Health + Wellness
Everything you need for a long and healthy life.
A Vegan Thanksgiving to Make Carnivores Jealous
There’s one holiday meal each year that I just always kind of dread. It’s not Easter, with the ham and potatoes and luscious spring-themed desserts; it’s not the Fourth of July, with the burgers and lemonade and homemade ice cream. It’s definitely not Valentine’s Day, with the fancy chocolate desserts of your romantic dreams. It’s...Thanksgiving. I know! So American, right? But there’s something about staring at a monochromatic plate of turkey (tastes like turkey), mashed potatoes (am I supposed to be excited?), rolls (yum, but still bland), stuffing (mushy reconstituted bread what?), and gravy (it’s brown...again) that just doesn't do it for me. Everything that I do enjoy about Thanksgiving tends to be made of plants - the bright, tangy cranberry sauce, the green beans or asparagus or brussels sprouts, the complex, spicy pumpkin pie. So when it comes to creating a perfect vegan turkey-day feast, I’m all about ditching any lame tofurky poultry substitute and walking on the wild side. See if these brilliant vegan Thanksgiving switch-it-up meal ideas don’t have your meat-eating friends and relations turning sneaking forkfuls from your plate and asking for the recipe.
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in LongevityHoly Crap I'm 40: Clothing Edition
Fashion at 40, where to begin. The most important rule of thumb being, if you were able to wear it the first time it was in style, it might not be the best idea to be wearing it when it comes back in style. Unless you have a lot of confidence, or you just don't care, or you are a professional model. Even I looked good in a miniskirt in the 80s, but now I would just scare people. It is important to know when to say when. There has got to be a happy medium between the woman who dresses to kill every day and the woman who looks like she is homeless... I am still trying to figure that out, as I am the one who favors the latter. It helps that I only have boys and they love me no matter what I am wearing. I get the feeling that if I had daughter's, it would be an entirely different story. I sense I would get a lot of eye rolls and door slams.
Banji GanchrowPublished 8 years ago in LongevitySimple Methods to Creating New Friendships
Studies have shown that being social and having friends is good for your over-all well being. Making friends isn't always easy, especially when most of your days are spent at work and you have little time for anything else. When the quality of your time becomes more important than the quantity of your time, it is important to have some sure fire ways of getting people to like you and then, subsequently, forging friendships. Unfortunately, some people simply do not like people. And they don't care if people don't like them. They are arrogant, braggadocious, and just plain not nice. Whatever their issues may be, those folks are on one end of the spectrum. Weeding out those people can be quick and easy.
Banji GanchrowPublished 8 years ago in LongevityThe Most Incredible Vegetarian Tacos
When I was a kid, tacos always meant ground beef cooked up with some McCormick taco seasoning served in a flour tortilla with cheddar cheese and iceberg lettuce. Only I never ate the iceberg, because, you know, vegetables. Not exactly the first thing you think of when you’re trying to eat whole foods, or more veggies, or less fat. But today tacos are a concept borrowed by every possible food subculture imaginable, and this especially applies to vegetarians. Ditch the original “tacos” of your childhood for spicy sauces and salsas, a hundred different delicious veggie and bean and cheese combinations, and all kinds of crunchy, crispy, flavorful toppings that will make you wish every day was Tuesday (and that there was a taco truck on every corner).
Sarah QuinnPublished 8 years ago in LongevityGluten Myths People Still Believe
For most people, a life without warm bread and starchy pasta is a kind of unimaginable hell. I harbor deep sympathies for those diagnosed with the three conditions that require strict avoidance of gluten (the proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley that give bread that heavenly elastic quality we’ve come to love). If you’re not one of those people who has been told my a certified health professional that gluten is slowly killing you from the inside out, but have instead chosen to jump on the gluten-free bandwagon by choice, I hate to break it to you, but your deprivation (probably) isn’t doing you any good.
Alysha DePernaPublished 8 years ago in LongevityHerb Magic
Think of Halloween and what comes to mind? Jack O' Lanterns, black cats, witches riding their brooms across a Sana moonlit sky, bats? Not too far-fetched, actually. Many traditions that we use to celebrate the autumn holiday comes from superstitions and the medieval use of herbs and charms to ward off evil spirits used for centuries.
Jillian SprucePublished 8 years ago in LongevityHow Meditation Can Change Your Life, According to Science
Most people’s vision of mediation is a guru seated lotus style on a peaceful mountaintop, but there’s way more to it than that. Scientists and doctors are starting to catch on that mindfulness can be a powerful tool for healing. Even if you’re not a big fan of “woo” type stuff like massage or essential oils, you can’t deny actual medical studies that say that meditation changes the structure of your brain (1). It’s also a proven thing that there’s a connection between the brain and body, and that changes to our brain chemistry affect how our bodies work. With that, it’s really not a stretch to think that meditation can heal your body.
Cleaning Tips to Make Your Life Easier
Cleaning is an acquired taste. Some of us find it cathartic; We clean when we are stressed or anxious. Others only clean out of necessity-when the gunk in the toilet takes on a life of its own or the sheets begin to smell like something died in them. Dishes pile up and spill over, the sticky substance on the counters starts spreading down the cabinets... not a pretty picture.
Banji GanchrowPublished 8 years ago in Longevity