Jun 30, 2016

Kids In The Kitchen: Navigating Healthy Eating For The Whole Family | Nema McGlynn – Huffington Post – Huffington Post Canada

FAMILY GROCERY SHOPPING

BananaStock via Getty Images

With the arrival of summer, many Canadians are embracing fresh, seasonal, local foods, but for families with picky eaters, it can be difficult to break away from routine shops. I’ve talked to a lot of families who find themselves stuck in these doldrums and are craving a change, but struggle to introduce new foods into their repertoire. My advice: get your children involved in the meal planning and preparation.

It’s important for children to understand where food comes from, develop food preparation skills and learn about what’s in season. Not only will it be beneficial in the future when they are adults and cooking for themselves, but it’s also a great way to help them appreciate the time and effort that goes into making dinner each night.

Here are some tips and tricks I share with my clients to support them in getting the whole family involved in planning, creating, and cooking healthy meals.

1. Talk before you shop

Before heading out to the grocery store to pick up this week’s must-haves, take some time to discuss healthy meal options with your kids. Use Canada’s Food Guide as a tool to discuss what types of foods they should be eating and use your local flyers to choose items that are featured or on sale.

2. Kid-approved recipes

Have your kids look at cookbooks or browse recipes online to help pick out new dishes to try at home. You may need to provide some guidance to make sure your meal includes food items from all four food groups.

3. Navigate the grocery isles

As you wander the grocery aisles, use this time as a learning experience to introduce new ingredients to your kids. Let them select the vegetables for dinner one night or different fruits to have as a snack.

4. Meet with the experts

Set up a consultation with a registered dietitian. They can offer advice and tips to make sure your family is getting the nutrients they need and are eating the right types of ingredients for their lifestyle and activity level. At Loblaws and Zehrs stores, we offer free consultations with registered dietitians. It’s a one-stop shop to get all of your health and grocery needs.

5. Make your kitchen an interactive classroom

The kitchen is a constant learning experience. Being involved in meal preparation teaches your kids about literacy, science and math. Assign your kids tasks in the kitchen based on skill level. For example, have them help with washing fruits or vegetables, reading the recipe, grating cheese, mixing ingredients together in a bowl or measuring ingredients. You can even have them help with the clean-up.

6. Take it outside

Pique their interest by growing herbs and vegetables with your kids. Try a selection of different lettuces or tomatoes or, if you are limited for space, a strawberry hanging basket. Your kids can watch as they grow and ripen and help with harvesting the fruits and vegetables when they are ready.

7. Practice what you preach

The goal as parents is to help our kids establish positive eating habits and attitudes. To make sure our kids are eating healthy food options, we have to set a good food example and feed ourselves well to feed our kids well.

Try out some of these tips and get your kids involved with helping to pick out and cook a family meal. It may take a bit of extra patience, but it will be a great opportunity to introduce some new ingredients.
Nema McGlynn is a registered dietitian with Loblaws. She is part of a network of more than 76 dietitians who provide free services like one-on-one consultations, assisted shopping, school tours and recipe ideas at locations across the country.

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This healthy diet tip isn’t just for older people – SBS

You might think that dietary fibre is only of interest to the geriatric set — all those reminders that it helps with, er, constipation.

But we should all be more mindful. The theory that a high-fibre diet is an extremely healthful one has been around since the 1970s, and data from subsequent research continue to pile up, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. “In 2002, the Institute of Medicine set recommendations for daily fibre intake. Up to age 50, men should eat 38 grams of fibre per day. After age 50, they should aim for 30 grams daily. The corresponding amounts for women are 25 and 21 grams,” reads a Harvard Heart Letter from May 2014. In Australia, the recommendation is that men of any age consume 30 grams per day, and women 25g (28g for pregnant women over the age of 18).

“I know it’s good for your digestion, but to tell you the truth, I’m not quite sure what fibre actually is,” a friend admitted. “Is it a carb?”

Got it in one. The term dietary fibre, coined in 1953, specifically refers to plant carbohydrates that are resistant to digestion and absorption in humans. There are two different types of dietary fibrr: insoluble and soluble. Most whole foods contain both kinds but are typically richer in one than the other.

Insoluble fibre — which is found in whole grains, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and the skin of fruits — adds bulk to stools and helps food pass more easily through the stomach and intestines. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are high in soluble fibre, which attracts water and turns to gel during digestion, slowing down the process, thus preventing dramatic spikes in blood sugar.

Eating plenty of dietary fibre also provides a sense of fullness, so it can help you maintain a healthy weight. It will also lower your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and even some cancers. In a 2012 double-blind intervention study from the University of Illinois, researchers found that dietary fibre promotes a shift in the beneficial microbes that support a healthy gastrointestinal tract.

A notable long-term study of 44,000 women, published this February in the journal Pediatrics, concluded that the consumption of fibre-rich foods during the teenage years may significantly reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

These days, lots of people drink many of their vegetables in the form of juices, but if you’re one of them, be aware that unless you are using a slow juicer — aka a masticating or single-gear juicer — you’re not getting the benefit of their fibre, which is in the skin and pulp. Opt for a smoothie instead, as puréeing vegetables in a blender leaves the fiber intact.

Increasing the fibre quotient in your meals is by no means a hardship. I feel silly saying this — if you’ve read this far, you probably have healthy eating habits — but if you aren’t accustomed to eating whole grains and fresh vegetables and fruit, then introduce them gradually.

Breakfast

Dreary bran cereals are so last century. A handful of berries ups the ante in already-fibre-rich oatmeal, and avocado toast, made with half an avocado and whole-grain toast, is a win-win as well. Make-ahead raspberry chia breakfast puddings are another option; in fact, chia seeds, which have a hefty 5.5 grams of fibre per tablespoon, can be stirred into just about anything.

Lunch

Here’s another chance to get an avocado toast fix. On hot days, though, all I really need in the middle of the day is hummus, whether made from the usual chickpeas or an broad bean and almond version

Dinner

Craving a burger, you say? Try one made with black beans, or chickpeas and quinoa. Or make a hearty main-course salad that won’t leave anyone feeling deprived. When it comes to pasta night, I’ve been converted to farro pasta. As far as sides go, stir snap peas, shelled garden peas, or (non-GMO) edamame into your favorite potato salad, and eat a rainbow of vegetables whether cooked or raw. 

Snacks

Substitute whole-grain crackers or crudités for chips or pretzels. Don’t save the popcorn (it’s a whole grain, after all) just for movie night — and when in doubt, go nuts!

This article originally appeared on takepart.com. Read the original article here

YMCA summer camp teaching youth about healthy eating, exercise – Terre Haute Tribune Star

Seven-year-old Mariah Flood carefully studied her options in the candy aisle Thursday morning at Baesler’s Market.

She had selected Inside Out Gummy Bears for about $2 and had another $3 she could spend out of her $10 gift card. “What can I buy for $3?” she asked. After much careful deliberation, the second-grader also bought Pringles and a drink, just slightly exceeding her $5 limit by 45 cents.

She and 80 other summer campers at the Vigo County YMCA are participating in the “STEM and FIT” project. For the next several weeks, the campers will learn about healthful-eating habits and exercise in an effort to reduce childhood obesity. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math, and FIT for the Fighting It Together obesity program.

Baesler’s provided each student with a $10 gift card, and students were allowed to spend half Thursday and could purchase whatever they wanted, with a few limits. The candy and snack aisles were especially popular.

The chance is that after students learn more about good nutrition, they purchase healthier items when they return and get to spend the rest of their gift cards.

“I came up with this idea a couple of summers ago,” said Ellen Ramseier, executive branch director of the YMCA of Vigo County. “I wanted to create a program that would certainly benefit our youth in two much-needed areas — math/science and nutrition/fitness. This program is designed to help educate our youth with a fun, hands-on approach on how to incorporate everyday math and science into healthy lifestyles.”

Youth coordinator Jessica Wireman and assistant Courtney Tyra are overseeing the program. 

Part of the project involves the Baesler’s shopping trips. With the first trip, most kids will go for the typical unhealthy choices, Ramseier said. Before they return, they will have actually lessons at camp on how to take care of their bodies, what types of food are best for them, what certain foods do to their bodies, what a calorie is, why they need protein and fruits and vegetables. 

<z186667>If it’s similar to last year, lots of will choose healthier options on the return trip.

<z186667>Last year, Mariya Krisenko, a graduate of Rose-Hulman, volunteered for the STEM and FIT program and completed statistical data. She found that 37 percent of the campers chose healthier choices on the return trip.

Baesler’s donates the gift cards, which added up to $800 this year. Bob Baesler views the program as a good way to promote health and wellness in the community. “We think it’s a great idea,” he said. And the program appears to have actually a positive impact.

“The first go-round, you’ll see most of them in the candy aisle,” he said. “The second go-round, you’ll see more in the produce area buying fruits and that kind of thing.”

Baesler’s Market is doing its part to promote health and wellness. It removed candy from checkouts  as well as soft drink products at the store’s front entrance. 

STEM and FIT also helps children learn how to budget, how to shop, how to read a food labels and more. 

Other program sponsors are the Pomeroy Wellness Program, Terre Haute Rotary and United Way of the Wabash Valley.

Meanwhile, the camp participants had some tough decisions to make. One girl said proudly, “I’ve only spent 99 cents” as she held up a package of brownies.

Freddy Kuhn, age 8, settled on a 12-oz. carton of Whoppers and a 7-oz. package of Hershey’s candy bars. “I like Hershey’s and I want to try Whoppers,” he said.

Another boy settled on two packages of neon sour gummy worms and a 20 oz. bottle of coca-cola. “I believed they would certainly be good choices, instead of having something that would certainly melt” on the trip back to the Y, he said.

Sue Loughlin can be reached at 812-231-4235 or at sue.loughlin@tribstar.com Follow Sue on Twitter @TribStarSue.

New Surgical Weight Loss Device Alarms Eating Disorders Experts – Psychiatry Advisor

FDA approval was based on a single clinical trial involving 111 patients, which was funded by the device manufacturer.
FDA approval was based on a single clinical trial involving 111 patients, which was funded by the device manufacturer.

In June 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a surgical weight-loss device called AspireAssist, which allows patients to remove a portion of their stomach contents after they eat. It is indicated for use in individuals aged 22 and older who are defined as obese based on a body mass index (BMI) of 35 to 55, and who have been unable to manage their weight through non-surgical means. The FDA states that patients who are “moderately overweight” and those with certain medical conditions or eating disorders should not use the device.

Not so simple, say eating disorders experts, many of whom strongly oppose the device’s approval and point out multiple aspects of its use that could pose health risks to patients. “The entire concept offends, disgusts, and saddens me – I think the device is a form of assisted bulimia,” Dina Zeckhausen, PhD, psychologist and founder of the Eating Disorders Information Network (www.MyEdin.org) told Psychiatry Advisor. “It is galling that the FDA has approved this device given the small data set, the potential for harm and the lack of understanding of the complexity of humans’ relationship with food and their bodies,” she said.

In a quick procedure, a surgeon places a tube into the patient’s stomach with an endoscope, then connects it to a port valve that lies outside the body against the skin. About 20 or 30 minutes after eating, patients attach a connector and tubing to the valve. In a process that takes approximately 5 to 10 minutes and is said to remove approximately 30% of calories consumed, the individual then opens the valve and drains the contents into a toilet. Patients are required to meet with their physician frequently for monitoring, lifestyle counseling, and needed adjustments.
 

In the one clinical trial on which the FDA’s approval was based, which was funded by the manufacturer, 111 patients received the AspireAssist device and lifestyle therapy consisting of nutrition and exercise counseling for a year, and a control group of 60 patients received the lifestyle intervention alone. Over the study period, the group using the device averaged a weight loss equal to 12.1% of their body weight, while the control group had an average loss of 3.6%–a difference of 8.5% between groups. Both groups showed small improvements in quality of life and conditions like diabetes and hypertension, possibly because of the lifestyle therapy.

Nonetheless, Stephanie Zerwas, PhD, associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and clinical director of the UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders, expressed serious concerns about the device in that it mimics vomiting and enables people to dump food directly from their stomachs. “I’m extremely worried about the harm this could do both medically and psychologically,” she told Psychiatry Advisor. “Having an open port to your stomach increases risk of infection or ulcers,” she said, and those are 2 on a list of adverse effects and risks that could arise from use of the device or the surgical placement of it. Others include nausea, vomiting, pain, indigestion, and puncture of the stomach, as well as persistent fistula after the device is removed. Of the patients in the trial, 5 developed serious adverse effects, including pain, peritonitis, mild ulceration, and fungal growth in the tube, all of which were easily resolved, according to the study results.

There is also the risk for psychological harm, said Dr Zerwas. “We’ve already seen that patients with bariatric procedures often struggle with eating disorders after their surgery,” she noted, and she agrees with Dr Zeckhausen that the new device seems like a form of medically-assisted bulimia nervosa. It sends unhealthy messages that can be especially dangerous to individuals struggling with or at risk of eating disorders: that weight loss is more important than the risk of infection and other adverse effects, and that disordered eating is a justifiable way to lose weight if it is medically prescribed. “A society that approves a device like this is basically both commodifying and profiting from dangerous eating disorder behavior–it’s a scary development,” she stated.

In addition, eating disorders are not always apparent, and if a patient has struggled with one in the past or has a family history of eating disorders and therefore a higher risk of developing one, the use of the AspireAssist device could lead to severe harm. There are also scenarios in which such a device could pose unique treatment challenges–for example, if malnourishment developed as a result of using the device. “If a patient is losing bone density, loses their menstrual cycle, or obsesses about food after using a device like this, will medical professionals even be on the lookout for these concerns?,” Dr Zerwas wondered. Her team sees many patients who show symptoms of malnutrition after a significant weight loss, even if their weight is still higher than “normal” according to weight charts.

Another criticism of the device centers around the lack of emphasis on patients’ relationship with food and their bodies, their ability to tune in to hunger and satiety signals, and the development of healthy emotion regulations and coping skills. “This method does not help people learn to manage their relationship with food on the front end,” said Dr Zeckhausen. “It is a quick fix mind-set with potential severe long-term dangers, and it reinforces the thin-at-any-price ideal, even if it costs one’s physical and mental health.”

References

1. US Department of Health and Human Services: US Food and Drug Administration. FDA news release: FDA approves AspireAssist obesity device. June 2016. Retrieved on 6/29/16 from http://ift.tt/1WMH6vQ.

2. Thompson CC, Abu Dayyeh BK, Kushner R, et al. The AspireAssist Is an Effective Tool in the Treatment of Class II and Class III Obesity: Results of a One-Year Clinical Trial. Gastroenterology. 2016. 150(4); Supplement 1: S96.

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5 Smart Ways to Save on Delicious Farmers Market Produce – Money Talks News (blog)


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This time of year, shopping at a farmers market is a great way to score delicious, locally grown produce and other goodies.

And despite what you might think, eating good, healthy foods doesn’t have to cost a fortune. In fact, I routinely find fresh produce for cheaper at my local farmers market than I can get it at Walmart, and you can do the same.

Here are five smart ways you can save money while shopping at a farmers market:

  1. Buy in bulk: Ask the farmer if he’ll cut you a deal if you purchase an item in bulk. We have several Hutterite colonies in my area that sell their produce at our farmers market. I’ve purchased in bulk from them many times over the years, and they’ve nearly always given me a break for buying over a certain quantity. Even if a farmer doesn’t advertise a bulk discount — and most of the farmers I’ve purchased from don’t — it certainly doesn’t hurt to ask.
  2. Be flexible: Although it’s usually recommended that you make a shopping list and stick to it to avoid impulse buys or overspending when you’re shopping, when you’re hitting up a farmers market, you want to shop with a flexible list. Produce that’s fresh and in season is going to sell for less than other items, so don’t be afraid to try new fruits and vegetables or swap in-season produce for other items — which brings me to our next money-saving tip.
  3. Shop in-season produce: I visited a friend in Oregon in late May a few years ago. I was delighted to find out that one of my favorite veggies, asparagus, was in season then so it was plentiful and selling for super cheap at the farmers market we visited. In my town, the farmers market typically doesn’t get going until after July 4, when area farmers are finally able to harvest some of their early crops, like strawberries, radishes and carrots. Not sure what’s in season in your area? Check out this helpful guide from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

4. Go late: You can oftentimes score great deals on produce and other farmers market goods if you skip the morning rush and shop later in the day, closer to the market’s closing time. It’s been my experience that the farmers don’t want to pack up their unsold goods and take them home with them, so they’ll often let them go for a steal. I’ve also had farmers approach me or seen them approach other shoppers with a bag of produce — like onions, corn or potatoes — and offer it for a low price, just so they can get rid of it.

5. Get to know your farmer: Building relationships with your local farmers is one of the best ways to save money on goods. The handful of Hutterite colonies that I purchase items from typically remember me and what I buy from them, and they’re more likely to give me good deals on their items or throw in a few free ears of corn or something similar. It also helps to chat with the farmers and tell them how you’ve liked their items. “If you tell a vendor that you absolutely loved the way his or her heirloom Brandywine tomatoes complemented the basil you bought from him last week, there is a strong likelihood he or she will cut you a deal on your next purchase,” says Eat Local Grown.

Check out “10 Ways to Get More Out of the Farmers Market.”

Do you shop farmers markets? Share your experiences below or on our Facebook page.


Stacy Johnson

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How To Protect & Treat Your Scalp In the Sun: Expert Shares Summer Hair Care Tips – Fashion Times

Sunshine, swimming and sweat — these are the three mainstays of summer. But did you know they can damage not only your hair, but also your scalp? Don’t let your hair and scalp suffer in the summer sun this season. Prominent hair health expert, Dr. Alan Bauman shared some super helpful tips on how to keep your hair and scalp healthy in the heat. “It’s important to know the risks summer brings, so you know how you can help your locks and scalp survive the summer,” the pro stressed. Here’s what you should keep in mind.

Shampoo & Conditioner – This is the first line of defense for your hair and can create a protective layer against environmental damage. “Use a shampoo that is sulfate-free and has a deep cleanser. It should remove remove pollutants, but not strip the hair of its essential oils,” Dr. Bauman said. Bauman says the conditioner should protect and lubricate the cuticle, so look for one with amino silicones and cationic surfactants. 
Summer Hair Care

(Photo : Getty)

Protective Treatments – Did you know that sunscreen can be applied directly to the hair as a “sunblock” to protect its color? Applying lightweight silicone products to damp hair will also protect against frizz while enhancing shine. “And don’t forget your scalp, sunscreen should be applied directly to any scalp exposed to the sun,” Dr. Bauman noted. 

Vitamins – Make sure your diet includes several key vitamins for your hair, like iron, zinc, biotin, selenium and B-12.

Hair Supplements – Nutritional supplements like Viviscal will also boost the quality and growth factor of your hair, helping your tresses in summer. 
Summer Hair Care

(Photo : Getty)

Avoid Damaging Activities – During hot summer months, be extra careful about these risk factors: pool chlorine, hair dye, blow dryers, curling and flat irons, straightening and over-shampooing.

Treat Your Scalp – Summer is a great time to pamper your scalp. “Whether it is a little extra exfoliation or a weekly scalp massage, healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp,” Dr. Bauman reminded us.

Planning on protecting your scalp and hair this summer? Tell us how with a note below. 

FOLLOW: Hair Care, sumer 2016, scalp, hair

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Homemade Alternative to TastyBite Brand Madras Lentils – Care2.com

When I tried a sample of TastyBite brand Madras Lentils off a little plastic spoon at Costco, I loved the flavor! The sauce was creamy and gently spiced. My kids liked it. The ingredients list—simple, whole and vegetarian—almost hooked me.

But I’m a “from-scratch” kind of person at heart, and instead of buying the pouches I set about creating a copycat version of Madras Lentils in my own kitchen. Jackpot! This recipe is my own take on those hearty, deeply-flavorful lentils mingling along with creamy red beans in spiced tomato sauce.

Even though the commercial version of Madras Lentils offers convenience and nutritious ingredients, there’s good reason to make it at house instead:

Eat fresh. When you use fresh ingredients you source yourself, food just tastes better! You can likewise choose organic ingredients if you like.

Enjoy the surplus. This recipe makes a HUGE pot of Madras Lentils. Serve a crowd, eat leftovers for days or freeze half for another week.

Reduce Packaging Waste. Each pouch of TastyBite brand Madras Lentils contains just 10 oz. of food. If you eat them regularly, that adds up to a lot of plastic! Portion homemade Madras Lentils in freezer-safe containers to reduce waste.

Save money. The ingredients cost around $10 at most supermarkets, and the dish easily feeds 6-8 people.

We love to eat these Madras Lentils over whole grain naan or toast, brown rice and even whole wheat pasta. Enjoy them for dinner tonight!

Madras Lentils

Ingredients:

1 lb (dry) French lentils, rinsed and drained
2 cups cooked small red beans*
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 sweet onion, chopped small
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
2 Tbls. butter
½ mug half & half
1 tsp. ground cumin
1-2 tsp. salt

Directions:

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, fry onion and jalapenos in the butter for about ten minutes, until they turn slippery and translucent.

Add the lentils, cumin and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer until the lentils are tender, 30-45 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and red beans, and simmer for ten minutes to blend flavors.

Use an immersion blender to puree some of the lentils. I stop when I think about half the lentils are pureed, and the rest are still whole.  (You may likewise take a few cups of lentils out and puree them in a regular blender, then return them to the pot.)

Stir in the cream and salt, then adjust seasonings to taste and serve!

*Canned is fine, but for extra flavor, I like to cook the red beans in a tension cooker along with a teaspoon of ground cumin, a quartered onion and two bay leaves.

Jessica Alba’s Honest Co. Is Preparing for an IPO… Slowly – Bloomberg

The Honest Co. is sincere about its IPO plans — but it’s not in a hurry. 

Best known for creating diapers, sunscreen and cleaning products that are light on chemicals and heavy on green marketing buzz, the shopping startup co-founded by actress Jessica Alba had $275 million in revenue last year, sources close to the company told Bloomberg. That’s ahead of previous expectations and a healthy uptick from the $150 million in revenue reported for 2014.

In addition to growing sales, Honest has cash on hand. The startup, which has actually raised $222 million from Glade Brook Capital Partners, Fidelity Investments, Institutional Venture Partners, Lightspeed Venture Partners and others, still has actually the majority of that money on its balance sheet, chief executive officer Brian Lee said.

“No one is in a rush to IPO,” said Jeremy Liew, a partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners and Honest board member since 2011. “That’s the luxury of having a good company that’s growing quickly, is well-financed and isn’t a capital hog. You can choose the best time and place for the IPO.”

That golden moment isn’t now for Honest, despite Twilio’s blockbuster IPO last week. Despite the fact that the communications software company had a great debut — shares are now trading at more than double the IPO price — it was just the second venture-backed tech IPO of 2016.  Hopes that it could open the public market for other unicorns were tempered after U.K. voters decided to leave the European Union. Angst over the potential impacts of that decision have since dented the global financial markets and added volatility — not a great ingredient for public stock listings.

“An IPO would certainly be a financing and branding event for us,” said Lee, adding the company isn’t starved for either at the moment. Investors valued Honest at $1.7 billion in a financing round last year. Lee declined to comment on the Bloomberg report earlier this year that Honest is working with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Morgan Stanley on such an offering.

Alex Wilhelm, editor-in-chief of data analytics service Mattermark,  said he’s been hearing little enthusiasm from unicorns to enter the public market. He sees no reason for Honest to go public, “unless their investors are hungry for liquidity.”

The sole focus now for the Santa Monica, Calif.-based startup is on rolling out more products and owning the U.S. market. It 2011, it started as an online-only site selling 17 products. Now it has deals with Costco Wholesale Corp., Target Co. and others to carry the most popular of the 1,200 items it now offers. Honest has actually sought to distinguish itself from other consumer packaged goods brands by promoting what it says are healthy, natural products for babies, moms and their homes.

Not all products have been a success. Consumers using its sunscreen filed a class action lawsuit last year saying the product didn’t work, and questions persist over the legitimacy of Honest’s marketing claims that its laundry detergent is free of sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS. In April, the Organic Consumers Association filed suit versus the company, alleging its “organic” baby formula includes 11 “synthetic substances that are not allowed in organic products.” Attorneys representing the Organic Consumers Association did not respond to a request for comment. The sunscreen suit was transferred to the Central District Court of California in November, and attorneys representing the plaintiffs did not respond to a request for comment. 

Lee said the company stands behind the safety of its infant formula. He also said the company “learned a lot” from last year’s complaints about its sunscreen and has actually since worked to educate consumers on how to use it. Online sunscreen sales are up 50 percent year-over-year for the second quarter of 2016 and sunscreen sales at Costco are up 42 percent during that same period, Lee said. 

Although the brand has actually played well on the coasts, heartland states have been slower to embrace it. Awareness of Honest overall nationwide — when prompted — hovers around 35 percent, according to a survey Honest commissioned. The next big push comes this fall when the company begins selling hair care products — its third category.

Honest has actually also hired Laurence Dryer to head product development and innovation. She previously developed brands and formulations for Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Obagi Medical Products, Neutrogena and others.

The company’s next category could be nail care, according to Lee. Liew said the focus is on continuing to introduce more products in the U.S. and learning to behave like a public company. Honest established internal controls including audit and compensation committees more than a year ago, he said.

Eric Liaw, a general partner at Institutional Venture Partners and also on the Honest board, said he also has actually no interest in going public prematurely.

“Honest is a stock I personally could hold for 10 years, 15 years or maybe longer. The category and growth is that large,” he said. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. LEARN MORE

Mets Ace Noah Syndergaard Shares the Secret to His Norse God Hair – GQ Magazine

Beauty: nail polish that stays put – The Guardian

I know from your social media messages that a large number of you love Chanel’s nail colours, but have been frustrated by their longevity, or lack thereof. I’ve always concurred. The truth is, I can think of no brand as consistent in its beautiful colour choices – I invariably gasp whenever a new collection drops through the letterbox – but it’s rare that I actually wear the polishes unless for special occasions when I’ve made peace with the fact that my manicure will die sooner than my hangover.

This is especially disappointing given that Chanel polishes cost about the same as an evening’s babysitter. And so when Chanel got in touch to say they knew of the problem and had reformulated their nail polishes accordingly, I was intrigued and hopeful. To cut to the chase, the new Longwear Nail Colour is a huge improvement.

In week one, I wore Le Vernis Particulière underneath the new Le Gel topcoat (£18 each). Both went on brilliantly (though those hoping for a new wider brush will be disappointed) and dried unusually quickly. On day six, I had a single chip that could easily have limped past the week mark, but I had somewhere posh to go and whipped it off. Next I tried the new Chanel polish with a different topcoat, Revlon Colorstay Gel Envy (£7.99), and got four full days of chip-free colour. And so while I concede Le Vernis varnishes are still a big extravagance, I can assure you Chanel is working a lot harder for your cash.

Related: Beauty: are ‘miracle’ products any good? | Sali Hughes

Also on a long-lasting tip, I know from your feedback that many of you want a foundation for oily or menopausal skin that stays put without looking flat and dry, and I can finally recommend one. MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Foundation (£25.50) has good coverage, a great shade range (as with all MAC foundations, those beginning with NW are pinky, those prefixed with NC are more yellowy, and I find they generally darken a fraction post-application, so do try before you buy) and while I don’t agree that it’s fully waterproof – it went patchy in the shower – it handles sweat, humidity and rain robustly and unwaveringly. Likewise, Nyx’s Waterproof Mascara Top Coat Proof It! (£5.50). I’ve always used a much pricier version to convert normal mascara into waterproof, but this is every bit as good for the price of a cheap umbrella.

This Is What Jenna Dewan-Tatum’s Stocks In Her Kitchen – Glamour

A Boston-based restaurant started a farm that also benefits at-risk youths – Boston.com

13 Best Fish: High in Omega-3s – and Environment-Friendly – U.S. News & World Report

Purchase the best fish.


Fresh Sardines on ice.

(Getty Images)

Buying fish can be a tricky task – it’s hard to find one that’s healthy for both you and the ocean. There’s no master guide ranking fish by what’s important: high omega-3s, low mercury levels and healthy environmental factors. But here are 13 menu options that meet the bar on all those measures, according to the Environmental Defense Fund’s Seafood Selector and the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch programs. These choices are high in omega-3s and low in contaminants, and they’re produced in a way that’s friendly to their environments. How you prepare a dish will obviously determine its calorie count, so unless noted, the calories listed here are for servings of uncooked fish.
1. Wild salmon from Alaska

1. Wild salmon from Alaska


Salmon Jumping Up the Brooks Falls at Katmai National Park, Alaska

(Getty Images)

Fresh, frozen or canned are all OK. Wild salmon will cost you a lot more (on average, $30 per pound) than the farmed variety, but it’s worth the big bucks. Salmon farms hold up to 1 million fish per net, and this overcrowding exposes the farmed salmon to chemicals, lice, bacteria and viruses. Plus, salmon farming practices produce waste and can spread parasites and disease to wild fish, among other problems, according to Seafood Watch.

Calorie count: 180 per 4-ounce serving.
2. Arctic char

2. Arctic char


four freshly caught arctic char against a lichen covered rock

(Getty Images)

At a sushi bar, this fish is known as iwana. Arctic char is an environmentally friendly substitute for farmed salmon because it’s farmed in systems that are chemical-free and usually void of diseases. It’s fine to opt for this farmed fish over wild-caught (which isn’t easy to get, anyway).

Calorie count: 204 per 4-ounce serving.
3. Atlantic mackerel

3. Atlantic mackerel


Mackerel fish caught in human hand at Atlantic Ocean.

(Getty Images)

Mackerel populations in general are healthy, so wild-caught is A-OK. The EDF recommends you limit consumption of the Spanish and king species of mackerel because of their potential for mercury contamination, so stick to Atlantic mackerel as a staple.

Calorie count: 232 per 4-ounce serving.
4. Sardines

4. Sardines


Grilled sardines and lemon

(Getty Images)

Sardine fishing on the west coast is closed because of a dramatic decline in the sardine population, so these tiny fish may be hard to locate in stores. If you’re able to find them, they’re a great snack because they don’t come with the mercury worries of fish higher up the food chain, such as swordfish and grouper.

Calorie count: 232 per 4 ounces of drained, canned, oil-packed fish.
5. Sablefish/black cod

5. Sablefish/black cod


Fresh black cod, packed in ice in a shipping container, after being off loaded from a fishing boat.

(Getty Images)

Sablefish is known for its rich, buttery flesh, which puts it in high demand. Seafood Watch recommends you stick to sablefish caught off California, Alaska and British Columbia, where fishing practices have reduced the likelihood of the accidental catch of other species. The EDF advises children 12 and under to eat only two servings a month due to a moderate mercury content.

Calorie count: 220 calories per 4-ounce serving.
6. Anchovies

6. Anchovies


Fresh raw european anchovies on ice

(Getty Images)

This little fish is available year-round and can be frozen, raw or canned. Although all anchovies have low mercury levels and high omega-3s, Seafood Watch recommends only eating those fished from the Adriatic Sea, where fishing methods are sustainable and less likely to accidentally catch marine mammals.

Calorie count: 148 per 4-ounce serving.
7. Oysters

7. Oysters


Fresh oysters in a white plate with ice and lemon on a wooden desk

(Getty Images)

Oysters can be either farmed or caught in the wild (although wild-caught oysters are uncommon). Both methods are generally well-managed and have a low impact on the environment, so oysters are always a great option. At the sushi bar, you may see oysters called kaki.

Calorie count: 67 per 4-ounce serving.
8. Rainbow trout

8. Rainbow trout


Rainbow Trout caught in the Beaverhead River, Montana

(Getty Images)

Rainbow trout are farmed in different ways worldwide, and the safest methods are practiced in ponds, raceways and recirculating agricultural systems – indoor farms that use a series of filters to keep fish clean. Seafood Watch says these farming techniques are effective and can control chemical pollution that was once problematic for this species.

Calorie count: 156 per 4-ounce serving.
9. Albacore tuna

9. Albacore tuna


Albacore tuna

(Getty Images)

Make sure it’s caught from the North Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean, where fishermen use methods that don’t accidentally snag other species. (Most canned tuna comes from fisheries that use more wasteful methods.) Kids 5 and under should limit consumption to two meals a month because of moderate mercury contamination, the EDF says.

Calorie count: 150 per 4-ounce serving of drained, canned, water-packed fish.
10. Mussels

10. Mussels


Mussels on a white plate, Eyre Peninsula, South Australia.

(Getty Images)

Farmed mussels are raised in an environmentally responsible manner – they’re hung from ropes in the ocean. This causes minimal impact to the surrounding ecosystem and in some cases can actually improve the marine environment. You may see them called murugai at a sushi bar.

Calorie count: 97 per 4-ounce serving.
11. Pacific halibut

11. Pacific halibut


Charter fishing for halibut in the Pacific Ocean waters of Canada off of Vancouver Island

(Getty Images)

Overfishing has depleted the stock of Atlantic halibut, but the similar Pacific halibut remains an option. These fish are raised in marine fisheries and then caught with longlines, a fishing method more sustainable than nets (which are the main reason why Atlantic halibut are endangered). Still, the EDF suggests kids ages 5 and under eat Pacific halibut only twice a month because of its mild mercury content.

Calorie count: 142 per 4-ounce serving.
12. Rockfish

12. Rockfish


A beautiful cold water rockfish rests atop a reef crevice in the pacific ocean’s channel islands.

(Getty Images)

Exact species doesn’t matter – all types of rockfish caught in California are OK, according to the EDF. There are more than 70 species of rockfish living off the U.S. west coast, and most are healthy. A few stocks are recovering from overfishing, but a new management program installed by conservation groups is helping fishermen keep the marine ecosystem intact.

Calorie count: 106 per 4-ounce serving.
13. Catfish

13. Catfish


Three catfish ready for the frying pan

(Getty Images)

Watch out for the country-of-origin label – Seafood Watch recommends purchasing catfish raised exclusively in the U.S. because contamination can occur in countries such as Vietnam, Thailand and China, where the government doesn’t regulate fish farming operations. Catfish is the most commonly farmed fish in the U.S. and is touted for its low mercury levels.

Calorie count: 108 per 4-ounce serving.
Read More

Turns Out 84 Percent Of Women Groom Their Pubic Hair – SELF

A new study explains why women are waxing and shaving down there.

If you’ve ever wondered how other women are tending to their nether regions—or not, as the case may be—you’ll be interested in a new study published in JAMA Dermatology. After surveying just over 3,300 American women, its authors found some surprising statistics on the state of pubic hair. Eighty-four percent of respondents reported grooming theirs, while only 16 percent never do. Younger women are significantly more likely to groom than older women, and women who groom are more likely to be white. Oh, and women who groom also report having twice the number of lifetime partners as those who didn’t groom.

 Okay, so it’s not exactly shocking that many young women remove their pubic hair in some way, but the motivation behind the behavior is illuminating. “The goal of the study was not to pass judgment on what people do,” Tami S. Rowen, M.D., the lead author of the study and Assistant Professor at University of California, San Francisco, tells SELF. “It’s to explore why they’re doing it.”

Although partner preference plays a role in the decision, most women are trimming or removing their pubic hair because they think it’s “cleaner.” A whopping 59 percent of respondents said they groom for hygienic reasons. But, says Dr. Rowen, “It’s a misconception that pubic hair is unhygienic. “I’m a general ob/gyn, and many of my patients speak of their hair like it’s a cleanliness issue, and it’s not. Having pubic hair is not unhygienic.”

The idea that pubic hair is ‘dirty’ is a problem, says Autumn Whitefield-Madrano, author of Face Value: The Hidden Ways Beauty Shapes Women’s Lives. “Given that hygiene was the number-one reason cited by women who groomed, it’s clear that we still have a lot to learn about lady parts,” she says. “Certainly pubic hair can become unhygienic if you don’t clean yourself properly, and if you have particularly long pubic hair, you might personally feel more comfortable trimming it. But pubic hair is there for a reason, and it’s to wick away sweat and anything else that goes on ‘down there,’ which keeps you more hygienic than a bald mons pubis does.” 

Neither Dr. Rowen or Whitefield-Madrano is versus the idea of pubic grooming, but both have concerns about how the pressure to look a certain way makes women view their bodies. “The focus on grooming makes women more self-conscious about their appearance,” Dr. Rowen says. “I’ve been noticing how many times women apologize for what their genitals look like. I have patients come in and say, ‘My vulva doesn’t look normal. What’s wrong with it? And their genitals are totally healthy and normal.” For her part, Whitefield-Madrano thinks that women should groom themselves (or not) as they see fit, not to meet an external standard for what women “should” look like. “I’d like to see it go to a place of a true opting-in,” she says of removing pubic hair. “If a woman feels sexier or cleaner or whatever, then fine, go ahead. But I hate the thought of this becoming an inflexible standard. Given that the study found that grooming is cultural, what that says to me is that we can change it—if we want,” says Whitefield-Madrano. 

If you do groom…

Whether you wax your hair or remove it at home, a few guidelines can help you stay healthier. “No matter what method you choose, remember that hair removal also affects the skin,” dermatologist Joshua Zeichner, M.D., the Director of Cosmetic and Clinical Research in Dermatology at Mt. Sinai Hospital in NYC, tells SELF. “Make sure to keep the skin hydrated so that it doesn’t become inflamed during the hair removal process.” If you shave, he advises doing so after a warm shower, using a shave gel to improve razor glide, shaving in the direction of hair growth, and rinsing the razor to remove hair and debris. And use only a sharp blade, he says, to reduce the likelihood of complications such as folliculitis. “A dull blade means that you need to use multiple strokes to remove the hair, but it can cause skin irritation, with barrier disruption.”  

Hair removal isn’t just about aesthetics, says Dr. Rowen. Careless grooming can cause serious health issues. “I see folliculitis in my practice—even labial and vulvar abscesses,” she says. “Women who shave nick their skin, bacteria gets in, and it causes a reaction.” Improper waxing or laser treatments can cause burns, she adds. “If you are planning to groom, you need to do it in really safe ways. And if you have complications, talk to your health care provider right away.” And if you don’t want to groom at all, that’s okay, too—body hair is totally normal, after all.

You may also like: 6 Coconut Oil Beauty Hacks That’ll Change Your Life

The Weeknd Had to Explain His Hair Care Regimen, TMZ Reporter Comes to His Defense – Essence.com

The Weeknd Had to Explain His Hair Care Regimen, TMZ Reporter Comes to His Defense

In the latest on the ignorance of Black hair care and how to address ignorance in the office, a TMZ reporter comes to The Weeknd’s defense when his fellow TMZ peers don’t believe he washes his hair everyday.

While leaving an airport, The Weeknd was harassed about his hair by a TMZ photog who asked, “What’s your hair care regimen?” to which The Weeknd answers, “I’m Black.”

Not an answer that sufficed for the photographer, he pressed, “How often do you wash your hair?”

The Weeknd answers, “Every day.”

‘WAGs’ Star Sasha Gates Discusses Her Natural Hair And Her Brand-new Hair Line

When the TMZ team, watching the clip from the office, begin to scuff in disbelief claiming that The Weeknd’s hair regimen “can’t be possible” due to the fact he wears dreads, a fellow reporter comes to the defense of loc-wearing individuals.

“Shut up, stupid white people,” he accurately addresses them. “You wash your dreads every day because it already locks and you can wash them as much as you want to.”

Watch the video above.

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Gel Manicures and Cancer: What’s Known and How to Play It Safe – Curetoday.com

In recent years, concern has actually grown over the ultraviolet (UV) lights used to dry the gel nail polish. They give off UVA rays, which cause aging and skin cancer.A gel manicure dries in seconds, never smudges and lasts longer than a couple days. It’s benefits like these that make them attractive to salon-goers, but are they safe?

In recent years, concern has actually grown over the ultraviolet (UV) lights used to dry the gel nail polish. They give off UVA rays, which cause aging and skin cancer. These are the same kind as those in tanning beds, only along with much less intensity. Therefore, some doctors warn it could put those who get these manicures at an increased risk for skin cancer. However, Mario Lacouture believes there is not enough data to support this claim. Lacouture is a dermatologist and director of the Oncodermatology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and author of “Dr. Lacouture’s Skin Care Guide for People Living along with Cancer.“

“In terms of the UV light, there is no prospective studies that have actually analyzed the data along with manicure lamps,” said Lacouture. “It’s quite difficult to measure because of the variability to how frequently women will be exposed to these manicures and to extrapolate that to whether or not that really does lead to an increase in skin cancer.”

Overexposure to UV light from the sun or artificial methods (such as gel lamps or tanning beds), conversely, can be harmful and lead to eye and skin damage or skin cancer.

A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reviewed two cases of women who developed nonmelanoma skin cancers on their hands. Neither of the healthy, middle-aged women had personal or family history of skin cancer, but both did report previous exposure to UV nail lights. One of the women, reported getting her nails done twice a month for 15 years.

While Lacouture has actually looked at this study, he adds that there are probably lots of other women out there who are additionally getting the gel manicures along with the UV light and have actually not developed those skin cancers. This information, he points out, was not included in the study.

On the other hand, “There are lots of other patients, tens of thousands, who additionally developed skin cancers on their hands, like these, and have actually never been using those kinds of devices,” Lacouture explained. “For example, this usually occurs in men. The data for this causing skin cancer is really weak. That said, anyone along with a family or personal history of skin cancer, or who is taking a medication that sensitizes them to UV rays (certain anti-inflammatories, antibiotics, and anticancer medications) must avoid the gel lamps or use sunscreen or gloves covering the skin when exposed to them. In addition to the risk for skin cancer, what might be more frequent and visible is the aging of the hands (wrinkling, sun spots) that will develop from exposure to gel lamps without protection.”

No more sneaking sugar into packaged foods – UCLA Newsroom

The iconic black-and-white Nutrition Facts label you find on packaged foods in the United States is getting its first makeover in two decades. The federal government decided last month to update the food label beginning in 2018 by listing how much sugar has actually been added to a product.

The current label lumps added sugar with naturally occurring sugars in the foods themselves, which is a deceptive practice, said Dr. John Swartzberg, a UC Berkeley clinical professor emeritus and editorial board chair of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter. So listing added sugar “will hopefully guide people away from consuming products with a lot of added sugar,” he said.

UCLA

Michael Roberts

With the label change, consumers will be very surprised to see the percentage of daily value of added sugar, for example, in one soda drink, said Michael Roberts, executive director of the UCLA Resnick Program for Food Law and Policy and UC Global Food Initiative subcommittee member.

“Time will tell whether this information changes human behavior, i.e., consuming less soda,” Roberts said. “To be fair, sugar pops up everywhere, not just soda, so the impact that these changes will have on consumers and manufacturers will be interesting to watch.”

UC food experts praise the labeling changes and offer some key takeaways to consumers.

Listing added sugar is the most important label change

The brand-new label will list the amount of added sugar in a product, both in grams and as a percentage of the daily recommended allowance.

Added sugar — any sugar added in the preparation of foods such as table sugar, high fructose corn syrup and others — can be found in hundreds of products such as cereal, yogurt, pasta sauce and salad dressing. But the biggest source is sugar-sweetened beverages, which account for nearly half of Americans’ intake of added sugar. One 20-ounce soda will take you over the recommended amount of sugar for an entire day, said Pat Crawford, senior director of research for the Nutrition Policy Institute of UC’s division of agriculture and natural resources.

“The brand-new label will allow people to reasonably see what they’re doing when they’re consuming high-sugar products,” Crawford said.

Americans need to consume less sugar

More than one out of three adults in the United States is obese. Nearly half of U.S. adults have prediabetes or diabetes, raising their risk of heart attacks, kidney failure, blindness and amputations. Among U.S. children, more than one in six is obese, and diabetes and prediabetes rates are rising. Amid these alarming statistics, there’s a growing concern about too much added sugar in diets.

“It’s important to give the public the information they need in order to modify their diets,” Crawford said. “We are now finding considerable effects on diabetes and heart disease rates for those who regularly consume sugary beverages. A large study of women over an eight-year period found that the risk of diabetes among women who consumed one or more servings of sugar-sweetened beverages per day was nearly double the risk among women who consumed less than one serving per month. Further, drinking one 12-ounce soda a day increases the risk of cardiovascular mortality by almost one-third.”

Crawford noted that the brand-new federal dietary guidelines for the first time recommend limiting added sugars in the diet to no more than 10 percent of one’s daily calories.

“The average amount of added sugar in the American diet is more than 20 teaspoons per day, nearly all of which is added to our foods during processing,” Crawford said. “Since about half of this sugar comes in the form of beverages, we have to rethink our beverage choices. Water should be the beverage of choice.”

Expect manufacturers to make product changes

When the federal government required that manufacturers add trans fat information on the label a decade ago, the food industry responded by marketing more products with lower trans fats.

“Trans fats are now not allowed to be added to foods during processing, but it all began with labeling,” Crawford said. “We’re going to see some big shifts in the marketplace with products lower in sugars, such as cereals, yogurts, spaghetti sauces and beverages, of course. We can look forward to recipe reformulation, which will make products more competitive. It’s a great first step for reducing sugar consumption. In preparation for the brand-new labels, manufacturers are working on creating products with lower levels of added sugars.”

The trick will be to keep food tasting good to consumers while reducing sugar, said UCLA’s Roberts. “Other large manufacturers will pursue brand-new products that are not heavy on added sugars.” In fact, that’s already happening. “For example, Coke and Pepsi sell bottled water,” he said.

“There is a push to at least re-size products,” Schmidt added. “There certainly will be an effort for front-of-package labeling that says ‘low sugar.’”

The brand-new label could lead to regulations limiting sugar

“Including added sugar on the label will be a game-changer for those debates about what is a healthy diet for people in the federal food-assistance programs,” said Schmidt, lead investigator on the UC San Francisco-led sugar science research and education initiative. “Once you’ve got added sugar on the label along with a daily reference value, policymakers will be in the position to set standards for the quantity of added sugar allowed in school lunches and other federal food programs.”

Changes like this have happened before, Schmidt noted. “In the U.K., the government said salt consumption is way too high and mandated that packaged food manufacturers reduce the amount of sodium in their products. It worked like a charm – they just gradually reduced the excess salt in foods to everyone’s benefit.”

The brand-new label makes changes beyond sugar

The brand-new label also will list more realistic serving sizes and will list calories in a larger and bolder font. “This will help people assess how numerous calories they are actually consuming,” Swartzberg said.

Further steps could help consumers

While praising the label changes, UC experts say further steps could help consumers make more informed choices:

  • Adding front-of-package labeling that states whether the product is high in sugar, salt or fat: “This banner on the front of packages would make it simple for a consumer to see whether a food is healthy or whether it has actually ingredients that contribute to risk of heart disease, stroke, obesity or cancer,” Crawford said.
  • Having food vendors add “stoplight” stickers: “Green for the low-sugar products and red for the high-sugar ones,” offered Schmidt.
  • Promoting environmentally sustainable food practices: “(We should) consume more plant-based foods and less meat,” Swartzberg suggested.
  • Increasing research: “The label change is not enough: Further research, education and sound policies will need to be developed to motivate more healthy eating,” Roberts said.

Here’s a complete list of label changes that are coming.

8 Secrets to Eating Like a French Person – TIME

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Can Butter Be Part Of A Healthy Diet? Weak Link Found Between Consumption, Heart Disease, And Premature Death – Medical Daily

Butter is one of America’s favorite spreadable foods with each person estimated to eat more than 5 pounds each year. According to a new study, published in the journal PLOS One, it may not be all that bad for us. A team of researchers from Friedman’s School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University decided to search for a potential link between a buttery diet and disease or death.

“Even though people who eat more butter generally have worse diets and lifestyles, it seemed to be pretty neutral overall,” said the study’s first author Laura Pimpin, a postdoctoral fellow at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, in a statement. “Butter may be a ‘middle-of-the-road’ food: a more healthful choice than sugar or starch, such as the white bread or potato on which butter is commonly spread and which have been linked to higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease; and a worse choice than many margarines and cooking oils – those rich in healthy fats such as soybean, canola, flaxseed, and extra virgin olive oils.”

To figure out how butter plays a role in our health, Pimpin and her colleagues systematically searched through nine different studies, which included a large number of participants (636,151). They found, after looking at each person’s daily diets over time, those who ate more butter didn’t really increase their risk for cardiovascular disease or Type 2 diabetes, nor did it lead to an earlier death. But that may not be the reason butter has become a cooking culprit in America’s obese society; instead it’s what butter is eaten with.

Butter Diet Diets containing bounties of butter may not be healthy, but researchers believe a modest amount won’t hurt. Photo courtesy of Pixabay, public domain

“Butter intake is often added to refined carbohydrates, such as bread,” Pimpin told Medical Daily. “Intake of these foods has been shown to have negative association with health. Use of butter, which has high saturated fat content, is a less healthful choice than plant-based oils. ”

Researchers found people tend to eat between one-third of a serving and 3.2 servings of butter per day (one serving is equivalent to 1 tablespoon). According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2010 Guidelines for Americans, butter should be used sparingly, however consumers can limit their intake of butter to 6 teaspoons (1 tablespoon is equivalent to 2.5 teaspoons).  

“I hope this study highlights the need to look at foods, rather than isolated nutrients when investigating the relationship of diet with health,” Pimpin said. “The next step is to look at patterns of food consumption, and how that relates to health. This study should also highlight the fact that there is limited evidence, and more research is needed to inform the public on practical, food-based approaches of improving their health. ”

By looking at how butter is eaten, such as melted into pasta, spread onto toast, or eaten in slices of potato, future research efforts will be able to unravel the negative repercussions of the beloved saturated fat and identify healthier alternatives. According to the American Heart Association, eating foods that contain saturated fats raise cholesterol levels, which could put you at an increased risk for heart disease and stroke. But with the advent of Tuft’s new findings, Americans may need to worry less about the thickness of their pats of butter and more about what it’s melting onto.

Butter lovers will have to wait to find out the definitive conclusion, because as of now the jury is out. According to the study’s senior author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, the dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, in a statement: “Butter should neither be demonized nor considered ‘back’ as a route to good health.”

Source: Mozaffarian D, Pimpin L, Wu JHY, Haskelberg H, and Gobbo LD. Is Butter Back? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Butter Consumption and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetes, and Total Mortality. PLOS One. 2016.

What to know before trying to improve what you eat – The Providence Journal



What’s more important, the foods you do eat or the foods you don’t? Your health benefits when you eat more vegetables. It also benefits when you eat less added sugar. However, when you add or subtract something from your diet, it’s important to consider the other adverse of the equation in order to remain nutritionally balanced.

– Not all replacements are created equal

One of the lessons learned from the low-fat era was that advice to limit saturated fat wasn’t helpful without recommendations about what to eat instead. As it turns out, replacing saturated fat with refined carbohydrates isn’t good for cardiovascular and metabolic health, while swapping it for polyunsaturated fat does improve health.

Public attention has actually swung from fat to sugar, and while identifying sources of added sugar is one step toward a more healthful diet, it’s also important to focus on things like getting enough vegetables and protein.

– Even healthy calories count

It’s generally a good idea to focus on including more of the foods we benefit from, rather than simply on the foods we “shouldn’t eat,” because it helps ensure that we get the full spectrum of nutrients needed for good health. Plus, there’s a healthy mental aspect to being inclusive instead of exclusive. However, when you add a brand-new food without subtracting something else, you could increase your overall calorie intake beyond what your body needs. Even though it’s hard to do this by adding broccoli, it’s easier to go over the top with a higher-calorie option such as nuts.

Interestingly, research shows that regular nut consumption is not associated with weight gain. This may be because nuts are satiating, leading nut-eaters to unconsciously reduce calories in other areas, or they may be consciously choosing to eat nuts instead of something else. For example, they might be having a handful of walnuts instead of a bag of chips, pumpkin seeds on a salad instead of cheese, or avocado instead of butter on toast.

– Avoiding dietary tunnel vision

Let’s consider two popular diets: paleo and vegan. The paleo diet, as generally practiced, excludes grains, pulses (beans and lentils), dairy and refined sugar. A vegan diet excludes meat, dairy products, eggs and other animal products. But focusing too narrowly on those exclusions can turn them into something unbalanced and unhealthful. A paleo diet replete with bacon, sausage and coconut milk ice cream isn’t terribly good for you. Neither is a vegan diet that is full of white flour pasta, potato chips and soy ice cream.

A paleo diet should be about more than subtracting foods that were introduced to the human diet with the advent of agriculture (grains and pulses). It also should be about more than just adding meat. Simultaneously adding vegetables will bring in healthful carbohydrates and fiber to balance the protein and fat. Similarly, shunning refined sugar but doubling down on honey, agave or coconut sugar doesn’t benefit nutrition or health. Adding whole fruit is a better way to get the sweet taste we enjoy.

Page 2 of 2 – – The peril of taking entire food groups off the table

A diet made up of a variety of whole and minimally processed foods provides the spectrum of nutrients we need for good health. Avoiding certain foods or food groups isn’t always a choice – sometimes it’s a necessity. Food allergies and celiac disease are hallmark examples. Either way, when you avoid entire food groups, it’s crucial to know how you will replace essential nutrients you would certainly otherwise get from those foods.

An apple is naturally gluten-free and healthier than a gluten-free cookie. When you have a milk allergy – or severe lactose intolerance – you still need calcium and protein. Most plant-based milks are fortified with calcium, but almond milk does not provide you with the same amount of protein as dairy milk; soy milk does.

The bottom line

In today’s food culture, it’s easy to tag the inclusion, or exclusion, of a specific food as the answer to whatever nutritional concern you are facing. The truth is that it is the sum total of your diet that matters more than any single food. Always keep your eye on the larger nutritional picture.

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11 Things It’s OK To Fight About With Your Partner – Bustle

When you’re in a relationship, you’re going to fight — that’s a given. It doesn’t matter how compatible you are; there will be things that come up that you don’t agree on, and you will feel comfortable enough with each other that you will fight about about it. And that’s fine.

People often get freaked out when they start to fight with their partner. They think that love should be easy and that fighting is a bad sign. But in lots of cases, fighting is a sign that you both care about the relationship and are impassioned to work through your feelings and get to a better place. Obviously, if you’re fighting constantly, it’s possible you’re not well matched. But there’s definitely a slew of common fights that many couples have that should not freak you out.

Because it doesn’t matter how kumbuya you are — if you’re being honest with yourself, if you’re connected to your feelings and you full heartedly disagree with your partner about something, you’re going to get in to a fight. But by fight I don’t mean physical, or even verbally or emotionally abusive — just an intense disagreement that you can constructively solve. These are 11 fights you might get into with your partner that are no big deal and totally normal:

Alone Time

You and your partner will struggle with finding the perfect balance for alone time and together time. You might take turns feeling suffocated until you figure out something that works for both of you. If you’re constantly in each other’s hair, you might get irritated with each other, and a little space is all you need to reset your moods.

Social Media

You or your partner will like a sexy picture and get caught. You’ll comment on an ex’s picture and get questioned. You’ll leave your computer out with an open conversation on FB messenger between a random person and you will get upset. You will fight about social media and it will feel stupid, but it won’t make the fight any less intense.

The Ex Factor

Everyone has actually a different opinion of exes and where they belong or don’t in your life. It’s hard to acknowledge that you and your partner existed before you met each other and have valuable and important relationships. But you’re human, you had lives and there are people in your past that you will have to acknowledge, no matter how uncomfortable it is.

Leaving Out Details

Sometimes you or your partner will leave out some details when telling a story. It’s not an intentional lie or omission, it’s just something that seems easier in the moment. You might not mention that girl to guy ratio at a party and get caught in a lie. It’s silly, you didn’t mean anything by it, but you’ll probably get in a stupid fight about it. The point is you didn’t want your partner to worry.

Being Attracted To Other People

You’re going to be attracted to other people, no matter how in love you are with your partner. It’s just part of being human. You and your partner might go back and forth with trying to share this information with each other to be healthy and open, and then keeping it from each other when one of you becomes offended.

The Green Monster

You’re bound to get jealous. Even after being with someone for years, you might find yourself feeling jealous of their time or their life, or vice versa. But talking it through is healthy — if jealousy goes untreated, it can be dangerous in a relationship.

Getting Your Priorities Right

Your priorities are not always going to be synced. You’ll fight time to time about getting the balance right. Sometimes it will feel like your partner is intentionally lowering you on their priority list, and it might take a fight or two to work through it.

Habits and Lifestyle

Just because you love another doesn’t mean you love everything about each other or how you spend your time or who you spend your time with. You and your partner will fight about your extracurriculars until you figure out how to work around them and respect your differences. If your partner plays a loud instrument or likes to have 30 friends over to watch The Bachelor or play fantasy football, your fights might be more intense.

Dolla Dolla Bills

Trying to have the same attitude about money and finances with someone all the time in nearly impossible. You won’t always agree on what money should be spent on and whats a good deal and what’s a waste of money. And because money is stressful, these kinds of fights will be intense. But they’re normal.

That One Friend

There’s always a friend that seems to get in the way of your relationship. Either this friend is a bad influence on your partner or they spend too much time together, but there will be a friend that gets in the way and it will be a touchy subject that you’ll have to work through together.

The Future

Just because you don’t have the same vision for the future doesn’t mean one day your ideals will align. There will be times where your ideas collide and don’t work together. This is normal. You both had long lives of looking forward before you met each other. You’re not going to have a clear and mutual future plan instantly — just make sure that whatever you disagree on is something that can be compromised, and go about it as thoughtfully as you can.

Image: Giphy, The CW

Relax, You Won’t Get An STD From Bikini Waxing – Huffington Post


The Question: Summer is officially here, and for many people, beach trips and sexy, sunny getaways mean either regular trips to the waxing salon or a steady date with a razor. But is it safe to go bare down there? 

Yes. Mostly. 

Whether you get a bikini wax at a salon or just shave in the shower, we’re not here to dissuade you from your depilatory mission.

While the scientific literature is sprinkled with super-scary case studies about things that can go wrong, like the immunocompromised woman who developed herpes and sepsis after getting a Brazilian at a salon or the college football players whose antibiotic-resistant staph infections were linked to cosmetic body shaving, the truth is that hair removal is relatively safe. 

Even reports that suggest pubic grooming may be linked to the rise of molluscum contagiosum, a viral skin infection that results in painless pearlescent skin growths, are still speculative in nature. Interestingly, there’s some evidence that rates of one STI — pubic lice — have gone down around the world because trimming, waxing and shaving is destroying their “natural habitat” in body hair. 

“There’s no data that says grooming is associated with STIs that’s large scale and solid,” says Dr. Benjamin Breyer, chief of urology at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. “Nothing out there exists.”

That being said, there is evidence that the number of people with genital injuries related to hair removal is increasing as the grooming practice becomes even more mainstream. Breyer conducted a study that found that visits to the emergency department for genital injuries linked to pubic hair grooming — most of them cuts and tears to the skin — increased fivefold from 2002 to 2010. In total, they made up three percent of all genital injuries seen in the emergency department. 

But the truth is that most people who decide to do a little trimming (according to a recent study, this includes 84 percent of American women) will likely just have to deal with minor problems: itchy, irritated skin, razor burn, ingrown hairs and whiteheads.

Going bare? Try these tips

If you’re going to go bare down there, Breyer and dermatologists Dr. Lauren Ploch, who has a private practice in Augusta, Georgia and Dr. Jessica Krant, who practices in New York, says there are a few ways to keep yourself as safe and comfortable as possible when deforesting your nether regions.

1. Shave in the direction of the hair growth, not against it

This helps protect your skin from irritation, as it lessens the likelihood of nicks and ingrown hairs. Breyer also says you should always use a clean razor, and plan ahead so that you don’t feel rushed while grooming such a sensitive area.

Krant, a dermatologist at the Laser and Skin Surgery Center of New York, also says that the timing of the shave could also make a big difference in your skin’s recovery period. Shave right when you step into the shower to have fewer razor bumps afterward. 

“Hot water and steam swell and soften the hairs, making for a great day one result because the hairs will shrink a lot after the shower, pulling beneath the surface and keeping things smooth,” Krant said. “But this also leads to a much bigger problem with razor bumps on day two or three, since the hair tips have a hard time finding the follicle openings in the skin and can irritate while trying to grow back out.”

2. Treat irritated skin gently

If you develop red, pimple-like bumps or pustules from ingrown hairs after shaving or waxing, consider washing the area gently with a benzoyl peroxide cleanser. This is essentially a soap made for acne-prone skin, and it has anti-bacterial and drying properties, Ploch explained.

If you develop a red, painful rash, treat it with an over-the-counter hydrocortisone cream.

“However, make sure to use this sparingly as steroid creams can thin the skin when used often or for long periods of time,” Ploch said.

3. Consider long-term methods of hair removal

If pubic hair grooming is something you’ve done for years and something you plan to continue doing, consider permanent hair reduction.

“While it may be expensive and time-consuming, [laser hair removal] is very safe when done under the care of a board-certified physician,” says Ploch. “Even if you can’t commit to multiple sessions of laser therapy, a few sessions may reduce hair so that further grooming can be done infrequently.”

Electrolysis is also another option, says Breyer.

4. And finally, the most important thing to remember about pubic grooming is… 

Among women who do groom down there, 59 percent of them say they do it for hygienic reasons, but there’s absolutely no medical reason to remove your pubic hair, or any body hair, at all. Our obsession with smooth, hairless skin is a social construct that doesn’t contribute to hygiene, so if you’re good with what you’ve got, #freethebush. 

“As long as the pubic area is kept clean, pubic hair is fine,” Ploch said. “The only reason to remove the pubic hair is because some cultures (including ours) find visible pubic hair aesthetically unpleasing.”

Now go forth and shave or wax responsibly. Or, you know, don’t. 

Have a question for Healthy Living? Get in touch here and we’ll do our best to ask the experts and get back to you.

“Ask Healthy Living” is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Please consult a qualified health care professional for personalized medical advice.

Why Moms Are Flat Out Lying When They Say They Have No Time – Huffington Post

TIME.

The biggest complaint I hear from moms is they have no time.

No time to prepare healthy meals, let alone eat them. No time to clean the house. No time to seduce their partners. And certainly time to focus on exercise or wellness.

I get this. As I type, I’m looking around a messy kitchen. I see bottles in the sink and dust bunnies on the floor. I’ve literally had to trade the time I have for getting the house together for the time I’m spending working. I can’t help but feel like sometimes I’m short changing one for the other.

However, this mentality only gets you so far.

Take a minute and think of a person who really inspires you. A musician, a politician, a writer… Now think of their accomplishments. There is no way they would have become as influential and inspirational as they are without proper time management.

The truth is, there are only 24 hours in one day.

We all have the exact same 24 hours as Tina Fey, Brené Brown and Beyoncé (all moms BTW). Sure, they have an entourage and they have numerous money so they can pay people to take care of the things that suck the time away from their passions.

But think about it, they all had their beginnings.

Beyoncé Knowles was once a girl with a dream from Houston, Texas. She had school, a family, a summer job, friends, and tons of things tugging at her time. But still, she managed to become a household name, a doting mom and wife, and headline Super Bowl concerts. Whether you love her or hate her as an artist, you have to admit, she sure learned to capitalize on her 24 hours each day.

So before you go on perpetuating the biggest lie of all — moms have no time – check out these three reasons you feel strapped and what to do so you feel like you actually got something done.

3 Real Reasons You Have “No Time”

PROBLEM #1 You don’t know how long things actually take

A lot of times moms look at all of the stuff we have to do and we shirk back into the corner. There’s just too much and there’s no way we’ll get a handle on it. We “don’t have time.”

But what’s really going on is we don’t have an accurate picture of how long our to-do’s actually take.

We look at the day’s tasks and see we have to take the baby to the doctor, clean the house, and get dinner together. So we convince ourselves there’s absolutely no way we’ll have time for date night.

The trap we fall into is putting off something important to us because we think it will take over our time and keep us from the rest of our mommy priorities. The problem with this approach, though, is we’re never going to have a space in our days large enough to do everything all at once.

 SOLUTION #1

Though there really is no getting around this fact, a simple solution that will help you decide how to allocate your time is to organizing our tasks by the amount of time they take.

I swear I just heard you say “well duh,” to your computer, but hear me out.

Matching like tasks together will help you see how several things you have that you can knock out quickly, those take a bit of time, and those you need to plan around.

So think about grouping five minute to-do’s with other five minute-ers. The same with 10 minute, 30 minute, and hour-long tasks.

Once you know exactly how long something takes, you’ll be able to arrange your time accordingly and see you really can fit more in than you thought. Once you decide you have an hour to spend on the house, look to your list and pick a 60 minute task. Or, go for the combo and choose three 20-minute-ers!

PROBLEM #2 You haven’t organized your to-do list

Sometimes moms will write a to-do list that’s just a jumble of tasks. It looks something like this:

  • iron dress shirt for meeting
  • buy stickers for craft project
  • blend baby food
  • sanitize toys
  • wash hubby’s gym clothes
  • return recalled cat food
  • try to do one thing for me

There is no rhyme or reason to the list and it’s overwhelming just looking at it. It’s no wonder a list like this can make us feel like we’ll never get everything done.

Once we operate from a place of overwhelm, it becomes a matter of surviving the day. The unfortunate thing that ends up happening during days like this is we start to scrap everything we think is unnecessary. Like being in a sinking ship, we toss out anything that’s not gonna help us float.

 SOLUTION #2

The key to finding the time to accomplish things is to avoid operating from overwhelm in the first place. If we can cultivate a calm approach to our obligations each morning, we are much more likely to sail through our to-do lists and feel like there is room for it all.

This sounds glorious, but impossible. But one solution that will get you light-years close to achieving this is to simply organize your to-do list.

There are a ton of different ways to do this, but one of the most efficient is to collect tasks into categories like:

  • Household
  • Errands
  • Goals
  • Marriage
  • Friendships
  • Kids

Once you have the categorical break down, you can see what your main demands are for the day.

If you have three errands to run, group them together and do them all at once. Run the errand furthest away first and work your way back to the house. If you have multiple housekeeping chores to do, set aside the chunk of time to tackle all of them together.

PROBLEM #3 You haven’t designated your priorities.

No matter how well we schedule or organize our time, there are still bound to be days we simply will not get everything done.

Emergencies happen. Play dates are cancelled.

Whenever these things pop up, we have to flex and adapt and shift our time.

There is no shame to not accomplishing everything for the day and there is no use getting down on ourselves.

However, even on our most stressful days, there is a way to still feel as though we’ve accomplished something. 

SOLUTION #3

To do this, we can figure out what events in our day are non-negotiable.

This is some of the most fun work I do with my mom clients and I always make sure one of their non-negotiables relates directly to their goals and dreams.

For example, if you designate 3 priorities daily you can feel very productive and proud of yourself no matter what else happens with the rest of your time.

You can choose the size of the tasks and define exactly what your priorities are so you call the shots and know exactly when you’ve met your non-negotiables for the day. An awesome thing about this approach is if you find you have some extra time after knocking out your non-negotiables, anything else you get done is just icing on the cake.

When writing out your list for the day, leave a space at the top for your 3 non-negotiables. Highlight them or put stars by them – whatever is going to designate these responsibilities as “must do.” Depending on your style you can knock them out first, or save your biggest chunks of time to dedicate to your priority tasks.

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