January 24, 2020 at 01:00PM by CWC If you’re thinking about going plant-based, you probably have a lot of questions. Like, where do you even start? Well, registered dietitians certainly know the struggle. Their clients ask them the same questions all the time, and that’s good news for you. There’s no need to go down a rabbit hole on Google looking for answers to all your plant-based eating questions. You can get the most common ones answered right here, right now, by the registered dietitians who address them every single day. The most common questions dietitians get asked about plant-based eating 1. Am I meeting my protein needs with plant based foods? Most people still think of protein as meat, eggs, fish, and nothing else. But it’s super easy to get enough when you’re plant-based, too. “One of the biggest fallacies is that you can’t meet your protein needs on a plant-based diet,” says Brittany Modell, MS, RD, CDN, founder of Brittany Modell Nutrition and Wellness. “There are so many plant foods that are rich in protein, such as nuts, seeds, legumes, tofu, tempeh, and soybeans.” 2. Do I need to take any supplements? While you can get all the protein you need from plants, Whitney English, RDN, of Plant-Based Juniors, recommends adding some supplements into the mix to make sure you’re hitting all your other nutritional needs. These needs (aside from B12) are simply due to environmental factors affecting all diets—not because plants are poor sources of nutrients, she
Category: Vegetarians
The low-residue diet is super, super low in fiber—so why do doctors prescribe it?
January 24, 2020 at 01:00AM by CWC With probiotics, prebiotics, and bone broth on everyone’s minds these days, it’s no secret that gut health has become one of the biggest focal points of the health and nutrition world. A key player at the center of the good gut conversation: fiber. From helping to ease inflammation to supporting a more vibrant complexion, fiber is pretty much a health unicorn, particularly for your digestive system. It helps move food through your system smoothly and regularly while feeding the good bacteria in your gut. However, in some very, very specific circumstances, fiber may actually do more harm than good. In fact, there’s a diet out there that actually tells you to eat less of the stuff. But…why? (It just seems so wrong!) Don’t panic just yet; here’s what gut health gurus have to say about the low-residue diet. What is a low-residue diet? Seemingly the exact opposite of what current diet advice tells us (all the veggies! All the fiber!), a low-residue diet is all about limiting fiber—and other hard-to-digest foods, like fats—as much as possible, says naturopathic doctor Kasey Nichols, ND. In addition to all-but-eliminating fats, “a low-residue diet aims to keep daily fiber intake to below 10 to 15 grams,” Dr. Nichols says. (That’s less than the fiber you get in a cup of black beans…) That’s roughly half of the usual daily recommended intake of fiber. The goal: To minimize residue—which refers to fiber and other particles that are not
What’s really inside a multivitamin? An RD weighs in
January 23, 2020 at 08:30PM by CWC In a perfect world, you’d eat deliciously healthy meals made with only the freshest, most nutritious ingredients three times a day. But this is reality, and sometimes lunch looks more like an on-the-go protein bar than a sit-down veggie bowl. That’s why Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD and author of The Better Period Food Solution, advocates for having a nutrition-supporting partner: the multivitamin. “Multivitamins cast a reliable safety net that helps catch and correct nutritional pitfalls,” Beckerman says. For those days when your meals don’t cover off on every nutrient, a supplement can help you hit the mark. “Multivitamins cast a reliable safety net that helps catch and correct nutritional pitfalls.” I know what you’re thinking: Can’t you get enough nutrients through your diet alone, even if you don’t eat like a wellness guru every day? According to Beckerman, even the most perfect diets will likely have nutritional holes. (Sorry to burst your healthy-eating bubble.) Hence the safety net illustration. Your healthy diet does the heavy lifting, but by adding a multivitamin you can rest assured you’re covered on the nutrients you need, no matter how busy life gets. Her go-to is Centrum® Adults Multivitamins, which contains vitamins and minerals, essential nutrients that help support her diet. To help really illustrate the point, we asked Beckerman how much food you’d need to eat to hit the recommended daily amounts of nutrients found in Centrum Multivitamins—so you can see how your diet and your multi
If you use just one ingredient to treat chapped lips, derms say to make it this
January 23, 2020 at 08:00PM by CWC Lip balm is one of those products that is critical to have on hand at all times, particularly during the colder months. If you’re anything like me, you’ve got a bedside balm, a desk balm, and individual balms in every bag you own so that you’re covered whenever chapped lips may strike (which, at this time of year, is pretty much a guarantee). But having just any lip balm at the ready isn’t enough to combat those dry-lipped pinches—according to dermatologists, you’ve gotta have the right product in order to ensure you’re giving those lips the love they need. The one ingredient they say you should be looking for in a lip balm? Beeswax, or, for a vegan option, petroleum jelly. “They both retain and lock in moisture,” says Howard Sobel, MD, a New York City-based cosmetic dermatologist and founder of Sobel Skin Rx, who dubs these the absolute “best ingredients” for chapped lips. Both are occlusives, which means that they seal in any hydration in your lips and keep it from evaporating. While you’re in the process of perusing your labels, there’s also one ingredient you should avoid: menthol. The minty-flavored stuff may offer a nice cooling effect to your kisser, but in the process of doing that it actually winds up drying them out, thus doing the exact opposite of what you want a lip balm to do. You know how sometimes after you apply your balm, you suddenly want more,
The 6 healthiest cereals to always stock in your pantry, according to a dietitian
January 23, 2020 at 06:30PM by CWC Did anyone else find immeasurable joy in the mini boxes of Lucky Charms, Frosted Flakes, and Cap’n Crunch as a kid? (It can’t just be me!) Now that you’re all grown up and shopping for cereal with the nutrition label in mind, it has probably come to your attention that the boxed breakfast choice—even in miniature—often packs a lot of added sugar. So to help you choose the healthiest box for you, we asked a dietitian to tell us what is the healthiest cereal for five of today’s most popular eating plans Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, a registered dietitian and author of The Better Period Food Solution, says that a few general guidelines can help you navigate the vast cereal aisle with your health in mind. “It’s a win when the ingredient list is on the shorter side, has more protein and fiber than sugar, doesn’t upset your stomach by overloading your gut with tough to breakdown sweeteners or sugar alcohols, is easy to find and most importantly, sets you up for dietary success throughout the day,” she says. So if you read that list and say check, check, check, check, you’re good to toss the one-step breakfast into your grocery cart. What is the healthiest cereal? A dietitian answers with the top 6, based on your preferred eating plan Photo: Magic Spoon Keto: MAGIC SPOON Magic Spoon’s colorful boxes reflect just how flavorful the cereal is. And Beckerman says that for keto-eaters,
The Grammys gift bag is packed with wellness goodies—here’s what’s inside
January 23, 2020 at 06:00PM by CWC As if attending the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards wasn’t cool enough—the glitz! the glamour!—there’s now another reason why scoring a seat would be the ultimate win: You get a Grammys gift bag that’s jam-packed with wellness goodies. Now, don’t get me wrong. Awards show gift bags are always impressively loaded with lavish items that add up to thousands of dollars. But this year has reached peak wellness with a handful of items aimed at your physical and mental health. From a self-watering planter that will fulfill your urban garden dreams to a virtual therapy subscription, these are the things award show attendees are going home with (that you might want to grab for yourself, too). The best wellness goodies in this year’s Grammys gift bag 1. HFactor Hydrogen Infused Pure Drinking Water, $15 for pack of 6 No one at the Grammys is going to be lacking energy with this hydrogen-infused water that’s not only said to help increase athletic performance and reduce inflammation from exercise, but also work as a caffeine-free pick-me-up and hydration-booster. 2. Muse meditation headband, $350 Meditation is easy with this comfy headband. It has sensors that provide real-time feedback on your brain activity, heart rate, breathing, and body movements, all of which can help you meditate like a pro. 3. Talkspace subscription, $260-$396/month If you don’t like the idea of seeing a therapist in person, try Talkspace. The Grammys gift bag contains a subscription to the online
9 delicious, plant-based lunches you can make in 10 minutes or less
January 23, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC Even though plant-based eating is taking over the food scene, lunch can still be tricky to tackle. Eating the same salad over and over gets boring and buying something out can get pricey, fast. And even the best-laid meal-prepping plans can be waylaid by busy schedules and last-minute plans. Thankfully, there are still plenty of healthy, plant-based lunches you can make in less than ten minutes. (Which let’s be honest here, is about half the time it takes to leave the office, wait in line, and grab something to go.) Rounded up here are nine ideas to try. Bookmark this page and save it for inspiration when your lunch game needs some variety. Keep reading for 9 plant-based lunches ready in 10 minutes or less. Photo: Beauty Bites 1. 5-minute Mediterranean bowl Want your midday meal to mirror what people in parts of the world likely to live a long and healthy life are eating? This Mediterranean bowl has you covered. The only ingredient requiring any cooking whatsoever is quinoa, and truth be told, this meal is still filling and nutrient-rich without it, too. With hummus, tzatziki, and lots of yummy veggies, this colorful bowl is full of protein, fiber, and flavor. Photo: Jar of Lemons 2. 5-minute spinach quesadillas All it takes to whip up these quesadillas are three ingredients: whole wheat tortillas, spinach, and cheese. Five minutes later and you have yourself a vegetarian, fiber-rich lunch. As is, this lunch has
Yes, organic food has pesticides—but that shouldn’t scare you off of veggies
January 23, 2020 at 12:00AM by CWC True or false: Organic produce is always grown without pesticides. If you answered true…sorry, but you’ve got it twisted. Surprising, right? The truth is that many organic farmers rely on pesticides and herbicides—substances used protect crops from insects, weeds, and infections—from a relatively small list that’s regularly vetted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But that doesn’t mean that organic food is unsafe to eat. Here’s the lowdown about pesticides in organic food. Why do we use pesticides again? Even with the best farming practices, it’s hard to control every potential pest problem in food production. “Pests threaten farmers’ livelihoods,” says Mary Ann Rose, PhD, director of the Pesticide Safety Education Program at the Ohio State University Extension, College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences. “We’d all like pesticide residues to be zero, but it’s not realistic. It would be very difficult to produce the amount of food we do in the United States without it.” Pesticides and herbicides help control the potentially harmful mold, mildew, fungi, weeds, bacteria, insects, and rodents that can damage crops or carry plant diseases. “Each farm’s ecosystem is unique and responds differently to pest control methods. For some organic farms, pesticides are the best option,” says registered dietitian-nutritionist Malina Malkani, RDN, CDN, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and creator of Solve Picky Eating. That said, organic farmers only use pesticides after other preventive, less invasive measures fail, Malkani adds. The U.S. Department of
An anti-inflammatory expert’s top 5 food swaps under $5
January 22, 2020 at 06:30PM by CWC While inflammatory ingredients do hide in a lot of ready-made foods, the good news is that sticking to an anti-inflammatory diet doesn’t have to mean making everything you eat yourself or having a big food budget. Anti-inflammatory health coach Jenny Carr is on a mission to spread this mission to the masses. Her books—Piece of Cake: The Secret to an Anti-Inflammatory Diet and The Clean-Eating Kid—are full of tips on making anti-inflammatory eating easy, including lots of her fave grocery store finds. Here, Carr reveals five of her favorite food swaps. As you’ll see, cutting out inflammatory foods doesn’t mean living a life of boring meals, or even skipping dessert. Anti-inflammatory foods you for under $5 1. LUNDBERG ORGANIC LONG BRAIN BROWN RICE, $5 As far as staples go, Carr says this one is an all-star. “Long grain means it’s less processed, and organic is extremely important for brown rice, as arsenic can be readily found in non-organic rice,” she says. “Cook this with a little virgin coconut oil and sea salt for a delicious flavor.” 2. AMY’S ORGANIC LENTIL SOUP, $3 If you’re looking for an anti-inflammatory meal that can be made in five minutes flat, this is it. This heat-and-serve soup has an ingredients list that’s straight forward and simple; besides veggies, all it has is extra-virgin olive oil, bay leaves, and sea salt. “This is my favorite soup swap,” Carr says. “It’s full of protein, free of processed sugar—which is
The healthiest canned goods to always have in your pantry, according to a dietitian
January 22, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC We all know about the merits of eating in-season and shopping for produce at your local farmer’s market, but it’s worth pointing out that canned food is seriously underrated by the healthy eating crowd. (Perhaps even more so than the B-sides of Carly Rae Jepson’s Emotions album…) The short list of canned foods’ accomplishments: they have a longer shelf life, help cut down on cooking time, and are often inexpensive, says Maggie Michalczyk, MS, RD. Plus, “for those looking to follow more of a plant-based diet, using things like canned chickpeas, and other beans in your meals is a great way to add plant-based protein and more fiber to the diet,” she adds. Even if you are a major meat lover, those canned goods can enhance your meal in terms of more nutrition (like fiber!) and flavor—so long as you choose wisely. “I would say if there is a low sodium or no-salt-added version of the canned food you are grabbing at the grocery store, go for that one. If not be sure to rinse and drain all canned items to remove some of the salt,” says Michalczyk. This keeps heart health in check and lowers bloating and water retention. What’s more, “BPA [an environmental toxin present in small amounts in many canned goods] has potential health risks which is why you want to look for cans that say ‘BPA free,’” she says. “Many companies have taken initiatives to remove BPA, however I would