February 13, 2020 at 01:00AM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OZtgAA4XMY] Chestnuts aren’t just for the holidays. Here’s how to cook them to make a savory, hearty breakfast. Unless they’re getting name-dropped in Christmas songs, chestnuts don’t get much attention. Almonds, peanuts, and cashews are so popular that they’re downright basic, but chestnuts just aren’t a nut that typically comes to mind. But now, they’re getting their time in the spotlight. (Or more accurately, in your bowl.) In the latest episode of Plant-Based, herbalist, Supernatural founder, and holistic health practitioner Rachelle Robinett shares how to cook chestnuts to make a high-fiber breakfast porridge. “Chestnuts are low in fat and high in really good quality ‘slow’ carbohydrates,” Robinett says. The reason why they’re a “good” type of carb, she explains, is because they don’t cause a quick spike in blood sugar the way “fast” carbs do, like white bread or candy. “These slow burning, long lasting, very stable carbohydrates are what keeps blood sugar level,” Robinett says. This means your mood and energy will be more stable, too. Another reason Robinett is a fan of this underrated nut is because it’s a good source of prebiotics, which feed the good bacteria in the gut. Seriously, why have we been sleeping on chestnuts? If you are living a grain-free life—looking at you Paleo and keto dieters, Robinett says it can be especially beneficial to eat chestnuts regularly because they’re a good source of B vitamins, a nutrient that’s tricky to get if you’re gluten-free.
Category: Vegetarians
7 vegetables to buy canned instead of fresh for easy weeknight cooking
February 12, 2020 at 11:30PM by CWC While a refrigerator stocked with fresh produce from the farmers’ market is always nice, it never hurts to keep some healthy canned vegetables in the pantry. Canned goods are inexpensive, shelf stable, and easy to use in a variety of recipes. Of course not all canned produce is created equal. “When buying canned vegetables, something to keep in mind is they may have sodium added, as sodium helps preserve the vegetables so they last longer and prevent microbial growth,” says Erica Ingraham, RDN. “If you have a condition where you are watching your sodium intake, such as high blood pressure or heart disease, you may want to rinse the veggies or opt for a low sodium option.” Keeping that tip in mind, Ingraham and Casey Means, MD, a practicing physician specializing in nutrition and disease prevention, shared the canned vegetables they like to keep on hand for fast and easy weeknight cooking. Healthy canned vegetables for easy weeknight cooking 1. Tomatoes “Canned tomatoes are convenient to have on hand and make an easy addition to pasta, burritos, and soup,” says Ingraham. She likes to vary the flavors of the ones she buys, sometimes opting for fire-roasted instead of just plain. Dr. Means is into this one too, often buying tomato paste to use in vegetable stir-fries to add a bit of tang. “It’s packed with tons of lycopene, a potent antioxidant,” she says. 2. corn Ingraham likes canned corn because it has a
Better shoulder mobility isn’t a pipe dream—here’s why trainers never start a workout without the PVC
February 12, 2020 at 06:25PM by CWC When you’re typing, cooking, or going about your usual business, most of your body’s joints won’t be moving in a full 360-degree range of motion. And that’s okay. Before you start any workout, though, trainers say that warming up your joints using a handful of PVC pipe mobility exercises gives you the greatest chance at performing every move—from kettlebell swings to alligator walks—safely. “The PVC pipe can be a modality that adds a grip for the hands and allows the shoulders to increase mobility before working out,” says trainer Katrina Pilkington, NASM-CPT, with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. The pipe—which is normally used in construction—also creates the muscle memory you need to hold a barbell safely overhead or get your deadlifting form down pat before adding the weight. Even when you’re not within the four walls of the gym, your body will thank you for taking the time to work on your mobility. “A lack of mobility can affect how we walk, how we sit, and if we can move through our day pain free,” Emily Kiberd, DC, a doctor of chiropractic at Urban Wellness Clinic, previously told Well+Good. So, yes, we’ve come full circle (360-degrees, you might say) back to you answering your emails, sautéing veggies, and just generally living your best life. PVC pipe mobility exercises for 360-degree mobility 365 days of the year (If you don’t have a PVC pipe on hand, a towel will do!) 1. Overhead partial
You only need 3 ingredients to make the best, healthiest stir-fry sauce ever
February 12, 2020 at 12:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfK9aDhqU_8] Want to transform your cauliflower rice from basic to unforgettable? Watch Chef Dale Talde get it done. When the work week draws to a close and the contents of your fridge can best be described as “this and that,” an easy stir-fry can transform that rando bell pepper, quarter onion, single lonesome egg, and bag of sad carrots into a dinner miracle. Of course, though, one component of your dish will make or break the entire meal: the sauce. Rest assured you never have to be satisfied with the pre-bottled sauces again, because we learned the easiest, best stir-fry sauce ever from celebrity chef Dale Talde on the premiere episode of Well+Good’s new video series, Cook With Us. The series, which launches today, invites some of our favorite chefs and foodies into the kitchen to, well, cook with us. Literally. In the episode, Well+Good senior food and health editor Jessie Van Amburg challenges Talde—a three-time contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef and co-founder of Food Crush Hospitality—to whip up a 30-minute healthy fried rice recipe. The catch: it has to be high in protein, vegetarian, and rice-free. However, before adding anything to the pan, the cuisinier immediately pulls out the ingredients he needs for a shockingly easy and flavorful sauce: 1/2 cup tamari sauce (aka gluten-free soy sauce, although you can use soy sauce too 1/4 cup rice vinegar 1 Tbsp sesame oil According to Talde, the tamari acts as the base
Gabi Butler’s triple flips are hard to copy, but you *can* steal her ab workouts
February 11, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC Watch Netflix’s hit docu-series Cheer and you’ll quickly see that the Navarro College cheerleading team practices pretty much all the time. That’s how you win national titles, after all. But what you don’t see on screen is that Navarro star Gabi Butler—a longtime cheerlebrity who now hosts her own clinics while flying and tumbling in Miami’s Top Gun squad—takes her cheerleader workout routine beyond the mat. When Butler is at home or at the gym, she always does a 10-minute core series consisting of one-minute sets of 10 different exercises: crunches, leg lifts, plank hip dips, and more. (Here’s a similar ab session led by star trainer Charlee Atkins.) She’s also a fan of the core workouts in P90X, an at-home fitness program. Abs aside, Butler loves getting a full-body workout at a boutique fitness class. “I love hot kickboxing. It’s in a hot room, and the whole time you’re going hard on a punching bag. 10/10, highly recommend it,” she says. You can also catch her sweating it out at SoulCycle. No matter which type of workout she does—be it cheer, kickboxing, or spin—Butler always refuels with her go-to protein shake. “It’s one scoop of vegan protein powder, a whole banana, honey, cinnamon, vanilla, almond butter, and almond milk,” she says. “It will change your life. It’s healthy and tastes like a milkshake. I drink it when I’m done with workouts because it’s such a good recovery drink.” Protein shakes are dietitian-approved, too:
This woman set a world record with a 4-hour plank—here’s her secret
February 11, 2020 at 05:06PM by CWC Just a one-minute plank makes my whole body shake, so my jaw dropped to the floor when I heard about a new world record of 4 hours, 19 minutes, and 55 seconds. Dana Glowacka, a vegan athlete, and yogi, makes her world-record plank hold look easy, but she’s the first to admit that it took a lot of dedication and hard work. “My son found a record plank in the Guinness World Records book and told me I could do it,” she tells me. “We even didn’t know who the person who hold the plank was, but I was ready to plank right away and see how long I could stay strong. My first attempt was four minutes.” Four minutes to more than four hours? If you’re wondering how she did it, she says the biggest thing is simply starting your day with a plank every morning. “Holding planks in sets is safe and helps develop the mind-body endurance,” she says. “Let’s say you can hold one for two minutes. Start with three sets a day.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dana Glowacka (@dbg_plankdoyoga) on Oct 22, 2019 at 6:44pm PDT //www.instagram.com/embed.js You can spread those sets all throughout the day to build up your mental and physical endurance. Glowacka recommends doing your first set in the morning, second before lunch, and third later in the evening: Set 1: 2 minutes in the morning (can be on
Why sea moss is the latest hot add-in to healthy smoothies
February 11, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC Sometimes it seems like we’ve seen anything that could possibly trend in the wellness world have a moment. Jade eggs? Check. Eating all fat? Check. CBD everything? Check. But just when you thought you’ve seen it all…enter the rise of sea moss. No, it’s not your imagination—sea moss is having a moment. The slimy seaweed has sparked a torrent of colorful #seamosssmoothies and other recipes splashed across our Instagram feeds. According to Pinterest’s 2020 Trends Report, search volume for “sea moss benefits” increased 380% from 2018 to 2019. Even Kim Kardashian-West recently tweeted to her fans in a Q&A that she enjoys the occasional sea moss smoothie. It appears the algae has really grown on the wellness world (pun very intended). But, uh, what exactly is it? And is it worth the hype? Sea moss—aka Irish moss—is a species of red algae found on the Atlantic shorelines of North America, Europe and the Caribbean Islands. Historically, the seaweed has been harvested and dried to create carrageenan, a common thickening ingredient akin to a vegan gelatin. Carrageenan has actually been the center of wellness controversy for years due to its potential links to inflammation and other illnesses (although research on the subject is mixed). Now the seaweed itself—not its extract—is making a splash. “This algae has been used for many years as an alternative medicine in Jamaican and Irish cultures, but is becoming quite popular in the health and wellness industry,” says Lisa Richards,
These nutty homemade granola bars will make you wonder why you even bother with the store-bought kind
February 11, 2020 at 01:00AM by CWC Granola bars seem like the MVP of snacks. Not only are they downright delicious, but most importantly, you can toss one in your bag to have on hand when you’re out and about. But don’t be fooled by the marketing and packaging into thinking that all granola bars are inherently healthy. Many store-bought options include some questionable ingredients as well as tons of added sugar. As Sarah Adler, a nutrition coach, healthy lifestyle expert, cookbook author, and founder of Simply Real Health points out, a poorly-chosen granola bar can end up making you feel hungrier rather than providing you with fuel to get you to your next meal. Not cool. The alternative: homemade granola bars. They’re easier to make than you’d think, and going the DIY route comes with a few perks that you don’t get with the store-bought kind. For one, you know what ingredients are in your granola bars, and thus can tailor them to your tastes and needs (and skip the boat-loads of sugar.) Plus, you can meal prep them over the weekend, wrap them up in parchment paper and tie a piece of ribbon around your bars if you want to make them Pinterest-worthy, and then pop them in the freezer, making your snack of choice easy to grab when you’re running out the door. These reasons are what inspired Adler to create an upgraded version of a homemade granola bar. Her version stars nuts and apricots, both of
Top your next pasta dish with this delicious high-fiber broccoli pesto
February 10, 2020 at 11:00PM by CWC One of the best ways to get yourself to eat more veggies is sneaking them into your meals, and there are endless ways to do it. You can mix cauliflower into your smoothies, use shredded zucchini in casseroles, and—my new personal favorite—make a broccoli pesto recipe for all your pasta dishes. While typical basil and pine nut pesto is always a win, using broccoli to create the creamy sauce can take your dinner to an entirely new level. Lately, the cruciferous veggie has been everywhere, pushing cauliflower to the wayside as its becoming the star ingredient in pizza crusts, hummus, frothy broccolattes (I’m not joking… it’s a thing!), meatless popcorn chicken, and more. And that’s great news, because it’s super good for you. A helping of broccoli contains 3.9 grams of fiber per stalk, not to mention folate, vitamins A, B6, C, and K, and antioxidants. If you’re not a fan of eating broccoli floret by floret, that’s where this pesto comes in. You can reap the benefits of the old-school veggie by simply blending it up with wholesome ingredients like garlic, basil, and olive oil. That’s exactly what Jeanine Donofrio, the food blogger behind Love & Lemons, did for a topping that pairs perfectly with al dente spaghetti. If you want to try her broccoli pesto for yourself, you’re in luck: She shared the whole recipe with us below. One bite in and you’ll see the green veggie in an entirely new
A top doctor’s ‘daily dozen’ takes all of the stress and confusion out of healthy eating
February 09, 2020 at 06:00PM by CWC When a wellness goal of eating healthy reaches a point where it’s totally stressing you out, it’s pretty much counterproductive. (We all know how bad stress is, right?) But it makes sense why so many people get burned out trying to figure out what to eat and live a healthy lifestyle: Comparing different eating plans, carving out time to meal prep, and Googling healthy recipes can all become tedious. Why does eating well feel like so much work? Michael Greger, MD, gets it. He regularly hears from patients how confused they are about what to eat. Dr. Greger is all about eating for optimal health and longevity, but he is against dieting, which is restrictive and only beneficial in the short-term (if at all). He’s so passionate about it that he actually just released a book aptly called, How Not To Diet. Not dieting is cool and all, but there’s still the question of what to eat. Ever the resourceful MD, Dr. Greger has a handy cheat sheet for that, what he calls the Daily Dozen. The Daily Dozen is a checklist of 12 science-backed healthy lifestyle and eating tips tied to longevity. The intention isn’t for it to be another list of rules to adhere to; it’s meant to simplify healthy eating. How to use Dr. Gregor’s Daily Dozen checklist for easier, healthier living Graphic: W+G Creative 1. Eat 3 servings of beans Dr. Greger’s first tip is inspired straight from Blue Zones,