10 Helpful Herbs For The Womb In All Its Stages

Adriana Ayales is the clinical herbalist behind NYC’s Anima Mundi. This timely piece on support for the feminine through herbs, plants and self-care is just what's needed... 

The use of pharmaceuticals for pregnancy, fertility, hormone regulation, menopause, and more, has become excessive in modern day history, and not without risks. While a wide array of pharmaceuticals and allopathic practices have been a lifesaver to many, it is vital that we integrate holistic practices that can help prevent a wide array of side effects, potential complications, and are supportive to our wholeness—mentally and physically.

Millions of women suffer from uterine fibroids, PMS, PCOS, endometriosis, fertility ISSUES, menopausal problems, hormonal concerns, and more. And sadly, many common medications that treat these common imbalances cause a wide array of harmful side-effects.

I’m a huge advocate of integrating the best of both worlds, and work with the laws of harmony personalized to each and every body to find wholeness. Rather than approaching a one-size-fits-all mentality with medications, or even herbs and dietary protocols, it’s important to take your health back and approach your body holistically, like a garden.

The herbs and practices below are an invitation to educate, recognize, and deepen your connection to the Earth. These self-care tools are here to assist you in developing the skills needed to prevent and potentially treat common health conditions that arise along the journey of the feminine body.

Today we are featuring popular herbs that have served many across centuries, and can be useful add-ons to your current routines. This is just the tip of the iceberg of herbal medicine for women. Please be mindful and dive deeper combining with other prescription medications. Although most here are generally safe, please consult your herbalist, healthcare practitioner, midwife and/or doctor to better asses what’s right for you and your unique body type.

10 Helpful Herbs For The Womb, In All Its Stages

1. NETTLE—Nettle is one of Nature’s greatest multivitamins. Rich in nutrients, minerals and high in iron, Nettle is deeply nourishing to all body types. It is particularly useful to the womb pre- and post-cycle, for fertility, for postpartum, after birth, and in the case of a miscarriage. Nettle may also support kidney health, may clear urinary tract infections and is incredibly effective at reducing seasonal allergies. Nettle can be enjoyed in many ways. You can ingest fresh (or dried) as a tea, as a food, as a tincture, or as an extract powder. You can treat it as if it were a stinging kale, and make all sorts of delicious dishes, teas, broths, and beyond. For pregnant mamas, use glycerite tinctures when choosing liquid extracts.

2. RED RASPBERRY LEAF—The red raspberry is a unique medicinal food with a rich history. Extensive historical papers note how wild berries were collected in the wild and were a primary food amongst many cultures around the world. In medieval Europe, wild berries were used for medicinal purposes and their juices were used for paintings and as ink for manuscripts. Raspberries are high in several powerful antioxidant compounds, including vitamin C, quercetin, ellagic acid, containing a variety of other nutrients, such as magnesium, potassium, vitamin K, calcium, and iron. Red Raspberry leaf is an herb commonly used during pregnancy, and studies show that it might not only improve the outcome but it reduces the possibility of medical intervention. Although it’s not technically a pain-reliever, the leaves have helped a myriad of women in labor, those dealing with PMS, premenstrual bloating, heavy period flows, and endometriosis. For best results, try using the fresh leaves, or fresh dried. If not available, enjoy it as a tea or tincture. For pregnant mamas, use glycerite tinctures.

3. SHATAVARI—A beloved adaptogen native to India. Used for centuries in Ayurveda for women in all stages of life, as it’s an adaptogenic super tonic for the womb. Shatavari is immensely helpful in curbing physical and psychological stress often associated to hormonal imbalances and reproductive disorders. It helps balance sluggish menstruation or a heavy flow. Based on existing studies, Shatavari may improve general reproductive health, assisting with complications such as PCOS, follicular growth and development, infertility. Shatavari has been successfully used to increase fertility, as a galactagogue, for vaginal dryness, hot flashes during and around the onset of menopause, and for supplementation post-menopause. May be ingested as a tea, capsule, tincture or in food. For pregnant mamas, use glycerite tinctures when choosing liquid extracts.

4. BLACK COHOSH—One of my all time favorite plants for womb care in all stages of life. This precious herb, has gained immense popularity as it’s often used as hormone replacement therapy, to support women during menopause, with few adverse effects. It is often used for symptoms of menopause, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), PCOS, painful menstruation. Although often associated as an herb for women, Native Americans have used it for as wide array of purposes for centuries, such as: colds, rheumatism, kidney disorders, menstrual disorders, to induce labor, lactation and more. Black Cohosh helps alleviate symptoms of hot flashes, sleep disorders, body pains, irritability, and mood swings. Recommended as a tea, tincture, or capsule. For pregnant mamas, use glycerite tinctures.

5.MORINGA LEAF—Did you know that Moringa has 7x more vitamin C than oranges, and 15x more potassium than bananas? This nutrient-dense medicinal food also has protein, iron, amino acids, vitamin A, vitamin B6, B2, Iron, Magnesium, B2, and more. To say they are nature’s multivitamin is an understatement! Moringa is also a natural galactagogue, assisting mamas and mamas to be in milk production. Enjoy fresh or as a powder and incorporate into food, beverages, and beyond. A super tasty green powder that can be enjoyed even as a latte!

6. VITEX (Chasteberry)—This powerhouse of a berry not only is a powerful women’s health ally, it is also known to boost memory, learning and cognition. Vitex directly enhances the function of the pituitary gland, which is a primary gland that regulates hormone secretion. It’s used as a fertility aid, and is safe to use in the first stage of pregnancy for miscarriage prevention if there is a history of miscarriages. Discontinue use of this herb past the first trimester, unless you are following a protocol with an experienced herbalist or doctor. Vitex is a galactagogue, stimulates milk production, can help bring back menstruation for women suffering from amenorrhea, may help with PMS, PCOS, fertility challenges, irregular menstrual cycles, and menopause symptoms. Best in tincture or capsule form. For mamas in early pregnancy enjoy as a tea.

7. DONG QUAI—Sometimes called “female ginseng,” Wild Yam helps cramping, irregular menstrual cycles, infrequent periods, PMS, any menstrual and muscle cramping, and menopausal symptoms. This potent women's herb has the ability to support the regulation of estrogen levels—whether they're too high or too low—strengthening the uterus, improving uterine tone, and regulating the menstrual cycle. In Chinese Medicine, it has been shown to improve red blood cell count, which is helpful after menstruation to replenish rapidly. For those with sluggish periods, Dong Quai is said to relieve stagnation that may often lead to PCOS, endometriosis, ovarian cysts and uterine fibroids. Best as a tincture or root decoction. 

8. ADAPTOGENIC MUSHROOMS—Ah, the world of fungi! Mushrooms are some of humans' greatest medicinal foods. Medicinal mushrooms offer a wide variety of healing benefits and are packed with nutrients.

Adaptogenic mushrooms in particular are vital for immune strength, immune protection, resilience, and are generally safe in small doses during pregnancy. Enjoy them as a food, particularly in the 2nd and 3rd trimester.

Mushrooms such as turkey tail, agaricus, lion’s mane, shiitake, maitake, oysters, chaga, cordyceps, reishi, and other culinary mushrooms are excellent to incorporate into the diet. Mushrooms, like many of the medicinal herbs mentioned today, are packed with vital nutrients, which much of the food of today lacks. Vitalism is something we must narrow in on, and make sure we get enough of, as they are essential building blocks for our mind-body resilience overall. Enjoy them in soup as a mushroom broth, or as a tea. If pregnant, ingest in small and moderate doses in foods, soup, smoothies, warm beverages etc. For regular maintenance, enjoy as broth, soups, as a tincture, decoction, or extract powder.

9. MILKY OATS Are an excellent "tropho-restorative," a category of herbs that are highly nutritive and restorative, revitalizing many organ systems. Milky Oats, or Oat Straw, is a superb tonic for anyone looking to decompress and nourish the nervous system, as well as revitalize and recover from weakness of deficiency. It has a soothing, calming effect on the body and can gently support balanced moods. Milky Oats also greatly supports irritable bowels (IBS), heart burn, inflammation in the gut, and restless nerves. Ingest as a fresh tincture or in our Calm Tea. For pregnant mamas, use the tea for optimal effects.

10. RED CLOVER—Red Clover is perhaps one of Nature’s greatest multivitamins, as it contains calcium, vitamin C, beta-carotene, whole spectrum B vitamins, and essential trace minerals such as magnesium, zinc, copper, selenium, and manganese.

According to master herbalist Rosemary Gladstar, “Because of Red Clover’s phytoestrogens, it is commonly used by women to support common menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings, and night sweats. The isoflavones in Red Clover appear to bind with estrogen receptor sites, preventing certain forms of estrogen such as estradiol and/or excess estrogen from accumulating.”

Red Clover is often used for fertility, and as a tonic to prepare the uterus for pregnancy. Its signature red flowers look like red blood cells, signaling its key healing powers, which is to purify and mineralize the blood. Studies also demonstrate it to be an effective galactagogue as it stimulates prolactin secretion, therefore increasing milk production. Best taken as a tea or fresh herb tincture. For pregnant mamas, use glycerite tinctures.

3 Ancient Rituals For Self-Love

Self-care is a birthright, not a luxury. Many of the rituals below are inspired by ancient traditions that practiced self care to return the body to its original healthy state. Self care rituals weren’t practiced solely to diagnose a specific symptom, or to look good – the general aim was to re-enliven life force in the body, the very essence of our health and well-being. There are many ways you can practice self care, from jumping into a body of water, to sitting in silence, to a walk in nature, or a simple foot massage. The practice of filling your own cup daily allows you to be more present and thrive.

1. SELF MASSAGE—In modern Western culture we consider a massage to be a special treat, but for many healers in the East, Africa, and in Latin America, massage was and is a daily practice to free the body of stagnation.

In Latin America for example, there are specific shamans called “sobaderos” that literally heal through moving, agitating, or massaging the body. This is believed to free the body of what I would call somatic impressions, memories, and emotional programming.

In Eastern, African, and Latin American traditions, there is a common ritual where women get daily massages for a period of days, or up to forty days (also called "cuarentena") after giving birth. This is often done by a midwife, doulas, or family members.

In modern day reality—where we all live busy lives and don’t always have family nearby—we have become accustomed to massages being an expensive luxury. Therefore a great alternative, if you’re seeking this therapy, is self-massage, which can be equally as effective.

To practice self-massage:
+ Apply warm oil generously to your body, beginning with your limbs. Use long strokes on your arms and legs, and circular motions on your joints. Massage clockwise to release tension, and include areas like your neck and under your arms to target lymph nodes.
+ Massage your abdomen and chest in broad clockwise, circular motions. Follow the path of the intestine on your stomach, moving up on the right side, then down on the left.
+ Apply oil to your crown, working outward in circular motions.
+ Dip your fingertips in the oil and massage your ears.
+ Massage your feet, but make sure to wipe off the oil before you walk.
+ Throughout the massage, send loving intentions to your organs and show gratitude to your body for everything it does for you.
+ Allow yourself enough time so that the oil soaks into your skin before you dress.

If you don’t have time for a full massage, you can always do a foot massage before bed. Try it with warm oil, or thicker oils like shea butter or even mallow, for deeper hydration.

2. HERBAL BATHS—Baths are deeply cleansing and can enhance physical and mental energy, remove negativity, and relax your body and mind. They’re also a wonderful way to soak up the deeply therapeutic medicine of essential oils and other good-for-the-skin ingredients. If you’re a cold plunger, enjoy a cold bath this summer. This is known to greatly restore the nervous system and activate the almighty parasympathetic nervous system for rest and restoration. For those of you that love warm baths, make a big pot of tea using your herbs of choice. Add these into your bath for an extra cleansing effect. Incorporate epsom salts, magnesium salts, or essential oils of preference, to exalt the therapeutic activity.

3. BANOS FLORALES—This is different from bathing, and involves pouring flower water, ceremonially, over your head to cleanse and purge the physical and psychic bodies. In Latin American traditions, shamans prepare flower waters by using spring water, and adding in flowers that match the vibrational feel of what they sense for you and your life path. This can be as detailed as the amount of petals, flowers, and colors present. A prayer is recited to the water, and then poured over the person's head gently. This practice purges the body of psychic stagnation, and seals the aura with the vibrational power of flowers.

The post 10 Helpful Herbs For The Womb In All Its Stages appeared first on The Chalkboard.

from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/WULmHd1
via IFTTT

Getting Ready With Lauren Gores Ireland of Summer Fridays

We've known lauren Gores Ireland for years, long before the launch of her clean beauty brand, Summer Fridays. Two things about Lauren have always been true -- she has an inspiring commitment to fitness like no other and she's sweeter than an actual summer Friday in July.

We caught up with Lauren to talk all things beauty in our Getting Ready With Me series. Pick up a few tips from Lauren, then cruise the whole series here.

Name:  Lauren Gores Ireland of Summer Fridays 

Product I'm most proud of: Our Jet lag Mask will always hold the most personal connection, because it is the product we launched Summer Fridays with and it’s really the one that's most core to our brand. I also feel incredibly proud of our new ShadeDrops Mineral SPF 30. We worked on it for years because we really wanted to create a mineral sunscreen that blended beautifully into all skin tones. 

Products that first changed my skin: Being especially aware of using hydrating skincare products. Teenage Lauren would’ve been terrified of moisturizers and oils.

Skincare myth to debunk: That using oils will cause breakouts. Using non-comedogenic skincare oils will not clog your pores and can have amazing benefits for the skin.

Top 5 product VIPs:

Summer Fridays Dream Oasis Deep Hydration Serum $44 Shop Here

Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist $48 Shop Here

Arcona Tea Tree Mask $40 Shop Here

Ilia Radiant Priming Serum $52 Shop Here

Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray $28 Shop Here

Beauty trend I’m loving now: No-makeup makeup and golden hour glow.

Obsessed with lately: Summer Fridays Light Aura Eye Cream really brightens my sleepy mom under-eyes before preschool drop off.

Skincare pros I love: Shani Darden, Carasoin Day Spa, and Danna Omari—I love following her on Instagram (@noyskincare) for the best natural skincare advice.

Beauty foods and supplements of choice: Seed Daily Synbiotic, Moon Juice Magnesi-Om, and Golde Coconut Collagen Boost.

at-home ritual for when my skin needs a pick-me-up: Using a heavy layer of our Jet Lag Mask overnight always does the trick!  

Genius skincare hack: I don’t know that I would call this genius, but being conscious about drinking more water has made a bigger difference in my skin, especially as my life has gotten busier. I’m also consistent about using hydrating skincare products morning and night, including our Heavenly Sixteen All in One Face Oil. I massage a few drops into my face as the last step in my skincare routine before bed.

Beauty tech that actually works: LED light to help soothe your skin, and to help promote collagen production. Infrared saunas also have amazing benefits by increasing circulation and detoxifying your skin.

Beauty trend I'm ready to see go: Heavy contouring.

Why clean beauty? For me, clean beauty became a very personal journey when I was pregnant with my first born, 5 years ago now. It also marks the time when we started Summer Fridays because I wanted a brand that used good-for-you ingredients and had a story that really resonated. We use so many clean and active ingredients that are incredibly powerful for your skin.

Special occasion beauty look of choice: I’ve always loved a natural look and, most recently, I'm gravitating toward super-fresh hair and makeup focusing more on skincare—specifically glow and hydration over a more glam makeup look. 

The post Getting Ready With Lauren Gores Ireland of Summer Fridays appeared first on The Chalkboard.

from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/jpLgals
via IFTTT

How To Deal with Social Pressure Around Nutrition With Your Family + Friends

Have you ever pressured a friend to have another glass of wine, slice of pizza or bite of dessert? Have you ever been pressured by family and lost track of a wellness goal -- or experienced stomach upset -- because you felt awkward about refusing something you didn't plan on eating? Most of us have experienced both.

There's a playfulness around eating together that makes these scenarios nearly unavoidable. Our culture has come a long way when it comes to shaming folks around unhealthful eating, but -- believe it or not -- for those who are wellness-minded or who have allergies and sensitivities, the shaming around healthful eating can be just as awkward.

Natural health advocate Rachelle Robinett, RH (AHG) recently shared this video on social media, and we knew we had to bring it to our readers.

Rachelle is a clinical herbalist and her straight-forward advice on how to respond to pressure around the dinner table is something we knew our readers would relate to. In short, the video identifies a dozen smart ways to say, "No, thank you", in ways that won't disrupt the joy around the table. We asked Rachelle to expand on the topic...

My practice: My work is in creating accessible, plant-based solutions for those seeking connection between modern life and functional nature. I’m committed to empowerment via education about natural health—from herbalism to habit remodeling and, as you’ll see here, taking to task traditional or tired approaches to health in order to repave paths, and lives, to thrive.

In my role as a functional herbalist, educator, and advocate for informed natural health, people ask me for help navigating social pressures to eat foods that don’t make them feel good all of the time. While resisting social pressures to consume 'conformationally' has been part of my personal life since I was eating seaweed snacks in elementary school, the number of clients and community members raising this concern seems to be increasing exponentially.

Do you ever feel pressured to eat or drink things that don't make you feel good? Because of family pressures, friend pressures, brunch culture, happy hour, anti-diet culture, intuitive eating, or really good marketing?

I asked my following about this and wasn’t surprised to find a yearning for support. That said, I was impressed by how overwhelming the response was.

How To Deal With Social Pressure Around Food

When you’re in those high-pressure situations I’ve found that people benefit from the following approaches.

Remember that just like meal prepping, choosing how many drinks you'll have before going out, or how much time you're planning to spend at the gym, thinking about how you'll navigate social meals ensures alignment with your values and boundaries. Thinking ahead also takes the pressure off of having to make up your mind in the moment.

Here are some of my clients’ most reliable, preferred lines to use at meals with friend and family:

+ XYZ food doesn’t make me feel great, so I’m going to pass.
+ I need to be mindful of my blood sugar.
+ I’m gluten free.
+ I’m allergic /sensitive to that.
+ I’m sober right now.
+ I can’t have XYZ right now, thank you.
+ I need to avoid XYZ right now, thanks.
+ I’ll have more of the (preferred food) instead.
+ I’m living without XYZ right now, but thanks.
+ My doctor/healthcare practitioner/herbalist prefers I avoid XYZ so I’ll pass this time, thanks.
+ I’m full, thanks.
+ No, thank you.

Consider planning (and practicing) a few phrases in advance of your gathering. What feels truthful to you? What is comfortable and easy to say? Do you want to start a conversation about your preferences -- or avoid one?

Choose a line or two and try it out. Carry on with the ones that work.

Remember that, most often, peer pressure results in a slow erosion of our ideal intentions, by friends and family -- usually with good intentions.

I began following this thread about social pressures that thwart our goals to help stoke conversation around an issue that’s undermining our health.

Recently, yet another client expressed the struggle to me. She felt fantastic when eating a certain way we’ve spent years crafting into a lifestyle for her and her family—and yet she was under constant pressure to deviate in ways that felt difficult to resist. A neighbor brought over baked goods every week. Her mom mailed cookies at every occasion. She felt like a downer if declining dessert with friends.

"She had no trouble at all turning down alcohol, but forgoing food felt more offensive, suspicious, unhealthy."

In what is now a template for me, we worked through her experiences and planned for future conversations, which included practicing lines that she can use to respect herself with more confidence and less offense, while remaining honest.

We discuss how saying “I can’t” frees her from appearing to reject others’ offers by removing a degree of preference in the matter. This lightens the burden of responsibility, which most people prefer, but often we’re still making excuses rather than saying outright that we don’t want the thing. My aim is to find phrases that we’re comfortable saying, and that are always truthful.

My recent video immediately hit a nerve with wellness-minded folks -- and I find that bittersweet.

"Food is part of a traditional medicine system that 80% of the world’s population uses as a primary form of healthcare."

Our lives depend on a spectrum of factors that affect our relationship to food, from access to acceptance and so much in between.

The effects of food on our health are clearer and more widely communicated all of the time. I’m optimistic that the current state of affairs resembles where we were with alcohol not so long ago. While still nascent and niche, the enthusiasm for low ABV is normalizing a kind of sobriety that resembles flexitarianism.

When I quit drinking in 2015, it felt akin to saying “I don’t breathe, thanks.” Everyone assumed I was either pregnant, joking, or confused.

Just a few years later and non-alcoholic spirits abound. Gen Z is taking drinking down by more than 20%.

We wouldn’t press someone in recovery to drink alcohol, and we can extend that same courtesy to friends and family making consumption-related choices.

So much of my work has been in ‘edu-powering’ people to know which food works for them, and how to make their relationship with food a thriving and vibrant one. There are enough challenges in this work without the drag of unhelpful peer pressure.

Vegan as you please, dry as you like, and, to come: let’s normalize counter-cultural consumption.

The post How To Deal with Social Pressure Around Nutrition With Your Family + Friends appeared first on The Chalkboard.

from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/ILz8ivB
via IFTTT

The 3 Simplest Ways To Manage Blood Sugar Daily

In the new Eat for Energy, functional health practitioner Ari Whitten takes us on a deep dive into "the underlying cellular cause of chronic fatigue, burnout, and brain fog".

According to Ari, "The core underlying cause of our fatigue lies in our cells, specifically our mitochondrial deficiency, and the solution can be found in simple, straightforward, nutritional strategies that address our body’s biology."

It doesn't getting any more straightforward than three genius pieces of advice to manage blood sugar daily. We're always grateful for simple reminders like these that are nearly effortless, yet incredibly impactful on our daily health...

o1. Drink Vinegar Before Meals

Better blood sugar control can be yours in as little as 10 seconds. The trick? Start every meal with a shot of vinegar.

A meta-analysis of studies looking at how vinegar impacts blood glucose control found that having 1 to 2 tablespoons before eating reduced the overall post-meal blood glucose response by 11 percent and the overall insulin response by 16 percent. What’s more, it didn’t matter if you had diabetes or were otherwise healthy—vinegar benefited glycemic control in everyone.

These benefits are likely owed to the defining characteristic of vinegar that makes it tart and acidic: its acetic acid content. Studies have shown that acetic acid slows digestion and inhibits our digestive enzymes that break down starch and sugar. These effects will cause a slower and less pronounced increase in blood sugar levels after eating.

More importantly, acetic acid increases the expression of AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase) and GLUT4 (glucose transporter type 4), which are proteins that increase glucose uptake and use in the body. Consuming vinegar increases carbohydrate storage in our muscles as glycogen, even in people with type 2 diabetes. Additionally, vinegar has been shown to stimulate vasodilation (the dilation of blood vessels, which decreases blood pressure) and increase blood flow to skeletal muscle, both of which are considered important components of insulin-mediated glucose uptake.

If you are going to eat a meal that contains some carbohydrates, then consuming 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar is an easy way to increase your insulin sensitivity to the incoming glucose load.

Any vinegar will work, although apple cider and red wine vinegars tend to taste better. You will often see apple cider vinegars advertised as raw (unpasteurized) and unfiltered, thereby preserving “the mother.” This is simply a nontoxic slime composed of yeast and acetic acid bacteria that forms during the fermentation process that creates vinegar.

The mother of vinegar appears to be a major source of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in vinegar, as well as minerals such as potassium, magnesium, calcium, and iron. It remains to be determined whether consuming the mother has any discernible effect on health, but if you have the choice, it seems prudent to opt for it.

This doesn’t have to be a literal shot of vinegar. You can mix it with water to dilute it, or you can use it as a salad dressing. Mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of vinegar such as red wine or apple cider with olive oil and toss it over a salad or over vegetables.

o2. Eat Your Veggies First

We can make a huge impact on our blood glucose control by changing the order in which we eat our food during a meal. Several studies in people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, as well as healthy folk, have found that eating fibrous vegetables at the beginning of a meal, before eating starchy carbohydrates, reduces blood glucose and insulin levels by 20 to 70 percent and 25 to 50 percent, respectively.

And if life gets in the way and prevents you from eating them with every meal, the same benefits are observed with just eating protein before any carbohydrates. The theme is to simply eat your sources of carbohydrate (grains, legumes, tubers, etc.) last in the meal.

These glycemic benefits can also have a long-term effect. In one randomized, controlled trial involving adults with type 2 diabetes, taking the advice to eat veggies first and carbohydrates last in each meal was significantly more effective at lowering HbA1c than having them follow the standard American Diabetes Association advice of using a diabetic exchange food list.

The benefits were seen in as little as one month and lasted for at least two years, when the researchers stopped collecting data. Overall, HbA1c from this little trick was slashed from 8.3 percent to 6.8 percent—just from altering the order in which the same foods within a meal were eaten. Essentially, the participants moved from full-blown diabetes to the lower cutoff of a diagnosis (>6.5 percent is diabetes, 5.7 to 6.4 percent is prediabetes, and 4 to 5.6 percent is considered healthy).

Another study, in elderly adults with type 2 diabetes, reported similar findings: eating high-carbohydrate foods last within a meal significantly lowers post-meal blood glucose levels, blood glucose swings throughout the day (meaning more stable energy levels), HbA1c, and fasting glucose.

o3. Just Add Cinnamon

There are approximately 250 species of cinnamon, but cassia cinnamon is probably what you have in your cabinet. It is the most common cinnamon in the world, and studies have shown it can benefit glycemic control. For example, a meta-analysis of those with type 2 diabetes reported that eating 1 to 6 grams (1/4 to 1 teaspoon) of cinnamon per day significantly lowered fasting blood glucose by an average of 24 mg/dL (1.3 mmol/L), which corresponded to 12 to 17 percent for the group. Even if you don’t have type 2 diabetes, you can benefit from some cinnamon. In overweight adults, adding a teaspoon of cassia cinnamon to oatmeal or farina porridge was shown to lower the glycemic and insulin responses, suggesting enhanced insulin sensitivity.

In healthy adults, consuming 1, 3, and 6 grams per day of cassia cinnamon over 40 days has been shown to reduce post-meal blood glucose levels, with the greatest effect seen with 3 and 6 grams (an 11 to 13 percent reduction). Another study reported that 5 grams of cinnamon taken during a glucose tolerance test reduced the post-meal glucose response by 13 percent and improved insulin sensitivity compared to a placebo.

The reason cinnamon works to control blood sugar is that it facilitates glucose uptake from the blood into tissues like our muscles.

When working with clients, I seek the path of least resistance and find what nutritional approaches, including specific foods, resonate the most. This is a great reminder that not all the strategies you come across will be right for you, and that’s okay. Take the ones that excite you, and when you’re feeling adventurous, I urge you to go outside your comfort zone to try something new. If you try something and it doesn’t work, then let it go and move on. There are plenty of strategies to experiment with, and you will find the best ones that work well for you.

If you like cinnamon, then I urge you to incorporate it into your diet. Use it as a spice for your chicken or ground beef or sprinkle it onto Greek yogurt—about a teaspoon (5 grams) per day should do it.

The post The 3 Simplest Ways To Manage Blood Sugar Daily appeared first on The Chalkboard.

from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/l3LzWcf
via IFTTT

What the Overturning of Roe V. Wade Means In Your State Currently

From the very beginning, this space has been committed to sharing a wide variety of perspectives on health and wellness, allowing our readers to educate themselves and make informed decisions that suit them and their families best. Wellness, after all, is not a one-size-fits-all journey.

Throughout the last few years, we have remained remarkably apolitical around the swell of heated issues facing our nation and have instead continued to pour out as much mental, emotional and mind-body health support as we can. As you might imagine, our team has a variety of passionate opinions on everything, but believe that we can serve you best by serving up the wellness content you come to us for.

That said, with the historic overturning of Roe V. Wade and it's profound effect on maternal healthcare -- despite it's deeply political nature -- we wanted to support readers in understanding how this will effect them personally, state by state. This comprehensive resource from the Center For Reproductive Rights, provides detailed information on each state's status post-Roe, assigning every region one of five designations and providing detailed information about the pertinent laws in your area.

Understand the ramifications of this historic change for women's reproductive rights in your state by clicking on the state that interests you and exploring helpful summaries of the legislation in place or in process in your area. Expand the sidebar per state for a thorough exploration. The CFRR claims to be keeping this map updated in real time "as needed'.

Because we are an LA-based publisher with so many Californian readers, here are a few things you should know about what the overturning of Roe V. Wade means in this state:

+ As California legalized some abortions before Roe was ever decided, the state does not have any pre-Roe bans. California's highest court recognized abortion rights under the state's Constitution in 1969, four years before Roe.

+ While abortion in California is legal, there are currently two key restrictions:

Viability | California law generally prohibits abortion at viability. Viability is defined as the point that "in the judgement of the attending physician on the particular facts of the case before them, there is a reasonable likelihood of the fetuses' sustained survival outside the womb, with or without artificial support."

Parental Consent for Minors | California requires parent or legal guardian consent to a minor’s abortion.

On June 24, California's Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1666 in response to Roe's overturning. AB 1666 is intended to protect the state's abortion providers and patients who come from other states that may face civil actions from those states.

The post What the Overturning of Roe V. Wade Means In Your State Currently appeared first on The Chalkboard.

from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/fVvYMF0
via IFTTT

17 Powerful Tools To Deal with Emotional Overwhelm This Year

As 2022 has not let up on wide-ranging emotional challenges for us all,
we're repurposing this special story from good ol' 2020... 

This year has been overwhelming. And the wide variety of emotional challenges many of us are facing cannot be underplayed.

While we may not be able to shoot over a digitally-savvy nanny for your kids, a stimulus check for your business, or any instant solutions for the societal ills that face us, what we do have to offer are these simple tools to help you navigate your ever-adapting priorities right now with a greater sense of calm and ease.

Some of these tools are simple and so easy to use, they may feel like an invalidation of the serious challenges that face us right now. The truth is that the tiniest shifts in daily mood and thinking are often the most potent when it comes to retaining our personal sense of well-being as we navigate it all.

Let's make it our goal through the remainder to the year to look back from January 1, 2021 and see that we learned to deal with stress and uncertainty with more clarity, grace, and personal strength than we were ever able to do before. It's one of the only plans we can make for certain right now!

Return to your best teachers. Recall to mind those few books, quotes, figures or songs that you treasure the most. Maybe it's a biography that inspires you or a book you've dog-eared and highlighted to tatters.

Even if you've pored over those resources many times, make time to do it again now. Spend a moment actually re-reading an inspiring passage or enjoying the art -- whether film, print or music -- that makes you feel the most yourself. Take the time to immerse yourself in the ideas that re-orient you to what you value most.

Rank your concerns. A sense of overwhelm can compound on itself. Small and large needs all combine to swamp our ability to think clearly and make good decisions. Take a sheet of paper or open your journal and use all the space you need to jot down all your current concerns, then go back and rate them from high to low.

Often, this exercise can help us to recognize the high priority concerns that truly need addressing and the multitude of other concerns that do not. When we reach a state of overwhelm, the lines between the truly urgent priorities and the tiniest jot on our to-do list can become totally blurred.

Once you have all of your concerns in front of you in black and white, can you identify a few low priority concerns that you could let go of right now? It's possible that by letting those lower priorities slide you could regain some of the energy and space you need to deal with what is most pressing.

Sleep well Real talk, if you're not sleeping well, all of life can be infinitely more difficult. Often times, we downplay health struggles like poor sleep quality and just tell ourselves to suck it up and tough it out. And, yes, there are times in life where our sleep hours are thin and struggling through the day may be unavoidable, but take stock and use every tool you're able to restore your sleep schedule when possible.

Watch your caffeine and alcohol consumption, consider pre-sleep supplements like magnesium, l-theanine and melatonin, consider having a check-up with your doctor to assess hormones levels, and take a gander at the Chinese body clock.

rest well. Rest and sleep aren't always the same thing. Many of us have absorbed negative messaging around the value of rest, but the truth is that the well-rested version of ourselves can achieve more than the version in constant survival mode. Recognize and release any shame issues you may have with catching up on sleep and rest when needed. Explore yoga nidra and read our story 'How To Do Nothing' with poet, Emma Zeck.

serenity or courage? There are probably a few concerns you've written down that are completely out of your control. Remember Reinhold Niebuhr's often quoted prayer, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

Consider another writing exercise by starting two lists side by side: one for serenity/acceptance and the other for courage/change. This list might be less practical and more emotional. Let yourself mull over your responses. Perhaps coming to grips with a few things that can't be changed and must be accepted will free the energy we need for courage.

release yourself. We all face pressures in life, but perhaps one of the heaviest is the psychic pressure each of us put upon ourselves. Many of us lug along an unnecessarily heavy knapsack full of self-judgement every day -- and most of us had help packing that knapsack up at a young age with all kinds of emotionally charged negative feedback. That 'luggage' can become a far greater strain on our energy than some of our 'real life' stresses and concerns.

Stop and consider one area of your life where you're doing well and yet negating your own performance in relation to something inside that 'knapsack' -- likely some unknown and invisible standard you've created for yourself. Can you recognize any false standards you've created for yourself that are actually hurting your ability to function day-to-day? I may be talking more to the A Types here, but perhaps you're the most likely 'type' to be reading this story in the first place!

write it all down (and don't hold back.) One of the most powerful tools in my life is disposable journalling.

If you want total freedom to express and expel the emotions you need to process most, use a sheet of paper you can later throw away -- or even burn, ceremoniously. Writing this way, with total anonymity and without any fear, might just give you the courage to be completely honest with yourself. Being radically honest with ourselves can help us identify problems and solutions in life faster than any therapy I've ever heard of.

Radically honest writing can also help us to detox from emotions that need expressing and simply don't have an appropriate place to go. For example, if you need to vent about a relationship issue, whether personal or professional, there may be things you can process and resolve through writing, that, said aloud to a friend or colleague might not be as constructive. When speaking with others, we consciously or subconsciously protect ourselves in our own story-telling or not give full vent to our truest emotions.

Get radically honest on the back of a napkin or sheet of paper that can be tossed. In this way, we can better see irrational fears more clearly and laugh them off. We can also notice attitudes and ideas we've developed that, once aware of, we can more easily shift away from.

The 3-Day Mindset No, your daily business metrics and toddler's school schedule can't shift from their daily cycles, but it's possible that some of your personal goals can. Most of us judge our own performance daily -- evaluating our mindset, mood, relationships, fitness goals and diets per every twenty-four hour period. We have "good days" and "bad days".

But, if you're facing overwhelm, try the three day mindset tool and see if it helps you maintain more balance. Tight deadlines are stressful. When our days are packed with unavoidable pressures, consider adjusting your assessment of personal 'performance' from a daily thing to a three day thing. Stop racing the clock along with your business, school or family schedules and give yourself more room to work with.

For example, let's say you're struggling with eating clean or dealing with a tightly wound temper. Whether you 'succeed' or 'fail' for the day might weigh heavily on your mind. For many of us, failing to meet a personal goal for just one day can send us reeling and lead us to either give up on our plans in entirety or feel an over-sized sense of self-judgement.

If you're in a season of overwhelm and are juggling more work or a heightened emotional state, try simply "extending" your personal deadlines and reframing your goals along the spectrum of a three day period rather than a daily period. The simple adjustment in thinking may help you to feel less stress, become more fluid and, in the long run, more committed to your goals. You'll likely be able to make better adjustment over the course of three days and feels a sense of accomplishment that will fuel your commitment to the goal in the long-term!

understand your nervous system The mind-body connection is a subtle and fluid one. When we're navigating mental wear and emotional stress, understanding what's actually happening in our nervous systems can help us find balance more easily. Recognize when your body is in 'fight or flight' mode. Learn to notice where you're holding tension and how you feel when your nerves are frazzled. Self-awareness under stress is key here. I find the study or practice of breathwork to be best.

On the extreme, tools like the Wim Hof Method (cold therapy) can trigger our stress response and help our bodies become wildly resilient under stress. There are also potent tools like TRE (tapping) and psilocybin (therapeutic mushroom trips) that allow us to tap into our nervous system health and release systematic stress or stored trauma.

harness your micro-stress On a more casual level than the above, I like to use the smallest moments of aggravation in life to hone the strength of my nervous system, so that when I really need my nerves to come through for me, my body knows what to do.

If you learn to strengthen your nervous system under the pressure of minor stress, you'll have more resources to turn to in difficult circumstances. For example, over the years, I've learned a variety of breathwork techniques. When I end up on the wrong side of a Monday morning or the wrong lane on L.A.'s 405 freeway, I put them to use. Now I'm familiar with which tools help me the most and I'm better equipped to deal with larger stresses. I'm aware of my own tension and how to release it faster.

make a joy list: Big or small, logical or not, make a list of experiences that bring you joy -- a visceral sense of giddiness, if not at least a casual smile. Include as many small things as you can and try to fold a few of them into your plans for the day or week. Joy can have a very real effect on our brain chemistry, fueling and strengthening us more than we might expect.

Too often, when we're under pressure, the idea of 'joy' can trigger feelings of more stress or even self-pity. Perhaps the relief we're really after (12 hours of sleep! A two week holiday!) seems unobtainable and making a joy list just highlights that. Don't let the absence of dramatic relief disqualify all the little joys that are at your fingertips.

get serious about taking breaks. Serious burn out can't be healed in an afternoon, however you might be surprised by how quickly rejuvenation can occur in 24 hours. If you need a break, get serious about making a plan for just a morning, afternoon, or overnight away. How can you enlist family and friends to help make that happen even if it's just for a couple of hours?

acknowledge yourself. Many of us who work hard or excel at the juggle of life, also look for external validation before we'll allow ourselves to celebrate our own achievements. Especially if you happen to be a mother of young children or if you're in the throes any big life struggle, take a pause and make a note: What five qualities have been required of you in this moment; tenacity, faith, superhuman strength, ingenuity? Write them down. Look at you. 

reevaluate priorities. Yes, you need to work out, but at what cost to your mental health?

Maybe you used to read five books a month and recently you haven't skimmed a single page. It's key for many of us to be reminded that schedules can change without actual damage to our value as a human being. List your priorities for the season or just the week and rate them. Now take a look at those priorities with low numbers, can you let go a little perfectionism and cut them until you regain a more restful state and peaceful state of mind?

re-assess + Delegate. Where in your life are you not asking for enough support? Stop and assess any missed opportunities to re-route responsibilities to capable others.

Overwhelm is nearly universal right now, so it is possible that your associates, family and friends are also at maximum capacity, however it never hurts to stop and make this assessment every 2-3 months. It's also a wonderful opportunity to release work that has become useless for you, but might provide a new opportunity for someone more junior in the business or even a child in the family who needs to learn a new life skill.

I.D. energy drains. Identify your top six energy drains.

Write them down and be incredibly specific. Here's why: "Karen" herself can't be the energy drain. How or when do you relate with Karen? How can you address the way you interact with her either internally or externally? Now that you're acknowledging the drain, can you identify a conversion that needs having or perhaps smarter boundaries that need putting in place?

I won't pretend that there's a simple solution for every energy drain, but sometimes the 'fix' can be surprisingly small and practical. For example, maybe a 'draining' task needs to be rescheduled to a more optimal time of day. Perhaps you can add some of those items from your joy list to the routines currently hooked to habitual negative thoughts.

This list may also help you realize where your own attitude is majorly affecting an area of your life and needs attention. Resentment, anger, unforgiveness and other unresolved emotions are huge energy drains. Being honest with ourselves and de-calcifying our own negative emotional habits can free up more energy than just about anything.

Drink more. Water that is. As aggravating as it can be to hear when you're hangry, burnt out, exhausted or feeling frustrated, have a glass of water first, then reassess how you're feeling. Becoming and remaining deeply hydrated day to day can work wonders on everything from the quality of our brain power to the quality of our sleep.

If you're looking for a free and immediate way to alter your burnt out mood, aim to get enoug high-quality hydration in your life (don't forget the electrolytes) and see how you feel after one week. Yes, you'll be constantly interrupted by running to the bathroom, but you'll also notice your entire life becoming more 'in the flow'.

fatigue is physical. How are you eating and supplementing? When it comes to mental and emotional health, the wellness world is buzzing with new science designed to help more of us supplement smarter.

If you have yet to explore herbs, foods and supplements to optimize your day to day 'performance', I hope you'll feel encouraged and relieved to know that there are a ton of safe and powerful tools awaiting you. Wellness gets a bad rap from informercial-like teas and supplements, but I would advise you not to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

A great example are adaptogens, a class of herbs and foods that are very supportive to help us achieve equilibrium in body and mind when we're under stress. A few to try are reishi, maca, ashwaghanda and rhodiola, but be cautious with sourcing and start slowly. Every body is different and these mushrooms and herbs can be potent -- search the site to find which brands and uses we recommend for these adaptogens and more . Also learn to balance your blood sugar to supercharge your energy throughout the day and learn more about nootropics designed to optimize your brain performance and energy.

How are you adapting and taking care of yourself? Share with us and other readers in the comments.

The post 17 Powerful Tools To Deal with Emotional Overwhelm This Year appeared first on The Chalkboard.

from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/38y1d5p
via IFTTT

10 Top-Rated Clean Beauty Products At Sephora Worth Shopping Right Now

The times are changing and we're so glad to see that major retailers are finally leveling up. Sephora made a huge shift when they started selling clean beauty online and in their stores last year. We've had a blast racking up rewards points by stocking up on their now major inventory of natural and non-toxic skincare, makeup and even beauty supplements.

Unsurprisingly, we're not alone in our enthusiasm.The following products get top reviews from thousands of beauty devotees -- and all of them are made with clean ingredients. From a genius marker that makes makeup mistakes disappear to a palette we're seeing everywhere, here are our favorite top-rated products in clean beauty at Sephora right now...

Kosas Concealer | Like many of Kosas' beloved products, Revealer Super Creamy + Brightening Concealer and Daytime Eye Cream has become an instant classic for clean beauty lovers. The formula blends easily, provides great coverage on one touch and never irritates.  | CHECK OUT

Tower 28 Beauty ShineOn Jelly Lip Gloss|  Made with Apricot Kernel Oil and other lip-nourishing oils, these milky, sheer glosses from Tower 28 are comforting, easy to apply and oh-so-pretty. CHECK OUT

ROSE INC Solar Radiance Hydrating Cream Highlighter | Don't sleep on Rose Inc. Many of model-turned-beauty creative Rosie Huntington Whitley's line of clean makeup products are Sephora best-sellers, including this cream highlighter that can be used as a bronzer or just for a highlighting glow in shades of shimmering pink or gold. CHECK OUT 

ROSE INC Satin Lip Color Refillable Hydrating Lipstick | Ten thousand Sephora users have put Rose Inc's lipstick in the five-star category. Each shade is flattering and easy to wear and the lipstick is packed with concentrated skincare ingredients including hyaluronic acid for a kick of moisture that plumps the lips. CHECK OUT

Bite Beauty The Lip pencil | Light and creamy with lasting power, this opaque lip pencil is loaded with nourishing shea butter and other natural ingredients. Use it all over or just around the edges of your lips for the perfect lipstick barrier.  CHECK OUT

 

 

RMS BEAUTY Buriti Bronzer | This true cult classic will never not be on our makeup shopping list. The Buriti Bronzer works on all skin tones and can even be used as a subtle, neutral-toned eyeshadow. CHECK OUT

ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara | It's hard to find an amazing non-toxic mascara, but this one checks all the boxes. The flake-free formula mascara contains beeswax and carnauba wax to weightlessly condition lashes, as well as shea butter and keratin fortify to enhance them. CHECK OUT

KOSAS Color & Light: Pressed Powder Blush & Highlighter Duo | This ultra-blendable powder blush and highlighter palette features wholesome natural and nourshig ingredients like moringa seed, rosemary extract, and botanical pigments to achieve the perfect subtle glow.  CHECK OUT

Lashfood Chamomile makeup eraser | If you've ever tried to get a perfect cat eye or just went a little overboard on your brows, this pen is a true hero. It instantly corrects makeup mistakes (even when those mistakes are water-proof). It is infused with chamomile and vitamin E to soothe sensitive skin and can be reused again and again with proper care. CHECK OUT

AETHER BEAUTYCrystal Grid Gemstone Eyeshadow Palette | These crystal-charged pigments are infused with diamond, amber, sapphire, topaz, amethyst, and tourmaline to illuminate the skin with their light-reflective properties. Each shade is formulated with coconut oil and shea butter to create a smooth finish. CHECK OUT

The post 10 Top-Rated Clean Beauty Products At Sephora Worth Shopping Right Now appeared first on The Chalkboard.

from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/ra0GEbk
via IFTTT

How To Make Granola Butter: The Vegan Breakfast Spread We Live For

We've been bringing you stunning wellness recipes from Green Kitchen Stories for years. You just can't lose with this Swedish foodie power couple and this granola butter recipe is perfect proof. Learn to make this delicious spread from their brand new cookbook, Green Kitchen: Quick & Slow, 80 Joyful Vegetarian Recipes to Make Busy Weekdays Easy and Long Weekends Fantastic.

How To Make Granola Butter

We have taken a few of our favorite breakfast components—granola, nut butter and coffee—and mixed them into a tasty spread that’s ideal on toast, but also delicious to drizzle, dunk into or devour by the spoonful. Try it over yoghurt or with our Chocolate Waffle Toast, Nut Butter Brownies, and Ginger + Raspberry-Stuffed Dates -- all found in Green Kitchen: Quick & Slow!

Makes 16 oz

INGREDIENTS
+ 10 oz/2 cups almonds
+ 3½ oz/1 cup rolled oats
+ 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
+ 2 tbsp coconut oil
+ 1 tbsp coconut sugar (optional)
+ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
+ 1 tsp instant espresso powder (optional)
+ 1 tsp salt 5 tbsp raisins

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F/Gas 3).
2. Place the almonds and oats on a baking sheet and roast for 15–18 minutes, or until golden and fragrant. Ensuring they are well-roasted will give you a more deeply flavored nut butter and will also aid the blending process. Check if they are ready by breaking an almond in half: it should look lightly browned in the middle.
3. Transfer the almonds and oats to a high-speed food processor, reserving a handful for later, and blend for 10–15 minutes. Be patient: first it will turn into a fine flour, then it will become a big lump, and finally it will turn into a thick nut butter. You’ll need to stop and scrape down the sides every now and again, and, depending on the strength of the food processor, it might also need a rest so it doesn’t overheat.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and mix again for just a minute: this will add flavor and loosen up the butter into a runnier consistency, while providing crunch and texture from the reserved nuts and raisins. Pour into a clean jar and seal with a lid. This will keep at room temperature for up to a few weeks.

Nut swap: You can use any nuts and seeds you like. We often use this recipe to empty our jars so sometimes there is a handful of hazelnuts, sunflower seeds or a mix of everything. Seeds don’t contain the same amount of fat so you might need to add in extra oil as you mix.

Reproduced by permission of Phaidon. All rights reserved.

The post How To Make Granola Butter: The Vegan Breakfast Spread We Live For appeared first on The Chalkboard.

from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/qQoVjDe
via IFTTT

How We Work: Brand Founder Janessa Leoné On Deep Work + No-Meeting Fridays

The common refrain these days is that "work-life balance" is a myth. There is no secret to creating perfect equilibrium. That said, navigating the nuances of the multi-faceted modern-day work schedule -- and all the emotional health issues that come with it -- has never been a bigger topic of discussion.

What is 'the new normal' when it comes to our lives at work? For many of us, the answers are still unfolding. With many businesses still searching for perfect solutions, we've been talking to founders and managers we trust about how they're managing it all.

Our chat with sustainable brand founder and fashion designer, Janessa Leoné, was especially insightful. Is the team at Janessa Leoné ahead of the curve on these issues? We think so. Do these schedules and policies look like what's emerging for your team as well? Or far from it? Here's everything we learned from Leoné...

Name: Janessa Leoné, owner and designer of Janessa Leoné

Team size: 15+ | Business age: 8 years

what are 3 things you've learned about managing a team from the start to now?

+ Be slow to hire and take the long-term view vs hiring for immediate needs.
+ Take the time to invest in employees and develop their long-term professional goals, life goals, and personal growth goals.
+ Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and ask for help from your team.

What was your biggest learning during the pandemic?

Working remotely proved to be a really valuable exercise for the way we run our business. It offered us all the opportunity to re-invent our workflows.

Our team walked away with more personal agency, more accountability to each other and our projects, and more intentionality with our individual work flows. Like most things, I think the way one person works is highly individualized and when you are in an office, the office culture can create a homogeneous work environment and disallow each individual to find their best practices to cultivate success for each member.

As a team, we were very intentional about employing the "deep work" philosophy. We achieved higher quality output in half the time. We were able to use the forced circumstances to rethink and challenge the status quo of our workday. We successfully used the home office to focus on deeper, distraction-free, focused work so we could end the day with a high level of accomplishment in less time, allowing us to focus more time on activities that enriched our lives. This proved to be highly beneficial for the creativity and benefit of the company as a whole, but in a time with such world-wide distress, we successfully managed to create personal routines that also prioritized our holistic wellbeing.

What does yOur post-pandemic work week look like?

We've adopted a hybrid schedule. We work 2 days in the office together where we have in-person, collaborative meetings. We start the week together with an all-hands meeting reviewing key milestones, projects, and create objectives for the weeks and months ahead. We work three days from home where we utilize deep work to focus on our individual responsibilities that funnel up to the company goals. On Fridays we have a "no meeting" policy and it is a day where each employee is encouraged to set themselves up for success for the next week. This usually means wrapping up outstanding projects for the week, setting personal goals for the following week, and checking out of work early afternoon for a long restful weekend.

The Janessa Leoné shop in L.A. | A hat by Janessa Leoné 

Many argue that productivity (not to mention creativity) and team health go hand in hand. What's your take on this?

Absolutely. From the genesis of the business, I decided that when I managed a team, their health and well-being would be at the forefront. I have had many personal health and mental health struggles over the years myself. I've learned quite intimately that you cannot show up to any aspect of your life if your body and mind aren’t healthy—and you cannot do it alone.

I believe teams are ecosystems, and in order to work effectively towards a goal, the collective unit needs to be healthy. A healthy foundation of individual organisms allows the collective unit to work synergistically. As in the natural world, when an individual organism needs support, the ecosystem as a whole is healthy enough to pour resources into that individual, allowing the larger unit to continue to benefit from this synergy.

What insights would you share to biz managers who may be hesitant to incorporate some of these more flexible ideas?

I would encourage business owners to think about the compounding interest you receive from being able to retain talent for multiple years.By creating a workspace that aims to be a value add to our employees' lives, we've nurtured a highly-fulfilled team and are extremely fortunate to have very little turnover in our business.

The investments we have made in our team’s wellbeing have allowed us to create a highly-skilled team, fluent in the business operations as they have grown their careers alongside the business. The collective knowledge we have on our team from sheer exposure to our business history is invaluable. We are able to operate at a high level with a lean team who are experts in our business operations.

What has been the biggest learning so far from your new, 'post-pandemic' approach to teams?

To operate a team that is self-directed, it’s imperative to have imbued a culture of autonomy and critical thinking. I think it’s important to accept that not everyone thrives in an environment that is self-managed and requires personal agency. It’s critical to understand the dynamics of culture on a team and hire people who will be personally fulfilled by the environment you provide.

Wellness and mindfulness practices you engage in at the office?

At the start of every team meeting, we provide space for each employee to share “What has their attention.” This is a place where we can enter into our colleagues' personal experiences, understanding that the edge between work and personal is intrinsically intertwined.

We run our business with empathy and respect at the forefront, encouraging each employee to prioritize their own needs. Each employee has objectives and goals that filter into our larger company goals, so we are less concerned about hours working as we are about quality of work.

We understand that it’s impossible to work at a high-level without extreme care and intention, so we lean in to focused work with a high emphasis on rest and recovery. We have an unlimited time-off policy and have flexible work schedules, so each employee can work in a way that truly fits them best that day. Whether that’s a morning off to go hiking or an early afternoon for a walk on the beach, we give our team full autonomy to take care of their spirit, knowing that when they are filled up, their output is of high value.

Were these updated practices easy to incorporate or a hard sell?

We have attracted a team that is self-directed and has a personal committed to a growth mindset. By having clarity on our long-term goals, we are able to attract a team that our values align with.

What are your Top 3 recommendations for books on team and culture?

+ Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chounard
+ Deep Work by Cal Newport
+ Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

The post How We Work: Brand Founder Janessa Leoné On Deep Work + No-Meeting Fridays appeared first on The Chalkboard.

from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/ZSm6ITq
via IFTTT

So You Think You Can Ashwaghanda? The Ultimate Guide To 25 Adaptogens + Tonic Herbs

You may have recently fallen in love with adaptogens or superfood mushrooms -- if you're a hardcore Chalkboard reader, you've probably been taking them for years. But did you know that adaptogens are part of a larger category of important plants called tonic herbs?

Herbalist Jovial King and her team at Urban Moonshine say it best, describing tonic herbs here:

"When something is classified as a tonic, it implies that it is meant to be taken regularly over the long-term with the purpose of toning and strengthening the body’s systems. Tonic herbal formulas generally include herbs that are very gentle, safe and nourishing. They feature many herbal superstars like the adaptogenic herbs eleuthero, licorice, maca and schisandra. They also often include mushrooms like reishi and other plants that support a balanced immune response."

While tonic herbs are designed for day-to-day use and most are very gentle, every body is different. We've found that the most effective way to work with these herbs is to slowly incorporate them into our daily routine one at a time. Some herbs, like rhodiola, maca and lion's mane, may be notably felt right away. Others, like pearl powder and mucuna, may have more of a cumulative effect -- showing up as glowier skin or an improved mood over time. However, the best way to discover which herbs are best for your constitution is by working directly with an herbalist.

This quick guide to tonic herbs includes twenty-five of the most commonly used and comes from holistic health coach Katrine Van Wyk's new book Super Powders. Exploring the world of adaptogens, mushrooms and all the rest can be overwhelming. Orient yourself with this list and keep it on hand as you discover the tonic herbs that best fit your needs and constitution. Then grab a copy of Super Powders for delicious ideas to incorporate all the tonic herbs below...

 A Quick Reference Guide To Tonic Herbs

Amla: rejuvenating, digestive support, skin -- Shop

Ashitaba: concentration, beauty, longevity -- Shop

Ashwagandha: calming, new- mom support, libido booster -- Shop

Astragalus: immunity booster, whole body toner, healing -- Shop

Chaga mushroom: strength, resilience, healing -- Shop

Cordyceps: energy booster, antioxidant, immunity support -- Shop

Eleuthero: alertness, performance, muscle building -- Shop

Goji: energy, beauty, longevity -- Shop

Hawthorn: heart support, protection -- Shop

He Shou Wu: immunity booster, blood cleanser, youth elixir -- Shop

Holy basil (tulsi): vitality, mood, soothing -- Shop

Licorice: belly soother, anti-inflammatory, fatigue fighter -- Shop

Lion’s mane mushroom: brain function, concentration, anti-anxiety -- Shop

Maca: hormone balance, fertility, mood, libido -- Shop

Moringa: anxiety relief, digestive support, antioxidant -- Shop

Mucuna pruriens: mood enhancer, fortifier, motivator -- Shop

Panax ginseng (Asian ginseng): mental performance, memory, alertness -- Shop

Pearl: hair, skin, and nails, radiance, bone health -- Shop

Pine pollen: brain food, immunity support, libido -- Shop

Reishi mushroom: calming, rejuvenating, immunity support -- Shop

Rhodiola: clarity, strength, performance -- Shop

Schisandra berry: skin, detox support, nurtures adrenal glands -- Shop

Sea buckthorn: skin glow and skin health, digestive support -- Shop

Shatavari: women’s adaptogen, hormone harmonizer, fatigue fighter -- Shop

Turkey tail mushroom: gut health, immunity strengthener -- Shop

When shopping for tonic herbs, look to reputable brands that disclose their sourcing. It's key to avoid a concentration of heavy metals in poorly sourced herbs and to ensure you're buying herbs that are potent and natural. A few of our most trusted brands include Anima Mundi, Sun Potion, Dragon Herbs and Thorne.

The Chalkboard Mag and its materials are not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. 
All material on The Chalkboard Mag is provided for educational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified healthcare provider for any questions you have regarding a medical condition, and before undertaking any diet, exercise or other health-related programs. 

The post So You Think You Can Ashwaghanda? The Ultimate Guide To 25 Adaptogens + Tonic Herbs appeared first on The Chalkboard.

from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/47SLprw
via IFTTT

B Corps, Biophilia + 8 Other Sustainable Terms You Should Know In 2022

What it means to be sustainable is evolving as quickly as green biotech can move. Brand founders like Chase Polan, of the award-winning clean beauty brand KYPRIS, are taking the lead on packaging standards, production innovation, and product development from farm to bottle—sometimes before consumers even know what it is we're asking for.

When it comes to a brand's communication around sustainable practices, there can be a lot of confusion for consumers! According to Chase, whose own brand is a certified B-Corp, these are some of the most important keywords of note for the future of sustainable brands...

Biophilia

Coined by the Harvard naturalist, Dr. Edward O. Wilson, the term Biophilia describes what he observed as humanity’s “innate tendency to focus on life and lifelike processes,” and to have a visceral affinity, even an urge, to be among nature and living beings. In the context of sustainability, attending to our tendencies of biophilia create experiences of wellness and even healing.

The most popular and well-studied example is the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing. This practice of venturing into the forest for rest and renewal has positive effects on our physiology including reducing stress and showing improved biomarkers such as decreased blood pressure and an elevation of natural killer immune cells (which may indicate reduced stress and a better functioning immune system).

KYPRIS works with biophilia as a concept in both product creation and spa treatment rituals. One example of how we weave the magic of biophilia into our offerings can be found in the Deep Forest Clay mask, which features an algae extract and sea salt blend that wets montmorillonite clay laced with the essential oils from roots, bark, and leaves to deliver not only a clarifying mask, but a mini dose of the compounds that make forest bathing so beneficial. When you apply the clay, you’re cocooning yourself in a little cloud of compounds called terpenes, which for the trees, are the means by which they communicate with one another and for us, are attributed to the aromatherapeutic benefits of forest bathing.

Green Washing

Implementing sustainable and regenerative practices in all aspects of life, from personal care products to farming to energy production and transportation is extremely important. Sustainable choices and interventions can be expensive and challenging to implement because these are new ways of doing things. In kind, companies have recognized that touting these efforts is appealing to customers. Too often in the name of promoting a product to seem as though it has a more gentle footprint, dishonest and misleading claims are made.

Some examples may be “chemical-free,” “synthetic-free,” “preservative-free,” and often the term “natural.” Air and water are chemicals, so there isn’t a product on the planet that is “chemical-free.” There are ingredients in personal care products that work as a chemical reaction or a physical barrier such as different forms of SPF and exfoliants, but even when a physical SPF or exfoliant is used, there are chemicals present, and that is not a bad thing. It’s nature.

Seemingly, there is a cultural draw towards something that is more natural as an answer to the petrochemical-derived ingredients and plastics in products, however, the joke goes—poison ivy is natural, Netflix is man-made, I know which one I want. Maybe we can even blame our biophilia; however, natural isn’t always the best, most sustainable choice. We aren’t going to conserve our way out of the climate and ecological challenges we face, we must smartly and conscientiously innovate and implement. So, synthetics that do not create harm to the environment or end-user and are made with processing agents that are safe for the environment and end-user, are going to be some of the most important materials today and in the future. Some examples of this might be hydroponically grown botanicals from berries to herbs, engineered mycelium leather, engineered yeasts that create bioidentical antioxidants and peptides, the propagation of plant stem cells, and many, many more. We don’t want to lose sight of the science and the realities we face in preference for nonsensical marketing or political dogma.

“Preservative-free” is another greenwashing tactic that makes products, and people, less safe. For anything that is going to sit on your shelf for more than 5 days, some kind of preservation strategy is required. If it’s a balm or oil that is anhydrous, or free from all water, then perhaps all that is needed is an antioxidant to ensure shelf stability. However, if a product contains any concentration of water, even a fraction of a percent, it requires a proper preservative system and strategy. Because of advancements in green chemistry, there are an array of preservatives that are both gentle on the environment, your microbiome, and skin while also being effective. They are more expensive than common preservatives, which may be one reason why they are used less frequently, however they are available and necessary.

In pursuit of our sustainable, regenerative future, we must communicate with integrity and not create confusion or thwart nuance. Intentionally misinforming and creating confusion is, by definition, not sustainable and the underpinning of Green Washing.

For KYPRIS, we view sustainability with three key relationships: ecological sustainability assesses whether the ingredients and packaging we use are as gentle on the environment as possible, and social sustainability, which considers the people within our supply chains as well as how we communicate with our community and patrons. We are extremely respectful of each person’s relationship to their sense of self and beauty and in kind, you will notice KYPRIS does not make any outlandish claims and we certainly do not employ misinformation, mislabeling, or scare tactics as a means of trying to convert people into customers. We simply believe we make the absolute best formulas and that someone who is properly educated on the matter will easily choose KYPRIS products to care for their most precious body and being.

B Corp.

Certified B Corporations are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy.

Society’s most challenging problems cannot be solved by governments and nonprofits alone. The B Corp community works toward reduced inequality, lower levels of poverty, a healthier environment, stronger communities, and the creation of more high-quality jobs with dignity and purpose. By harnessing the power of business, B Corps use profits and growth as a means to a greater end: a positive impact for their employees, communities, and the environment.

B Corps form a community of leaders and drive a global movement of people using business as a force for good. The values and aspirations of the B Corp community are embedded in the B Corp Declaration of Interdependence.

I'm so proud that my own company, KYPRIS Beauty is Certified B Corporation. Here's what we and other B Corps believe:

+ That we must be the change we seek in the world.
+ That all business ought to be conducted in alignment with the truth that people and place matters.
+ That, through our products, practices, and profits, businesses should aspire to do no harm and benefit all.
+ To do so requires that we act with the understanding that we are each dependent upon one another and thus responsible for each other and to each other and future generations.

Almost all of the certifications found in the Beauty Industry are focused on land stewardship—certified organic, Oregon Tilth, ECOCERT, COSMOS, Demeter, Biodynamic, and others. These certifications are important, yet they do not address social and labor concerns. Fair Trade does address living wages for a limited selection of crops, but it doesn’t address land stewardship.

Yet, fostering both healthy people and places in all we do are vital. While the vast majority of the ingredients KYPRIS uses are certified with at least one sustainability certification, we deeply value being a Certified B Corporation because of its holistic assessment of ecological and sociological impacts.

Given our view that sustainability and regenerative practices are both social and ecological imperatives, we found our home at B Corp’s BLab. This rigorous assessment directly vets your complete business operation—from how we function as a company with our employees and contractors to our supply chains to our products’ life cycle.

I believe that what we do to ourselves, we do to our planet—so our products must not increase the burden of toxic load on our bodies, or the Earth. This means for each KYPRIS offering, from ingredients to packaging, we consider how each and every choice we make impacts the Earth.

In action this looks like:
+ Ingredients from an array of sustainable, certified sources
+ 100% Post Consumer Recycled unit cartons and gift boxes, etc
+ Glass primary packaging that is recyclable, doesn’t leech into products or into the environment.
+ Joining Pact Collective to be responsible for packaging components that are more difficult to recycle.

We have an obligation to ensure to the best of our abilities that our supply chain is free from enslavement and exploitation of people and animals. Exploited people exploit beings and places - and ingredients that result in the exploitation of places and beings are rampant in the Beauty industry. The means are the end. And while men and women are both at risk of enslavement, too often exploitation of women and girls is normalized. Commonly used terms like “unpaid work” or “free work” and “child marriage” are glossed terms that actually mean slavery.

Keeping our supply chain free of the exploitation of people looks like:
+ We require transparency from our sources and do our best to vote with our dollars to purchase materials that come from sources with a clear mission to treat labor fairly and land well.
+ We consider the geopolitical concerns of the area, labor standards of the farm or group we are sourcing a material from, and any other qualifications like UN Global Compact participation that ensures we are sourcing responsibly both ecologically and socially.
+ We support women-owned farms. There is not a country in the world where legally and culturally, women have equal rights to men - not even in the USA. So while ending modern slavery is the ethical thing to do, it’s also important to recognize how it can feed itself with girls and women insufficiently protected or respected culturally and legally.

Regenerative

As a general framework, sustainable choices are ones that do not harm people or places. Regenerative choices are ones that have a net positive impact to the health of people, the environment, and living beings—even microbiota.

When environmentalists start to see a lack of diversity of the microbiota in soil or an ecosystem, other systems begin to break down and the ecosystem is at high risk for collapse. Making decisions that do not harm even the smallest living critters among us such as healthy microbiomes and insects (including pollinators) must be foundational to what propels regenerative practices.

And yet, according to environmentalist Paul Hawken, regenerative practices require attention to be paid to people, in addition to all living beings and the environment. Exploited people tend to exploit others and their environment. In unsustainable situations, unsustainable decisions are often made. Some examples of this might be the over-tapping of frankincense trees or over-harvesting of sandalwood or palo santo.

However, unsafe situations are not always the cause of unsustainable decisions. For example, Hawken cites the deforestation of the ancient boreal forests to make toilet paper.

For us to repair our planet, people, all beings, and our Earth must be considered.

From a material inputs perspective, one of KYPRIS’s bacillus extract sources conducts academic research of the ocean off the coast of the Mauritius, cataloging its microbiome From this work, an extract was discovered to have radiance-inducing beauty benefits to skin. This extract, though collected from the open ocean, is propagated in a lab to deliver gorgeous hydration and luminosity. You can find it in our Ad Astra Nighttime Eye Creme Emulsion and Puff of Love Nurturing Anytime Moisturizer.

From a socially regenerative perspective, we source our Shea from a UN Global Compact project that functions similarly to a Small Business Administration you might find in the US. Local field offices teach women farmers fundamental business skills like opening a checking account for their business and support their farming education to deliver and sell the gorgeous Shea butters, oils, and extracts. Over the last decade, more than 363,000 women farmers have joined the initiative creating a sustainable, transparent, traceable shea supply chain and strengthening women’s roles as economic actors within their communities.

Biodynamic

According to the Biodynamic Association, biodynamics is a holistic, ecological, and ethical approach to farming, gardening, food, and nutrition. Rooted in the work of philosopher and scientist, Dr. Rudolf Stiener, whose 1924 lectures to farmers opened a new way to integrate scientific understanding with a recognition of spirit and nature.

Through collaboration between farmers and researchers, biodynamics has continued to develop and evolve. The principles and practices of biodynamics can be applied anywhere food is grown, with thoughtful adaptation to scale, climate, landscape, and culture.

A biodynamic farm (visit one here) is considered a living organism. The practice generates on-farm fertility, bringing plants and animals together. Biodynamics cultivates biodiversity and works in rhythm with earth and the cosmos. Biodynamics approaches pests and diseases holistically using biodynamic tinctures and sprays to enhance soil and plant health. In turn, compost is enlivened with biodynamic preparations.

While there are a number of requirements for a farm to technically be considered biodynamic, there are several practices from the philosophy that can be applied even when a farm is not technically biodynamic. For example, biodynamic agriculture specifically requires cattle to be present on the farm. However, the same practices may work and still enrich a farm when llamas, goats, or sheep are present, though precluding the operation from technically being biodynamic.

The biodynamic wisdom of interdependence and focus on soil health can be successfully reapplied in myriad contexts. The rose essential oil found in the KYPRIS Beauty Elixir I: 1000 Roses formula is grown with biodynamic practices. This is important because conventional rose agriculture, like all crops when not well managed, can deplete the soil and have long term negative effects. The rose essential oil we use is grown on a woman-owned farm who grows a variety of herbs including wormwood which can be distilled into a tincture to ward off aphids and other common rose predators. The resulting essential oil is voluptuous and spicy without a single trace of pesticide, farmland that flourishes, and people who harvest the flowers as well as the water table are not exposed to questionable chemicals.

Upcycle

According to Cambridge University, upcycling is defined as “the activity of making new furniture, objects, etc. out of used things or waste material.”

In the context of skincare and beauty, upcycling can be used to make packaging or ingredients. Credo famously uses 100% biodegradable, plastic-like containers made in part from green tea production for their sampling program.

Rice bran oil is another popular example of a commonly upcycled material. KYPRIS uses soothing rice bran wax in our Lip Elixir Balm. This golden oil is pressed from the nutrient-dense byproducts of harvesting rice, not a single extra grain of rice needs to be grown to create this beautiful ingredient. With limited arable soil on the planet, exploding population growth, soil depletion, and soil erosion being major concerns within our climate crisis, it is vital that we collectively become better users of these valuable, nutrient-dense agricultural byproducts.

We use several upcycled ingredients, however my favorite includes the wild harvested prickly pear seed oil from Arizona. The source for our prickly pear seed oil comes from a woman-lead wild crafting group who harvests prickly pear for juice, dye, and cattle fodder. The team used to pay to have the seeds removed. Now, those seeds are crushed to create an exquisite golden oil wealthy in vitamin E. You can find this ingredient all throughout our offerings—namely in the Beauty Elixirs and Pot of Shade.

Another example of upcycled materials is the pomegranate enzymes in our Glow Philtre mask, an enzymatic exfoliation mask for vibrant luminosity and hydration. The pith of the pomegranate is separated from the pomegranate seeds which are reserved for comestible goods like pomegranate juice and seeds. The pith is fermented with lactobacillus to concentrate the naturally occurring enzymes. The combination is pressed and filtered to create the gentle exfoliating enzyme in Glow Philtre.

In both of these examples, the Prickly Pear Seed Oil and the Pomegranate Enzymes, the ingredients are upcycled from byproducts of food production. With over 10% of US households experiencing food insecurity, being in the practice of not using comestible ingredients in skin care is one way to not strain food supply chains driving up prices and increase the demand to grow and harvest a greater diversity of nutrient-dense crops like pomegranate and prickly pear.

Green Biotechnology

According to the University of Pennsylvania’s School Of Engineering And Applied Sciences, biotechnology “in its broadest definition, is the use of advances in molecular biology for applications in human and animal health, agriculture, environment, and specialty biochemical manufacturing.”

Discoveries in bacteria, yeast, and even fruit flies have been translated into important therapeutic possibilities. As a field of study, biotechnology is an interdisciplinary field among biology, engineering, medicine, and plant science.

Green Biotechnology specifically leverages the findings within this exciting field of research and commercialization to create useful therapies and therapeutic outputs that lessen the alternative environmental and/or sociological impact. Everything from antioxidants, peptides, and fragrance molecules can be made with green biotechnology.

More recently, a green biotechnology innovation called cellular agriculture has been touted for its unique ability to create an array of valuable cosmetic ingredients. Microalgae are organically farmed and then “milked” to create a consistent, sustainable supply of everything from cosmetic emulsifiers to antioxidants and more, removing the reliance on other common, problematic inputs like carcinogenic solvents.

From feedstock to processing agents to end result, green biotechnology leverages new discoveries, techniques, and processes to deliver innovation and important materials for nutrition and beauty.

Implementing discoveries from the realm of green biotechnology is core to my mission. Each product we make uses one or more ingredient created by the interdisciplinary brilliance of biotechnology. Our Beauty Elixirs, for example, deliver a high concentration of bio-identical CoQ10 that is molecularly identical to the CoQ10 our bodies create! It is one of the most studied forms of antioxidants by the National Institute of Health, and it can be found in cardiology and oncology protocols. Cosmetically, we leverage the bio-identical CoQ10 to diminish the appearance of sun overexposure both old and new.

Another interesting ingredient from green biotechnology is in our award-winning formulas, Ad Astra Nighttime Eye Creme Emulsion and Puff of Love Nurturing Anytime Moisturizer, called ectoin. In extreme environments like polar ice caps and volcanoes and geysers and deserts, exist microbes that can thrive by generating metabolites called extremolytes. Ectoin is a lab-created leveraging green biotechnology to deliver ectoin, an active with soothing, antioxidant-like properties that care for the well-being and beauty of skin in the presence of stress, pollution, and other common environmental assaults.

Want to learn more about where clean beauty and wellness tech are headed next? Read this year's trend report and catch up on blood sugar monitor advances here.  

The post B Corps, Biophilia + 8 Other Sustainable Terms You Should Know In 2022 appeared first on The Chalkboard.

from The Chalkboard https://ift.tt/l7GXoFv
via IFTTT