Category: 2019 Wellbeing

August 06, 2019 at 10:42AM Everybody loves bread. (That’s a scientifically proven fact, isn’t it?) Unfortunately, we also know simple carbs and grains aren’t always the best for our health; our croissant, baguette, cinnamon toast, and brioche dreams are crushed regularly. But not today! A new study, published in the journal Microbiome, is all about the health benefits of rye bread, which seems to be good for our health in more ways than one. Getting to know the bacteria in rye bread. The study, which was performed by researchers from the University of Eastern Finland, analyzed the bacteria found in rye sourdough, which is what’s used to make rye bread. First, they found that it contains high levels of lactic acid bacteria. These beneficial microbes have the important job of fermenting the dough, creating the sourdough taste we all love, but they also affect the contents of the bread itself by interacting with it and producing other substances, called metabolites. The researchers dug deeper and compared the metabolites produced by the bacteria in rye bread to the ones produced naturally by human gut bacteria. The results showed that the lactic acid bacteria in rye help produce branched-chain amino acids and peptides that can affect human health in positive ways, including having a beneficial effect on insulin levels. We’ve long known that eating rye bread leads to a less drastic insulin response compared to other types of bread, but until now, we didn’t know why. It’s not just about lower blood

Read More

August 02, 2019 Welcome to our first-ever segment of So What?, where we follow along as wellness and lifestyle blogger Minna Lee makes sense of some of the hottest sustainability topics today. Our planet is experiencing some big, real-time challenges, and we know it’s unrealistic to right this ship overnight. But easy, doable steps that steer us in the right direction every day do exist—simply choosing Earth-friendly foods like So Delicious Dairy Free beverages and desserts is one way to get on it. Up first, Minna gets a fresh perspective on plant-based eating, plus some practical tips on actually making it happen for those who love eating all the things. Advertisement Author | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC

Read More

August 06, 2019 at 02:02AM Share on: In her new book Less Stuff, zero-waste advocate Lindsay Miles provides the guide to responsible decluttering we’ve been waiting for. In it, Miles goes a step beyond the basics to give readers a sense of how a clean home can be a valuable part of any eco-friendly life. Here, she provides ideas of where to donate old goods beyond your local thrift shop (because those can get overwhelmed with stuff!). When we think about donating, we think of the charity shop. Actually, we tend to think of the nearest or most convenient charity shop—but different stores will take different items, so there’s no need to limit ourselves to one. Donations don’t need to be limited to charity shops, either. We can give items away to community groups, organizations, and neighbors—and they’ll often take things charity shops might not. You’ll be surprised what it’s possible to give a new home. Too many of us are guilty of ‘wishcycling’ when it comes to making charity-shop donations. A word on charity shop donations. The most obvious (and easiest) place to donate your unwanted items is the charity shop or thrift store. Remember, though—these stores want products that they can resell. That means items that are clean, complete, and in good working order. Too many of us are guilty of “wishcycling” when it comes to making charity shop donations. We think an item still has some life left, and we don’t want to throw it out because

Read More