November 23, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC If you can’t seem to figure out why you’re experiencing sudden energy crashes, it your sugary breakfast could be to blame. “When you have blood sugar dysregulation, you’re potentially having energy crashes in the mid-morning or mid-afternoon,” said Nicole Jardin, certified women’s health and functional nutrition coach, at the most recent Well+Good TALK. “You might also have trouble falling or staying asleep at night—especially if your blood sugar or insulin are higher at night.” And the reason why? Sugary foods—including simple carbohydrates (think white bread and pastries), some yogurts, and breakfast cereals—cause your blood sugar to spike then quickly drop, which can affect your mood and energy levels and even increase anxiety. To keep everything stable, Jardin recommends sticking to a three-part breakfast formula that contains everything your body needs to prevent a spike from occurring. “I’m a big fan of having a breakfast that has some kind of protein, fat, and complex carbohydrates in the morning,” she says. “That tends to work well for people—especially if there’s blood sugar imbalance.” There are many different ways to get that protein, fat, and complex carb combo. You can do a breakfast bowl, avocado toast, oats with fruits and nuts, a scramble with veggies, or a healthy breakfast wrap. As long as you’re reaching for body-bettering ingredients—and ditching the added sugar and white carbs—you should avoid a blood sugar spike, and the crash that follows. Here’s how to eat for energy: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adF3tbP2wC4] You can
Category: Vegetarians
Is my diet healthy? This Australian quiz gave me the answer in 10 minutes
November 22, 2019 at 06:30PM by CWC When your to-do list just keeps multiplying and you feel like there’s “never enough time in the day,” you may eat the majority of your meals on autopilot. And hey, sometimes that’s necessary. If you want to give your everyday eating habits a healthy diagnostic though, try taking the healthy diet quiz designed by nutrition experts at the University of Newcastle in Australia. The 10-minute questionnaire differs from other online quizzes about what constitutes a healthy diet. Yes, you’ll run through familiar questions about your macros (the fats, proteins, and carbohydrates that make up your diet). But the quiz also names a specific food—like pumpkin—and ask whether you eat it “less than once a week or never” or “once a week or more often.” Because of this extra step, the quiz gets a more better idea of what a week of eating looks like for you. After answering questions about about the vegetables, fruits, proteins, plant-based proteins, grains, dairy, condiments, and water you consume over the course of seven days, your diet gets a score up to 73 points. A score below 33 “needs work,” between 33 and 38 is “getting there,” between 39 and 46 is “excellent,” and above 47 is “outstanding.” You’ll also get a comprehensive report on the areas where your diet is fueling you, and the parts that could use improvement. At first, I felt personally offended by my score of 37 points. Then I realized that I wasn’t
6 plant-based Thanksgiving main dishes so your vegetarian guests can eat more than sides
November 22, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC If you or someone you’re thankful for eats a plant-based diet, you’re all too familiar with the conundrum of having to stick to side dishes during Thanksgiving when the only entrée option is something like, oh, I don’t know… turkey. After all, sides are more likely to be vegan or vegetarian. But a meal consisting solely of cornbread, sweet potatoes and roasted veggies isn’t exactly nutritionally balanced. And this Thanksgiving, you want your plant-based pals to have their protein and eat it, too—or at least leave your feast feeling satisfied with a main dish for vegetarian Thanksgiving. What to make as a main dish for vegetarian Thanksgiving 1. High-Protein Mushroom Stroganoff Chocolate Covered Katie’s culinary prowess may lie in all things dessert, but consider this hearty vegan main as proof she can work wonders with veggies, too. Using firm-silky tofu instead of beef for protein, as well as crisp green beans for crunch, you might want to double up on the recipe in the (very real) chance your guests ask for seconds. Photo: Getty Images/Mariha-kitchen 2. Pumpkin and Sage Risotto Treat your guests to a main they only dreamed of ordering at that trendy restaurant that just opened up but is booked for the next, like, three months. One Ingredient Chef’s plant-based risotto packs cozy fall flavors that’ll warm you up from the inside out like a knitted sweater. Daya mozzarella-style shreds optional, but highly encouraged. 3. Vegan Cranberry Maple Lentil Loaf Who
What experts want you to know about seed cycling for fertility
November 22, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC Instagram is ground zero for wellness trends, and if you look closely at some of the recently posted rainbow-colored smoothie bowls and no-cook energy bites, you’ll likely see posts and pictures promoting something else entirely: seed cycling. “Seed cycling is a great way to start seeing the power of food and its effect on your shifting hormones throughout the month,” Well+Good Council member, FLOLiving creator, and popular women’s hormonal health expert Alisa Vitti, HHC, previously told Well+Good. The practice also been promoted by influencers like Lee From America blogger Lee Tighlman, as well as other popular holistic health experts, as a way to improve hormonal balance—and thus boost fertility. But what is seed cycling exactly, and what do seeds have to do with hormonal health? Here’s everything you need to know about the perpetually buzzy wellness trend, straight from health experts. Seed cycling 101 Seed cycling is the naturopathic concept of eating certain seeds in specific dosages and times during the month in order to regulate and normalize your menstrual cycle, says Chiti Parikh, MD, executive director of the Integrative Health and Wellbeing program at NewYork-Presbyterian. Proponents of the practice say that the nutrients present in these foods can help balance a person’s hormonal levels (particularly their estrogen and progesterone, two hormones that dictate the bulk of what happens during your cycle), and thus support healthy ovulation and overall period health. During the first part of your menstrual cycle, aka the follicular phase,
7 healthy foods Japanese centenarians eat each day for longevity
November 21, 2019 at 08:12PM by CWC Healthy Japanese foods make it easy to create a vibrant plate that resembles a nutritional masterpiece. According to Blue Zones—an organization dedicated to studying the habits of the world’s longest-living people—residents of Okinawa, a Japanese prefecture comprising more than 150 islands in the East China Sea, enjoy the longest life expectancy in the world. On the islands, women and men can expect to live 84 and 90 years, respectively. It’s no secret that diet plays a major role in longevity. The healthy Japanese foods centenarians in Okinawa reach includes a variety of riches of the ocean and the earth. 7 healthy Japanese foods the people of Okinawa eat daily 1. Bitter melons In Okinawa, bitter melons are called “goya” and they’re often found in vegetable-heavy dishes. “Bitter melons have an ‘anti-diabetic’ property where they actually assist in lowering blood glucose levels,” says registered dietitian Melissa Rifkin, RD. 2. Tofu “Tofu is to Okinawans what bread is to the French and potatoes are to Eastern Europeans: a daily habit,” says the Blue Zones blog. There’s a good reason why. According to Rifkin, tofu can help reduce cholesterol. It’s also an excellent source of plant-based protein. 3. Sweet potatoes “Sweet potato boasts many health benefits,” says Rifkin. “It is called the ‘imo’ and is a powerhouse of nutrition. This particular potato does not increase blood glucose levels, like a regular potato would, and the leaves are consumed—which contain fiber. They also contain an antioxidant called
Want to de-frizz strands in no time flat? Try avocado oil for hair
November 21, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC Avocados are the Tom Hanks of fruits and veggies: They can do no wrong. They’re beloved by all and universally appealing. In the avocado’s case (because we all know why Hanks is great), it’s super delicious to eat (duh), really good for your skin, and even good for your hair. Yes, using avocado oil for hair benefits may be the least discussed perk of the fruit, but it’s definitely legit. “Avocado oil is an amazing oil for hair,” says Debbi Burnes, beauty expert and founder of Sumbody. “It has a high content of monounsaturated fat, vitamins E and D, and oleic acid, and is one of the very few oils that can penetrate the hair shaft and cuticle as opposed to just lying on top of the hair.” Because it can really get into your strands, it can work to moisturize your hair while reducing split ends and breakage. Most people will want to keep the oil away from the scalp since it can cause hair to look overly greasy, and because the bottoms of hair tend to be the driest (unless of course, you’re washing it out following or doing some sort of a scalp mask, as mentioned below, and then go ham). “In addition to the lipids, avocado oil contains fat soluble antioxidants and bioactive phytochemicals, including vitamin E and carotenoids, which help protect hair from environmental aggressors and pollutants that can make hair dry and brittle,” explains Paula Simpson, biochemist,
5 Thanksgiving foods you should buy instead of make to save time, money, and stress
November 20, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC You’ve probably started to think about what to make for Thanksgiving. But have you given much thought to what not to make? Even for people who love to cook, prepping for Thanksgiving is stressful. You’ll definitely want to keep a few recipes that nothing found in the aisles of a supermarket would be able to replicate, but there’s no need to cook everything yourself. Thanksgiving made from scratch takes lot of time and money. So give yourself a break. Registered dietitian and The Foodie Dietitian blogger Kara Lydon, RD, says there are five foods you should always buy at the grocery store. When considering what to make for thanksgiving, these are the foods you should buy pre-made 1. Cranberry sauce “With all there is to prepare and cook for Thanksgiving, cranberry sauce shouldn’t be one of them,” says Lydon. “You can find a number of canned and jarred varieties that are inexpensive and just as delicious as the homemade kind.” A can of cranberry sauce is $1.50 and still full of antioxidants. 2. gravy The turkey and stuffing require a lot of attention, and when it comes down to it, people care a lot more about those main events than the side of gravy, which is why Lydon says to do yourself a favor and buy it. “When it’s finally time to take the turkey out of the oven, the last thing you want to be worrying about is collecting all the fat
Give your digestive system a boost before the holidays with this soothing vegan broth
November 20, 2019 at 02:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-U4V3PTnas] Sip on this tea, er, broth to keep your digestive system running smoothly all party season long. There are a lot of holiday foods that, while delicious, aren’t exactly a friend to the digestive system. (Looking at you, baked mac-and-cheese.) But if you’re looking for something super soothing to help you reset before or after the holidays, you might want to reach for one of the oldest gut-boosting remedies: broth. “Broth started as a way for people to be able to use all parts of an animal,” holistic health coach, herbalist, and Supernatural founder Rachelle Robinett says in the latest episode of Plant-Based. A way to be sustainable before it was a buzzword (slash environmental necessity), broth was used as a way to consume the less-desirable cuts of meat after the main cuts were already used. But Robinett explains that broth has long had medicinal uses, too. “Broth extracts animo acids, collagen, vitamins, minerals—all the good stuff—out of the meat and vegetables; anything that’s in that pot,” she says. “What you get is a nutrient-dense, soothing, very simple-to-digest beverage.” Talk about a major wellness win. As for how to put those benefits into action, Robinett shares her personal go-to recipe for a vegan bone broth, made with miso to utilize its plant-based umami flavor and probiotic benefits. (It’s added later in the cooking process, so the heat doesn’t kill any of its good bacteria.) She also includes some key ingredients for immunity,
Healthy versions of the most popular pies for Thanksgiving, according to Google
November 20, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC We’re now entering the holidays: the time of year that brings an endless tasting menu of mouth-watering treats. Yes, the marshmallow-topped sweet potatoes deserve every accolade, and, duh, I’ll be having seconds of every side dish, but meal is complete with pie. Based on Google search data, a list of the most popular pies for Thanksgiving offers a few surprises. Google’s Thanksgiving trends reveal that of all the fillings you can stuff into a pie shell, the people want pumpkin, pecan, apple, sweet potato, and cherry respectively. So plan your Thanksgiving accordingly with the healthy versions of fan favorites. Healthy-ish versions of the 5 most popular pies for Thanksgiving https://ssl.gstatic.com/trends_nrtr/1982_RC01/embed_loader.js trends.embed.renderWidget(“US_cu_E_q5kl8BAAD16M_en_en-US”, “fe_donut_chart_6d7f4a92-23d5-4a8e-bb30-257f55e54f2b”, {“guestPath”:”https://trends.google.com:443/trends/embed/”}); 1st place: PUMPKIN PIE Use maple syrup to sweeten this pie instead of sugar and swap normal milk for almond. Even though this recipe takes a slightly more nutritious take on ordinary pumpkin, the ingredients list doesn’t triple in size. So you can count on a more well-rounded (ha!) pie without the extra mess. 2nd place: PECAN PIE Once more, maple syrup stands in for sugar! Don’t worry, Cookie+Kate’s recipe still includes the bourbon, so your pie will have the rich, decadent filling you know and love. View this post on Instagram Who needs turkey… Thanksgiving = pie day! 129 calories in this ULTIMATE apple pie! Including the buttery flaky crust! It also has no eggs, refined flour or sugar — which means my brother can eat it
Turmeric is lauded as an anti-inflammatory hero, but is it actually as beneficial as people think?
November 19, 2019 at 10:47PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc1KC8Ref0M] Videos of people pouring frothy, golden-hued lattes into stoneware mugs have taken over Instagram—but do the health benefits of turmeric (and those vibrant bevs) go beyond just creating a pretty picture? If you aren’t familiar, turmeric is the star of the show in your go-to golden milk, and people are sprinkling the spice on everything to tap into its reported anti-inflammatory properties. In the latest episode of You Versus Food, Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD breaks down all the benefits of the orange root and poses the question, “Are those buzzy lattes really all they’re cracked up to be?” On one hand, there is still much research to be done to determine how far-reaching the effects of the herb are. But on the other hand, the results of randomized controlled trials have been positive. “[Turmeric] can even help relieve soreness after a hard workout.” “Takeaways were predominantly inconclusive, but turmeric does look promising for anti-inflammatory effects, and can even help relieve soreness after a hard workout,” Lockwood Beckerman says. “So crush those squats, and have a turmeric-infused meal afterward.” Cook up an Indian-inspired veggie bowl for your post-workout meal (turmeric is one of the main ingredients in curry powder), or grab it in capsule form with supplements like UPGRAID, which combines organic, bioavailable turmeric, ashwagandha, ginger, and tart cherry to help promote a healthy inflammatory response and soothe muscle soreness. Her final verdict on the powers of turmeric? You’ll have to watch