August 09, 2019 at 06:00AM by CWC With restaurants in every single state—and most airports—Panda Express is the easy go-to when a craving for Americanized Chinese food hits. Regardless of which location you go to, the fast food chain is reliable for offering all the popular classics, like fried rice, orange chicken, and teriyaki chicken. Compared to going to a more burger-centric place, Panda Express may seem like a healthier option. But is it actually? Like anywhere you go, it all depends on what you order. (Spoiler: Not the chow mein.) Registered dietitian Kim Morton, RD, shares her top recs on exactly what to order if you follow the ketogenic diet (not easy at a place where the majority of the dishes are rice- or noodle-based), are plant-based, or follow the Mediterranean diet. Keep reading to check out the best healthy options at Panda Express. Ketogenic diet Menu picks: Broccoli and beef; grilled teriyaki chicken ad_intervals[‘410400_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘410400_div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8891272-3’);}); } }, 100); What an RD says: Morton names the broccoli and beef and the grilled teriyaki chicken as her top healthy options for this diet because not only do they have good protein (nine grams in the beef and broccoli and 36 in the teriyaki chicken), but they are both well in-line with the carb count. The keto diet caps carbs at 30 grams a day, and these dishes have 13 grams and eight grams, respectively. “In general, you want to avoid anything breaded or
Category: You and your body
A podiatrist told me *this* is one of the worst things you can do to your feet in the summer
August 09, 2019 at 05:02AM by CWC There’s something about hitting the beach with a fresh pedicure that feels quintessentially summertime. The wabi sabi nail look with a backdrop of sand and sea screams fun IRL and Instagram. But if your nail care motto from June to August is paint, enjoy, remove, repeat, podiatrists say you might want to hit pause on the cycle to let your feet breathe. If you don’t (I’m so, so sorry to break this to you), you may just find toe nail fungus lurking beneath your Bimini Blue polish. “Nail polish is a leading cause of toenail fungus,” says Doug Tumen, DPM, FACFAS, a board-certified podiatrist based in New York’s Hudson Valley. The toxins and preservatives lurking in most commercial polish encourage the growth of fungus, according to the expert. Same, same with artificial nails. “If upon removing nail polish you see white spots, yellow discoloration, or thickening of the nail, you may have a fungus forming,” explains Dr. Trumen. So if you’re gearing up to swap hues and spot any of these nail no-nos, skip it and go au natural for a bit. Your nails just need a moment to breathe now and then. ad_intervals[‘413750_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘413750_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); Still though—it’s summer! If you want to rock the ugly nail trend in various shades that are surprisingly flattering, Dr. Tumen recommends choosing salons that offer cleaner pedicures and double-checking that the establishment’s tools are sterilized. “New
Pep up puffy eyes in 10-seconds with this caffeine-spiked “cold-brew” stick
August 09, 2019 at 04:00AM by CWC I’m someone that not only still feels tired for approximately one hour after waking up, but I tend to look it, too. As I fuzzily gaze into the mirror post-showering, I’m always doing whatever it takes to wake my eyes up, de-puff my sleep face, and untangle my bedhead of hair to trick my coworkers into thinking I’m wide-eyed and bushy-tailed before 10am. While jade rollers and mascara do a solid job, nothing quite compares to my newfound a.m. beauty routine obsession: Peach and Lily’s Cold Brew Eye Recovery Stick ($28). The cult-fave skin-care brand just launched this eye-cream-meets-serum concoction, and the fact that 1) it’s in stick form (my favorite beauty product form) and 2) dubbed “cold brew” (my favorite beverage) grabbed my attention immediately. Photo: Peach & Lily Of course, it’s got caffeine in it, which is the all-star ingredient that reduces puffiness as quickly as it helps to wake you up when you drink it. But it’s also chock-full of other perk-your-skin-up extracts, like cucumber (which soothes and just… feels good), kiwi extract (an antioxidant that also hydrates), turmeric and berry (which brighten), and niacinamide, AKA vitamin B3 which fights inflammation. Oh, and then there’s hyaluronic acid, to aid with the plump-up capabilities that the eye stick has. ad_intervals[‘413871_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘413871_div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7520022-3’);}); } }, 100); “The skin around your eyes is very delicate and thin, making eye puffiness difficult to treat with topical products,”
Costa Rica’s “pura vida” lifestyle prioritizes happiness, and you can harness it no matter where you live
August 09, 2019 at 03:00AM by CWC When I first arrive in Costa Rica, I’m met with an exercise of seriously delayed gratification. It’s after dark when my plane lands, and even though I know I’m almost certainly surrounded by spectacular scenery, all I can see on my ride in from the airport is the faint outlines of trees, densely packed along both sides of a winding, two-lane road. As I lay in bed that night, I’m overtaken by that Christmas Eve feeling of excitement for the morning, when I’d get my first glimpse of my temporary home base—the private Peninsula Papagayo in the countries northwestern province of Guanacaste. But when my alarm goes off a few hours later, I open the wooden shutters to my terrace and am rewarded with one of the most cinematic vistas I’ve ever seen: deep turquoise waves lapping gently at a sandy shore, lush green flora encircling a majestic bay, and a pair of capuchin monkeys leaping from tree to tree. All that was missing was a cute guy strolling down the beach, clad with a surfboard and man bun. (Plenty of those guys would come later, thankfully.) ad_intervals[‘399745_div-gpt-ad-6934292-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘399745_div-gpt-ad-6934292-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-6934292-3’);}); } }, 100); With a landscape like this, of course Costa Rica is one of the happiest countries in the world, I think to myself, sliding open the terrace doors and inhaling the already humid morning air. Sure, that characterization is overly simplistic, but Costa Rica
Here’s how to deal with your parents’ dating life—because nothing’s ever felt so complicated
August 08, 2019 at 04:00PM by CWC When I was a teenager, there was absolutely nothing more awkward than talking to my mom about my sex life. But, now well into adulthood, I’ve found something to top it: Talking to my mom about her sex life. She recently started dating again—exactly three years after my dad passed away—and we’re having a little bit of trouble working out the whole “boundaries” thing. Especially given that neither of us has ever been in this situation before (she and my dad were married my whole life), figuring out how to handle this new normal has been a complicated undertaking. But based on conversations I’ve had with friends, colleagues, and random strangers on the Internet about the experience of parents dating, this overwhelming sense of it being “awkward” and “complicated” are themes that resonate nearly universally. But since that ubiquity alone doesn’t make me feel good about the situation, I asked experts to share their tips on how to navigate the murky, uncharted waters. The secret, perhaps unsurprisingly, is to double down on communication and honesty…as long as you’re not talking about sex (honestly or dishonestly), that is. And also, cutting yourself some slack for not necessarily being jazzed from the get-go about your parent joining the world of dating. ad_intervals[‘408589_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘408589_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); Parents dating can bring up a lot of emotions There are two very distinct scenarios that commonly lead a parent back onto
How one mom is hoping to disrupt the postpartum care industry—by creating one
August 08, 2019 at 03:00PM by CWC —When it comes to the first few months postpartum, everyone’s focus is almost always on the baby: how they’re sleeping, whether they’re eating enough, posing them for Instagram-worthy photo shoots in duckling-printed onesies. This fixation is pretty understandable—babies need a lot of care, particularly in the first few weeks. (Plus, they’re pretty damn cute.) However, that focus on baby means that postpartum care for mom—who just pushed out a brand-new human being or underwent major abdominal surgery with a C-section—is often an afterthought. Not only is it standard to be discharged from the hospital within 24 to 48 hours after delivery, you’re often not given any information about what to expect when you’re recovering. The reality that peeing for the first time since giving birth will burn like hell, that it’s normal to bleed for at least two weeks straight after a vaginal delivery (and that light bleeding and spotting can be normal for another six weeks), that you might develop hemorrhoids or have stitches from vaginal tearing during delivery… all of that is typically glossed over and left for new moms to discover (and deal with) on their own. ad_intervals[‘413798_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘413798_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); Chelsea Hirschhorn, a mom of three and CEO of baby brand FridaBaby, experienced this first-hand when she was pregnant, which is what inspired her to launch the brand’s newest line: Frida Mom, a collection of affordable, must-have postpartum essentials addressing
Everything you need to know about the SoulCycle and Equinox boycott
August 08, 2019 at 02:14PM by CWC For wellness lovers, it’s not unusual for one’s Instagram or Twitter, on any given day, to be filled with images and inspo from pristine spin bikes at SoulCycle or eucalyptus-scented towels draped over one’s shoulders at Equinox. Yesterday proved different. Celebs like Chrissy Teigen and Sophia Bush, alongside once loyal patrons, made use of the hashtags #NoSoulCycle and #CancelEquinox in response to news from The Washington Post that Stephen Ross, the billionaire investor behind the parent company of these two subsidiaries, would host a fundraiser for Donald Trump’s 2020 election efforts on Friday. Flash forward to the official statement put forth from SoulCycle and Equinox, which stated: “Neither Equinox nor SoulCycle have anything to do with the event later this week and do not support it. As is consistent with our policies, no company profits are used to fund politicians. We are committed to all our members and communities we live in. We believe in tolerance and equality, and will always stay true to those values. Mr. Ross is a passive investor and is not involved in the management of either business.” (It’s important to note that, though Ross might not be involved in operations of either sweat box, he is the chairman of The Related Companies, which owns them as well as Blink, which is one of New York City’s most cost-effective gyms). ad_intervals[‘413785_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘413785_div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-9261280-3’);}); } }, 100); “There are a handful of billionaires who
A 4-item cleaning checklist for the germiest spots in the kitchen
August 08, 2019 at 12:38PM by CWC After four long years, I recently threw down some of my hard-earned money for a cleaning service because, well, I didn’t want my incoming roommate to think our apartment was a mold factory. I am, let’s say, a little not-diligent about wiping my counter-tops—the cleaner was in my kitchen alone for three hours. After this experience, I wanted to find a way to be less gross about the apartment, because you know, half a decade of bacteria build-up seems bad. That doesn’t mean I’ll be scraping out my fridge on the regular (lol) or doing my dishes every night (double lol), because who has time? Instead, I decided to develop a kitchen cleaning checklist that would help me tackle the germiest spots efficiently without having to spend hours at a time scrubbing away like a Brooklyn version of Cinderella. Obviously I’m not a cleaning expert, so I decided to call on Jason Tetro, a microbiologist and author of The Germ Files, to help me determine the dirtiest kitchen spots that need the most love. If you’re feeling like being a little less disgusting, feel free to dive in with me on this magical disinfecting journey. ad_intervals[‘413772_div-gpt-ad-5443410-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘413772_div-gpt-ad-5443410-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-5443410-3’);}); } }, 100); Your kitchen cleaning checklist, based on the most germ-infested spots According to Tetro, the dirty four areas of your kitchen that should be cleaned most often are: The area around your kitchen sink Your cutting board The handle
The most in-your-face evidence that you’re dating a narcissist
August 08, 2019 at 12:29PM by CWC Whenever I first start dating someone, I tend to romanticize their every action. (“Aw, he used my toothpaste and left a glob in the sink—how cute!”) Once we call it quits, the once rose-colored memories turn black. I can’t believe I’ve overlooked major (and I mean, major) warning signs, many of which screamed “You’re dating a narcissist!” through a megaphone. Praise be, it looks like that particular oversight may be in the rearview mirror. A very 21st century study of 1,087 men published in The Journal of Sex Research found that (hang onto your hats, singles) participants who reported sending unsolicited dick pics also tended to show the traits of narcissism. As if that weren’t reason enough to cancel those who send you junk mail without your consent, those particular individuals also “endorsed greater ambivalent and hostile sexism than their non-sending counterparts,” according to the study. You know, all the qualities you look for in a loving, caring, respectful soul mate. ad_intervals[‘413977_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘413977_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); To come to this (obvious yet helpful) conclusion, researchers gave participants an online survey and a questionnaire that measured narcissism, exhibitionism, erotophilia-erotophobia, and sexism. And just like that, we had science to prove that no (no! no! no!), you should not hit send on that below-the-belt selfie. If you’re a narcissist trying to go undercover as a lovely human being, please, dear me—save it for your camera roll. To those
5 questions you can use to check in on your mental health every day
August 08, 2019 at 11:18AM by CWC “It’s common for us to schedule a routine visit to the doctor when we aren’t feeling our best, so it should be common for us to check in with our mental health to ensure that we are physically, mentally and emotionally in tune,” writes author, expressive coach, and licensed social worker Minaa B. on a recent Instagram post. It’s true: a 2018 poll conducted by Well+Good found that of the 2,700 people surveyed, 95 percent struggle with stress and 92 percent struggle with anxiety. However, 20 percent had never shared their feelings about either because they believe such mental obstacles are no big deal. The daily grind has a way of distracting from the basic human need to take an emotional time-out. Now that mental health realness is the order of every day, caring for your brain should no longer be an afterthought. Still, it’s not always easy to separate yourself from a looming deadline or children who need your attention whenever your mental health comes calling. But these five questions (courtesy of Minaa B.) should be stashed in your back pocket for whenever that happens. A Q&A with your mental well-being isn’t an indulgence—it’s a necessity. Make an appointment to do it every single day. ad_intervals[‘413906_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’] = setInterval(function () { if (ads_ready) { clearTimeout(ad_intervals[‘413906_div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’]); googletag.cmd.push(function(){googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-7435403-3’);}); } }, 100); 5 mental health questions to ask yourself every day View this post on Instagram ✨ mental health check-in ✨ — it’s common