February 04, 2020 at 07:30PM by CWC Fact: cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the United States. Want to live a long time? Protect your heart. Genetic predisposition certainly plays a role, but there’s a lot in your control—including what you put on your plate. What you eat is directly linked to your heart health. We asked three cardiologists to share the heart-healthy eating recommendations they give to everyone who walks into their offices. The cardiologist-approved golden rules for heart-healthy eating 1. Read the nutrition label This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s so easy to get lured in by clever marketing and flashy packaging that the nutrition label on foods often gets ignored. “Nutrition facts labels contain valuable information needed to help you choose food wisely,” says Aurelio Duran, MD, of the Orlando Health Heart Institute. “Calories, fat, sodium, and protein are some of the information to consider.” Avoid foods high in saturated fat and sodium, which is definitely bad news for your heart, he says. 2. avoid added sugars While you’re eyeing the nutritional label, Dr. Duran says to be conscious of added sugars, including the various pseudonyms for sugar that companies use to deceive consumers. “Added sugars increase risk for diabetes and other heart disease risk factors,” he says. “People who eat large amounts of added sugar—25 percent or more of their calories—have double the chance of dying from heart disease than those who limit their added sugar to less than 10
Category: Beauty
5 gloriously healthy, semi-homemade dinners you can have on the table in under 10 minutes
February 04, 2020 at 06:30PM by CWC Every once in a while, you may get the itch to walk on the wild side of the kitchen and—gasp—prepare a complicated recipe from scratch. You chop all your veggies to one-eighth-inch (aka a French “brunoise”), knead your own pizza dough as sweat beads on your forehead, and accidentally take out an eyebrow as you flambé. (Okay, hopefully not that last part.) Most of the time, though, it makes sense to skip the drama and opt for simple dinner recipes that cut prep time in half—and don’t equate to a HIIT workout. For those nights when you want to keep dinner on the chill side, Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, registered dietitian and host of Well+Good’s You Versus Food, is coming in clutch with five recipes that combine fresh and healthy packaged ingredients for no-mess meals that will be on the table in minutes. From Asian-inspired noodles to riffs on Italian favorites like chicken parm, these are Beckerman’s weeknight go-to’s. They’re so easy to throw together that you don’t even need a formal recipe or instructions. Just combine the ingredients and eat up. 5 simple dinner recipes that make the most out of pre-made ingredients All Graphics: Well+Good Creative Monday: Asian-style veggie noodles Nailing the perfect Asian-inspired sauce can often require using a ton of different ingredients—which doesn’t always translate into weeknight-friendly cooking. Haven’s Kitchen’s lemongrass sauce takes that off your plate—metaphorically-speaking—so you can make the entire dish in minutes. Plus, Beckerman says the water-dense zucchini noodles
Some of the best beauty products have notorious scents—here’s why
February 04, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC Everyone warned me before I first started using the iconic beauty product Biologique Recherche P50 ($67) that it had… a smell. As soon as I swiped the acid toner all over my face, the aroma hit my nose, and I had to remind myself that it’s a holy-grail product for a reason. I kept on slathering and in no time, I too, could see why everyone clamored for it. Now, I associate the smell with a radiant complexion and winding down at nighttime. In the beauty world, a stinky scent is no reason to be deterred, though. P50, SkinMedica TNS Serum ($281), and SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic Serum ($166), for instance, all have scents that are left of center. “I can totally understand why people would shy away from skin-care products that smell unpleasant,” says Shirley Chi, MD, a Los Angeles-based dermatologist. “But that being said, there are many reasons to work through this. Some of the most effective anti-aging treatments out there smell.” “Some of the most effective anti-aging treatments out there smell.” —Dr. Shirley Chi Angelina Umansky, star facialist and founder of Spa Radiance, agrees, noting that her spa’s top sellers are these three aforementioned beauty products “because they perform,” she tells me. “These brands formulate to give consumers results. Period.” And results are what you get when you slather on these star beauty products. For example, that TNS Serum? It’s got human-growth factor in it. “SkinMedica TNS is one of the
Derms say the ‘big four’ are all you need to deal with dry skin
February 04, 2020 at 12:00AM by CWC There’s a myth in beauty that your routine needs to be miles-long to work effectively. In truth, most dermatologists say that you only really only need four products to have a productive skin-care regimen: a cleanser, a serum, a moisturizer, and an SPF. The same can be said for ingredients, of which you don’t need to pile on 900 to solve a single skin concern. That’s why we’re kicking off a new series called “The Big Four,” where we tell you the four best ingredients for a specific skin type, starting today with a lesson in dry skin treatment. If you have dry skin, it simply means that there isn’t enough water in your complexion. This makes it feel tight and dehydrated, the same way your body feels when you’re not drinking enough H2O. This can happen either because you’re not using the right hydrating products or you’re not properly sealing in those hydrating ingredients, which allows them to escape from your complexion. In most cases, either ingredients, environmental, or physiological factors—or some combination of the three—are to blame. While we can’t change how much sebum your skin creates or which climate you live in, we can school you on the best ingredients to hydrate a thirsty complexion. Keep scrolling for the “big four” ingredients to know for dry skin. Photo: W+G Creative 1. Lactic acid While it might seem strange to see an exfoliating acid on this list (since exfoliating is often associated
Your skin doesn’t grow in a flower pot, so what does “all-natural” mean for you?
February 03, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC Ever since the term “natural skin care” started trending, it’s largely been used as a catch-all for products made from plants. It’s also a term that’s subtly suggestive of superior health benefits: As the clean beauty industry narrative goes, botanically based skin care is said to be better for us, because it’s less likely to contain chemicals that are thought to be unsafe for human health. In some cases, this may be true; however, not only are the terms “clean” and “natural” completely unregulated by the FDA—after all, any brand with a few drops of essential oils in its otherwise synthetic formula can slap the term on label, rendering the word near-meaningless—but it’s also incorrect to assume that earth-derived ingredients are more compatible with our skin than actives developed in a lab. “There are many plants found in nature that have a wonderful affinity for the skin and provide nourishing and healing properties for it,” says skin-care formulator Leigh Winters Silberstein. “However, not all plants, herbs, and natural wonders of the world are good for you and your skin.” Winters Silberstein uses poison ivy as an example. It’s “natural,” sure, but there’s no arguing that it would make a pretty nasty addition to your daily moisturizer. It’s also important to point out that most “natural” ingredients are highly processed before they make it into a serum bottle, blurring the line between natural and synthetic ingredients far beyond what you might think at first
Well+Good TALKS: Burnout 2.0: How to Achieve More Balance in a World That Values Busyness
February 03, 2020 at 05:11PM by CWC If 2019 was the year burnout became a globally recognized condition by the World Health Organization (hint: it was), 2020 will be the year we start to figure out how to stop it from plaguing our careers, bodies, and minds. In this panel discussion, experts in the fields of functional medicine, workplace wellness, and mindfulness will break down actionable steps we can all take in order to cultivate a healthier and more balanced way of living. EVENT DETAILS Wednesday, February 19, 2020 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Location: WeWork Now | 902 Broadway, New York, NY 10010 THE PANEL Celeste Headlee | Journalist + Bestselling Author of Do Nothing Author of the forthcoming book, DO NOTHING: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving, Celeste Headlee is an award-winning journalist, professional speaker, and bestselling author of We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter. In her 20-year career in public radio, Celeste has been an executive producer, anchor, and national morning show co-host, and she is currently the co-host of the new weekly series Retro Report on PBS. Dr. Sarah Adler | Chief Clinical Officer, Octave As Octave’s chief clinical officer, Sarah is committed to finding ways to join forces with employers and insurance companies to expand access to in-network care nationwide. She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University, where her research focuses on the intersection between technology and behavioral health. Sarah received her
The simple protein-packed breakfast J.Lo’s trainer makes in 5 minutes flat
February 03, 2020 at 04:45PM by CWC I don’t think I was the only one who ended last night’s Super Bowl halftime show with a dropped jaw. Jennifer Lopez and Shakira killed it with a performance that caused uproarious applause and a major spike in Google searches. They may not spill all their secrets about staying fit, but you can count on J.Lo’s trainer David Kirsch to do just that. He’s been training J.Lo for years, and he recently shared one of his plant-based breakfast staples that will leave you feeling energized enough to put on a show of your own. Kirsch is a major fan of stuffed avocados for breakfast. Sometimes he opts for a classic avo-and-egg combo, which is loaded with protein, but he says the best way to maintain a healthy diet is mixing things up. To turn up the heat, fill half an avocado with “sautéed jalapeño peppers, which are loaded with vitamin A, mineral- and antioxidant-rich mushrooms, and Tuscan kale, which contains vitamins K, C, and B-6,” he writes. View this post on Instagram A post shared by David Kirsch (@davidkirsch) on Dec 5, 2019 at 7:11am PST //www.instagram.com/embed.js Not only is this breakfast super simple with just a few easy-to-find ingredients (many of which you probably already have on hand!), but it’s also great for those days you don’t have a lot of time to make breakfast. (Every day?) Sautéing everything up takes less than five minutes, then all you need to
Smoothies aren’t always healthy—here’s how to ensure your next one is
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
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
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