Health & Safety

The season of winter cheer is over, Groundhog Day is past us (Phil saw his shadow, by the way) and we’re left to stare down a few more weeks of cold and darkness with holiday bills still to pay down. But don’t let winter get you down without a fight. Here are some ways to combat the winter doldrums right in your own home. Most of the difficulties brought on by a severe form of winter blues, called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), stem from a lack of light.

My kids are going through a particular tiring dinner phase right now. I can make their favorite pasta dishes, partnered with their favorite veggies or fruit, and they still leave the table after a few bites. I’m playing the long game of creating healthy eating and meal-time habits, which looks a lot like me cringing inside but keeping a cool exterior when they refuse their carrots and then later ask for a snack.

You’ve likely heard the word “adaptogen” thrown around lately. But despite all the chatter you may still be wondering, adapt-o-what? So, let me break it down for you: Adaptogens are a group of plants that, put simply, help us adapt to stress. All of these plants deal with stress in their own plant lives: They respond to environmental pollutants, withstand extreme weather, and even fight off predators.

Whether you’re simply pouring them into a bowl with milk or whipping up marshmallow-loaded treats, it’s hard to beat the reliable simplicity of Rice Krispies cereal from that blue box. Since they’re made of rice, you might be wondering if they’re gluten-free. The answer to that question may surprise you. Rice Krispies are, in fact, not gluten-free.

It's all about carbs, yes, but don't forget this little detail.

You may have heard the term “macros” being thrown around a lot if you’re following a ketogenic diet. If you’ve been confused about what that means, don’t worry — we’re here to help. Macros are shorthand for macronutrients. What are macronutrients, exactly, and why are they important? Here is the basic information you need to know. Macros (macronutrients) are the class of compounds that provide us with the majority of energy (also known as calories).

It’s obvious I love to cook, given my day job, but I also happen to be a Registered Dietitian, which means even though I bake all the things, occasionally use butter with reckless abandon, and look for excuses to make a fancy steak dinner, I also am constantly thinking about how I can make whatever I happen to be cooking just a bit more wholesome. It’s actually a whole lot easier than you might think and it can be done without sacrificing all the indulgent things.

My health is my greatest priority. Putting in the effort to cook my meals, exercise, meditate, practice self-care, and reduce stress is not always easy, but it’s always worth it. Feeling great has created spillover in all facets of my life, and now that I’ve felt the vibrancy I experience daily because of my health, any other way of living isn’t an option. I believe cooking is the ultimate act of self-care.

As a parent, one of my biggest goals is to raise my kids to have a healthy relationship with food so they can avoid bouncing between indulgence, “clean” eating, and guilt. So they can enjoy a Christmas cookie in one bite and some broccoli the next. And I know that the key to this is modeling it myself. So this year, instead of making some sweeping resolution aimed at stripping my diet down, I have a simple goal that I think we can all get behind: Add more produce to our meals.

A few years ago, I didn’t know what meal planning was. I thought it was something for people who had kids to feed, a budget to manage, and no interest in the triumph of a spontaneous dinner. But like any good assumption, I missed the nuance and gravity of what the practice of planning your dinners all at one could do for you — and certainly who it was for.

How do you plan on enjoying your old age? I’ve always hoped for a future that involves wine, coffee, and lots and lots of chocolate. Unfortunately, that might not be possible for many of us, because climate change is affecting the earth’s food producers, and a lot of those favorite foods could be gone in our lifetimes. In the case of chocolate in particular, scientists say chocolate as we know it is on track to be extinct as early as 2050.

Making lunch for the day is often one of the first things to be cut from the morning's mile-long to-do list. But 2019 is the year that changes.

I’ve tried and failed at meal planning more times than I can remember — not for a lack of understanding its benefits, or for making the effort, or wanting to succeed. When it comes down to it, I never had a plan that was right or sustainable for me and my family. After signing up for an Ironman, I knew that this had to change immediately. Between work, life, and training, I knew if my husband and I wanted to avoid hangry meltdowns and nonstop takeout, meal planning had to happen.

Happy 2018! Now is the time when magazines and websites start talking about New Year’s resolutions. We don’t necessarily believe in them (so many set you up to fail!), but we do believe in making every year better than the one before it. And so we present you with Feel Good Habits. Every day this week, we’ll be running tips to help you with a new promise you might have made yourself. A banana here and a few pieces of arugula there do not make for the most nutritious days.

It might be tempting to toss your frozen meat into the microwave to speed up the thawing process, but you should really reconsider.

After speaking with parents of kids with severe allergies, I realize there are steps I can take to be a better ally and friend.

My youngest child would often fall to the ground and have epic tantrums before he could talk. It took me a while to catch on, but then I had a talk with his pediatrician, who suggested I try feeding him when I started to see him become agitated, even if he’d eaten within the hour or two. Guess what? It worked. The pediatrician explained that kids can not feel hungry, but still need nourishment. They often get so caught up in playing that they don’t want to take the time to eat.

Carrageenan. You’ve likely seen this word on hundreds of labels, since it’s used in everything from non-dairy milks to salad dressings. It’s even lurking in your lunch meat. But what exactly is it and why is it so controversial? Carrageenan is an ingredient extracted from seaweed and used as a thickener and emulsifier in processed foods, including some almond milks. More specifically, it comes from a kind of seaweed called Irish Moss.

I have a deep love for cheese, in all shapes and forms, and feel it really does make anything better. At the same time, I am also someone who generally tries to eat pretty healthfully but who isn’t planning on denying herself something as good as melty mozzarella or salty cheddar in order to fulfill that.

There seems to be a misconception out there that eating more plant-based meals means laborious meal prepping, spending a whole week’s salary on the new “it” powders and potions, and suffering through sludgy green smoothies. But it’s a lot simpler than that. Plant-based eating can be easy, affordable, and delicious. And guess what? If green smoothies aren’t your thing, you don’t have to drink them!

I cried for a few weeks after I changed to a plant-based diet. Changing my diet actually helped me avoid getting a hysterectomy, but that wasn’t enough to stop me from blubbering about my new way of eating. I thought I’d never be satisfied. I loved all things cheese and steak frites and thought I was sentenced to a life of brown rice and steamed broccoli.

This substitute isn't just for vegans or vegetarians.

My favorite local bar recently added a Unicorn Frosé to its cocktail menu, possibly as some kind of trap to catch its regulars. Because I’m one of them, I asked one of the bartenders if it had spirulina in it. She had to ask two of the other bartenders, and the consensus was no, but they weren’t sure, because they didn’t know what spirulina was. They’re not alone.

Read just about any recipe, whether it’s savory or sweet, and it will call for some amount of salt. We all know the value it plays in a dish. Most importantly, it enhances the flavor of the food by releasing certain molecules that make it more aromatic. It also intensifies sweetness, which is why a little is usually added to baked goods and other desserts, and can counteract bitterness in foods like leafy greens and other strongly flavored vegetables.

It may be tough to get excited about food, but it's important to do this one thing.

Overnight oats just may be the superstar of the make-ahead breakfast world. Not only do they require no cooking whatsoever, but they are also adaptable, wholesome, and satisfying. Start stirring up a handful of Mason jars of them at the start of each week and you’re guaranteed to make a habit of it. How many jars can you actually make on Sunday night, though? If you make enough to get you through all five days of the work week, will they actually stay good until Friday?

At dinnertime on my first-ever cruise, my server asked me: “Would you like another entrée?” I was so surprised, my jaw dropped. I was already stuffed from the appetizer, salad, and main I’d just consumed and I wasn’t sure even my second dessert stomach had any room to spare.

One of a slow cooker’s best characteristics is its ability to cook a meal for you while you do a hundred other things. Dump the makings of a hearty chili into one, let it do its thing while you go about your day, and return home to a warm dinner ready and waiting. The only kicker is that some slow cooker recipes call for a shorter cook time than you want. If you’re out for eight hours, a recipe that takes just four hours just isn’t going to work.

It’s no secret that people change when they’re in a relationship. Being close to someone makes you alter your behavior, daily patterns, and even habits. And there’s no shortage of research hinting at the fact that couples become increasingly similar throughout a relationship — some even say couples start looking alike. Now, a new study published in the journal Appetite has unearthed a thing or two about the dining habits of couples.

Hurricane Irma has taken a toll on regions impacted by the storm, with flooding, power outages, powerful winds, and food shortages. The latter is an especially difficult situation for survivors, as most sources of food — markets, restaurants, and convenience stores — are without power and access to fresh ingredients. As for supermarkets, they are either destroyed or have empty shelves.

The status of school lunch in America is far from perfect. Between unhealthy options and lunch shaming, there’s tremendous room for improvement when it comes to how and what children in the nation are being fed. Earlier this year, New Mexico became the first American state to take a legal stand on lunch shaming when students don’t have the funds to purchase food.

Some nights it feels like a major feat if everyone in my family eats dinner — let alone the idea of us all doing it together. As in, at the same time. With both kids involved in travel sports and my husband and I ending work at different times, we often graze in shifts: My sons get fed by their sitter, I scarf down hummus and carrots (and, ahem, some brie), and my husband hoovers up the leftovers.

As the Carolina coast prepares for Hurricane Florence, those living in areas impacted have plenty of issues on their mind. Amidst debating evacuation plans, stocking up on emergency items, and generally preparing for the storm, there’s one food dilemma for those who plan to flee: Will the contents of their fridge be safe to eat when they return?

This is crucial to remember before you start to cook.

If you’re following a Paleo diet or doing a Whole30, chances are I don’t have to sell you on this dietary approach that prioritizes eating and cooking whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense foods like veggies, fruits, grass-fed and pastured meats and eggs, and wild-caught seafood. Because you feel pretty awesome, right? There’s one downside, though, and you’ve probably experienced it too: lunch is kind of a pain.

Working from home means that theoretically I could make all my meals from scratch whenever hunger strikes, but the reality is that I often stare at my computer for super-long stretches of time until I realize I haven’t eaten in hours and need to scarf something down, usually hunched over at the counter, before my next meeting. It’s super glamorous!

If you’re guilty of leaving water bottles in your car, whether it be clutter or a backup source of hydration, then it’s time to quit the habit. Firefighters are warning drivers about the hazard that clear water bottles pose. Specifically, Oklahoma’s Midwest City Fire Department conducted a test to find that water bottles magnify sunlight. This can make it reach a temperature as high as 250°F.

You’ve probably heard of GMOs, and you might even know what it stands for (genetically modified organisms), but understanding what GMOs actually are is a whole other ball game, and there’s a lot of misinformation floating around. Fortunately, Neil deGrasse Tyson and his StarTalk on Mashable podcast is here to set the record straight and start the dialogue on what it really means and how it impacts our health. Tyson’s guest on the podcast is Dr.

Have you ever opened up your freezer to find that your once red beef is looking a little brown? Or taken a pint of ice cream out only to discover the top is covered in ice crystals? Freezer burn happens to the best of us. Here’s what you should know. When you see that your red meat has taken on a dull brown shade, or your chicken has gone a bit pale, it’s easy to worry it’s gone bad — but it’s totally safe to eat!

Not everyone's freezer is 100 percent consistent. Make sure you know what to look for.

When you live in the same household as someone, it’s a not a surprise that you would all eat similarly. Unless someone is making specific meals for every individual — which would be too much work — everyone is going to be eating that pizza, or salad, or whatever you’re having for meals. So it’s generally accepted that children eat how their parents do. But a new study found that managing a child’s diet can also impact the parent’s.

Picture this: You’re doing your weekly grocery shop and there’s a great deal on a family pack of chicken thighs. And now that you’re looking in the meat section, you were thinking maybe you’d have a cookout this weekend and the ground beef is on sale. And you might as well stock up on buns because, well, it’s still summer-ish and you need buns. Somehow you walk out of the store with more than enough to feed you, your family, and then some.

As long as your freezer is working at its optimal level, keeping food consistently at 0°F, the food inside will be safe to eat indefinitely. There’s no safety concern with anything that’s been properly frozen. The real issue is just how much you’ll actually enjoy it, as some foods might not have the taste or texture you prefer when eating something a year later. Not willing to risk eating leathery meat? We don’t blame you.

It’s not difficult to pinpoint the types of people who hate cheese: vegans, lactose-intolerant individuals, sociopaths. Cheese-haters who don’t fall into these categories often have an innate distaste for cheese and their peculiar preferences may have less to do with personal taste — in fact, it just might be genetic. According to Harold McGee, author of On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen, evolution could be at play.

Blissfully ignorant vegetarians had their hearts broken this week when they learned Parmigiano-Reggiano is not really vegetarian. Well, not technically at least. It doesn’t have meat in the traditional sense, but the beloved cheese, which is a staple garnish and ingredient for an array of foods, is made with calf rennet. What’s calf rennet, you ask? It’s found in the stomach lining of calves and it’s what causes cheese to curd through the active enzyme chymosin.

When you’re traveling, most things are out of your control — the weather, equipment malfunctions, your fellow seatmates, delays, the price of (questionable) food options, the amount of healthy food options — but a couple years ago (during my first and only non-cheating stint of Whole30), I figured out a way to take charge of some of those elements. My life hack? I never travel without a specially packed container of hard-boiled eggs. Here’s how it works.

Welcome to the Great Debates, where we consider the greatest nutritional controversies of our time. Our goal isn’t to tell you what to think or do, but rather to present both sides of hot-button issues, like coffee (is it good for you?) and breakfast (the most important meal of the day?). What’s being said? Who’s saying it? Then it’s up to you to make your own decisions. It’s not a secret that yogurt has been associated with a number of health benefits.

Ever wonder the best way to prepare mushrooms without sacrificing their nutritional content? A few scientists from the Mushroom Technological Research Center in La Rioja, Spain did and they have the answer for how to best prepare the fungus. Mushrooms can be prepared in a variety of different ways, but some cooking techniques can make them lose their health appeal (they are rich in fiber, vitamins, and protein).

It’s not quite an allergy to fruits and veggies, but it’s also not “not an allergy.” If you’ve bitten into a fruit or veggie and felt a tingling sensation in your throat or your lips immediately getting ever-so-slightly swollen, know that it’s not in your head. It’s a seasonal allergic reaction to fruits and vegetables called “oral allergy syndrome.

You want to get away. You want to eat some of the best food of your life, on the road, in a car with the windows rolled down. You want to feel free. Unfortunately, when you have to eat gluten-free, travel is rarely that spontaneous. You never know if you’re going to find much you can eat in a gas station off the highway (Fritos are gluten-free). Walk into a diner in the middle of the country and you might be met with confused stares when you ask to see a gluten-free menu.

Sparkling water is often considered to be a healthy (and delicious) alternative to sodas and high-sugar drinks, but a new study has made some troubling findings about how healthy sparkling water really is. Spoiler alert: It might not be as good for you as you may think. New research from Birzeit University in Palestine, published in the peer-reviewed journal Obesity Research and Clinical Practice, suggests that carbonated beverages make you feel hungrier. How?

There’s a little joke that goes around vegan circles — the concept of the “level-five vegan,” someone who is unflinchingly committed to the plant-based lifestyle. The term is a reference to an episode of The Simpsons, in which Lisa Simpson — one of television’s most celebrated vegetarians — develops a crush on a guy who chuckles dismissively when she says she’s thinking of going vegan. “I’m a level-five vegan,” he says.

You don't need meat in your diet to fill your day with plenty of good, wholesome protein.

You'll want to memorize these.

It's easier than you think to get enough protein in your diet every day — here's visual proof.

Remember that age-old piece of nutritional advice that salty foods make you thirsty? It’s wrong. Scientists have long believed that eating more salt results in urinating more, which causes one to drink more to refuel. But no long-term study has ever looked into the matter to verify the seemingly logical assumption. Now an international team of scientists found evidence suggesting the contrary: Those who ate more salt retained more water, were less thirsty, and were hungrier.

As a vegetarian of over 20 years and the founder of a plant-based salad company, Arthur Street Kitchen, I have spent a lot of time thinking about how to cook vegetables and grains creatively so that they are not only delicious, but also nourishing and completely filling. I’ve found that the key to creating delicious, satisfying plant-based veggie bowls is to look at vegetables as a blank canvas.

Protein is a word that carries a lot of weight. Packaged foods brag of their high-protein content; a whole aisle of the grocery store is filled with bars and powders that claim to be pumped full of it. We’re told that we need to eat it — that protein is good for us and we need a lot of it — but what exactly is it? Why do we need it? And do we need as much as everyone seems to think?

Weird food pairing are counterintuitive: How can a person possibly enjoy two conflicting flavor profiles like chocolate-covered salmon or pizza dipped in sugary icing? One possibility is that said person is a masochist. Or they have low-functioning taste buds. But odds are (because science says so!) it has a thing or two to do with flavor perception. Sebastian Ahnert, a physicist at Cambridge specializing in biochemical networks, looked into this very thing.

Brain freezes are nuisances that come in between you and your ability to eat a pint of gelato or down an ice-cold treat. But the fleeting headache has nothing to do with your brain. Instead, it’s how these cold items mess with your arteries. The New York Daily News reports that the short-lived sensation is not a literal freezing of the brain. Instead, it’s possibly triggered by changes in the general region.

Ask a tea aficionado how tea should be prepared and you can bet a microwave will not be involved. But ask a food scientist from University of Newcastle in Australia and they’ll make a compelling case for using a microwave. Research shows preparing tea in a microwave might actually make it healthier for you.

I have a few techniques I follow to try to tempt my child when he is too sick, tired, cranky, or in pain to eat most of our usual favorites.

You could say moving is one of my specialties: Over the past decade, I’ve lived in more than 25 different apartments. Because I don’t move with much, I’ve had to get creative when it comes to stocking my kitchen on a budget. The thrift store is almost always my first stop, although they don’t always have what I need. Not to mention, there are certain items I generally can’t (or don’t want to) buy used. So where do I go next? The dollar store.

If you rank meal planning as a chore right up there with scrubbing the bathroom, imagine what it’s like for people who have to plan a balanced diet to fuel intense workouts (and shop and cook in between lengthy gym sessions). Welcome to the world of powerlifters. Powerlifting is the pursuit of strength as measured by the amount of iron you can move in three classic lifts: the bench press, deadlift, and squat.

Name just about any subculture, fandom, hobby, or niche obsession, and there’s likely a space for talking about it on Reddit. The massive online discussion site currently hosts over one million discussion communities (known as subreddits), focused on just about every subject matter or interest you could imagine.

Among the essential staple foods I keep on hand in the kitchen at all times (I’m looking at you, olive oil, grains, and canned tomatoes) are frozen vegetables. I’m not talking about a single bag, but a selection of a few different veggies. Not only are they economical, but they also won’t go bad anytime soon. Keep them tucked away in the freezer and you can rest easy knowing that quick side dishes, wholesome dinners, and hearty breakfasts are just an arm’s reach away.

Ever had that moment when you can’t remember whether you touched the raw chicken and didn’t wash your hands? Sometimes we get into such a routine when making dinner that we forget some of the basics about the process — especially when it comes to meat handling and safety. Well, consider this your refresher course. We chatted with Stanley Rutledge, community coordinator at StopFoodborneIllness.org, to figure out some key tips for handling meat in the kitchen.

Throughout January and February, six Kitchn editors tried out the Whole30 program for the first time. In case you’re not familiar, Whole30 is a program where you cut out added sugar, grains, alcohol, legumes, dairy, carrageenan, MSG, and sulfites for 30 days. The program is supposed to help you reset and refocus on food and figure out what makes you feel good.

At some point or another, everyone has experienced the classic symptoms of a food coma. You know what I’m talking about. It’s that overwhelming feeling of fullness after a buffet binge or too many servings of mashed potatoes at a family dinner. We laymen call it a food coma, but medical professionals have a name for the phenomenon: postprandial somnolence. Medical experts agree that eating too much food results in a change in your body’s circulation.

As an avid traveler, I often get asked for my best tips. Well, here’s one: Coca-Cola. Yes, my friends, the same carbonated beverage that can actually clean your toilet has become my preferred partner in crime when I travel. I swear by this brown, bubbly liquid to protect against food-related tummy troubles. Truth: I’m not entirely sure how it works.

In January we explored Whole30, the 30-day reset and refocus on whole foods. Whole30 isn’t a diet or a judgment of foods as “good and bad.” It’s actually a short-term reset that has helped many of our readers cook more and figure out the foods that make them feel their best. Here’s a final takeaway from Ariel, one of our editors, who went through the whole program — and cooked a lot more.

The funniest thing about preparing to have a baby is the stuff you don’t Google like “How to clean bathtub after baby poops in it,” or “Why does baby hate socks,” or, in my case, “How to get over crippling fear of baby choking on solid food.” Can you relate? Moving my son to purées was easy and fun. Seeing him try prunes, broccoli, and even my puréed shepherd’s pie for the first time was a blast.