Recently in Health Category

Chocolate that's good for your skin!?? Yup that's what Frutels is saying. Their vegetarian, sugar-free, antioxidant-rich dark chocolates are infused with vitamins to give you a dietary supplement by way of chocolate (kind of like a non-chewy version of Viactiv). I have a big snacking issue and my trainer is constantly grilling me with "Did you have chocolate after 5pm?" Of course I almost always have chocolate after 5pm despite the fact that I now know that chocolate can keep you up at night if you have it past the late afternoon. Anyway, while my trainer dismissed Frutels when I told her about it, I think that just like Home Grown Love's raw chocolates, Frutels is onto something.

Each pack comes with 14 individually wrapped little chocolate balls (2-5 recommended per day), and they're not sweet. They're very hard so it takes awhile to chew (thus helping me to avoid over-indulging), and while they may not completely satisfy your chocolate craving since they're not actually sugary, they're packed with everything from Vitamin C, and E, to Niacin and Thiamin. So while I don't know if they can actually clear up your skin (mine looks pretty much the same after a bag of these), it seems to me like Frutels are a good way to help treat your skin from the inside out.

There are countless beauty brands doing special charitable donations in light of breast cancer awareness month and while any act that raises awareness and funds is great, it's always refreshing to come across a line like Ouidad that has an inspiring story and gives back year-round. This year marks the 5th anniversary of Ouidad's charity, Curls for a Cure. Ouidad, the founder of the curl-friendly hair line and salon, was diagnosed with breast cancer, a disease that took her mother's life, in 2002 and was fortunate enough to make a full recovery. In light of her struggle Ouidad has vowed to match dollar-for-dollar any donations made to Curls for a Cure ALL YEAR ROUND. To learn more click here.  On a side note Ouidad recently celebrated her line's 25th anniversary with a party at her salon. I've never gotten my hair done there (my hair is actually straight), but it's a chic salon (conveniently located next to Bergdorf!), and considering the amount of happy clients I spoke with that night it seems like a good bet for anyone with curly hair (plus they've got dipped in chocolate fortune cookies around the salon with "curly" fortunes like -- "You'll make waves everywhere you go" -- so fun!).

Luckily I don't snore and perhaps even luckier, I've never dated anyone with a snoring problem! My parents however have been married for almost 30 years and my mother still, on a regular basis, complaints about my father's snoring (it's pretty bad...like you can hear it two rooms away bad....!). So when I got an email about Silent Snooz ($12.95) I instantly perked-up. I knew my father had never tried anything to control his snoring and my mother never pushed so here was a great opp to see if anything could be done to control it. Silent Snooz is a new FDA-approved sleep enhancement and snoring prevention v-shaped dilator (one-size-fits-all) that, according to my dad, fits easily into the base of the nose. The dilator is designed to exert sufficient, gentle, "barely there" pressure to effectively open the nasal passages, helping to fight second hand snoring (designed to last 30 days). Basically the nasal passages are gently held open to allow for easier breathing. It comes in eucalyptus and lavender scents as well as fragrance-free and is available at most major drug stores.

While Silent Snooz didn't eliminate my dad's snoring completely it certainly helped bring it down a few notches and combined with my dad's treasured elizabethW Silk Lavender Eye Pillow actually helped him achieve a deeper, more restful sleep.

How do you keep snoring at bay? 

I've never been a dieter. I've always just tried my very hardest to eat balanced meals (which with my unrelenting sweet tooth is a serious struggle in itself!), but I'm intrigued by the Mediterranean diet because it seems to parallel many of my natural eating habits. I was able to speak with Chobani's official dietitian, Nicki Briggs, MS, RD, to get the scoop on what exactly the diet entails, how what you eat can affect your skin, small steps we can ALL take, and more. See below!
 
Could you in brief explain the Mediterranean Diet for those that aren't familiar?
Sure. In three words: It's a lifestyle!

The Mediterranean Diet is a lifestyle approach to healthy eating that includes enjoying a variety of foods and daily physical activity. The diet was traditionally used to describe the eating patterns of people living in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea.

What are the key foods in the diet?
Key foods include fruits, vegetables, vegetable-based protein (beans, nuts, seeds), yogurt, cheese, healthy monounsaturated fats like olive oil, nuts and avocado, and fish. Meats and sweets are eaten less often and in smaller amounts (Mediterranean Diet pyramid).

What benefits can one hope to achieve via the diet?
People who closely follow a Mediterranean Diet have been found to have lower risks for virtually all forms of chronic disease, including heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, and diabetes. The diet has also been shown to benefit weight loss and management efforts, cholesterol and blood pressure levels, allergies, pregnancy outcomes, arthritis, and depression. But even if someone just makes small changes to their diet to eat in a more Mediterranean-style fashion, there are benefits to be had. The Mediterranean Diet does not label any foods as "bad foods" but encourages people to eat more plant-based foods and healthy fats. Everything is allowed in moderation, which allows people to enjoy food and feel satisfied.

How can diet influence the health of your skin?
The diet's positive effects stem from its ability to combat inflammation. Inflammation is a major component of many chronic diseases and can also wreak havoc on your skin. Inflammation accelerates fine lines, wrinkles and enlarged pores, as well as causes puffiness, sagging, blotchiness or reddening of the skin. By following an anti-inflammatory diet, such as a Mediterranean Diet, one may lessen some of these visible signs of inflammation. More after the jump!

What you eat can possibly save your life, or can it? There is a new study that claims eating a single mushroom a day may keep breast cancer at bay (any variety, including dried mushrooms). The International Journal of Cancer found that women who consumed the fungi were 64% less likely to develop cancer than those who didn't. Dr. Min Zhang, a research associate professor of epidermology at the University of Western Australia claims "Mushrooms contain compounds that may suppress the production of estrogen, a hormone that promotes breast tumor growth".  Next time you cook, considering a mushroom or two into your stir fry, soup or casserole. It can't hurt!

Have you been to Henri Bendel lately? If you haven't you should! Not only is there an amazing sale going on (up to 60% off -- shortly, Bendel's will remove any trace of clothing in the store so that they can focus exclusively on accessories and beauty), but they've just introduced a new line focused on "Beauty Nutrition," called Functionalab. The line is full of various supplements and tonics, and they've also got a personalized nutrition program. Everything in the line is made with the highest quality natural ingredients and is supported by scientific research. The premise is that we can't get everything we need from outside treatments, we need to have things working from the inside. Ideally we would all get everything we need from food, but at least for me that's proven impossible (ie I load-up on protein, poof! Up goes my cholesterol!). As hard as I try to get all my veggies, fruits, whole wheat, omegas, and everything else in I'll find that one day I'll be good about one thing and bad about another. I've tried taking One-a-Day for Women, but the pills are so big that they upset my stomach. Viactiv is too tasty -- every time I pop one chewy I'm tempted to eat a whole box and Chinese herbal supplements, at least the ones I've tried, left an unpleasant taste in my mouth. Needless to say I was excited to get my personalized one-month vitamin diet supplement pack. Read more about it after the jump!

For the 17th consecutive year April is National Stress Awareness Month (in addition to Earth Month of course!). With stress at an all time high, (thank you taxes), Rescue Remedy is marking the month by releasing the results of a 500-person stress survey. Below are some of the highlights--
• 80% of men and 79% of women surveyed felt that stress play a significant role in their life. These effects include change in mood, sleep patterns, relationships and how they work.
• The number one cause of stress? Money. 86% of men and 36% of women listed money as the cause of stress in their lives.
• 52% of women and 38% of men have tried relaxation methods to decrease stress levels. These methods include yoga, meditation, relaxation-cd's and over-the counter options.
What can you do about this stress? Jump for some insight from Rescue Remedy!

I don't go often enough, but when I do make it to a Yoga class I head to YogaWorks so I was excited when I got these tips from Kathryn Budig one of the Yogis there. See below for some of Kathryn's quick and easy yoga poses that can be incorporated into your day to help you relieve common issues! Issue #1: Are your feet sore from those four-inch Louboutins? "Alleviate the pain of wearing high heels by ascending and descending to chair pose, balancing on the balls of the feet with the arches and heels lifting," suggests Kathryn. "The pose will help you conquer the discomfort of this season's soaring heel heights." How To Solve: • Place the feet together and lift both arms parallel to the ground, palms facing down • Find one point to gaze at and lift up onto the balls of the feet • Continue to reach the heels away from the ground, creating lift in the arches • Keep the gaze on one point, heels lifted, and begin to bend the knees • Keep the belly gently pulling to the spine as the body descends until the bottom lands lightly on the heels • Take five breaths without placing the heels on the ground and make a slow return back to standing • Place heels back down More after the jump!

I think people with blindingly white teeth are creepy (especially a certain Scientologist movie star with his maniacal smile!)-- but clean and natural looking white teeth?? Very sexy! I got bleaching trays once but it made my teeth so sensitive that I stopped after a couple of months. I swore off all bleaching products since then and have been satisfied with my teeth but lately I feel like they aren't as bright as they used to be (normal with age and regular consumption of red wine). 

I don't want to do anything drastic so I started using Go Smile! after its PR rep sent me samples.   The sample only lasted two days but it was enough to get me to buy more.  It's been a couple of weeks and I am noticing a very slight and subtle change in my teeth.  They just look a shade brighter, though not much whiter.  I also like the application process, brush it on like any other toothpaste, no sitting around with annoying trays in your mouth! Try for yourself and let me know what you think.  At Go Smile!

On a totally different note, I had a dream last night that my dentist cut my hair when I went in for a cleaning.  Very bizarre.

I couldn't sleep over the holidays because I was worried about the dinner for 20 I was planning the next night on Christmas Eve, the gifts for 50 family and friends that haven't been wrapped (or shipped in some cases) and my son's double ear infection. By 3 am, I was panicked that I'd never sleep and then remembered a PR rep had sent me aromatherapy pillow liners that are supposed to help you sleep. I dug around in my "goody" box and found the liner, stuck it in my pillow, and waited for sleep to come.

I wish I could say that I fell asleep immediately but I didn't. The scent was lovely and it did relax me but all I could think about was how I needed a massage but haven't had time for one and my masseuse Tracy at Cooper Spa will be taking maternity leave in January so I better get in there. Then I started worrying about her giving massages during her tri-mester and what if she went into labor while giving me a massage and do I try to deliver the baby or wait for help. (You know how the busy mind works!)
 
Anyhoo, the liners last from two to five days and come in a collection of 12 scents. $24.99 for eight scented liners that you can travel with. Me, I plan on putting them in my lingerie drawer. At Sleepscentsations.com