February 26, 2020 at 01:00AM by CWC Keto, intermittent fasting, ketotarian: It’s hard to escape talk about dieting in America these days. Diet culture—a system of beliefs that glorifies thinness and weight loss, and equates those things with health, beauty, and virtue—is so pervasive that it’s even reached our children through Paleo baby food and a controversial Weight Watchers app for kids. But with girls as young as 3 saying they need to go on a diet, something in America has gone undeniably awry. “We as a society teach them that,” says Alexandra Caspero, RD, a dietitian and plant-based chef. “Kids are so impressionable when comes to figuring out their own relationship with food.” Translation: The examples that we as adults set goes a long way towards teaching kids about what it means to eat healthy. As a new generation of parents have become aware of the harms of diet culture and all the food demonizing that comes with it, many are approaching nutrition differently. For many, that means abandoning the “eat this not that” mentality of their own parents and radically transforming how they talk to their kids about food. How American diet culture negatively affects kids All parents want their kids to be healthy. But social media, commercials, and TV make that hard with incessant messaging that champions weight loss and demonizes certain foods while praising others—messaging that doesn’t lend itself to a healthy relationship with food. Dalina Soto, RD, a mother of two young kids and dietitian
Category: Vegetarians
Alt-rice is the new alt-pasta, and it’ll be in every healthy eater’s pantry in 2020
February 25, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC It’s 2020, where it seems possible to make a healthy or vegan alternative to just about any kind of food. We’re milking oats and almonds instead of cows, using tech to make “bleeding” plant-based burgers, and using everything from lentils to zucchini to create gluten-free pasta. Now, you can count alternative rice as the latest alt-food to hit store shelves. This goes beyond the idea of cauliflower rice, which—let’s be honest—can absolutely be used in all the same ways as the grain but has a texture and taste that’s its own. The new alternatives to rice are shelf-stable and aren’t made from cauliflower at all; they’re made from legumes. A few examples: Banza Chickpea Rice ($3), Trader Joe’s Organic Chickpea and Red Lentil Risoni ($3) and RightRice ($13 for three). It’s the latest proof of the chickpea revolution taking over the grocery store and menus across the nation—one of Well+Good’s biggest trends for 2020. The inspiration for creating new alternatives to rice RightRice CEO Keith Belling says the inspiration for their four-source blend was the goal of making a rice that’s as nutrient-dense as possible—while still cooking and tasting like OG rice. “We spent almost a year looking at a range of ingredients and blends, and found that the combination of lentils, chickpeas, green peas, and a bit of rice helped us deliver a unique rice alternative that has a rice-like taste, is easy to cook, and met all our nutritional goals,” he
I’m an RD, and these are the myths about nightshades I want you to stop believing
February 25, 2020 at 12:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjpimNuTtJM] PSA: Some of the healthiest foods on the planet happen to be nightshades. Here’s why that’s really NBD. From the one-meal-a-day (OMAD) diet to “dry fasting” there are a lot of questionable food trends that can pop up in the healthy eating world out of nowhere. But it turns out, one (literally) shady one isn’t as sketchy as the rap is gets: nightshades. Nightshades is the name of the groups of fruits and veggies that belong to the solanum family of plants. While some foods in this family are inedible, many are perfectly safe for consumption, like eggplants, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, and goji berries. But despite their safety, some people (ahem Tom Brady) have sworn them off completely for their potential effects on inflammation. So, are nightshades inflammatory, or have we been freaked out for no reason? In our latest episode of You Versus Food, Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, debunks some of the murkiest myths around the group of fruits and veggies. And it turns out, most of the rumors about the plants aren’t quite true. For starters, much of the fuss comes from a misunderstanding of the compound solanine, which is found in some species of the nightshade family. “Some people believe that solanine, found in foods like white potato, eggplant, peppers, apples and blueberries, aggravates arthritis pain, inflammation and causes digestive complications,” says Beckerman. However, these theories aren’t rooted in robust scientific research, she says. “Plus, most solanine gets
A gastroenterologist’s top 5 ways to stop nervous poops—because if anything’s going to make you *more* nervous, it’s that
February 24, 2020 at 07:00PM by CWC Nervous poops are a real thing. Sure, it may not part of polite dinner conversation, but your mental health and digestion are more connected than you may think—and that can certainly cause some issues in the bathroom. But if anyone knows how to stop nervous poops before they start, it’s a gastroenterologist. Dealing with anxiety is already hard. Your nerves can cause you to have physical reactions like nervous poops. “The gut’s nervous system—also known as the enteric nervous system—relies on neuropeptides and neurotransmitters like serotonin to regulate both intestinal motility and secretion,” says Andrea Culliford, MD, a board-certified gastroenterologist with the Medical Offices of Manhattan. “Nervousness or anxiety can cause one to feel the need to go to the bathroom frequently in anxious situations and is related to the brain and gut’s nervous systems sending each other messages in times of stress or anxiety.” Luckily, there are some expert-backed ways to stop your nerves from taking control of your bathroom schedule. If you’ve ever experienced nervous poops (even Olympian Adam Rippon has struggled!), start utilizing these tactics as soon as possible. A gastroenterologist’s top 5 tips on how to stop nervous poops 1. Decrease caffeine intake Your morning coffee is what kickstarts your day, but you might want to take a break from it if you’re experiencing nervous poops. According to Dr. Culliford, it’s crucial to decrease caffeine intake as it “may exacerbate the need to go to the bathroom.” 2. Be
Why some experts think lab-grown, ‘cultured’ meat is the sustainable future of protein
February 24, 2020 at 02:00PM by CWC Even though vegan meat tastes more like “the real thing” than ever before, there’s still a great divide between meat eaters and non-meat eaters, and if we’re being realistic, there will likely always be one. The truth is, a lot of Americans really love meat. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, meat-eating reached a record high in 2018 (the latest year stats are available): Americans had access to an estimated 222.4 pounds of meat and poultry per capita. Whether you eat meat or not, virtually everyone can agree that factory farmed meat is the least sustainable route to go; the environmental impact has been calculated to be particularly high. Many believe the solution lies in eating less meat, whether consuming one of the many plant-based substitutes or blended meat options. But others say that it’s unrealistic to expect everyone to give up meat forever, especially when meat offers up benefits like protein, iron, and B vitamins. This tension is giving rise to another possible solution: cultured meat, also often referred to as cultivated meat or lab-grown meat. Never heard of it? Cultured meat is made from the stem cells of animals, which are collected and then taken to a lab where they are fed nutrients in order to grow into living tissues. The end result, in theory, is ready-to-eat meat, without having to grow, feed, and kill an entire animal. It’s a “best of both worlds” type solution, and one
Boost your immunity for $1 with this super easy 2-ingredient recipe
February 23, 2020 at 04:00PM by CWC When you get sick, you’ll do just about anything to feel like yourself again. Even if that means eating a piece of toast topped with raw garlic for breakfast. Now, let’s be real—that doesn’t sound like the most appetizing way to start the day. But when it comes to boosting your immunity, it’s nothing short of a recipe for success. Liz Moody, a writer and healthy living expert, recently shared her go-to $1 immune booster on Instagram. She eats garlic on toast once a day whenever she’s sick. The recipe is simple: All you need to do is chop 4 to 5 cloves of garlic (make your life easier by using this peeler!) and put it on sourdough toast “with a bit of butter or olive oil, a pinch of salt, and whatever herbs I have around, just to make it taste good,” she writes. The result is an intense garlic bread that’s (somehow) easy to stomach when when you’re at the peak of your cold or flu. So, what’s the secret to this toast’s ability to heal? After chopping the garlic, Moody lets it sit for 20 minutes before putting it on the bread in order to activate the allicin—a powerful antiviral and antibacterial compound found in garlic. And the tactic checks out. While garlic has been shown to provide many health benefits on its own, its the chopping that really unleashes its cold-fighting powers. View this post on Instagram
The easiest way to give your hummus an upgrade? Bake it
February 23, 2020 at 12:00AM by CWC Most people can agree that there’s one standard way to eat hummus: straight out of the tub. It’s pretty much always served as a cold dip, so why mess with a good thing? Well, I’m here to tell you something that will probably make you a little suspicious, but hear me out: Hot hummus is good too, and baking it will most definitely change your snack life for the better. You can only dip so many carrot and celery sticks before you send the chickpea-packed staple right back into the fridge. When I came across baked hummus, my eyes lit up. Not only is it such an easy way to upgrade what’s already in your fridge, but it also makes the finished product taste—dare I say it—even more delicious. Just ask Sarah Schutz, the healthy food blogger behind The Cutting Veg, who dreamt up the perfect recipe. For her baked hummus recipe, she starts by spreading two containers of hummus—whichever kind you want—in a baking dish. Next, you sprinkle on some of your Mediterranean favorites, like sun-dried tomatoes, feta cheese (or you non-dairy cheese of choice), spinach, and capers. Then finish things off by drizzling on some olive oil and popping it in the oven for about 20 minutes. “The idea for baked hummus came from a restaurant I went to in Israel where they served the hummus warm. It has a similar texture to cold hummus but, when you warm it up,
Make these 2 recipes now for a week’s worth of anti-inflammatory, plant-based dinners
February 22, 2020 at 12:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNBjXk0c65I] Want to get in on two meal worth of anti-inflammatory eats? Watch Chef Sam Kass do it in under 30 minutes. The act of coming home after work and making dinner can feel like exactly the meditative wind-down you need after a day of playing tag with your to-do list. Keyword: sometimes. On other nights, the mere thought of having to chop an onion may prompt a single teardrop to fall dramatically down one cheek. In that case, you’re going to want to have something—or two things!—prepped and ready to feed your delicate soul. On the most recent episode of Well+Good’s shiny-new video series, Cook With Us, chef Sam Kass whipped up a duo of anti-inflammatory dinner recipes that stay crisp in the fridge for seven days. (Even when the week feels like it’s been about seven years long.)”We’re all super busy and stressed out, so if you can create one foundational dish… then you can use it multiple ways.” Kass’s foundational recipe is a golden, turmeric-infused dressing that works on both a warm and cold salad. After whipping up a dressing featuring olive oil, turmeric, ginger, garlic, dijon mustard, and lemon juice, Chef Kass gets down to the greens. A simple mix of kale, pecans, red onion, and fresh mint, the cold salad is an absolute breeze to make and to eat. Meanwhile, the warmer options calls for a p-a-r-t-y of healthy roasted vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, and Brussels sprouts topped off
This is the *only* way you should ever eat your potatoes
February 21, 2020 at 11:00PM by CWC Made popular by Trader Joe’s, “everything bagel” seasoning isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. You can sprinkle the mouth-watering blend of poppy seeds, toasted sesame seeds, dried garlic, dried onion, and salt on… everything. It’s great on waffles, salads, avocado toasts, salmon—you name it. And now that I’ve seen the magic that is everything bagel fries, I vow to never eat my potatoes any other way. Rachel Mansfield, a food blogger and author of the cookbook Just the Good Stuff, recently shared the genius idea on Instagram, sparking a wave of heart-eyed commentary from her followers. After using the seasoning for everything else in her life, she realized you can add a dash to your fries, too—and let’s just say she was not disappointed with the result. “Everything bagel french fries. It seems so basic and simple, yet it took me years to finally combine these two flavors together. The fries get extra crispy baked in the oven, and sprinkling it with the Everything But The Bagel seasoning from Trader Joe’s adds the best flavor bomb to your plate,” she tells me. Aside from eating these bagel-y fries straight-up (she says even cold and dipped in Ranch dressing is a win!), she also switches things up by turning them into something that’s a little more fitting for breakfast. “I love adding some fried eggs on top for a little eggs and hash brown action,” she says. However you choose to eat these potatoes, one thing’s
Sure, eating less meat is trendy, but is it actually healthy?
February 21, 2020 at 03:00PM by CWC It started with the comeback of the Mediterranean diet. After being named the best diet of 2019 by U.S. News and World Reports, healthy eaters started searching for more ways to minimize meat consumption, getting their protein from other sources, like seafood and legumes. And while we’re only mere months into 2020, plant-based eating—where a person eats less meat and animal products in favor of more fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and legumes—is already proving to be the dominant eating plan of choice, not just a passing fad. There are many reasons that have led to the rise of more people minimizing their meat consumption. Many believe it to be healthier. Some are drawn to it because research has shown plant-based eating is best for the planet and the most sustainable way to live. Others give up meat (or animal products completely) because of ethical reasons and animal rights. Now eating less meat has become a hot topic in wellness and with all the alternative products on the market, living a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle is easier than ever. But given that meat in particular is an excellent source of complete protein and iron, as well as other nutrients, the ascendence of plant-based eating has some people wondering if it’s even healthy to go, well, cold turkey. Here, plant-forward registered dietitian Amy Gorin, RD explains the health benefits of not eating meat, or minimizing meat consumption. She also gives expert tips on how to make