September 20, 2019 at 11:08AM A take on a classic Indian dish that’s jam-packed with veggies and antioxidants. Continue Reading… Author Jamie Schneider | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
Category: Vegetarians
‘I’m a dancer, and these are the 3 no-no-no’s of stretching your hamstrings’
September 19, 2019 at 04:55PM by CWC I have a rocky relationship with hamstring stretching (see: the yoga butt incident of 2018). Unwinding the tight group of muscles running up the backs of your legs can make all of your everyday movements feel more effortless, but getting the hang of how can be tricky. That’s why I asked Donna Flagg, a dancer and stretching instructor at Broadway Dance Center, to coach me through proper techniques. Apparently, there are three things you should never (like, ever) do when you’re stretching your hamstrings. “The world is divided into people who believe they were born inflexible and always will be, and those who stretch but don’t understand why their flexibility does not improve,” she tells me. If you find yourself struggling with forward-fold or (trying) to do the splits, then Flagg wants you to listen up. Simple as it may seam, tweaking your form just slightly can lead to big results. Ready for smarter hamstring stretching? Watch out for these 3 common mistakes. 1. Don’t: Buckle foward “In an effort to go farther and touch their toes, people bend their knees, making it more likely that they will touch the floor,” says Flagg. While nothing’s inherently wrong with that, the problem arises if you buckle and slacken the whole back of your leg. Meaning, your hamstrings won’t get stretched out and you’re compromising the health of your needs. Do this instead: To keep your entire lower chain safe, contract the muscles around your kneecaps.
6 foods for strong bones a rheumatologist wants you to eat every day—and 1 to avoid
September 18, 2019 at 06:35PM by CWC When it comes to wellness, the roughly 206 bones in our body tend to get short shrift—at least in terms of air time. We talk endlessly about our skin, microbiome, muscles, vaginas, etc., but the foundation of it all (i.e., your skeleton) gets little attention. Still, bone health is important, especially for women as bone density decreases after menopause. A loss in bone density can lead to osteoporosis which, in turn, can cause bones to fracture, thereby decreasing mobility. This isn’t a niche occurrence. According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, 1 in 2 women over age 50 will experience bone breakage as a result of the disease. As with all illnesses, the key is prevention. It’s important to pay attention to your bone health now, whether you’re anywhere near the mid-century mark or not. Stephen Honig, MD, rheumatologist and director of the osteoporosis center at NYU Langone Health, tells me this is accomplished with exercise (particularly of the strength-training variety) and by incorporating foods for strong bones into your diet, though this doesn’t account for the whole picture. To begin with, your bone mass is 80 percent determined by genetics and the rest is influenced by environmental factors like diet and exercise. The relatively small percentage is then disproportionately affected by what happens in your teenage years, explains Dr. Honig, during which time it’s mission critical to get adequate amounts of bone-building calcium and vitamin D. This is because one does not work,
Here’s what a healthy plate really looks like when you’re doing Whole30
September 18, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC Take out dairy, grains, added sugar, legumes, and alcohol, and what’s left to eat? That’s a central question for people trying the Whole30 diet, a month-long elimination style diet designed to help people better understand their food sensitivities and unhealthy food habits. Whole30 meal ideas feel a bit limited when you only have a few foods left to work with—meat, seafood, vegetables, eggs, nuts, seeds, certain oils, and some fruit. The eating plan, even though it’s designed to be short-term, isn’t for everyone. “It’s highly restrictive and that level of restriction can create an unhealthy mentality about food,” says NYC-based dietitian Natalie Rizzo, MS, RD. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t do it—many people have found it helpful to reset their relationship with sugar and processed foods—but it’s important to make sure you’re not deficient in nutrients. That means building your plate with the right macros from foods that are both Whole30-approved and delicious. “If you decide to do Whole30, you have to make sure you’re planning out your meals to make sure you’re eating enough calories throughout the day,” says Rizzo. To make things easier, check out this handy guide from Rizzo on building the perfect Whole30 plate every time. Photo: W+G Creative Vegetables should make up half of your plate “No matter what diet you follow, I always recommend half the plate should be veggies,” says Rizzo. That’s true for keto, paleo, Mediterranean, and yes, Whole30. You can eat any ones
4 dietary habits that benefit your liver health more than any ‘detox’
September 17, 2019 at 09:05PM by CWC In case you’ve forgotten what you learned high school biology, your liver plays an often overlooked role in healthy digestion. A quick refresher: the liver processes nutrients absorbed in the small intestine, and uses them to make the chemicals the body needs to function. With that in mind, you might want to avoid certain foods for the sake of your liver health. “The liver has a variety of functions in the body and one of them is detoxification,” says nurse practitioner Erica Matluck, NP. Your liver detoxifies the body through two phases, she says: the first involves the use of enzymes to turn fat soluble (toxic) compounds (such as hormones, medications, and pesticides) into water soluble ones; and the second involves the binding of protective substances to the toxin. “Both phases help to transform the toxic compound so it can be safely eliminated from the body,” she says. Now you probably already know that excess booze isn’t great for your liver health (and it’s not), but it’s far from the only dietary habit that impacts proper function, according to Matluck and Kristin Kirkpatrick, RD, author of Skinny Liver. You don’t need a ‘detox’ to support liver health, but here’s what you can do 1. Fill up on fruits and vegetables You knew this one was coming, right? “Colorful fruits and vegetables—especially foods like beets and cruciferous options—and legumes all have a high amount of phytonutrients which in turn help to strengthen the liver
5 healthy dinner recipes with 5 ingredients from Trader Joe’s
September 16, 2019 at 09:01PM by CWC You don’t have to pick up a paint brush or start writing the great American novel to tap into your creativity. My recommendation is to head straight to Trader Joe’s and let your imagination run wild in the gastronomy wonderland that is the aisle frozen food aisle… or, like, any other section of the store. One of the supermarket’s many humble brags is that its variety of products can be mixed and matched into dishes that are at once delicious and so. easy. Once you know how to pair the pre-made foods with veggies and other finds, five-ingredient dinners suddenly become not only possible, but delightful. If you’re skeptical, please allow me to back my Trader Joe’s claims with edible proof Here are five unexpected ways to bring together a meal with only a handful of Trader Joe’s buys. Trader Joe’s dinners are on the table fast with 5 easy recipes Photo: The Minimalist Baker 1. Salsa Soup I’ve waxed poetic about this soup from blogger Dana Kaplan before and—can’t stop, won’t stop. The starter is a simple jar of Trader Joe’s salsa and with just a few additional ingredient, you wind up with a soup that could warm the most frigid soul. In winter, it’s oh-so-cozy to eat in the office. And, since it packs avocado, black beans, and sweet potatoes, you get the healthy fat, protein, and complex carb combination that will help you feel satisfied when you put your spoon down.
8 foods to avoid that cause constipation—because the struggle is real
September 16, 2019 at 06:51PM by CWC I might regret asking for too much information, but when’s the last time you pooped? If it was earlier today—or, be honest, right now as you’re reading this—congratulations. But if it’s been a minute since you’ve had an Instagram scrolling sesh in the bathroom, there’s a good chance you might be dealing with a case of constipation. A lot of people—one in five, to be more precise—are constipated. Particularly women. And even if you’re having a bowel movement every day, experts still say you could be constipated. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, all you need is one of the following symptoms: fewer than three bowel movements per week, straining to start or complete a bowel movement, having a stool consistency that looks like rocks and pebbles, and/or having a feeling of incomplete emptying. If you think you might be constipated, there are plenty of possible explanations behind it, from a lack of exercise and water to too much stress. But your diet is one of the biggest. Here are eight foods that could be part of the problem. You might want to avoid these foods that cause constipation 1. dairy Milk Drinking a lot of water can help with constipation, but milk only halts your progress. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it can cause constipation in some people because it’s harder to digest. In fact, an older, smaller study of chronically constipated participants found after up to 15 days of not having a
Who Says You Can’t Make Chili Mac Vegan?
September 16, 2019 at 10:00AM This cozy dish is all you need for a chilly day (pun intended). Continue Reading… Author Jamie Schneider | Life by Daily Burn Selected by CWC
Ever notice that garlic and onions are in just about everything? There’s a nutritional reason for that
September 15, 2019 at 06:00PM by CWC When it comes to savory dishes, you’ll be hard up to find a recipe that doesn’t call for garlic and onions. Seasonings have salt and pepper; vegetables have garlic and onion. The duo works in virtually any dish to punch up the flavor. You don’t need to be a Cooking Channel devotee to know that if something tastes bland, it’s because it needs more garlic and onions. But as it turns out, the reason why garlic and onions are in seemingly everything isn’t just about taste. One study published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry found that alliums—bulbous plants such as chives, leeks, and yes garlic and onions—enhanced the bioavailability of zinc and iron in foods. The researchers found that when alliums were added to foods made with grains or pulses, they helped make the two nutrients more readily available in the body. Zinc is an important nutrient for keeping the immune system functioning and iron is essential for the production of hemoglobin in blood, which transfers oxygen from the lungs to the tissues. So ensuring they are bioavailable is a pretty big deal. Want to reap the benefits in a big way? Try one of the recipes below, all of which are bursting with garlic and onions Photo: Hummusapien 1. Healthy salmon corn chowder This twist on a classic corn chowder is a Mediterranean diet win. Besides garlic and onions, it’s full of other antioxidant-rich veggies, and the salmon is
This avocado hummus recipe means never having to make hard choices again
September 14, 2019 at 10:01PM by CWC I’m notoriously bad at making decisions. Like, I will do anything to avoid it. Even choosing what to eat for a snack can be a challenge: sweet, salty, sour… IDK, help. But I’m happy to say I’ll no longer have to play a solo game of rock-paper-scissors while standing in front of the fridge ever again—at least when it comes to choosing between hummus and guacamole. Because it just so happens that they’re better together. With avocado hummus—also known as guacamummus or hummamole—you’re truly getting the best of both worlds. Aside from being able to dip into maybe the creamiest concoction ever, it’s also seriously healthy. The guacamole brings on plenty of healthy fat from the avocados, and the hummus is loaded with protein from the chickpeas. Now that I think about it, why were we ever eating them separate in the first place? While you can totally grab both dips from your fridge and mix them together, Lisa Rinaldi, the Montreal-based food blogger behind Riri’s Recipes, recently shared an avocado hummus recipe of her own. It only takes 10 minutes to make, is loaded with flavorful, health-boosting ingredients like garlic and turmeric, and stays fresh in the refrigerator for up to five days. Your only challenge will be trying not to eat all of it in one sitting. View this post on Instagram RUN, not walk to your kitchens to make this avocado hummus It is SO flavourful and easy to make (no cooking