for women who participate in any form of fitness. In the decades since, we’ve updated silhouettes, we’ve adapted performance technology to women’s bodies, and yet recent research out of Australia finds that women with larger breasts opt out of higher-intensity activities, noting how breast size negative impacts their ability to work out. We can do better, and a handful of brands know it. The market is dotted with size-inclusive start-ups like Good American (sizing to 4X), Superfit Hero (sizing to 5X), or Girlfriend Collective (sizing to 3X), all of which offer pieces that are equal parts performance-driven and playful. At the athlete level, Nike is leading the charge. This week, the Nike Flyknit Sports Bra ($80) becomes an official component of the Women’s World Cup Soccer kits. “I remember back in ‘96, and leading up to ‘99, there was a lot of
How to keep your energy up when trying an elimination diet, according to doctors
June 03, 2019 at 10:00AM by CWC If you suspect that you have some kind of food allergy or intolerance, there’s one thing that basically every doctor will recommend: an elimination diet. The whole process of nixing popular irritants such as eggs, dairy, gluten, corn, soy, sugar, alcohol, coffee, and nightshades (phew!) and slowly adding them back in one at a time is one of the few widely-accepted methods to determine food-related issues. And it often comes with a major unwanted side effect: fatigue. “An elimination diet is a short-term eating plan with the goal of pinpointing exactly which foods are causing the uncomfortable, painful, or mysterious reactions you are experiencing that could be the result of an undiagnosed food sensitivity,” explains functional medicine doctor and The Thyroid Connection author, Amy Myers, MD. “This is not a life-long diet; it’s a strategy to help you uncover which foods you should avoid and which you can enjoy.” Meaning that low-energy feeling as you nix certain food groups should be temporary, not a constant companion. However, considering that Dr. Meyers says the whole elimination diet process can take three to six weeks, that’s quite a long time to feel sluggish and low-energy, period. So if your doctor recommends that you go on an elimination diet, how do you pull it off without feeling drained? “Normally, people shouldn’t feel tired when doing an elimination diet,” says integrative and functional medicine doctor Sommer White, MD. But she adds that there are a few common
Not only is laughter super-contagious, but it also boosts endorphins
June 03, 2019 at 09:12AM by CWC There are few things I love more than a good, senseless giggle epidemic—you know, the contagious laughter that starts when one patient zero pronounces quiche as “kweesh” at brunch. And that cackle fit, though unquestionably silly, makes sense—something objectively funny-ish happened. But what about the case of when, say, your co-worker starts snickering at at something on their computer screen, and though only they can see it, the whole team ends up in hysterics? It seems that sometimes we start laughing simply because someone else is laughing—which might make it the most joyful communicative disease around…could it be? The short answer here is a loud, cackling yes that the giggles are contagious. One 2006 study by researchers from the University College London and Imperial College London found this is because positive sounds, such as laughter, tend to trigger a response in the premotor cortical region, i.e., the part of our brain that reacts to sound. When we see our toddler niece giggle while watching Moana, for example, the premotor cortical region tells us to smile, and smiling makes us think we’re about to laugh. That phenomenon then compounds with an innate, primitive urge reflex to mimic each other’s emotions. But wait, there’s more: “Another [person’s] laughter can certainly jump-start one’s own seemingly uncontrollable laughter when you are on the same page as someone (same sense of humor), need a release yourself, or enjoy the inappropriateness more than the actual humor,” says clinical psychologist
Not only is laughter super-contagious, but it also boosts endorphins
June 03, 2019 at 09:12AM by CWC There are few things I love more than a good, senseless giggle epidemic—you know, the contagious laughter that starts when one patient zero pronounces quiche as “kweesh” at brunch. And that cackle fit, though unquestionably silly, makes sense—something objectively funny-ish happened. But what about the case of when, say, your co-worker starts snickering at at something on their computer screen, and though only they can see it, the whole team ends up in hysterics? It seems that sometimes we start laughing simply because someone else is laughing—which might make it the most joyful communicative disease around…could it be? The short answer here is a loud, cackling yes that the giggles are contagious. One 2006 study by researchers from the University College London and Imperial College London found this is because positive sounds, such as laughter, tend to trigger a response in the premotor cortical region, i.e., the part of our brain that reacts to sound. When we see our toddler niece giggle while watching Moana, for example, the premotor cortical region tells us to smile, and smiling makes us think we’re about to laugh. That phenomenon then compounds with an innate, primitive urge reflex to mimic each other’s emotions. But wait, there’s more: “Another [person’s] laughter can certainly jump-start one’s own seemingly uncontrollable laughter when you are on the same page as someone (same sense of humor), need a release yourself, or enjoy the inappropriateness more than the actual humor,” says clinical psychologist
Do you have a “sticky mind?” Psychologists explain how to stop assuming the worst
June 03, 2019 at 08:55AM by CWC The soundtrack to my mind is a never-ending loop of catastrophizing, planning, regrets, and fantasies about my next meal. Up until now, I’ve considered the cyclical nature of everything that happens between by ears as par for the course of being human, but there’s an official term for characterizing a brain like mine, according to two psychologists. Apparently, my mind (and perhaps yours) is too “sticky.” Like a cinnamon bun drenched in sweet, heavenly icing clings to your fingers on a Saturday morning, a mind like this grips onto certain though patterns, write Martin Seif, PhD, and Sally Winston, PsyD, in Psychology Today. “Stickiness of the mind is the term we use for a biologically based trait that is experienced as repetitive looping thinking, a sense of getting mired in worry, a talent for imaginative flights into catastrophic images and thoughts, and a tendency for junk channels of the mind to get loud and insistent instead of simply flowing by,” they write. Those who’ve dealt first hand with this particular plight know that it’s not nearly as fun as other sticky things (like cotton candy or the aforementioned cinnamon roll). However, the experts warn that trying to buck a grueling inner-monologue won’t help. In fact, it might do more harm than good.”[R]esisting these thoughts by arguing with them, distracting from them, trying to substitute other thoughts, seeking reassurance about them, recoiling in horror, or admonishing oneself simply results in their return or the
Do you have a “sticky mind?” Psychologists explain how to stop assuming the worst
June 03, 2019 at 08:55AM by CWC The soundtrack to my mind is a never-ending loop of catastrophizing, planning, regrets, and fantasies about my next meal. Up until now, I’ve considered the cyclical nature of everything that happens between by ears as par for the course of being human, but there’s an official term for characterizing a brain like mine, according to two psychologists. Apparently, my mind (and perhaps yours) is too “sticky.” Like a cinnamon bun drenched in sweet, heavenly icing clings to your fingers on a Saturday morning, a mind like this grips onto certain though patterns, write Martin Seif, PhD, and Sally Winston, PsyD, in Psychology Today. “Stickiness of the mind is the term we use for a biologically based trait that is experienced as repetitive looping thinking, a sense of getting mired in worry, a talent for imaginative flights into catastrophic images and thoughts, and a tendency for junk channels of the mind to get loud and insistent instead of simply flowing by,” they write. Those who’ve dealt first hand with this particular plight know that it’s not nearly as fun as other sticky things (like cotton candy or the aforementioned cinnamon roll). However, the experts warn that trying to buck a grueling inner-monologue won’t help. In fact, it might do more harm than good.”[R]esisting these thoughts by arguing with them, distracting from them, trying to substitute other thoughts, seeking reassurance about them, recoiling in horror, or admonishing oneself simply results in their return or the
Skip the oven and get right to the good stuff with no-bake brownie batter bites
June 03, 2019 at 07:44AM by CWC One of my (many) weaknesses is fresh-out-of-the-oven brownies. My best friend loves to tell the story of the time I ate one too many of those warm and cozy goodies and fell asleep in the middle of the living room floor. While my love of brownies is still strong as ever, the way I make them has greatly improved. And if you love eating brownie batter right off the spoon, have I got the recipe for you. Jacki Bolig, the certified health coach behind Figgin Delicious, recently shared her brownie batter bites recipe, and it only takes one taste to become totally hooked. This mix only uses five simple ingredients: sunflower seed butter, cacao powder, maple syrup, coconut flour, and mini chocolate chips. After mixing everything together, just pop the batter in the refrigerator for a bit. Ready to roll? Brownie batter bites Ingredients 3/4 cup organic SunButter 3 Tbsp cacao powder 3 to 4 Tbsp maple syrup (depending on sweetness preference) 1 Tbsp coconut flour 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips Instructions Mix together SunButter and maple syrup until smooth. Add in cacao powder and coconut flour, mix until dough-like. Mix in chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, so the batter becomes easier to make into balls Roll into 16 to 18 balls and enjoy. Or, if preferred, place back into the refrigerator for 1+ hours for more solidified texture. If you like brownies with a side of health benefits, this magnesium brownie
Skip the oven and get right to the good stuff with no-bake brownie batter bites
June 03, 2019 at 07:44AM by CWC One of my (many) weaknesses is fresh-out-of-the-oven brownies. My best friend loves to tell the story of the time I ate one too many of those warm and cozy goodies and fell asleep in the middle of the living room floor. While my love of brownies is still strong as ever, the way I make them has greatly improved. And if you love eating brownie batter right off the spoon, have I got the recipe for you. Jacki Bolig, the certified health coach behind Figgin Delicious, recently shared her brownie batter bites recipe, and it only takes one taste to become totally hooked. This mix only uses five simple ingredients: sunflower seed butter, cacao powder, maple syrup, coconut flour, and mini chocolate chips. After mixing everything together, just pop the batter in the refrigerator for a bit. Ready to roll? Brownie batter bites Ingredients 3/4 cup organic SunButter 3 Tbsp cacao powder 3 to 4 Tbsp maple syrup (depending on sweetness preference) 1 Tbsp coconut flour 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips Instructions Mix together SunButter and maple syrup until smooth. Add in cacao powder and coconut flour, mix until dough-like. Mix in chocolate chips. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes, so the batter becomes easier to make into balls Roll into 16 to 18 balls and enjoy. Or, if preferred, place back into the refrigerator for 1+ hours for more solidified texture. If you like brownies with a side of health benefits, this magnesium brownie
OK, TMI: Is it actually necessary to let your vagina “breathe” at night?
June 03, 2019 at 07:42AM by CWC I am firmly team Sleep in the Nude. Like, I straight up don’t get people who sleep with their clothes on. Part of this is comfort (what’s cozier than no clothes at all? Nothing!), and in part because I’ve always thought that you had to remove your underwear at night to let your vagina “breathe”—and I’ve never questioned it until my editor asked me to investigate this topic. You know, for science. Here’s what I learned: It can be beneficial to sleep without underwear on, but it has less to do with your vagina and more to do with the health of your outer parts. Basically, everyone with a vagina experiences vaginal discharge, says Shweta Pai, OB/GYN and member of the Love Wellness medical advisory board. “Some women may have more physiologic discharge than others, thus creating a moist environment within their underwear,” she says. “Excess moisture can lead to bacterial overgrowth, which can lead to a vaginal infection,” she says. By sleeping in the buff at night (or wearing cotton-only underwear), Dr. Pai says that you can ward off future vaginal infections by decreasing the amount of moisture that surrounds your vagina or vulva. (Hence the whole “letting your vagina breathe” thing.) However, Dr. Pai says if you’re prone to recurring infections ~down there~, you should talk to your doctor; there might be something bigger going on than just your choice of underwear at night. There’s also another reason why Dr. Pai