8 Signs You’re Eating Too Much Sugar

Sugar is delicious. Anyone who denies that is lying. But because life is unfair, sugar, especially in copious amounts, is really bad for your health. In fact, once you learn about all the ways sugar impacts your body, it’s difficult to look at it the same way (despite knowing how heavenly it tastes).

So how do you know if you’re eating too much? Here are eight red flags your body is sending you that it’s time to cut back on the sweet stuff.

1. You constantly crave sugary things.

The more sugar you eat, the more you’ll crave it. “More cravings then equal consuming more sugar—it becomes a vicious and addictive cycle,” Brooke Alpert, M.S., R.D., author of The Sugar Detox: Lose Weight, Feel Great and Look Years Younger, tells SELF. This isn’t just because your taste buds have adapted and left you needing more and more to get that same taste, but also because of how sugar gives you a high followed by a crash, just like an actual drug. “By eating a high sugar diet, you cause a hormonal response in your body that’s like a wave, it brings you up and then you crash down and it triggers your body to want more sugar.”

2. You feel sluggish throughout the day.

What goes up must come down. After sugar causes an initial spike of insulin and that “high” feeling, it causes an inevitable crash. “Energy is most stable when blood sugar is stable, so when you’re consuming too much sugar, the highs and lows of your blood sugar lead to highs and lows of energy,” Alpert says. Eating a lot of sugar also means it’s likely you’re not eating enough protein and fiber, both important nutrients for sustained energy.

3. Your skin won’t stop breaking out.

“Some people are sensitive to getting a spike in insulin from sugar intake, which can set off a hormonal cascade that can lead to a breakout like acne or rosacea,” Rebecca Kazin, M.D., of the Washington Institute of Dermatologic Laser Surgery and the Johns Hopkins department of dermatology, tells SELF. A sugar binge can show up on your face in just a few days. If your skin’s unruly, Kazin recommends reassessing your diet, otherwise “you may be treating skin for other issues without getting to the bottom of what’s really going on.”

4. You’re way moodier than usual.

The blood sugar crash that happens when you’re coming off a sugar high can cause mood swings and leave you feeling crabby. Not to mention, if your energy is also tanking, that just contributes to a bad attitude.

5. You’ve been putting on some weight.

Excess sugar is excess calories, and since it has no protein or fiber, it doesn’t fill you up (so you just keep eating it). It also triggers the release of insulin, a hormone that plays a big role in weight gain. When we eat sugar, the pancreas releases insulin, which carries sugar to our organs so it can be used for energy. When you load up on sugar, your body’s told to produce more insulin—over time, that excessive output can lead to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means our bodies can’t respond to normal amounts of insulin properly and therefore can’t use sugar the right way. The initial weight gain from simply eating too many calories from sugar is being compounded by the disruption to your normal insulin response (there’s a link between insulin resistance and obesity). What’s more, when the pancreas works in overdrive for too long you can develop diabetes.

6. You’ve been getting more cavities.

When bacteria chow down on food particles in between the teeth, acid is produced, which causes tooth decay. Our saliva maintains a healthy balance of bacteria on its own, but eating sugar can impact the pH and throw off the natural ecosystem. This gives the bacteria a chance to thrive and multiply, leading to cavities.

7. Your brain tends to get foggy, especially after a meal.

This fog is a common symptom of low blood sugar. When you eat a lot of sugar, your blood sugar levels rapidly rise and fall instead of gradually doing so. “Poor blood sugar control is a major risk for cognitive issues and impairment,” says Alpert.

8. Nothing tastes as sweet as it used to.

“Eating too much sugar basically bombards your taste buds,” Alpert says. “This sugar overkill causes your taste bud sugar tolerance to go up, so you need more and more sugar to satisfy that sweet craving.” When your taste buds need lots of sugar to feel like something is sweet enough, it can be tough to lower your base level. However, it you cut back and suffer through it in the beginning, you’ll eventually lower your tolerance again and be content with minimal sugar. You might even start to feel like things are too sweet for you and—gasp!—be happier consuming sugar in moderation.

—By Amy Marturana

The post 8 Signs You’re Eating Too Much Sugar appeared first on Hello Healthy.

from Hello Healthy http://ift.tt/298MtU2

5 Ways to Squat Better

Squats, whether weighted or not, are hands down one of the best, most powerful full-body exercises you can perform: Not only will you tone your butt and thighs, but you’ll develop a stronger core—especially when you start to add on weight with a barbell, kettlebell or dumbbells. But with great power, comes great responsibility: Proper form is essential to seeing the benefits.

We turned to two New York City-based trainers—Keith Wittenstein, CF L4, coach at CrossFit Solace and Nick Lobotsky, CF L1, coach at CrossFit NYC—for some quick pointers on how to improve your squat technique.

1. Make sure to keep your weight in your heels. If most of your body’s weight is being grounded by your toes, you could fall over or compromise form and hurt yourself by being off-kilter. “Keeping your weight in your heels keeps you balanced and allows you to generate lots of force,” says Wittenstein. “It also activates the big powerful muscles of the posterior chain, including your glutes, hamstrings, calves and spinal erectors,” making your bod work harder—and look better. Plus, it helps take pressure off the knees.

2. Push your hips back as you go down. “Sending your hips back first, to initiate the squat, will help allow you to keep your weight in your heels as well as properly align the rest of your body,” says Lobotsky. If you begin your squat by sending your hips straight down, you’ll either end up on your toes in the bottom of the squat (see #1) or with your knees tracking way too far forward, past your toes.

3. Push your knees out slightly. When squatting, you want your knees aligned over your toes. So in reminding yourself to push your knees out slightly, you’re essentially preventing them from collapsing inward. Doing this “helps protect the knees and recruits more muscles in your hips,” says Wittenstein. Think about your knees pointing toward your pinky toes to achieve the positioning, he adds.

4. Keep your chest up. Don’t let your torso drop! Doing so will change your center of gravity, which can be dangerous if you’re using weight while squatting, explains Lobotsky. By holding your chest up and out, you’ll be able to keep the control the weighted bar better, he says.

5. Get loooooow. The goal when doing a squat is to have your hip crease below your knees when you’re in the down spot. “When squatting shallow or above parallel, the knee is doing most of the work and absorbing the force. By squatting below parallel, the knees release the force and the leg muscles start doing the work instead,” says Lobotsky. So not only will you see better results by getting lower, but you’ll also help alleviate pressure on your joints, too.

Now that you can squat like a pro, put your skills to good use with this one-song workout. You’ll feel the burn. Trust.

The post 5 Ways to Squat Better appeared first on Hello Healthy.

from Hello Healthy http://ift.tt/1X0sWVf

Spring Contest Winner: Run

by Guest Blogger

We’re very proud to publish this story by Maia D. Thomlinson, which won the grand prize of $300 in the 2016 Spring Writing Contest with wordhaus literary magazine. You can see all the stories from the writing contest here. Congratulations, Maia! Also, don’t forget to sign up for our 5th Anniversary Writing Contest, which opened this week.

Run. Run. Run.

As light bleeds into this endless plane, I run towards the rising sun.

I run from destruction, from my own pounding heart. Gun shots fire. Still, I run.

Pressed tight up against my chest, my baby brother whimpers. The tall grass grabs for his tiny, bare feet, and I clutch him tighter still. This precious cargo is all I have left; no more family, no village, no home.

“Mama,” he whispers, and tugs at my braid.

“I’m sorry,” I pant, racing on.

There’s no time to think, no time for tears. We’re refugees now, on the run.

“Mama,” his voice is louder this time.

“I know,” a tear rolls down my cheek.

I can’t tell him, not yet, not now. He’s so young, he won’t understand.

“Mama,” he cries, but I have no words.

All I can do is run.

***

Angry shouts and hammering footsteps grow soft as the men fall behind. Perhaps soldiers tire of chasing such worthless quarry.  

The midday sun sits high in the sky when the only breath I hear is my own.

We’re alone, the thought pops into my mind, at last, they’ve given up.  

My aching feet refuse to stop. Forever, I could run.

Run from my problems, run from the pain . . .

Mama always swore I could run for days.

Mama.

All adrenaline leaves my body in a rush that leaves me gasping for air; I can no longer see where I should step, but my feet fail care. The savannah swims before me in a blurry pool of thirsty grass. I stumble a moment longer before my cargo and I collapse, on the ground in a heap.

No, you must keep running, Asha—you’ve got a promise to keep.

Feebly, I attempt to push myself back up to my knees.  

One inch, two inches . . . My baby brother chooses this moment to speak.

“Mama,” he shouts in my ear. He’s impatient. He isn’t even three.

“MAMA’S DEAD!” I scream, falling back on my arm.

There is no more fight left in me.

The boy begins to sob as if he understood my words.

“Oh, Rahim,” I murmur, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean . . .” I stop. I can’t lie anymore—it’s true.

Helpless, I watch the memory unfold before my eyes, forced to relive each horror a second time.

It was still night when they came to burn our village and take our people, our homes; maybe they believed if they acted under darkness, the shadows would hide their crimes. How is it fair to attack when everyone sleeps, lulled by false pretense of peace?

Someone shakes my shoulders, hard. Mama, just five more minutes.

Smoke fills my lungs, then the gun shots begin—with each crack, I jump, wide-awake.

“Mama?” Rahim is stirring.

“Shhhhh . . . Mama’s here . . .”

With a fierce hug, she places him in my arms.

“Asha,” her gaze is solemn. I cough, shake my head, confused. “I love you, don’t ever forget that.” She kisses my forehead, pulls away. “It’s time now, you must go.”

I whip my head from side to side. “I can’t leave, not without you—I WON’T!”

“Yes, you will.”

She stands to usher me off, and that’s when the bullet finds its mark.

Her shirt grows red. She falls to her knees.

“NO!” I’m frozen inside.

A woman so strong, so selfless, so kind to all who knew her well—she crumples, an imploding star, a brilliant super nova.

“Run, Asha. Run!”

These are the last words that leave her mouth. I turn away.

Where can I hide?

Another bullet whizzes an inch over my head.

You can’t.

You must run. Run. Run.

***

I lie on my back concealed by grass, and watch the clouds float by. There is no sound but for Rahim’s raspy breaths; he fell asleep when he ceased to cry.

The sun nearly touches the horizon, and I have no thoughts for what to do for the night. Rahim must be hungry, but there is no food. I am numb in the fading light.

Then I hear it—footsteps crash nearby. I tense, now on high alert.  

Don’t move, don’t breathe, don’t make a sound, maybe they’ll fail to notice you here.

Earth quakes beneath my head, and the thunder slowly grows louder.

I squeeze my eyes shut, clutch Rahim tight.

Cool metal presses into my forehead. An eternity passes in silence.

Please don’t, I pray, don’t let me die.

“Ehsan,” a rough voice barks across the plane; my heart jumps into my throat. “Did you find something there, or what?”

I blink, I stare, I challenge the soldier inspecting my face. Do you have any humanity left?

Unsure, he bites his lip.

Rahim stirs on my chest, stretches a tiny hand up to tug at my braid.

“Mama?” he whispers.

My own hand trembles against my leg.

“Ehsan?”

In a sudden swift movement, the young man pushes himself to attention. “Nothing here, sir.” He coughs, looking down at his boot. “Just a dead squirrel, is all, sir.”

“Well, then,” the voice is sharp, “you better stop wasting my time. Move on.”

“Sir, yes sir.”

I am a statue, perfectly still, until the two voices fade into the twilight.

“Rahim,” I breathe, “the Merciful. You saved us today, you did.”

I lift him up to watch his tiny face. Inexplicably, he giggles. “Asha!”

I roll to my feet with the boy in my arms, turn to nod at the sun, turn away, and run.

I am not running away this time.

Towards hope, forever I will run.

Run, run, run.

The post Spring Contest Winner: Run appeared first on The Write Practice.

from The Write Practice http://ift.tt/297ddmx

6 Simple Tips to Avoid Vacation Weight Gain

It’s officially summer, which means ’tis the season for beach-inspired workout motivation, extra focus on your sun-protection routine — and diet-derailing vacations. For many of us, fitness goals tend to fall by the wayside in the face of sugary umbrella drinks and local dessert specialties.

But the good news is staving off the dreaded vacation-induced weight gain doesn’t have to require iron willpower, says Liz Josefsberg, a celebrity weight-loss coach and nutrition exercise specialist.

“I love to indulge on vacation, but I also love to balance my unhealthy indulgences with a couple healthy ones,” she says.

To stay on track and still get the most out of your vacation, follow these six tips.

1. Plan your indulgences.
It just wouldn’t be a real vacation without at least a few indulgences, right? But to keep you from going totally off the rails, Josefsberg suggests sticking to a “two on, one off” meal plan.

“Two meals each day need to be very healthy and on target,” she says. “For me, breakfast and lunch are easier to control with eating eggs, fruit or yogurt for breakfast and then a salad for lunch. For dinner, sample a local favorite and maybe enjoy a drink.”

You should also aim to pick your treats before you touch down at your vacation destination. If there’s a local ice cream shop that’s dominating Instagram, plan ahead of time to go there so you can look forward to it. That way you’ll be more likely to hold out for your big indulgence and pass up the dessert menu when it comes at dinner.

2. Stay active.
Keeping up with your 6 a.m. gym routine doesn’t exactly fit with the vacation mindset. And that’s OK. Instead, plan unique activities that will keep you active. Do a walking tour of the city, sign up for a beach yoga class or rent bikes for a day.

3. Take advantage of your tech.
One major benefit of our technologically advanced world is that we have access to information about great dining options anywhere, says Josefsberg. Take advantage of Instagram, Yelp or TripAdvisor to seek out healthy eats when you travel. You’ll get a unique local experience without the guilt.

4. Skip the hotel.
Booking your lodging via Airbnb or VRBO offers the opportunity to cook healthy meals instead of eating out constantly.

Says Josefsberg: “It reduces temptations like all-you-can eat breakfast buffets and even gives you a chance to feel like a local as you shop in markets and visit fruit and vegetable stands.”

If you’re in on a hotel, ask for a fridge in your room; on your way from the airport, stock up on some fruit, cheese and yogurt to keep from splurging between meals.

5. Go sans sangria.
We know, those beach days call for fruity drinks with little umbrellas in them. But they’re packed with sugar and calories, which means they’re major diet saboteurs.

“Alcohol is often the thing that undoes the most of our healthy efforts,” says Josefsberg, who advises committing to a couple of no-drinking days or keeping cocktail hour confined to dinner only.

6. Pack some snacks.
When all else fails, it’s not a bad idea to have some healthy snacks in your suitcase — especially for those endless days stuck in transit. To avoid convenience store junk food, Josefsberg advises slipping a bag filled with healthy eats like granola, trail mix and fruit into your suitcase.

At the end of the day, you have to remember to cut yourself some slack — you’re on vacation after all.

“Don’t get crazy about gaining weight on vacation if you do,” Josefsberg says. “The key is to get back on track as fast as you can when you get home.”

Make it a priority to stock up on healthy groceries, and get back to your regular eating routine as soon as you get home so your lax vacation habits don’t linger too long in your real life.

The post 6 Simple Tips to Avoid Vacation Weight Gain appeared first on Hello Healthy.

from Hello Healthy http://ift.tt/297hCEZ

The Secret Behind Sweating and Weight Loss

You’ve just had a seriously sweat-filled workout, and you’re already feeling lighter. You step on the scale, and your suspicions are confirmed — you’ve actually lost a pound! Yes!

This proves sweating helps you lose weight, right? Not exactly.

While you did step on the scale and see that your “weight” has dropped, it’s due to fluid loss, not permanent weight loss. In other words, as soon as you rehydrate (which you should do, stat, especially if you’ve seen a drop in your scale weight since before your workout), your weight will return to the level it was prior to the start of your session. For proper rehydration, the general recommendation is to drink 16–24 ounces of water per pound lost during exercise, which is important because dehydration can cause everything from muscle cramps to dizziness if not addressed quickly.

OK, but doesn’t sweating a lot mean you’re burning more calories, and that will help you lose weight faster?

That isn’t exactly true either. Despite what some brands or products claim, those heated yoga classes or sweat suits won’t help you permanently drop pounds by increasing your sweat level alone. Why not? Your calorie burn isn’t measured by the amount of sweat you shed during a workout but rather by the amount of intensity or effort you put into it. Measuring your heart rate or tracking your perceived exertion level during your workout is a much more accurate way to track your expenditure than by how sweaty you are by the end.

And if you don’t get super soaked during your gym session, don’t “sweat it” either — the amount each individual perspires has to do with the number of sweat glands you were born with. (Most of us have somewhere between 2–4 million of them.) The functions of sweat are to help cool your body and to regulate your temperature, whether you’re rocking it out in cycling class or waiting for the bus on a hot summer day.

So, what does it all boil down to? Sweat is a good thing — it’s your body’s cooling system, but don’t count on using it as your gauge for lasting weight loss. Breaking a sweat (and the amount you perspire) has more to do with your genetics and the temperature of your environment than the intensity of your workout or the amount of calories you are burning. Skip trying to simply sweat off the pounds with saunas and sweat suits. For true, lasting weight loss, instead keep your focus on a consistent, balanced workout plan and a healthy diet with the right caloric deficit.

The post The Secret Behind Sweating and Weight Loss appeared first on Hello Healthy.

from Hello Healthy http://ift.tt/2961ljt

Grilled Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing

Grilled kale is ridiculously easy and fast to make. It brings out the best in kale, adding smokiness and crispiness. Tossed with fresh peaches and a light lemon vinaigrette, The Healthy Maven’s grilled kale salad creates a feeling of summertime all year-round.

Grilled Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing

Ingredients

For the lemon vinaigrette*

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 medium lemon, juiced
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (certified gluten-free if necessary)

For the kale salad

• 1 bunch kale, stems removed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot, sliced thinly
• 2 medium peaches, sliced
• 1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts

Directions

Combine all vinaigrette ingredients and set aside.

Heat your grill or grill pan to medium.

Brush kale lightly with olive oil on both sides.

Place kale directly on the grill, and cook for 1–2 minutes before flipping and cooking for 1 minute on the other. Kale should wilt and char slightly. Watch closely to ensure it doesn’t burn.

Repeat until all kale has been grilled. Transfer to a serving platter.

Top kale with peaches, shallots and hazelnuts.

Drizzle with dressing as desired.

*Recipe yields roughly 3/4 cup of salad dressing, so don’t feel as though you need to use it all. The dressing keeps well in the fridge.

Nutrition Information

Serves: 4 |  Serving Size: 1/4 salad + 2 tablespoons dressing

Per serving: Calories: 215; Total Fat: 15g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 11g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 61mg; Carbohydrate: 18g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 11g; Protein: 4g

Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 474mg; Iron: 8%; Vitamin A: 140%; Vitamin C: 148%; Calcium: 11% 

Davida is a healthy living blogger behind The Healthy Maven, where she writes about healthy food, fitness and her insatiable sweet tooth. She aims to create delicious recipes that are healthy, gluten-free and filled with good-for-you ingredients but still taste as authentic as the originals. It’s not rare that she’ll throw spinach in her brownies! Check out more of her recipes on her blog and follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Photo courtesy of Davida Kugelmass. Recipe originally posted on The Healthy Maven.

The post Grilled Kale Salad with Lemon Dressing appeared first on Hello Healthy.

from Hello Healthy http://ift.tt/299uX2r

Why Your Character’s Childhood Dreams Matter

by Ruthanne Reid

Hi, everyone! I have the flu this week, so today’s post will not be a long one. I have a question for you to ask your characters, regardless if they’re good or bad: what did they want to be when they grew up?

Here’s why it’s important to know the answer to this question.

“When I Grow Up”: Your Character’s Childhood Dreams Matter

We often struggle to create realistic characters; they don’t always seem believable. We can usually recognize characters that feel two-dimensional, but we don’t always know why. I’d like to submit that one of the primary reasons we have trouble with characterization is we rarely ask ourselves how our characters got where they are.

People don’t simply appear in their current condition, with beliefs and biases, scars and senses of humor, and all the details that pile together to create the construct of “self.” The combination of nature (your natural inclinations) and nurture (the environment in which you matured) combine to create the essential you. Well, your characters work the same way.

“

To create believable characters, find out how your characters got where they are.

Tweet this

Tweet

What Did Your Character Want to Be?

With very few exceptions, all characters had a childhood. What did your character want to be when they grew up? When they were young, what seemed like the best future path? What job did they want? What skills did they crave? What misconceptions did they have about that job?

“

What did your characters want to be when they grew up?

Tweet this

Tweet

I, for example, wanted to be an astronaut, but I also have a learning disability that affects my math skills. No math skills = no astronaut future for me.

That was actually a hard thing to accept, but it also defined my identity. Knowing I couldn’t “do” science-stuff led me to focus more on the arts, which led to taking pride in my creative ability and identifying myself as “a creative.”

That affected my choice of friends, my choice of college, my choice of reading material, and my everyday confidence. Once I self-identified as a “nerd” (i.e. geek, weirdo, strange), I altered my life’s path.

Your character’s childhood dreams work the same way. The success or failure of that dream (along with developing tastes or changing morals) is part of the journey that brought your characters to their place in your story.

And now, it’s your turn.

What did your characters want to be when they grew up? Let me know in the comments.

PRACTICE

Take fifteen minutes and list your characters, then figure out what they wanted to be when they grew up. If you have time left, start thinking about whether they succeeded, and how that success or failure affected the rest of their lives. Post your practice in the comments below!

The post Why Your Character’s Childhood Dreams Matter appeared first on The Write Practice.

from The Write Practice http://ift.tt/293AyU3

Ask the Dietitian: What’s the Best Carb, Protein and Fat Breakdown for Weight Loss?

Between all of the different diet trends and conflicting research findings out there, it seems we’re more confused than ever about what and how much to eat, particularly when it comes to protein, carbohydrates and fat. While there’s no one combination that will make the pounds magically melt off you can optimize your diet for weight loss by adjusting the composition of your calories.

Carbs, Protein or Fat: What makes the most sense to adjust?

When it comes to choosing what to eat more of and what to cut back on for weight loss, consider first what you want to achieve. The goal of losing weight is to reduce fat stores while preserving, or even adding, lean tissue—what we refer to as muscle.

Carbohydrates are an important source of fuel for our muscles during exercise and are the only source of energy for our brain and red blood cells. Fat is equally important, playing major roles in everything from brain function to cell structure, but if you’re trying to lose weight, it may not hurt to trade some carbohydrates and/or fat calories for a boost in protein. Calorie for calorie, protein has the most metabolic benefits for weight loss: it increases satiety, stimulates energy expenditure and preserves muscle, which unfortunately is used for energy along with fat during weight loss.

What to adjust, and by how much?

For most, it is perfectly safe to adjust carbohydrate, protein and fat consumption to optimize the diet for weight loss. You may find it beneficial to trade a percentage of your calories from carbohydrates or even fat, for protein calories.

As a jumping off point, let’s review the current recommendations for carbohydrates, protein and fat, as well as MyFitnessPal’s default goals for these nutrients:

Current Recommendations
The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends eating within the following ranges:

• Carbohydrates: 45-65% of calories
• Fat: 20-35% of calories
• Protein: 10-35% of calories

Also worth mentioning here is the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for carbohydrates, which is 130 grams per day. This number is based upon the amount of carbohydrates (sugars and starches) required to fuel an adult’s brain, red blood cells and central nervous system. This is important because if we do not get enough carbohydrates from our diet, the body will break down protein (which it can turn into glucose) to maintain blood sugar levels and fuel the brain and red blood cells.

MyFitnessPal’s Current Default Goals
MyFitnessPal’s current default goals distribute calories as follows: 50% from carbohydrates, 20% from protein and 30% from fat.

To help you visualize some modest modifications, here’s a table summarizing a couple of options for safely cutting back on calories from carbohydrates and fat while increasing protein intake to optimize the diet for weight loss:

	Recommended Ranges (Percent of Calories)	Lower Carb Higher Protein (Percent of Calories)	Lower Carb & Fat Higher Protein (Percent of Calories)
Carbohydrates	45-65%	45%	45%
Protein	10-35%	25%	30%
Fat	20-35%	30%	25%

For those primarily interested in cutting calories from carbohydrates, a 1,200-calorie diet with 45% of calories from carbohydrates would provide 135 grams of carbohydrates, thus meeting the RDA of 130 grams. Go below that and it becomes incredibly difficult to hit your daily fiber goal (which also helps with satiety) and you may feel more sluggish during workouts. Hypothetically speaking, a 1,300-calorie diet with as few as 40% calories from carbohydrates (below the recommended minimum) would still meet the RDA for carbohydrates.

If you’re currently using MyFitnessPal’s default goals and want to trade some carb calories for protein, the 45:25 carbohydrate-to-protein ratio may be a good place to start.

Don’t forget about quality, too.

While there’s no one magic ratio for everyone, you may find that making some modest adjustments to macronutrient intake can help your long-term weight loss efforts. Feel free to experiment but remember: The quality of the protein, fat and carbs you eat are just as important as the quantity.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as you adjust your macros:

1. When it comes to carbohydrates, the more complex the better. Complex carbohydrates like vegetables and whole grains, contain fiber which has a beneficial impact both on satiety and blood sugar. Put those on your plate instead of highly refined or simple carbohydrates and sugary treats. This Nutrition 101: Carbohydrates post offers some healthy carb options.

2. Lean protein offers muscle-sparing benefits with very few calories from fat. Check out this great Nutrition 101: Protein post for some great plant-based protein sources as well as some lean cuts of meat, poultry and fish to stock up on.

3. Fats have many benefits ranging from satiety to brain health–especially those rich in omega-3s. Skim over our Nutrition 101: Fats post if you’re looking for some heart-healthy options.

Note: Modest changes in macronutrient intake can be beneficial for weight loss; however, these tweaks may not appropriate for everyone, particularly those with diabetes, kidney disease or other diseases affected by diet composition. As always, it’s best to check with a dietitian or doctor before making these changes, particularly if you have medical concerns.

The post Ask the Dietitian: What’s the Best Carb, Protein and Fat Breakdown for Weight Loss? appeared first on Hello Healthy.

from Hello Healthy http://ift.tt/1AjLyEW

What Exactly Happens to Your Body When You Overeat?

Overeating can seem harmless. So you finished that whole bag of chips the other day — what’s the big deal? But as one of the biggest causes of obesity, overeating runs deeper than simply having the occasional case of my-eyes-were-bigger-than-my-stomach syndrome.

“Overeating is when a person eats to the point of feeling uncomfortable,” says Keri Gans, RD, author of “The Small Diet Change.” “You should be able to walk away from a meal feeling satisfied but not stuffed like you need to undo your pants.”

But it’s not just a physical problem. To get to the root of why we do it, it helps to take a closer look at the psychological as well as the physical.

“A lot of it is behavioral,” says Gans. “Since we were children, we were taught to finish everything on our plate, and therefore we’ve lost the ability to recognize when we’re full.”

When you do fall prey to the temptation to overeat, a few things happen to your body.

“The immediate response for people when they overeat is that they feel tired and sluggish,” says Gans. “It takes work to digest a meal, and, if you’re eating a lot of food — especially high-fat foods — that takes a lot of energy for your body to digest.”

Next, you’ll get that uncomfortable bloated feeling. As your body works to digest the high volume of food, your stomach will produce gases, leaving you to deal with the discomfort of your waistband suddenly cutting into your stomach.

You might also experience a separate pain from acid reflux, which can be triggered by downing a high volume of food.

And most importantly (and obviously), any time you consume more calories than you burn, you’ll gain weight.

So what can we do about it? First, figure out if you’re actually hungry or if reaching for the plate of cookies in the break room is more of an emotional response.

“One of the first things I always tell my patients is to use what I call the ‘HALT’ method,” says Gans. “Are they hungry, angry, lonely or tired?”

Once you’ve ruled out an underlying psychological state as your motivation for eating, take a look at what’s actually on your plate. A properly portioned meal that’s high in fiber will fill you up and leave you feeling satisfied and nourished. Gans recommends following the 25-25-50 rule: one-quarter of your meal should be lean protein like grilled shrimp, one-quarter whole grains like whole-wheat pasta and half filling fiber like grilled veggies.

You can also eat from a smaller plate when possible, since several studies have shown that how big our portion appears relative to plate size plays a big role in how much of it we eat.

Now that you’re sitting at the table, make mealtime an actual event. “Slow down and remove distractions,” says Gans. “Actually focus on eating, tasting and enjoying your food.”

And finally, she recommends drinking water with your meals — it will help to slow you down and fill you up, giving you the upper hand on overeating.

The post What Exactly Happens to Your Body When You Overeat? appeared first on Hello Healthy.

from Hello Healthy http://ift.tt/29cFesv

10 Freezer-Friendly Breakfasts Under 375 Calories

All hail the freezer! Let’s face it — while we’d all love to leisurely dine on omelets and pancakes before work, we’re simply too busy most days. By preparing a few nutritious options ahead of time — like whole-grain oatmeal muffins, hearty granola bars and breakfast burritos — you’ll set yourself up for morning success. Kick-start the workweek with one of these freezer-friendly breakfasts, all for less than 375 calories!

10 Freezer-Friendly Breakfasts Under 375 Calories

1. Banana Granola Bars | Running with Spoons

Having a batch of healthy homemade granola bars in the freezer makes breakfast (or snacktime) a total breeze! Subtly sweetened with ripe bananas, honey and dates, this simple yet hearty gluten-free breakfast treat is packed with nutrition and flavor. Recipe makes 10 servings at 1 granola bar each.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 130; Total Fat: g2; Saturated Fat: 0g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 120mg; Carbohydrate: 27g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 14g; Protein: 3g

2. Gluten-Free Banana Oat Waffles | Kim’s Cravings

Jump-start your day with these fluffy and wholesome banana waffles. Freeze leftovers and reheat in the toaster oven for a light, crispy breakfast in no time! Top with crushed walnuts and a drizzle of pure maple syrup. Recipe makes 4 servings at 1 large waffle each.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 232; Total Fat: 6g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 93mg; Sodium: 82mg; Carbohydrate: 36g; Dietary Fiber: 5g; Sugar: 5g; Protein: 10g

3. Lemon Coconut Baked Oatmeal Cups | Hummusapien

This portable option is packed with fresh lemon and coconut flakes for a light, fresh breakfast. Whip up a batch ahead of time, and freeze for a filling, quick and super-tasty grab-and-go option on hectic mornings. Simply pop one in the microwave for breakfast in seconds. Recipe makes 12 servings at 1 oatmeal cup each.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 157; Total Fat: 6g; Saturated Fat: 2g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 24mg; Carbohydrate: 24g; Dietary Fiber: 4g; Sugar: 6g; Protein:4g

4. Make-Ahead Mini Frittatas | Clean Eating

When there’s not enough time for an omelet with toppings galore, these Italian-style mini frittatas are the next best thing. They’re totally portable and loaded with fresh tomatoes, lean chicken sausage, mozzarella and fresh basil. As an added bonus, they cook up very quickly in the muffin pan! Recipe makes 6 servings at 2 frittatas each.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 291; Total Fat: 16g; Saturated Fat: 6g; Monounsaturated Fat: 6g; Cholesterol: 297mg; Sodium:489 mg; Carbohydrate: 16g; Dietary Fiber: 2g;  Sugar: 4g; Protein: 21g

5. Gluten-Free Almond Butter Zucchini Muffins | Eating Bird Food

For those mornings when you wake up with a raging sweet tooth, almond butter zucchini muffins come to the rescue! Chock-full of freshly grated zucchini, these mini muffins make an ultra-moist, healthy and convenient breakfast. Bake a double batch, and freeze leftovers for grab-and-go treats. Recipe makes 24 servings at 1 mini muffin each.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 87; Total Fat: 7g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 18mg; Sodium: 58mg; Carbohydrate: 5g; Dietary Fiber: 1g;  Sugar: 3g; Protein: 3g

6. Protein-Packed Breakfast Burritos | Fit Foodie Finds

These savory egg and bacon wraps are perfect to grab before work or school. With a whopping 27 grams of protein, they’re sure to power you through any morning. Make a few extra to store in the freezer for easy reheating during the week. Recipe makes 4 servings.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 371; Total Fat: 22g; Saturated Fat: 7g; Monounsaturated Fat: 4g; Cholesterol: 391mg; Sodium: 565mg; Carbohydrate: 21g; Dietary Fiber: 9g; Sugar: 3g; Protein: 27g

7. Banana Berry Oat Bars | MyFitnessPal Original Recipe

When you wake up early or have some time on the weekend, bake a batch of wholesome berry oat bars for a sweet workday breakfast. They’re lightly sweetened with ripe banana and a touch of honey. Top with your favorite berries and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a morning treat you won’t soon forget! (For vegan-friendly bars, substitute pure maple syrup for the honey.) Recipe makes 4 servings at 4 small bars each.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 289; Total Fat: 3g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 642mg; Carbohydrate: 62g; Dietary Fiber: 8g; Sugar: 26g; Protein: 6g

8. Whole Food Breakfast Burritos | Simply Sisson

Making your own healthy breakfast burritos to grab on the way to work is easier than you think! This whole food version combines turkey sausage, eggs, veggies and seasoned breakfast potatoes for a fuss-free, freezer-friendly meal. To speed up the process, cook the turkey sausage and potatoes ahead of time. Toss in a handful of fresh greens for extra nutrition! Recipe makes 16 servings.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 297; Total Fat: 12g; Saturated Fat: 4g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3g; Cholesterol: 181mg; Sodium: 719mg; Carbohydrate: 37g; Dietary Fiber: 9g;  Sugar: 6g; Protein: 16g

9. Blueberry Breakfast Cookies | Ambitious Kitchen

Put some pep in your step with unique cookies made especially for breakfast! Banana, blueberries, flax and oats make these a tasty and wholesome morning treat. (We like to add walnuts and chocolate chips, but feel free to add coconut, almonds or dried cranberries.) Recipe makes 8 cookies.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 206; Total Fat: 12g; Saturated Fat: 4g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 0mg; Carbohydrate: 24g; Dietary Fiber: 5g; Sugar: 9g; Protein: 5g

10. Healthy Flourless Sweet Potato Muffins | The Big Man’s World

A light and fluffy muffin recipe made with whole grain oats and a cup of veggies? Yes, please! You’d never guess there was mashed sweet potato hidden in these vegan breakfast bites. The best part is that you’ll only need one bowl whip them up.  Recipe makes 11 servings.

Nutrition (per serving):  Calories: 166; Total Fat: 6g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 36mg; Carbohydrate: 25g; Dietary Fiber: 3g; Sugar: 8g; Protein: 4g

The post 10 Freezer-Friendly Breakfasts Under 375 Calories appeared first on Hello Healthy.

from Hello Healthy http://ift.tt/29lc8WB

Is This Trendy New Bread Healthier Than Regular Bread?

Bread has gotten a bad rap in recent years, but a new trend in baking is trying to change that. A growing number of bakers are using fresh-milled flour—i.e. flour that they’ve ground themselves or gotten from a local mill—in their breads, all in the name of health.

According to the Wall Street Journal, bread made from freshly milled flour not only tastes better, it has more vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants than bread made from “regular” flour. In fact, they say it’s better for you than bread made from your standard whole wheat flour, which is typically made by mixing white flour with small amounts of wheat bran.

Is this for real? Experts say yes.

“Fresh-milled whole grain flour provides the goodness of all the parts of the grain, so it contains superior levels of fiber, magnesium, selenium, vitamin E, and phytonutrients,” registered dietitian nutritionist Karen Ansel, coauthor of The Calendar Diet: A Month by Month Guide to Losing Weight, tells SELF. “Any bread made completely from whole grain fresh milled flour is going to give you the benefits of these nutrients.”

Here’s why: Freshly milled whole grain flour grinds up the wheat kernel, which contains the bran (the outer layer packed with fiber), the endosperm (the starchy middle layer), and the germ (the inner layer). White flour, on the other hand, is made just by grinding just the endosperm so that it’s shelf-stable.

“These breads will likely contain more fiber and nutrients that commercial white bread,” says New York City registered dietitian Jessica Cording. “However, it’s possible that because there is some slight variability between nutrient profiles between different grains, the amount may not be as consistent.”

And, while bread made from freshly milled flour is extremely rich in nutrients, Ansel says it doesn’t necessarily surpass the nutrition of 100 percent whole wheat bread. “As long as the bread you’re buying lists ‘100 percent whole wheat flour’ as the first ingredient, it’s loaded with nutrition and is an equally good choice,” she says.

There is a downside of fresh-milled flour, though: It starts to lose its flavor immediately after milling, and is supposed to be used within a week. Breads made from the flour have a very short shelf life, so you’d need to buy it fresh regularly or even every day. “For many people, that’s not practical,” Ansel points out.

Bread made from freshly milled flour comes out on top, nutritionally speaking, when compared to white bread, but not on all fronts. “It does contain less folate, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and iron because these nutrients are added to white flour to prevent nutritional deficiencies,” Ansel says. “A little known fact is that one reason the Dietary Guidelines recommend making half of our grains whole is that if Americans were to cut out all enriched white flour we wouldn’t be able to meet our folate needs.”

But bread made from freshly milled flour can fill you up more because of its hearty grains, registered dietitian nutritionist Beth Warren, founder of Beth Warren Nutrition and author of Living a Real Life With Real Food, tells SELF. And, she points out, it freezes, so you can slice up a loaf, set aside what you want to eat for the next day, and pop the rest in the freezer until you’re ready to use it.

Overall, experts say bread made from fresh-milled flour is a good option if you can get it. But, Ansel says, “if store-bought whole wheat is easier, don’t sweat it.”

—By Korin Miller

The post Is This Trendy New Bread Healthier Than Regular Bread? appeared first on Hello Healthy.

from Hello Healthy http://ift.tt/290nYsv

Announcing Our 5th Anniversary Writing Contest

by Joe Bunting

We’re so excited to celebrate The Write Practice’s fifth anniversary! We started the party last week by launching our newest book, How to Win a Writing Contest.

(If you missed it, get your free copy here!)

But it gets better! We’re not only sharing with you our best writing contest resources. We’re giving you an opportunity to put them to use right away.

That’s right—today, we’re opening the 5th Anniversary Writing Contest!

We’re so excited to share what makes this contest special. Read on below, or . . .

Click here to see all the details of the 5th Anniversary Writing Contest.

A Writing Contest That Will Help You Grow

Writing contests can be some of the best practice you can get for your writing. They offer motivation (prizes!), deadlines, inspiration (contest themes!), and publication opportunities.

But they can also be very discouraging. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to lose a writing contest, especially when you have no idea why your story wasn’t chosen.

What if a writing contest didn’t just ask you to write a winning story, but helped you to grow as a writer along the way? And what if you could get direct feedback from the judges that would help you understand what’s working in your writing and what isn’t?

That’s our goal as we design all our contests. We care as much about helping you grow in your writing as we do about awarding prizes. To that end, this contest involves two awesome features:

• Every writer who enters will get personalized feedback on their story.
• Every writer will also get premium instruction to help them write the best story they’re capable of.

Plus, we’re offering feedback directly from the judges. You can learn more about how it works here.

A Writing Contest in Which Everyone Gets Published

We know it’s frustrating when you work hard on a piece you know is great, but it doesn’t get selected by the judges. You want your writing to get the exposure it deserves.

So do we.

That’s why this writing contest is unique in one more way: everyone who enters gets published.

The 5th Anniversary Writing Contest isn’t just about choosing winners and losers. It will help you become a better writer.

How to Enter the Writing Contest

Entrants are asked to write a new story up to 1,500 words long.

You will then workshop your story within the Becoming Writer community, getting personalized feedback to help you make your story better.

After workshopping your story within the writing group, you can you submit your story to the contest.

Judges from our partner literary magazine, Short Fiction Break, will then choose the winning stories. Since it’s our fifth anniversary, we’re going big:

• One grand prize winner will win a $500 cash prize!
• Five runners-up will receive $50 each.

While all submitted stories will be published on shortfictionbreak.com, the five runners-up will receive a featured spot on the magazine, and the grand-prize-winning story will be published here on The Write Practice, live in front of our thousands of readers.

Ready to enter? Click here to learn more and sign up for the 5th Anniversary Writing Contest.

And if you haven’t yet, click here to get your free copy of How to Win a Writing Contest.

I hope I see you and your story in the contest! Good luck!

The post Announcing Our 5th Anniversary Writing Contest appeared first on The Write Practice.

from The Write Practice http://ift.tt/294Hin5

The Upside of a Weight-Loss Plateau

It’s December 31st, 2015. You hop on the scale and you weigh the exact same amount you did on January 1st, 2015. How would you feel?

Happy? Sad?

What if I told you that the average American gains 1 pound every year? And that by not gaining a pound in the year, you’re actually doing well above average!

Most people lose a little bit of weight, hit a plateau, then immediately give up when things aren’t going as quickly as they were before. Most people gain that weight back and then some. This whole phenomenon of quitting when things are going more slowly is a bit like hitting traffic on your way home from work, and abandoning your car on the side of the road because you’re not driving as fast as you wanted. Or getting a flat tire and slashing the other three.

There’s a mantra in Zen: “the obstacles are the path.”

Plateaus happen. We know they’re going to happen. In fact, when we plateau, it means that we’ve made progress! It’s the perfect time to look back and see how far you’ve come because no human endeavor is linear. Learning a language, a musical instrument, how do date, or how to write well all takes time, with improvements coming in waves of easy progress, then stagnation, followed by bursts of more progress.

Diane Fu is a weight lifting coach in San Francisco who tells her athletes, “When you hit that first plateau and you’re not improving as fast as you were before, congratulations! You’re no longer a beginner!”

The same is true with fat loss. Weight loss can be fast in the beginning because the more weight you have to lose, the faster it comes off. The closer you get to your goal weight, the slower things get. So it’s not a sign you’re doing something wrong; it’s a sign you’ve done things right! It’s a sign that you’re completely normal and have hit a point that everyone hits on their weight-loss journey. A plateau is a mark on the road, letting you know you’re heading in the right direction, and that you’ve made a lot of progress.

So now it’s up to you. When most people hit a plateau, all they can think about is that things aren’t going as quickly as they were before, so they quit. The weight comes back on and they’re further away from their goal than they ever were. But plateaus are just part of the journey—a slight bend in the road that is still going to take you where you want to be. Do you turn around to go back? Or do you keep walking?

When you focus on the journey instead of the destination, the plateaus come and go. If you keep tracking, keep making little improvements to your diet, keep walking every day and getting some exercise, then the weeks when things aren’t going as quickly as you want them to will give way to the weeks when everything seems to fall into place.

And, before you know it, it will be December 31, 2015. The average American gains 1 pound a year. The average dieter gains back more weight than he or she loses. So all it takes to be better than average is to keep moving forward.

The post The Upside of a Weight-Loss Plateau appeared first on Hello Healthy.

from Hello Healthy http://ift.tt/28WoeUx

Sausage & Vegetable Egg Bake

This yummy sausage and vegetable egg bake is a delicious way to fit a complete meal (and some extra veggies) into one pan. Courtesy of The Lean Green Bean, each mouthful is dense with flavor and eggy goodness! This egg bake can be prepared ahead of time, refrigerated and popped into the oven when you’re ready to serve.

Sausage & Vegetable Egg Bake

Ingredients

• 1 medium red pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 5 ounces frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed to remove moisture
• 2 chicken sausage links, chopped
• 6 large eggs
• 4 ounces cheese, grated
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 3 cups bread, cubed (Italian loaf or a baguette work well)
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Optional: ½ tsp cayenne pepper

Directions

If serving immediately, preheat oven to 350F. Alternatively, you may cover prepared mixture with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for baking the next day.

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well combined. Spoon into a greased 9 inch x 9 inch baking pan.

Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes, until desired degree of doneness is reached.

Nutrition Information

Serves: 4 |  Serving Size: 1/4 of 9″X 9″ pan piece

Per serving: Calories: 387; Total Fat: 20g; Saturated Fat: 10g; Monounsaturated Fat: 7g; Cholesterol: 355mg; Sodium: 465mg; Carbohydrate: 20g; Dietary Fiber: 2g; Sugar: 8g; Protein: 23g

Nutrition Bonus: Potassium: 591mg; Iron: 18%; Vitamin A: 102%; Vitamin C: 113%; Calcium: 21% 

Lindsay is a Registered Dietitian from Columbus, OH that specializes in nutrition communications and works as the Nutrition Communications Coordinator for HealthyAperture.com and TheRecipeRedux.com. Lindsay is also a freelance recipe developer, writer, and the author behind the healthy lifestyle blog, The Lean Green Bean. For more, follow Lindsay on Pinterest and Twitter.

Photo courtesy of The Lean Green Bean.

Original recipe can be found on The Lean Green Bean.

The post Sausage & Vegetable Egg Bake appeared first on Hello Healthy.

from Hello Healthy http://ift.tt/1DbKyDU

How to Use Possessives to Show Ownership

by Liz Bureman

Possessives are a funny thing. When used correctly, they add much-needed clarity to our sentences. But they seem to confound our apostrophe rules.

Let’s sort out this grammar conundrum, shall we?

What’s a Possessive?

Before we get into the tricky rules, let’s cover the basics.

A possessive is a word or punctuation that indicates the relationship between two nouns.

Sometimes, this uses adjectives: my car, his ice cream cone, our chair, their cat, etc.

Sometimes, this uses pronouns: the car is mine, the ice cream cone is his, the chair is ours, the cat is theirs, etc.

And sometimes, it uses apostrophes: Bert‘s ice cream cone, Jenny‘s cat, etc.

“

Possessives indicate a relationship of ownership between two nouns.

Tweet this

Tweet

So when do you use each one?

First and Second Person Possessives

I’m partial to first and second person possessives:

It’s tearing up my heart when I’m with you.

If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends.

The boy is mine.

The main reason I enjoy them (besides their prevalence in pop hits of the late ’90s) is that they’re pretty straightforward. Mine, yours, ours. No messy apostrophes.

Just pick the adjective or pronoun that matches the speaker and fit it into the sentence. Adjectives go before the nouns:

my heart

Pronouns go after the nouns:

The boy is mine.

Easy peasy, right?

Apostrophes: Where Possessives Get Tricky

If first and second person usages are pretty straightforward, third person usage is where the fun begins.

Let’s start with singular possessives.

Singular Possessives

If your subject of ownership is a singular noun, you can go ahead and add the apostrophe and s.

Hanson’s “MMMBop” is the best song with a nonsense chorus.

It gets tricky when your subject ends with an s. If it’s a singular subject, you still add the apostrophe and the extra s.

Britney Spears’s career trajectory has been an interesting one to watch, but she has evolved into a captivating entertainer.

Plural Possessives

Moving on to plural subjects: always, always, always end the subject with an apostrophe only.

The Backstreet Boys’ fan base is devoted and passionate, but I’ve always been an *NSYNC girl.

It doesn’t matter what the object of possession is, or if it’s one thing or many. The subject or owner is what you want to keep track of.

Whose Turn? Yours

Now it’s your turn. Go, use your possessive adjectives, pronouns, and apostrophes with confidence. With these rules mastered, you’ll clear up your readers’ confusion and use possessives like a pro.

(Did you catch all my possessives in that paragraph?)

When do you run into possessive problems? Let me know in the comments.

PRACTICE

For today’s exercise we’re going to practice writing about ownership, paying close attention to apostrophes.

Here’s the prompt: The assistant to a self-centered pop star (male or female) is cleaning up the star’s hotel room. Describe their inner monologue as they work.

Write for fifteen minutes. Post your practice in the comments.

Have fun!

The post How to Use Possessives to Show Ownership appeared first on The Write Practice.

from The Write Practice http://ift.tt/28VVSJH

20 of the Worst Restaurant Calorie Bombs

How many calories are you really eating at restaurants? Everywhere you turn there are delicious dishes that turn out to be calorie bombs in disguise. A 2016 study by Tufts researchers found that 92% of 364 restaurant meals — from both large-chain and “non chain” restaurants — serve up more calories than the average person needs in a single meal.

Get this: The researchers found that meals at nonchain restaurants averaged 1,205 calories! (Nonchain restaurants are those with fewer than 20 locations, so they are not required to provide calorie information under the menu labeling law adopted in 2010.) Large-chain restaurants had roughly the same stats. To help you understand how many calories you’re getting, we’ve compiled stats from the study and other sources in this handy infographic. There are some tips to help you order up (just not in calories!).

The post 20 of the Worst Restaurant Calorie Bombs appeared first on Hello Healthy.

from Hello Healthy http://ift.tt/298yZ92

SHEBAM! POW! BLOP! WIZZ!

One thing you might know about me is that I like a good, open, challenging conversation. The bigger, the deeper the subject is, the better. It sometimes feels like the world we evolve in is so shallow and fast… we don’t have time, we need time, we don’t understand, we don’t really try to, we judge mindlessly, we consume ignorantly. Life seems shallow when in fact, it’s so complex and the only reason it appears shallow is because we choose voluntarily not to seek the depth in it and ask ourselves certain questions. And you might never get any answers if you never verbalize the questions themselves. So why live in ignorance? Why choose not to ask things and leave so much ununderstood or misinterpreted? The answers might not be something you expected, it might not be something you would like, it might not even be the right answer. But the question might open new ones. It is an endless eye opening quest. I believe curiosity is the most beautiful human quality and when we loose our curiosity we fall into the contempt of what we already know. And when that happens, we often fall into close mindedness and eventually… ignorance.

Ignorance to me, is the most fearful thing. Why? Because ignorance leads often to intolerance and hatred. But we can’t understand everything and everyone can’t we? I am eternally grateful for the opportunities having a blog brought into my life. First of all, reading all of your comments is always so interesting. You all have such different opinions and perspectives. And though you often agree and/or disagree on the same things, there is always a fascinating diversity of messages. Because of course, we all have an awareness of what’s good or bad, what’s beautiful or not. Some can find beauty where others might not but we all have an idea of what it is, because we feel it. Very few would say for example that a clear blue sky isn’t beautiful, or that flowers are ugly. But you’ll always find some going against public opinion. Reading your thoughts, and you might know that I actually… read all of them, made me understand something very important : none of us is right or wrong. We all have our perspective on things and our words and thoughts come from a specific place that depends on your education, our beliefs, our values, our families, or even our country. And this is why our generation is so open minded and informed. With the explosion of internet and social media, it is hard to stay in the ignorance when our opinions are constantly challenged by videos, articles, pictures, provoking our perceptions and shaking up our beliefs.

Traveling was another aspect that allowed me to understand that what we might experience in Europe or even in the United States, can be completely different elsewhere. Even having to travel so often between France and California, I noticed that the cultural differences are almost quite chocking at times. We grew up on different books, different movies, different foods, and all of this leads to having different ways of living, of thinking, of interacting… And yet with globalization and this impression of accessibility at the tip of our fingers with the internet, it seems like we are all slowly shifting into becoming citizens of the world. There is a consciousness of public opinion that’s extremely present. An awareness that I know my parents didn’t experience growing up. One of the weird things I love doing just for analysis purposes is read the comments under random Youtube videos. And sometimes the strangest comments will hit my curiosity : how could someone write that? Why? Where did this thought come from or even what led this person to willingly manifest this thought? So of course, I am not even french, or american, or swiss as a matter of fact. I was born in Belarus. Do you think I consider myself Belorussian? Man… I don’t even know. I grew up there from age 0-5. I couldn’t even describe the city anymore. What I know is that I have the weirdest cultural mix and thus, I don’t want to attach my identity too much to cultural belongings. Instead, I prefer human comprehension on a global level. Because in the end, no matter where we come from we all experience love, fear, doubt, pain, happiness. Our actions are often triggered by the same things and we all have much more in common that we might think.

When I post something on my social media, I always have somewhere in a corner of my brain an idea of what the comments might say. I can even predict when the comments will get spicy. So the choice is to please the crowd, or challenge it. I’ve had a very interesting journey throughout blogging. And everyday, I feel like I am learning something new. When I began posting, I was still figuring out what the hell I was doing and what I could use this blog for. I didn’t have at all an expectation that blogging could lead to career opportunities or eventually become a career. I was in high school, homework and boys were mainly my preoccupations. But then all of a sudden, these emails starting coming in, the comments, the features, the numbers. I was 17 and still trying to figure out who the hell I was and what I was supposed to do out of my life. Internet became an escape, the blog a canvas, a chance for my ideas to materialize and exist. My first couple of articles were slightly experimental. Especially that white backdrop, Kayture written in black on my lips editorial that got a lot of people talking. But then eventually I did realize that what brought in most people on the blog were simpler topics and more accessible/relatable pictures. So needless to say, I am sure maybe 25-30% of you guys went as far as reading this second paragraph but, let me keep going. I promise we are onto something here.

In a lifetime, we all go through various phases in search of ourselves. I mean, I surely did. When I was 15 I was in love with the lead singer of an emo rock band and was sure I was going to end up married to him one day. Like… SURE about it. Long story short, I actually ended up meting him a few months ago randomly in a bar in L.A and he likes make-up and boys just as much as I do. So, at least we bonded over that. Usually when I tell this story to people, they look at me with big eyes, “wait you? in black leather and studs from head to toe waiting outside of a rock concert for 4 hours?”. And that’s just a small bit of the story… if we ever meet in person I’ll tell you the whole thing. But yes, me. And then somehow, I ended up becoming the girliest version of myself two years ago, wearing the cutest dresses and having at least one picture of flowers and macarons every week on my Instagram. And that’s truly what I was at a certain point. I was focused on satisfying the demand I was seeing on my social media, feeding the idea that people wanted to have of me : a good girl, who started from nothing and worked hard, healthy, cute and sweet. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone… And felt a responsibility to be and remain this person for some to look up to. And there’s nothing wrong with that, actually it’s pretty awesome too. However, I started to feel like I was stuck in this preconception people had of me. I felt like I couldn’t be sad, provocative or embrace my darker side. Because that’s not what I was supposed to do or what people wanted me to do. Yes, I wanted Kayture to be a bubble of positivity, an inspirational, uplifting escape. But it made me feel at times like I was becoming a one sided character, limiting myself to the portrayal and expression of only one layer of my personality.

This works when you have a brand, for example, we know that when we go to Disneyland it’ll be a bundle of joy and magic. That’s why we go there. But it doesn’t really work like that with a human being, because we can’t be happy and positive all the time. It is simply not possible. And choosing to close our eyes to the flip side of the coin is a missed chance to exploit the beauty that comes with it. I believe that’s also why a lot of celebrities freak out at a certain point of their lives, look at Britney or Miley Cyrus : they became walking brands, known for certain attributes and restricted to only these. It is the responsibility that comes with fame and the idolization of a pop idol. Always sexy, or always happy. And we don’t want to see anything else coming from them. We don’t want to see them get all different all of a sudden. We’ll loose the idol we used to love to much. So one shaved her head (I love you Britney) and one licked a hammer. Pretty drastic messages. So… When will we stop putting people in boxes?

No matter how I felt, or where I was mentally in my life, I feel like I would always try to express myself on things that bothered or revolted me. Whether it was with my friends or through subtle allusions in my texts. But you guys will agree that I wasn’t really writing such long, hopefully transparent articles two years ago. A lot of what I’m saying here today, I used to be afraid to express it. I’d feel like nobody would read it, or care… Or that it would contradict my positive image. Who wants to hear a girly fashionista talk about life? My intention at the time was there, and it was good : spread positivity. But by willing to only project that, I resigned to what I actually dislike most, shallowness and superficiality. Of course, fashion industry often comes with it. When you continuously talk about clothes, brands, luxury, it kind of comes along. And it’s no news. So you might have noticed recently that I rarely write the name of the brands I wear, that I don’t have my Reward Style affiliation links all over my articles or that I don’t really care as much about wearing designer pieces as often. Don’t get me wrong, I still have a tremendous love for fashion and next week, I’m off to Paris for couture fashion week. I don’t want you to think I’m hypocrite or something. I just want to have a real talk. What I want to share now is a bit different. I truly wish I, you, us could be continuously challenged and never give up on becoming better, whatever that subjectively might mean.

Staying ourselves is probably one of the biggest battles we’ll face in our life. I definitely try and I am lucky to have some friends with real balls. You’ll excuse the term. As soon as I start bullshiting them, they’ll confront me like you have no idea. Eventually, everything I was holding back in order to keep my content as positive as possible, I started pouring it into my music. My music was dark as hell and I was wondering where all that would come from? I was craving depth and introspection. I felt the need to use pain, doubt, fear and embrace it all as an honest part of my humanity. Because what are we without it? You know, in L.A, there is such a high pressure to be successful, to be cool, that a lot of people fake the idea of being happy. Very few will admit that they struggle or that they are afraid. While in Paris for example, people are tremendously driven by melancholy, by sadness, by complaint. So being faced to this constant contrast, I progressively started separating these two aspects of my personality and many of my editorials and even video projects began exploring this idea of Alter Ego, of duality, like for example my project with Mugler.

So one day, I couldn’t handle it anymore. I needed to manifest and exteriorize what I felt like inside. So one thing lead to another and I decided to dye my hair dark. As they say, new hair, new woman. It was very symbolical to me, and a way to express this beginning of a new shift. As soon as I came out of the hair salon, I felt like I was a new person and I sudden breath of fresh air came into me. And that’s also when my content started changing a bit.  I wanted to challenge myself and hopefully my community to something new, just slightly different. A tiny less overly self centered content and an even more creative approach. It began of course with some music content, then some experimental shots. And a lot of it, pretty much, got an unbelievable ammount of negative response…

…That I expected.

Partly because I know, how pissed we get when the packaging of our favorite cookie brand changes. Even if it might be subjectively “better”, we still preferred the old one. Because that’s what we were used to. I felt like a cookie box. There is without a doubt an objectification of people on social media as we give “brand” attributes to people we follow. So you want to get what you expect. Just like when you buy a treat. It seemed to me that what was inside didn’t ever change, just the way of presenting it. So were you guys wrong or right? There is no correct answer. I tried embracing the comments and eventually took it as actually something empowering. I don’t mind loosing followers, or likes, or whatsoever in order to stay honest. And indeed, many started following me for a reason, they liked the style, the good girl image and that’s not what they saw anymore. I guess the smoking picture was a big turning point. I guess part of me posting it wanted to get a confirmation of my expectations. I knew that the comment section would get crazy. In France we tend to minimize the negative repercussions of nicotine. When I tell my friends in Paris that I don’t really smoke, they look at me like I’m some kind of nun. As much as I don’t encourage smoking, I love the artistic representation of the cigaret in pop culture. You are willingly endangering yourself and there’s something very controversial yet provoking in that. My will with this picture was I guess to show this other version of myself, this alter ego to open minds to a new idea of who I was and break this good girl preconception.

I am not saying I am a bad girl all of a sudden. In fact, I am very much an overall good girl, with at times (quite often actually) rebellious tendencies. I don’t like playing by the rules, I like seeking paths that were untaken. It makes me feel alive. We all have some “bad” in ourselves, otherwise the good wouldn’t exist. It’s like in virgin suicides, the girls are brought up in a way to avoid any rebellious temptations… but they end up killing themselves. At least that’s what I remember of the story. Of course, I am making an extreme comparison. But it is I believe unhealthy to be plastic good. There’s nothing wrong with feeling sad, feeling rebellious, wanting to break norms. Especially when you’re a creative. It is a way to innovate, to push limits, to open new doors. I believe that it is so important to let loose and experiment. Most of my favorite artists, writers, movie directors, photographers are all in the provocation. Because as much as provocation might divide the crowd, some might hate, some might love, it will get us all to talk, to debate and whether we want it or not, it will lead us to self interrogation and perhaps even new perspectives. Think about Baudelaire and how risky it was a the time to release a book called “The Flowers of Evil”, or Stanley Kubrick when Clockwork Orange was released? Not mentioning the work of Steven Klein, of Cindy Sherman… All these artists that have made they career on provocation but have marked a generation though a new, different way of thinking and seeing. And yet somehow “Twilight” or “Fifty Shades of Grey” manage to get even more commercial success and attention… When I feel like you actually learn much more by reading “The Alchemist” by Coelho instead.

With all of this being said, and I might repeat what I said on Instagram, but for me, there is nothing more important that not limiting ourselves, or others. Because by doing so, we openly diminish our freedom and restrict our opportunities to fully be. I can’t express enough the importance of staying true to yourself by getting out of your comfort zone and being open. We will all, always be different.  And that’s the beauty of human diversity. We will all have different opinions and perspectives, and that’s fine. But by sharing perspectives with each other, we can come to a bigger understanding of life too. As long as we stay curious and open, knowing that there is rarely a right or wrong (excluding moral and immoral acts/opinions). There are some universal facts, hurting someone for the pain, for the torture is wrong, helping someone for the good, the progression is good. Other than that, I think we evolve in pretty much a gray zone don’t you think? Conformity is a very scary thing. We don’t want to end up in a society like in Equilibrium where we take drugs to cut our human emotions in order to all become the same, like robots and serve society. Think about communist, it isn’t healthy to all be on the same page, it is a way of restricting freedom and take away from life’s opportunities. Some intentions of course couldn’t have been considered as “good”, going into this subject would probably take me 3 more articles to talk about, but overall, I believe diversity and tolerance are tremendously important to lead a full, heartfelt life. Of course, I am speaking here from my perspective, from the things I’ve learned so far in my life, my opinions might change, but I hope not to speak from a place of ignorance or naivety.

So as I creator, I challenge myself to create things that’ll surprise and entertain you. It is also more pleasing and fun for me. And today is typically an editorial that I am so excited to share. I grew up on comic books and I can’t express how much I love super heroes. I got to creatively direct and edit this whole shoot photographed by the unbelievable Cibelle Levi. This girl just kills it each time and it’s so much fun working with her. We both are willing to push limits and make new things out of nothing. I cannot wait to have your feedback and know what you all think of these shots. I am still thinking of what my comic book name would be like… Baby Blue sounds like a good like a good start. Sweet on the outside, sour on the inside ;) x

 

PHOTOGRAPHY : Cibelle Levi
STYLING / MAKE-UP / EDITS / : Yours truly

 

from Kayture http://ift.tt/28XkkvQ