March 19, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC At this point, you’ll be hard up to come across a health expert who doesn’t preach the importance of gut health. Remember when we all thought it just had to do with digestive health? Gross as it may be to think about, there are millions of bacteria living in your gut, also called gut flora. The community of gut flora is referred to as the microbiome, and their health and functioning is connected to everything from brain health to mood and even skin irritation. (Although it’s important to note that there can be other causes of these issues as well.) The key to having a healthy microbiome is making sure the good gut bacteria (also known as probiotics) outnumbers the bad bacteria that can live alongside them in your gut. When the bad guys outnumber the good for a prolonged period of time, it can have long-term implications on overall health. Scientific research continues to find correlations between gut health and cognitive function, as well as other chronic disease. And in the short term, a gut flora imbalance can lead to persistent constipation or diarrhea, bloating, and other unpleasant gut issues. So to sum it up, keeping the gut balanced is important for both short-term and long-term health. Here, Fiber Fueled author and gastroenterologist Will Bulsiewicz, MD explains the biggest reasons why bad bacteria in the gut can start outnumbering the good. Plus, he gives his tips for restoring gut flora, bringing balance
Category: Vegetarians
The simple steps everyone can take to live a healthy, ‘genius’ life, according to a science journalist
March 18, 2020 at 03:00PM by CWC Brain health expert and science journalist Max Lugavere is the kind of guy you feel comfortable taking diet and lifestyle tips from given his good looks, easy confidence, and the fact that his entire life’s mission was lovingly inspired by his mother. After she was diagnosed with dementia, Lugavere set out to understand why she’d developed the disease and how it could have been prevented. That work birthed his first book, Genius Foods: Become Smarter, Happier, and More Productive While Protecting Your Brain for Life, which took a long, hard look at the dietary factors which influence brain health. In his newest volume (published on Tuesday), The Genius Life: Heal Your Mind, Strengthen Your Body, and Become Extraordinary, Lugavere expands his findings beyond nutrition and the brain to explore a variety of lifestyle choices that can optimize your overall health. In chapters playfully titled, “Don’t Fork Around” and “Get Off Yo’ Ass,” Lugavere distills his dense research into easy-to-digest, affable advice for extending your healthspan, or the amount of life lived well. The book covers a wide berth of topics, so I called Lugavere to discuss some of its most pressing themes (and get some of my own selfish questions answered); here, our conversation on the diet wars, detoxing your home without becoming totally neurotic, and whether or not you should skip spin in favor of scrubbing your home. Well+Good: How have your views on food changed since you started researching this book? Max
The 10 coziest house shoes to add some coziness to your wardrobe as you WFH
March 18, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC There are two kinds of people: those that refuse to schlep around their home without house shoes on their feet, and those that have never spent an hour in a black hole of online slipper shopping. Whichever camp you fall into (if you’re a dad, there’s a 99.9 percent chance you’re in the former), we can all agree that staying at home for an indeterminate amount of time due to the spread of COVID-19 means we need all the cozy moments we can get—especially as we intake the news surrounding it. It can feel scary out there right now, but let’s focus on the practical joy of having slippers: They’re soft, fuzzy, and furry, and they provide a barrier between your (maybe) clean trotters and the floor. One of life’s small delights. Here, shop some of our favorites in a range of styles. 1. Topdrawer Merippa House Shoes, $55 Photo: Topdrawer Power clash on your feet with these cozy, plaid-slash-fleece house shoes that were designed in Japan. They’re machine-washable (a true perk for slippers), and roll up into a ball so that you can bring them everywhere you go. 2. Loft Faux Fur Slide Slippers, $17 Photo: Loft Slide your feet into these faux fur slides that’ll embrace the bottom of your toes with soft coziness. You only have two bold choices: hot pink or crimson red. 3. L.L. Bean Wicked Good Slipper Moccasin Women’s Original, $89 Photo: L.L. Bean Wrap your feet
The 5-ingredient secret sauce thousands of healthy eaters drizzle on absolutely everything
March 17, 2020 at 09:00PM by CWC Sauces make the world a better place. That’s a fact. Whether it’s your pasta, roasted vegetables, or taco bowl—a good sauce instantly transforms any meal into a solid great one. And while there countless options out there to choose from, it only takes five ingredients to make the chili sauce recipe thousands of healthy eaters can’t get enough of. Out of all of Sakara Life‘s offerings, the Daydreamer Soba Noodle Bowl is a hard-to-beat favorite amongst those who use the healthy meal programs. While the shiitake mushrooms, buckwheat soba noodles, and asparagus make for a delicious combo, it’s the chili sauce that always has clients coming back for more. In fact, it was so popular they decided to keep the dish on the menu for good. You’d think something so noteworthy would come with a long, complicated ingredients list—especially considering it was created by a world-renowned chef!—but it just goes to show mouth-watering meals can be made in minutes, too. This sauce only requires healthy pantry staples you probably already have at home: tahini, brown rice vinegar, white miso, soy sauce, and Sriracha. Yep, that’s it. If you don’t have those exact ingredients, you could make substitutions—like another hot sauce instead of Sriracha, for example. Grab some veggies and noodles, then coat them in this chili sauce recipe you can make in minutes. Pro tip: Make extra and store it in the fridge, because you’re going to want to use this stuff all
Probiotics are cool and all, but have you heard about postbiotics?
March 16, 2020 at 08:36PM by CWC At this point, gut health has been *the* topic of conversation in the wellness world for a while. We all know about drinking kombucha and eating foods high in probiotics for optimal gut health, and if you’re really deep in the scene, you might even have extensive thoughts about the mind-gut connection. However, I have a new topic in the land of gut health that you probably haven’t heard of yet: postbiotics. Related to prebiotics and probiotics, postbiotics are essentially the endgame goal of all your gut health efforts. “When you take prebiotics or probiotics, people don’t realize that at the end of the day, the hope is to get some postbiotics. The entire point is about postbiotics,” says gastroenterologist Will Bulsiewicz, MD, author of the upcoming book, Fiber Fueled. So why should we care about the latest and greatest “biotic” compound to come up in the wellness world? We asked Dr. Bulsiewicz to share the 411 on postbiotics and why they’re so important. What are postbiotics and how are they different from pre- and probiotics? Before we continue, here’s a quick gut health refresher. Probiotics, Dr. Bulsiewicz says, are live microoraganisms (typically bacteria or yeast) that benefit the body by boosting the immune system, reducing inflammation, helping with digestion, and improving mood. They live in your gut, but there are also foods that contain probiotics, such as yogurt, pickled veggies, and miso. (You can obviously also find them in supplement form.) Prebiotics, meanwhile,
A runner and registered dietitian shares what an average day of eating looks like for her—peanut butter cups included
March 16, 2020 at 05:00PM by CWC There’s a lot of confusion around food for runners and what the heck to eat when your workout of choice involves lengthy long runs. Does being a runner mean having spaghetti every night? (Gotta carb-load, right?) Is coffee before a run a good idea? And where does protein come in? It’s questions like these that registered dietitian and Cook, Eat, Run author Charlie Watson, RD is used to answering on a regular basis. Watson works with clients who have all sorts of healthy eating Qs, but she loves to help runners figure out what to eat. “My main philosophy is to eat real food,” Watson says. She’s all about eating whole grains, nuts, fruit, and vegetables to get the nutrients she needs—many of which are shelf-stable and easy to stock up on for meal prep. Charlie likes to do her runs in the morning, before work. “I work in a busy hospital as a dietitian where I’m on my feet most of the day, so I’m usually too tired to run in the evenings,” she says. “I get up at 5 a.m., run for about an hour or so, then do strength workouts in the evening twice per week.” Here, she shares what a day of eating looks like for her on an average day. Her meals aren’t meant to be thought of as a “diet plan”—you may have different nutritional needs than she does—but it’s a fun, voyeuristic look at what mealtime
I’m a chef, and this is the easy, ‘clean out the fridge’ healthy salad I eat every week
March 15, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXvGEkr2XEs] Looking for the easiest, healthiest possible dinner to make in 20 minutes? Try this recipe developer’s go-to salad. Raise your hand if this sounds familiar: It’s the end of the week, you haven’t been to the grocery store in days, and the contents of your fridge are pretty random and haphazard. But you’re hungry *now*, so you have to figure out how to cobble together something edible with your random food scraps, Chopped style. Figuring out what that “something” is, though, is harder than showing up to Barry’s Bootcamp for a 6 a.m. workout. That’s why we made “cleaning out the fridge” the main task of our latest episode of Cook With Us. Host Jessie Van Amburg (Well+Good’s senior food and health editor) challenges chef Rachel Mansfield to make a delicious, vegan meal in 30 minutes or less using the leftover ingredients from her fridge: sprouted grain bread, kale and tahini. WTF do you do with those ingredients? Mansfield, who’s also a recipe developer and author of the new cookbook Just The Good Stuff, jumps right in by whipping up a vegan garlicky kale caesar salad. “I know what you’re thinking—there’s no way that something that has kale in it could actually be delicious,” she says. “But I promise, even if you don’t like kale or kale isn’t your thing, you’re going to love this salad.” She starts by making croutons with the sprouted grain bread, which she recommends should be
Professional stylists and dermatologists explain *exactly* how long it takes to grow out your hair
March 15, 2020 at 03:00PM by CWC Last week, I went to get a haircut in the middle of stressful situation, and I left the salon with a bob. It’s not a big deal, except that I hate it and so, too, does everyone I know. Most at least feign compliments, but last night my best guy friend, upon seeing it for the first time, said, “Oh man, it’s as bad as you think.” So, there’s that. Suffice it to say I’m eager to grow out this Anna Wintour look ASAP (yes, I also have the bangs), which has me wondering how long ASAP will actually be. “Typically hair grows a quarter-inch a month, although some people are genetically inclined to grow hair a little slower or faster,” says celebrity hairstylist Kristen Shaw. “If you’ve cut your hair to just below your chin, that would take typically 5 or 6 inches to grow past your shoulders, so it will take 10-12 months.” To make matters worse, this rate is just an average that can be negatively impacted by a number of factors, some of which are not easy fixes. “I find that women’s hormones play a large role, and with the rise of things like autoimmune/adrenal burnout for women, these have been a recurring theme with my clients who experience slow growth and/or hair loss,” says Shaw. Other factors which may inhibit growth, according to NYC-based dermatologist Francesca Fusco, MD, include poor nutrition, yo-yo dieting, and improper or inadequate hair
These two-ingredient, high-protein cauliflower tots are better than anything you’ll find in the frozen section
March 14, 2020 at 09:00PM by CWC Cauliflower tots are hot right now. And no, I don’t just mean the batch of fresh-out-of-the-air-fryer tots sitting in front of me right now. The low-carb alternative to the OG potato version is sold in bulk (3-pound!) bags at Costco, in casserole form at Trader Joe’s, and from major retailers like Green Giant—making it one of the trendiest frozen section items of the moment. But there’s a two-ingredient version you can make right at home, and it’s better than anything you’ll find in-store. Bethany Ugarte of Lilsipper recently shared her recipe for healthy vegan cauliflower tots on Instagram. And get this—they only require two simple ingredients: cauliflower (obviously!) and chickpea flour. Whenever I see a short ingredients list, I’m down, and let me just say these fluffy tots don’t disappoint. “Some people say healthy eating is hard, time-consuming, and expensive, and these tots break all of those assumptions,” Ugarte tells me. “They’re grain-free, egg-free, and loaded with plant-based protein and fiber.” Aside from tasting delicious—especially when you crisp them up in the air fryer!—the nutrition is seriously impressive. Like Ugarte says, they’re loaded with protein. The 1/2 head of cauliflower in the recipe ranges from 6 to 8 grams, and the cup of chickpea flour contains 21 grams. On top of that, you’re getting a combined total of 19 grams of fiber between the two. Not only are they great for munching on immediately, but you can also prep them in advance and heat them up
7 delicious, healthy ways to cook with shiitake mushrooms tonight
March 14, 2020 at 02:00AM by CWC Pinterest is a treasure trove of healthy recipes (you know, when you’re not busy finding them on Well+Good). From weeknight-saving easy dinner recipes to advanced ideas, like cooking with adaptogens, it’s a goldmine of discovering new meals and ingredients to cook with. One that’s currently taking over: shiitake mushrooms. These mushrooms have been part of healthy eaters’ plates for decades, but searches for shiitake mushrooms on Pinterest are up a whopping 1,654 percent from last year, according to a recent Pinterest report. Considering the fungus’s health benefits include boosting immunity thanks to its high concentration of antioxidants, it’s no wonder the ‘shroom is so popular right now. If you’re intrigued by shiitake mushrooms but aren’t sure what to do with them, the seven recipes included here are a good starter pack. Scroll down for 7 ways to cook with shiitake mushrooms. Photo: Steamy Kitchen 1. Green bean and shiitake mushroom stir fry If you’ve never cooked shiitake mushrooms before, this is a good recipe to start with. The mushrooms are sliced then stir-fried with green beans, onions, oyster sauce, garlic, and ginger (another major immunity booster) to make a super flavorful dish perfect served over brown rice or on a bed of greens. Bonus: You’ll only dirty one dish in the process. Photo: Umami Girl 2. Sautéed shiitake mushrooms Another easy way to cook your ‘shooms: Sauté them with a little butter, salt, and pepper. In a mere 10 minutes you’ll have a