October 22, 2019 at 12:00PM by CWC Photo: Little Brown Spark Functional medicine practitioner Mark Hyman, MD, has become the go-to doc for demystifying what it means to eat healthy. His plant-forward food philosophy, which he dubbed pegan, isn’t anything complicated. At its core, it’s a combination of Paleo and vegan eating: “A pegan diet is low-glycemic, high in plant foods, low in sugar, and includes adequate protein for appetite control and muscle synthesis,” Dr. Hyman previously told Well+Good. With his new book, Food: What the Heck Should I Cook? ($23), Dr. Hyman aims to make healthy eating a bit easier (and less intimidating). Out today, the book has science-backed tips on how to eat—and cook—to reduce inflammation, and dozens of recipes for every meal, including snacks and dessert. When it comes to grocery shopping, Dr. Hyman says his first stop is the produce section. “Every single time I’m at the market I’m grabbing veggies,” he says. “I always recommend making 75 percent of your plate colorful non-starchy veggies, and this is the way I eat myself. I like to see what’s in season and what looks fresh, but some of my favorites right now are red kale, arugula, fennel, and wild mushrooms. This is a great time of year to get a variety of tasty winter squash and pomegranate, too, which I’ve really been enjoying.” Once he gets cooking, Dr. Hyman says extra-virgin olive oil, avocado oil, sea salt, and all sorts of herbs are his most-used pantry items.
Category: Your Regeneration
How to eat intuitively while still hitting your nutrition goals, according to an RD
October 22, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC Eating intuitively sounds simple—you eat what and when your body tells you to and that’s that—but how do you know your body is truly getting what it needs? (Unfortunately, you can’t ask Alexa everything.) First of all, here’s what intuitive eating actually is: “Intuitive eating is based on connecting with oneself to be more self-aware and in tune with the body’s hunger levels, hunger cues, cravings, and being aware of diet culture overall,” explains McKel Kooienga, RD, founder, and CEO of Nutrition Stripped. But real-talk: Listening to your body isn’t always as easy as it sounds. And if you’re just starting out with this new mindset, Kooienga has a few pointers to help guide you. “Most people consuming a standard American diet don’t consume enough fruits and vegetables,” she says. “Aim to get a few servings at every meal if possible, this will also support your digestion by consuming fiber from whole foods.” From there, she counts staying hydrated (specifically with filtered water) and eating a variety of proteins (especially plant-based ones that pack more fiber, like lentils and tempeh) as two simple things you can do on the reg to know you’re fueling your body right. And if you want a really easy way to combine a lot of these principles, we have two words: chia drink. “You can make one of my favorites from home,” says Kooienga. “It’s two parts filtered water, one part 100 percent pure cranberry juice, and two
Ironically, the next frontier of waste-free living is coming for your bathroom
October 22, 2019 at 02:00AM by CWC There’s no denying at this point that the planet is headed for the toilet. (Seriously. No one should be denying it.) Maybe you’re well aware and rage-watch Greta Thunberg’s speech at the UN Climate Action Summit about 40 times a day, wondering how things got this bad, how you can help, and whether you’re majorly contributing to the problem. Turns out we can all wise up about something brought to my attention at, of all places, Butt Con, a convention that took place in New York City earlier this year, dedicated to (obviously) all things derrière. What I learned is that bidets and eco-friendly bathroom products are here to save the world. “Right now, 15 million trees are getting cut down every single year because of toilet paper,” says Miki Agrawal, founder of bidet company Tushy. “The Canadian Boreal Forest is literally getting decimated every year just for toilet-paper consumption.” Let’s not forget that we’re using toilet paper for the express purpose to wipe away waste—yet, it’s creating more of it and also depleting our resources in the process. “We flush about 30,000 trees per day in toilet paper,” says Ashlee Piper, sustainability expert and author of Give a Sh*t: Do Good. Live Better. Save the Planet. “Conventional toilet paper, especially so-called ‘flushable wipes,’ are terrible for the environment and plumbing, causing costly fatbergs.” “We flush about 30,000 trees per day in toilet paper,” —sustainability expert Ashlee Piper Fatbergs, for the delightfully uninformed,
Why regenerative agriculture is the future of sustainable food
October 22, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC Today’s agricultural practices—the cultivation of crops and livestock as well as deforestation to make room for more farmland—are responsible for an estimated one quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The effects of industrial agriculture are quite visible, from the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico to the horrific (and government sanctioned) wildfires in the Amazon rainforest to make room for cattle ranchers. While organic farming has had an undeniably positive impact on the planet, we can do even more to reduce our carbon footprint by embracing organic’s offspring: regenerative agriculture. The transition has been a long time coming and is the result of a lot of hard work started many years ago, says Danielle Treadwell, PhD, an associate professor of agricultural sciences at the University of Florida who trains local farmers. “The visibility, attention, and interest in the term regenerative agriculture is widespread and gaining a lot of momentum,” says Jeffrey Mitchell, PhD, a cooperative extension specialist with the University of California at Davis Department of Plant Sciences. Here’s what’s behind the buzzword—and what it can potentially do for the planet. The history of the regenerative agriculture movement Organic farming laid the groundwork for the American regenerative agriculture movement, say experts. Organic farming is commonly attributed to J.I. Rodale, who came up with the term in the 1940s and founded the Rodale Institute. Most organic farming practices are also commonly used in regenerative agriculture, including reduced
I found the most effective stress ball *ever* for just $9
October 22, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC Now that I have a what feels like a part-time job training for the New York Marathon, my fleet of recovery tools have swiftly become my most-prized possessions. Like a mother with many talented children, I’ll never admit which one’s my favorite. What I will say is that only one is tiny-yet-mighty enough to warrant carrying it with me wherever I go. Everyone, please allow me to introduce Gaiam’s Restore Mini On-The-Go Muscle Massager ($9). I was introduced to this palm-sized accessory during a recent visit to New York City’s Stretch*d studio. While I cherish my foam roller and can’t rave enough about my Theragun, neither is exactly, well, portable. The restore mini kind of resembles a small chew toy intended for a dog, but it’s equipped to massage out the knots in your biceps, back, hamstrings, calves, and more. Gaiam even offers a massage guide, but it feels great pretty much anywhere on your body. Bethany Chang, my “stretch*r”, tells me that the mini-roller’s ridges let it go deep (and I mean deep) into the tensest parts of your muscles. “The small ridges on the roller allow it to get into deeper layers of muscle, whereas a traditional foam roller with a smooth surface hits the muscles more superficially. The inconsistent surface area, coupled with the smaller size of this tool, allows you to get deeper into more specific points,” she says. What it’s like to get professionally stretched: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQrwJp2E4Rc] Chang loves
Why OB/GYNs say it’s so important to get a flu shot when you’re pregnant
October 21, 2019 at 10:02PM by CWC With flu season now in full swing, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that about 65 percent of women who are pregnant haven’t received the influenza vaccine this year. The nation’s health protection agency recommends flu shots during any trimester of pregnancy to safeguard the health of both mother and unborn child. Getting a flu shot when pregnant is in fact the safest choice. “I want to reinforce that all expectant mothers should be up-to-date with recommended vaccinations as part of their routine prenatal care,” says CDC director Robert Redfield, MD. Women who are pregnant arguably need the flu shot more than anyone else, says Kecia Gaither, MD, a double board-certified OB/GYN. “In a pregnant woman, the immune system downgrades, and changes to lung function predispose them to getting the flu,” she says. “But when mothers who receive the flu shot, they pass some of that immunity to the baby via the placenta—thus helping to provide immunity to the baby for the first few months of life.” The CDC’s case for vaccination is compelling. Pregnant women are more than twice as likely to be hospitalized if they contract the flu during pregnancy as compared to women who are not pregnant. “Since 2010, among women ages 15 to 44 years who were hospitalized for influenza, 24 percent to 34 percent of them were pregnant—even though only approximately 9 percent of U.S. women in this age group are pregnant at any given
4 moves to loosen up your lower half if you’re dealing with restless legs
October 21, 2019 at 09:19PM by CWC If you have restless legs syndrome, you know the feeling: It’s been a long day and all you can imagine doing is settling on the couch to catch up on your fave Netflix show. As soon as you sit down, your legs start tingling and aching and then your blissful TV sesh is interrupted by the fact that your legs are screaming at you to move around. Sound familiar? “Restless legs syndrome is ultimately a slightly impulsive and erratic electrical signal in the lower nerves of the spine,” says Eric Goodman, DC, chiropractor and creator of Foundation Training. “Symptoms often worsen as you get neurologically tired, so typically it’s worse at the end of the day, and of course, while you’re trying to sleep.” You can still take actionable steps to help ease the urge to move. “It’s very important to continue to work out when you have restless legs syndrome, but it’s even more important to not overexert yourself or push yourself hard. You should only do you exercise to a point where you don’t feel aches or fatigue, and avoid overtraining the muscles,” says Nonna Gleyzer, founder of Los Angeles-based Pilates studio, Body By Nonna. That means low impact workouts that don’t involve a lot of repetitions are great options since they don’t over-fatigue your muscles (which can aggravate the symptoms). Gleyzer also suggests exercise like restorative yoga, stretching, or light walking since they can help relax your nervous system and calm
7 delicious vegetarian slow cooker recipes that practically do the cooking for you
October 21, 2019 at 09:15PM by CWC Having a slow cooker is basically like having a private chef. You do the prepping in the morning by putting all the ingredients into the Crock-Pot or Instant Pot, and when you return home after work, there’s a healthy and delicious meal waiting for you—one you hardly remember putting together. Instead of trying to find the energy to cook yourself something after a long day, dinner is served. Vegetarian slow cooker recipes are the easiest way to add more plant-based dishes into your routine. When you load it up with veggies and spices and let those flavors get to know each other throughout the day, you’ll be left with a final product that’s just as healthy as it is satisfying. And these cozy meals are a great place to start. Vegetarian slow cooker recipes that are just as easy as they are healthy Photo: Two Peas & Their Pod 1. Slow cooker black bean tortilla soup Vegetarian tortilla soup? Count me in. This version contains a wide variety of healthy veggies, including onion, bell peppers, black beans, tomatoes, and corn. Photo: Inspiralized 2. Crockpot cauliflower bolognese with zucchini noodles Pro tip: You can make a hearty bolognese sauce using cauliflower. And when you pour it over zucchini noodles, game over. Photo: Gimme Some Oven 3. Lemony lentil soup Loaded with flavor, this lentil soup gets an energizing zest from the addition of lemon for a unique—and a mouth-watering!—twist on the classic. Photo: Jessica
4 signs it’s time to get rid of old faithful—your beloved, falling-apart bra
October 21, 2019 at 08:44PM by CWC I remember the very first time I retired a bra. Purchased in the the tween section of Target, what was once a beautiful neon-pink number with gold stars had degraded into a faded, stretched out shadow of its former self. Even though the garment brought me heaps of discomfort (boo you, underwire), it was hard to say goodbye. The bra had loved me faithfully; now, I had to let go. The circle of (undergarment) life should repeat itself every six to eight months, according to Jessica Pfister, vice president of lingerie brand Le Mystere. “When your bra is worn out, you are not getting the support or shape you need to give your clothes a good foundation to rest on,” she says. In other words, a bra kept for too long ultimately defeats its one, true purpose. So if you’ve been holding onto Old Faithful for quite some time, Pfister says that a few signs indicate that it’s time to recycle the closet staple and move on in life and lingerie. 4 signs that you should replace an old bra, according to a lingerie expert 1. Your cups are bulging or gaping “If it’s bulging, the cup is too small or your straps are too tight,” says Pfister. Gaping, on the other hand, indicates that the cups are too big. 2. The underwire doesn’t lay flat against your chest Pfister says that the underwire in your bra should cup the breast tissue and
Jenna Dewan’s delicious go-to meals make me want to step up my cooking game
October 21, 2019 at 07:30PM by CWC Actress Jenna Dewan is the first to admit that she has done a lot of out-there things in the name of wellness. “Juice cleanses, colonics, charcoal rinses…I’ve done it all,” she says. Dewan—who announced in September that she’s pregnant—writes about the parts of wellness that actually resonated with her in her new book, Gracefully You: Finding Beauty and Balance in the Everyday. The book is full of tips on how to use everything from mantras to movement to connect with your deeper self and to feel more balanced. Of course part of feeling balanced is eating in a way that makes you feel nourished. For Dewan, this means following the 80/20 diet, an eating plan that’s defined by eating healthy 80 percent of the time and in a more “anything goes” way 20 percent of the time. “I’ve tried a lot of different eating plans, and this is the one that works for me,” Dewan says. Here’s a peek at the plant-forward meals that Jenna Dewan typically eats in a day. Photo: Getty Images/Foxys_forest_manufacture; Graphic: Well+Good Creative Breakfast “Every day, I wake up and make a Glowing Green smoothie, using nutritionist Kimberly Snyder‘s recipe,” Dewan says. “I met Kimberly about seven years ago and have been making these green smoothies pretty much every day since. It’s made with spinach, romaine, celery, apple, and pear, so it’s loaded with really good fiber.” “Every once in a while, instead of the smoothie I’ll have a