Author: HealthyWay Staff Writer

Nosh

"Gluten-Free Water" And Other Ways Food Companies Exploit Our Ignorance

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date March 14, 2018

Food advertisers have one goal: to get you to buy their products.
We know, we’re not telling you anything that you don’t already know. However, manufacturers often base entire marketing campaigns on the things you actually don’t know. Consumers are impulsive, and we often make snap decisions based on product packaging. A cleverly placed “gluten-free” or “antioxidant-rich” label might influence your decision—even if you don’t really understand those terms.

We decided to look into a few common food labels to determine whether they actually had substance. Unfortunately, we found quite a bit of misleading marketing. For instance…

In recent years, the “gluten-free” market has become especially susceptible to deceptive marketers.

For people with celiac disease, accidental consumption of gluten—a set of proteins found in wheat, barley, and various other grains—can be disastrous. These people need to carefully choose gluten-free products, as exposure to even trace amounts of the proteins can bring on uncomfortable (and in some cases, life-threatening) symptoms.

However, as we’ve noted before on HealthyWay, if you’re not sensitive to gluten, “gluten-free” designations aren’t important. Most people don’t experience negative side effects after consuming gluten, and some researchers question whether non-celiac gluten sensitivity even exists.
“There’s nothing inherently healthier about gluten-free products,” registered dietitian Debra Malkoff-Cohen tells HealthyWay. “If you don’t have a sensitivity, there’s no reason to go on a gluten-free diet, and in certain circumstances, a gluten-free diet might be unhealthy.”

Quick myth bust: just because something says "low sugar" "low fat" "high protein" "gluten free" etc does not mean it's healthy. Check what's inside! #glutenfree #protein #weightloss #health #vegetarian #FastFood #Diet

— Alexis Wilson (@Alexis_reignite) March 9, 2018

Still, many consumers assume that gluten-free products are somehow healthier, and food companies are more than happy to capitalize on the trend. Visit your local grocery store, and you’ll likely find items like gluten-free butter and gluten-free green peppers—never mind the fact that these products never contained gluten in the first place.
To be clear, however, some companies likely have their customers’ interests in mind. Products like beef jerky might seem safe for gluten-intolerant people, but that’s not always the case: “… there could be trace amounts of gluten present due to cross contamination not reported to us by the suppliers we get our spices from for specific products,” the company wrote. Some companies use gluten-free designations as a precautionary measure to make life easier for people with severe allergies.
With that said, some products clearly don’t need a gluten-free designation. The gluten-free label on a bottle of water, for example, means nothing—all water is free of gluten.

“You would think that most consumers would know that bottled water is gluten-free, but surprisingly, there are still customers that look for that label,” says Kevin Liebrock, a former category buyer for Whole Foods Market. “We are also seeing that move with the ‘non-GMO’ label and ‘sugar-free’ labelling. The product always had those traits, but manufacturers want to get onboard with the growth behind these label claims and feel obliged to add a seemingly meaningless differentiator stamp to their products.”
Speaking of water…

The “raw water” trend is an especially notable case of dubious marketing.

In December 2017, The New York Times ran a story about the “raw water” trend, highlighting the growth of a small company called Live Spring Water.
Live Spring Water offers “fresh and unprocessed” water, bottled in lead-free glass jugs and delivered to consumers for $16 per jug with a four-jug minimum (additional discounts are available for larger orders). The water reportedly comes from a spring deep within the Earth and isn’t filtered prior to delivery.

“Live Spring Water is fresh and unprocessed. All other commercially available filtered, and even bottled spring waters are sterilized with ozone gas and irradiated with UV light,” the company’s website claims. “Our water still has all the healthy minerals and probiotics fully unobstructed.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds9Do2p60MQ
Probiotics, by the way, refers to species of bacteria with positive health effects, but it’s not easy to determine whether a bacteria is good or bad; most fall somewhere in between.
“We still don’t know which probiotics are helpful and which are not,” the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) explains on its website. “We also don’t know how much of the probiotic people would have to take or who would most likely benefit from taking probiotics. Even for the conditions that have been studied the most, researchers are still working toward finding the answers to these questions.”
https://twitter.com/BlueHorseShoe__/status/969601202114760704
Food columnist Tamar Haspel researched the raw water trend for The Washington Post and found raw water claims to be accurate but misleading. For instance, Tourmaline Spring, another company that produces raw water, has 1.6 milligrams of magnesium per liter, so the company can accurately declare that the product contains healthy minerals. However, a single banana has about 32 milligrams of magnesium. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, an average cup of tap water has about 2 milligrams of the same mineral, so raw water doesn’t seem like a significant improvement.
Raw water probably isn’t dangerous, as each brand undergoes regular testing to comply with FDA standards. Still, the purported health benefits are questionable at best—and for the price, consumers are better off sticking with tap water.

Before you start laughing at raw water buyers, ask yourself: Eat any multigrain bread lately?

As the label implies, multigrain products contain more than one grain. That doesn’t mean that they’re any healthier than single-grain products.

Food companies might be hoping that you’ll mistake “multigrain” for “whole grain.” Whole grain foods are, in fact, healthier for most people. Unlike refined grains, whole grains utilize the bran, germ, and endosperm of each grain, which means more fiber and more essential minerals. Many multigrain products simply use several different refined grains, which might change the flavor of the food, but doesn’t necessarily provide any additional health benefits.
Recently, many companies have gone in the other direction, dubiously labeling their products as “grain-free.” Of course, “grain-free” doesn’t necessarily mean “healthier.”

“We are seeing a massive surge in popularity with products labelled ‘paleo,’ but this labelling is somewhat restrictive and implies that it is only for consumers following a paleolithic diet,” Liebrock says. “As a result, brands that want to stay ahead of the curve are choosing to label these products ‘grain-free’ in order to capture a broader audience.”

In other cases, brands take credit for the regulations that they have to follow.

Meat packaging often bears phrase like “no hormones administered,” which might seem, on its surface, to be a positive thing. On beef, that’s certainly true: The USDA requires detailed documentation for beef products making that claim.
However, with pork and chicken products, “hormone free” is essentially meaningless. As it turns out, every pork and chicken product is free of hormones.

“Hormones are not allowed in raising hogs or poultry,” the Department of Agriculture notes on a page set up for consumers. “Therefore, the claim ‘no hormones added’ cannot be used on the labels of pork or poultry unless it is followed by a statement that says ‘Federal regulations prohibit the use of hormones.'” Of course, that second message doesn’t need to be nearly as noticeable as the first—it’s often in very fine print.
While we’re discussing Department of Agriculture guidelines, “chemical-free” can’t appear on the label of a food product. Why? Well, everything is composed of chemicals; the term itself is complete nonsense. You might still see “chemical-free” descriptors on cosmetics and other products, but you’re better off ignoring the labels.
https://twitter.com/emmastory/status/972197756587724805
Companies make the “chemical-free” claim for a simple reason: Consumers will believe it, since they’re not really sure what “chemical” means. In a 1997 study, Gayle Nicoll of the Purdue University Department of Chemistry polled college students regarding the definition of “chemical-free” products. About 30 percent of respondents sided with the scientific definition of “chemical,” while another 30 percent sided with the popular definition; the remaining 40 percent believed both definitions.
“A correlation may exist between the amount of television students watched as they grew up and the type of views they hold about chemicals,” Nicoll wrote.

Many food companies also tout “antioxidant-rich” products. We’ve got some bad news…

Yep, you guessed it: Most foods contain some antioxidants.
In chemistry, antioxidants are substances that (wait for it) inhibit oxidation. As oxidation can damage some cells, researchers generally believe that antioxidants are a good thing.

With that said, antioxidant supplements probably aren’t helpful, according to the NCCIH, and you can easily enjoy the benefits of antioxidants by eating plenty of fruits and vegetables.
What you shouldn’t do is rely on antioxidant labels. Vitamins C and E, carotenoids, lycopene, zeaxanthin, and selenium are all common antioxidants, and those nutrients are found in thousands of foods. Here’s an extreme example, but a warning if there is any about blindly searching for antioxidants: If you dip your mozzarella sticks in marinara sauce, congratulations—you’ve just enjoyed a helping of antioxidants. That doesn’t mean you’ve eaten a healthy meal.

That’s essentially the problem with eye-catching labels: Consumers make decisions very quickly, and if they believe that they’re doing something healthy, they’ll be more inclined to make the purchase.
To make healthier choices, start reading the entire label. Ask yourself whether you really know what advertising terms mean. If you’re not sure, look it up on the FDA’s website or ask the manufacturer for more information.
Ultimately, the best way to fight the knowledge gap between consumers and advertisers is simple: Close it.

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Motherhood

7 Of The Strangest Things About Pregnancy (And How To Handle Them)

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date March 9, 2018

Ahh, the beauty of pregnancy: glowing skin, thick hair, long nails. It’s supposed to be one of the most beautiful times in a woman’s life. And it is—for the most part.
Pregnancy glow aside, we women know we should be realistic. We should expect our ankles to thicken up a bit, and we should accept that we’ll deal with the occasional bout of heartburn. Yes, we know that our feet will eventually inflate (along with everything else).

Still, some aspects of pregnancy inevitably come as a surprise. The fact is, pregnancy changes your body in complex and fascinating ways, and without adequate preparation, some of those changes can come as a shock. Just remember: These adjustments are perfectly natural.

What do we mean? Well, the moms we spoke to wish that someone had warned them about things like…

Constant Sneezing and Difficulty Breathing

Who would think that your nose would be affected by that little love bump? Pregnancy can cause all kinds of problems with your sinuses, and even if you’ve had issues with allergies in the past, you’re probably not prepared for this.
Pregnancy rhinitis can appear at any point during a pregnancy. Doctors still aren’t exactly sure what causes this to happen, but they believe certain hormones are to blame. In any case, this awful condition often manifests with non-stop sneezing, courtesy of your newly swollen serous-mucous glands.

The good news: You can usually treat this problem at home. If you’re suffering from pregnancy rhinitis, try taking a nasal decongestant, applying a nasal dilator strip, or using a saline flush to find relief. Don’t overdo it with the decongestants, though; overuse can lead to a frustrating rebound effect called Rhinitis medicamentosa, which sounds a lot like a Harry Potter curse and feels like one, too.
Even if your sinuses work perfectly, you’ll likely find yourself running out of breath—and no, your weight isn’t (always) to blame. Part of this has to do with your body changing. Your organs, after all, are literally moving to make way for your baby.

Additionally, pregnancy hormones do some pretty ridiculous things to your body. What things, you ask?
Things like telling your body to make extra blood or to make the capillaries and blood vessels in your lungs relax and “grow,” which should allow you to take bigger, deeper breaths more often. Pregnant women need a lot of oxygen, and those hormones are going to make sure they get it, even if that means putting you through some major discomfort.
These changes can make some women feel “air hungry,” which is exactly what it sounds like—you’ll feel like you can’t catch your breath while you’re in a sedentary situation.

If you’re feeling particularly short of breath, check your posture. Standing or sitting up straight will help alleviate any compression on your lungs, allowing you to breathe easier. Regular exercise can also help to minimize breathlessness.
Most of those feelings are normal, but if you can’t catch your breath after resting, if you feel chest pain, or if your lips or fingertips begin to lose color, be sure to seek medical attention right away.

A Super-Powered Nose

A heightened sense of smell during pregnancy is no joke. In fact, two-thirds of pregnant women claim to notice a change in their olfactory abilities in the first trimester, despite scientific evidence on the subject being inconclusive. It’s hypothesized that estrogen is to blame, and that even morning sickness is related to an overly sensitive nose (though more research is needed on the subject).
Candice Straughter, mother of two, had a tough time dealing with scent sensitivity during her pregnancies.

“Nobody told me this was possible,” Straughter tells HealthyWay. “If my windows were down in the car while driving, I would gag every time I stopped near an open sewer grate. I could smell the sewage as if it was right next to me.”
If you’re struggling with extreme smells, there are a few things you can do to keep that gag reflex at bay. First, if you can, stay away from any known smell-triggers. You can also apply a few drops of your favorite essential oil on a handkerchief and use it to cover your face if you encounter an unpleasant smell. You should probably make the switch to unscented toiletries and laundry detergents, too.

A Little Boost in…Saliva

It’s totally normal for pregnancy to increase your saliva production, so don’t worry if you’ve been waking up in a puddle.
Excessive saliva production is known as ptyalism, and while some women only notice a small difference in their spit, others might need to carry around their own personal drool bucket. Ptyalism isn’t dangerous, but it can be quite irritating. Straughter noticed a difference in saliva production during the first and second trimesters of her pregnancies, she says.

“I started producing excessive amounts of saliva 24/7,” says Straughter. “During the day, I kept a few grocery store bags with me in the car or on the go that I could spit into discreetly. I had to actually sleep with a big cup or container next to my bed at night to spit into during the night.”
Scientists aren’t entirely sure what causes this phenomenon yet, but studies have shown that women who suffer from heartburn or morning sickness while pregnant are also more likely to have increased saliva production.

You can’t turn off your salivary glands, so if you’re dealing with a tsunami of spittle, you’re just going to have to ride it out. Some women find relief by sucking on ice cubes, chewing gum, avoiding spicy foods, and keeping a spit cup nearby. Also, be sure you drink enough water—all that spitting can lead to dehydration.

Sweat, Sweat, and More Sweat

Okay, so pregnancy hormones affect your breathing, your sense of smell, and your spit production. You can also add this to the list: Pregnancy can make you stink.
Physiological changes in the sweat and sebaceous glands can cause your body to sweat not only in places you would expect, like your armpits, but they also cause sweat glands all over your body to go mad as well. We’re talking extra sweaty feet, back, and even your crotch.

Your body temperature also increases during pregnancy, and add the insulation of increased weight gain, and you’ll be wringing your shirt out by mid-afternoon. And you don’t just have overactive sweat gland smells to look forward to…
The influx of progesterone causes your digestive tract to slow down a lot. This gives your body more time to create gas bubbles from the food you eat—and that gas has to go somewhere. As your baby grows, your stomach and intestines shift, becoming more crowded—which explains that bloated sensation. To top it all off, the muscle-relaxing effects of these hormones cause you to have less control over passing gas.

Changes to the Skin

As rosy and glowing as your skin may initially appear, don’t get used to it. That perk can go south quite quickly! Hormonal changes can affect the biggest organ of your body—the skin—as well.
Ninety percent of women experience some kind of change in their skin during pregnancy. Some of those changes include serious acne, having your legs turned into maps by spider veins, skin tags springing up out of nowhere, and certain, more sensitive areas of your body turning a completely different color. Doesn’t that all sound great?

“I developed skin tags on different areas of my body during all three of my pregnancies,” one mother, who wishes to remain anonymous, tells HealthyWay.
Another anonymous mom tells HealthyWay about a patch of itchy, red bumps that popped up during pregnancy. She later found out this was a PUPPP rash, an itchy, but non-dangerous, skin disorder associated with pregnancy.
The poor mom was completely unprepared for the arrival of this condition, and it scared her.

“Neither of my midwives mentioned this condition [was possible] during my pregnancies,” she says.
Another interesting—and unsettling—skin phenomenon associated with pregnancy is called Chadwick’s sign. Ms. Chadwick shows up very early in pregnancy (six to eight weeks after conception) completely changes the color of a woman’s cervix and vulva.

All Kinds of Hair Growth

And we mean everywhere. An influx of hormones, like estrogen, cause your nails and your hair to grow noticeably faster. While a longer, fuller head of hair sounds awesome, this affects all of your hair…on all parts of your body.

Estrogen increases the growth time for your follicles, meaning you shed fewer strands, giving you a thicker looking ‘do. Your hair can also appear shinier or change texture during your pregnancy. Just be prepared: Your body hair goes through these changes, too. Be prepared to see hair pop up on your belly, face, and anywhere else.
Don’t worry about the extra fur. The growth cycle will return to normal, and all excess hair will eventually fall out once your baby is born.

Gum Vulnerabilities

Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to gum disease, which can cause bleeding, swelling, and discoloration. Bleeding gums, while unpleasant and gross, are somewhat normal during pregnancy. A combination of hormonal changes and a boost in bloodflow are the culprits for this little gem of an experience.

Keep gum disease on the run by brushing and flossing regularly (we know you know, but we have to say it). You might also try gargling with sea salt and making sure you get enough vitamins A and C. But if things start to get out of hand, go see a dentist. Oh, and like every last item on this list, keep your obstetrician or primary care doctor up to date on the side-effects of your pregnancy.

Ahh, pregnancy. Beautiful indeed.

But the good news is that these symptoms are a small price to pay for the extraordinary, mythic experience of bringing a human being into the world. Pregnancy is nothing if not natural, which can be a nice thing to remember when you’re sweating and drooling.

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Mindful Parenting Motherhood

Mommy Beware: 11 Secretly Dangerous Baby Products

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date March 8, 2018

Feeling anxious about welcoming your baby? You’re certainly not alone. But before you run out to buy the latest, greatest, and most expensive products for your newborn, be sure to do your research.

“When I was pregnant, I was both surprised and alarmed to find that many products marketed for babies are actually quite dangerous,” says Kelsey Allan of home safety resource SafeWise. We spoke with Allan to find out how to properly vet children’s products—and which products to avoid entirely. We learned some pretty surprising stuff.

For instance…

1. Bumbo Seats require some oversight.

“No doubt that the Bumbo is appealing to many families,” Allan says. “I know my own daughter would love the Bumbo far more than her restrictive high chair.”
The Bumbo helps babies sit up for mealtime and playtime, and when used properly, they’re safe. However, some models can tip over fairly easily, and many physical therapists dislike the Bumbo Seat’s original design (at least for long-term use).

The original version of the Bumbo seat didn’t keep babies restrained, and it was voluntarily recalled in 2007. Newer versions of the product have a strap to keep your baby in place, but the strap can’t keep the entire Bumbo from falling over with baby still inside. A Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) safety alert cited at least 80 occurrences of babies falling out of their Bumbo seats since the 2007 recall; at least 50 of those falls came when the Bumbo was on an elevated surface, and 21 of the falls caused skull fractures.
Bumbo’s website specifically notes that the seats are designed to be used on the floor—not as a replacement for the high chair. If your child loves the Bumbo seat, make sure to read the instructions carefully and never let your child play in it without supervision.

2. “Jumpers” have a few unexpected dangers.

Although babies may love them, doorway jumpers can put them in serious jeopardy, as improperly secured jumpers can easily cause injury.
Walker-jumpers are not necessarily any safer. After 29,000 jumpers were recalled in 2005, the CPSC issued a notice banning certain walkers that “[have] any exposed parts capable of causing [injury].” The full notice goes into more detail about the types of potential injuries, but we’ll leave the gloom-and-doom stuff out of this article.

That’s not the only reason to limit jumper time.

“In addition to the possibility of head or bodily injuries if a jumper breaks, even when they work properly, they can stunt your baby’s development,” says Allan. “Your child may not be exercising the right kinds of muscles to learn how to walk and may also adopt a different posture if they spend too much time in a jumper.”
Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego notes this as a potential issue, as jumpers “promote movement patterns that are not necessarily useful in normal development, including tiptoe standing and fast, uncontrolled movement.”

3. Sleep positioners can be dangerous.

Ironically, this product is supposed to keep your infant safe as they sleep. Instead, babies can find themselves buried face-first in the foam sides. From 1997–2010, the CPSC identified 12 fatal incidents resulting from infants using sleep positioners.
Parents may use sleep positioners because of the recommendation from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to put babies on their backs to sleep. However, the AAP also notes that babies can safely roll over or move on their own. Typically, kids don’t need much help to sleep properly, and foam positioners may do more harm than good.

If you’re concerned about your child’s sleep habits, speak to your pediatrician to discuss options. In fact, that’s a good rule of thumb for anything on this list—if something we’ve written doesn’t vibe with your parental intuition, speak to a medical professional.

4. Car seat toys are okay, but keep this in mind…

Car seat toys may seem like a great way to keep your child entertained, and during longer trips, that’s no small task.
However, safety organization Car Seats for the Littles (CSFTL) recommends only using the car seat toys that come with your baby’s car seat. Car seat manufacturers crash test their seats, and they test them with their toys attached.

Because toys from third parties aren’t tested, there’s no way to guarantee that they would stay attached in a car accident. Third-party toys aren’t regulated, so even if they have labels that say things like “crash-tested,” there is to know that “anything that doesn’t come with the seat will change how it performs during a crash,” reads the CSFTL piece.
If your child insists on an outside toy, make sure they are soft and lightweight.

5. Bath seats don’t necessarily make bath time safer.

“Bath seats [should be] considered bathing aids rather than safety devices,” says Allan.
While bath seats are perfectly safe when used with adult supervision, they may delude parents into leaving their infants unattended in the bath. The product can easily fall over with the baby inside.

Tragically, the CPSC reported 174 fatal incidents and 300 accidents associated with bath seats product between 1983 and 2009. Again, they’re safe with supervision, but that’s an important distinction: No matter how you bathe your child, never leave them by themselves.

6. Co-sleepers, at the moment, are a bad idea.

Mothers around the world have slept with their babies for generations, but that doesn’t necessarily make the practice safe. Bed-sharing can be dangerous, even when using co-sleeping devices, which often use foam fillers (a suffocation risk).

The flimsy foam sides also cannot withstand the weight of a full-grown adult, so they don’t always protect babies. For now, the AAP recommends putting your baby in a four-sided crib with a fitted mattress. While parents can sleep in the same room as their babies, they shouldn’t share a sleeping surface.

7. Crib bumpers seem like a safety feature, but…

Crib bumpers have been popular among parents who have concerns about hard crib bars.

“Bumpers are intended to keep your baby from getting their little limbs stuck between the rails of a crib,” Allan tells HealthyWay. But crib bumpers often do more harm than good.
“In reality, [the bumpers] could lead to suffocation or strangulation,” Allan says.

Many parenting classes warn people about the dangers they pose, and the AAP advises parents not to use them. Some states, including Maryland, have banned crib bumpers outright.
“A safer alternative is a mesh liner that allows breathability and still prevents limbs from getting stuck,” says Allan.
To be safe, though, it’s best to follow the aforementioned AAP guidelines: Put your baby to sleep in a crib with a tightly fitted sheet.

8. Walkers might be popular, but they have serious drawbacks.

A few decades ago, most babies spent at least some time in their walkers. They seem helpful, right?
“Baby walkers may seem like a great way to get your baby moving faster. But they actually can slow your child’s development,” says Allan. Children can rely too heavily on the walker, which can inhibit their ability to learn to walk.
They’re also potentially dangerous. After a number of reported cases of children falling down stairs while using walkers, the AAP began calling for a ban on the product. The CPSC has estimated that 4,000 children were injured in walkers in 2010 alone.

A better option for your child is a stationary activity center. These products resemble walkers, but children can only spin around in place. Just make sure that the moving parts don’t present a risk for tiny fingers and hands.

9. Drop-side cribs aren’t worth the convenience.

“In theory, a drop-side crib may seem convenient,” Allan says. “Constantly bending over the side of your baby’s crib can definitely be hard on your back. However, dropside rails can easily come loose, causing your baby to get stuck or fall out and suffer serious injury.”
Drop-side cribs have been responsible for 32 infant fatalities since the year 2000. Millions of these cribs were recalled before the CPSC banned them in 2011.

If you’re still using a drop-side crib, purchase a newer crib with fixed sides. If you get a used crib, choose one made after June 2011, which is when the stricter standards were put in place.

10. Crib tents pose several serious risks.

“These seem like a good idea when you have a toddler escape artist in the family, but your child could get stuck or strangled in a crib tent—and then the tents can be hard to detach quickly enough in a dangerous situation,” says Allan.

Parents use crib tents to keep their babies from climbing out or to protect infants from bugs and curious pets.

Again, convenience doesn’t mean much if the product isn’t safe, and crib tents are not safe. Infants and toddlers can get caught in the fabric, which a multitude of injury risks. Some crib tents can also collapse.
“If your child keeps climbing out of the crib, think about transitioning to a toddler bed instead,” Allan suggests.

11. When using changing tables, be careful.

According to Consumer Reports, an estimated 3,000 babies are injured per year in changing table accidents.
Believe us, we get it; you’re not going to stop using changing tables. We’re not going to try to talk you out of it—just exercise some caution.

Whenever you can, use a changing table with four sides. Tables with fewer barriers should have contoured changing pads, which help to keep your baby in place.

Oh, and if your table has a strap, use it. You probably can’t avoid looking away from time to time while changing your baby, but if you take the proper precautions, you won’t have to worry.

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Conscious Beauty

Makeup Artists Reveal The Industry's Most Important Secrets

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date March 6, 2018

With makeup, you don’t always get what you pay for.
You can spend hundreds of dollars on beauty products—and believe us, we’ve been there—but that doesn’t guarantee professional results. That’s not just our opinion, either. One 2016 study showed that professionally-applied cosmetics affected appearance much more than self-applied cosmetics did (no word on whether that study was published in the journal No Duh).
To find out how makeup artists get a flawless, camera-ready look, we decided to reach out to a few professionals (naturally). As it turns out, we’re not so much buying the wrong products as we are using them the wrong way.

Whether you’re a makeup newbie or you already have a talent for your contour palette, these tips can make a big difference. For instance…

Preparation is key.

Before we get to the experts, we’ve got to talk about moisturizing. Think of your face as a canvas: You can have all the best products in the world, but if your skin is dry and dull, you’re going to have issues.
Of course, this won’t come as shocking news to most makeup aficionados. However, while there are hundreds of moisturizers, toners, and serums on the market, there’s one product that’s absolutely indispensable: sunscreen.

When you go outside sans sunscreen, you’re not just risking a sunburn. The Skin Cancer Foundation estimates that 90 percent of skin aging is caused by exposure to the sun. People who use sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher everyday have fewer signs of skin aging than those who don’t sport the ‘screen.
You might not like the oily feel of sunscreen, especially on your face. The good news is that many brands make face-specific sunscreens that won’t leave an oily base. You can also purchase makeup foundations that have sunscreen built in.

If you want professional results, prime your face.

“Always use a primer,” says Marissa Hohner, makeup artist and owner of Sugar Skull Makeup in Chicago. “Primers allow your foundation and makeup to have a long-wear application on your skin throughout the day.”
If you’re not using a primer, you’re probably not getting the results you want. Primers even out your skin tone, minimize the appearance of pores, and help smooth out skin imperfections. They also give your makeup something to hold on to, ensuring a better all-day look.
If you want your look to last, you can’t skip this step.

“Allow your primer to seep into your skin for a couple of minutes until it feels a bit tacky to the touch,” says Hohner. “This will ensure a longer-lasting wear for your foundation throughout the day.”
That works because many primers use silicone-based polymers like dimethicone, the same types of silicones found in hair conditioners. Just as you let your hair conditioner sit in place before you wash it out, you’ll need to give your primer some time to work.

Patience is key. Primer takes time. If you rush through and refuse to wait, you won’t be getting better-looking makeup, you’ll just waste expensive primer.
Incidentally, dimethicone-free primers are available, and they’re sometimes a better choice for people with acne and other skin conditions. If you’re noticing a reaction from your primer (or any other cosmetic product), speak with your dermatologist.

There are a few key tricks to using foundation and concealer.

After your face is moisturized and primed, it’s time for the foundation and concealer.
We could easily write an entire piece on foundation and concealer, as there are dozens of high-quality products on the market. To get professional results, you’ll need to do some experimentation to figure out what works best for you and your skin. It’s also important to decide on a look and matching your application to achieve the desired outcome. One pro-ready option: Switching to a beauty sponge.
“Pressing your foundation and concealer into your skin with a damp beauty sponge will give you more coverage and an airbrushed look,” Nashville makeup artist Corrine Towery tells HealthyWay.

As with everything in the world of cosmetics, moderation is key.
“Don’t overdo the foundation,” says Hohner. “If you cake on too much foundation, your skin can look muddy and cakey. A buildable foundation will allow you to start with a thin layer and then add upon that layer with additional product … in trouble areas that may need more coverage.”
In other words, take your time. Hey, we’re starting to notice a pattern here.

Bake your face.

No, this doesn’t involve any kitchen appliances. When you need your makeup to last all day, it’s time to “bake.” That term has been frequently used in the drag community for years—and, by and large, their makeup looks fantastic—but recently, we’ve seen it pop up in more mainstream outlets.

To “bake your face,” you’ll cover your foundation and concealer with a translucent powder and let it set for five to 10 minutes. The heat from your face will set the makeup, creating a creaseless, flawless, long-lasting look. Pretty cool, right?
Baking is especially helpful for treating any areas that are prone to wrinkles.
https://twitter.com/yurilamasbella/status/957452870181367808
“By using a light-weight, loose, translucent powder to set your under-eye concealer, you will prevent your concealer from creasing and accentuating any crow’s feet or fine lines under and around the eye,” says Hohner.
It takes a lot of time and effort to look great. Don’t risk any breaks or cracks.

There’s a trick to making your lips pop.

Just as you need to prepare your skin before applying makeup, you need to make sure that your lips are in great condition before reaching for the lipstick.
“Any flakiness should be removed prior to a lipstick application,” Artistic Director for Osmosis Colour Mineral Cosmetics Alejandro Falcon tells HealthyWay. “[After moisturizing], use a lip liner to shape and outline your lip area. I usually fill in the lip liner halfway inside the lips for a more precise look.”

If you want your lips to appear fuller, use a little bit of highlighter.
“Grab your favorite liquid illuminator and apply it to your cupid’s bow vertically,” says Caitlin Picou, makeup artist and owner of Kismet Cosmetics. “This makes your top lip pop. Take it further by applying the same illuminator to the inner parts of your lips, as well.”

Want someone to get lost in your eyes?

What’s that saying…the windows are the eyes of the house? It’s something like that.
In any case, you can command a room with your wicked winged liner and flawless smokey eye with this foolproof eye makeup process.
“Start with a cream eyeshadow base to intensify the staying power and the pigments in the shadow,” says makeup artist and founder of Formula Z Cosmetics, Zach Dishinger. “After you apply the base, line your eyes with eyeliner and blend it on top of the cream base. Next, move on to your powdered shadows.”

Mascara can take your look to the next level, but it’s not always easy to apply. The brushes can be unwieldy, and if you say that you’ve never accidentally poked yourself in the eye, you’re either remarkably coordinated or lying.
“Place a finger or a makeup sponge behind the lash to prevent the mascara from smudging on your face or eye area,” says Dishinger.
What if you make a mistake and apply too much? “Let the mascara dry completely,” Towery says. “Once it’s dry, take a clean Q-tip and wipe it off. It won’t smudge and ruin your makeup.”

When your favorite tube has run out, always save the brush.
“Keep the wand and use it with cheap mascara to save some money,” says Towery. “Mascara is mascara; the wand is what makes the difference.”

Some cosmetics are remarkably versatile.

“If there are colors you don’t use in your contour and highlight palettes, use them as eyeshadows,” says Towery.

Pretty much any cosmetic can work as a highlighter, although you’ll want to check before putting a product near your eyes or lips if it’s not designed for that express purpose. We’re big fans of the eyeshadow-as-lip-liner movement, but some intense colors have mineral additives that we’d rather not consume accidentally.

Finally, don’t assume that the most expensive brands are worth the money.

As we mentioned earlier, you don’t need to buy the most expensive beauty products to see the best results. Cheap mascaras are essentially the same as the expensive ones (other than the brush), and you can easily find decent makeup for $10 or less.

“Drugstore products are a great way to save money. Not everything is amazing, but there are hidden gems,” says Towery. “Instead of having trial and error and wasting money on random products, look up reviews and tutorials on YouTube on products to see what to buy. Some of my holy grail products are from the drugstore.”
Here’s more on drugstore beauty products vs. their high-end counterparts.

Tags Commerce, social

Lifestyle

Hair Stylists Explain The Most Common Hair Care Mistakes

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date February 26, 2018

Even for a fairy tale, the story of Rapunzel is implausible—and not just because of the protagonist’s overactive follicles. Anyone who’s sunk years into brushing yards and yards of their spun-gold hair would never let some prince yank, pull, and climb on it. A woman like Rapunzel doesn’t just care for her hair. She coddles it.
We can identify, but we also have much more than a comb to work with. There are shampoos, conditioners, products, blow dryers, and the influence of the “no-poo” lobby to contend with. It’s hard to know what to choose. That’s a problem, because the particulars of how you treat your hair make all the difference—even if you don’t have Rapunzel-level locks.
Many people don’t know exactly how to treat their hair to keep it healthy, hairstylists say. In fact, lots of popular products and practices actually do more damage than good. We talked to experienced stylists and got the inside scoop on some of the most common hair-care mistakes—and how to give your ‘do the fairy-tale ending it deserves.

1. You’re combing your hair wrong.

It really is possible to comb your hair incorrectly—and doing so can lead to some serious damage. When it comes to detangling your hair, moisture matters.

You don’t want to pull a comb through your hair right after you step out of the shower, says salon-owner and stylist Christy Stewart.
“Your hair is most fragile when wet,” Stewart tells HealthyWay.
Excessive brushing or combing can stretch wet hair and lead to breakage, she explains. The type of brush you’re using can cause problems, too. Brushes or combs with small, fine teeth cause more friction and pulling on the follicles and are not great to use.

“Use a wide-tooth comb or a wet brush that is made specifically for brushing wet hair,” Stewart says.
Many stylists even recommend using the “bottom’s up” method for brushing hair. It may feel weird at first, but “start at your ends and work your way toward the roots. Never start at the root!” warns Stewart. “You’ll just end up hurting yourself.”

2. You’re washing your hair wrong.

You probably grew up with the iconic phrase “lather, rinse, and repeat.” Now there’s a whole new camp telling you not to wash your hair. Like, at all. Who can you really trust when it comes to cleaning your luscious locks?

First of all, your cleansing routine should be based on your hair type. Thin hair is more delicate and more prone to breakage, whereas thick or curly hair is stronger. Is your scalp exceptionally oily or dry? Taking note of your hair type helps you know exactly how to handle and clean your hair.
Regardless of your hair type, it’s always a good idea to start by thoroughly rinsing your hair with warm water. The temperature helps open up the hair cuticles, making it easier to remove any dirt and absorb the oils from your conditioner. If you have hair past your shoulders, it’s also a good idea to apply a light layer of conditioner to the ends first. Those are the oldest and driest points, and conditioning first helps protect the most fragile bits of hair during the cleaning process.

But should you even use shampoo at all? The “no-poo” sect was born from the idea that the more you clean and remove natural oils from your body, the more your body produces, and you’re forever stuck in a greasy loop.
https://twitter.com/ohritecool/status/968102440309592065
While it is true that shampoo removes your scalp’s natural oils, it’s completely okay to use it two to three times a week, reports NPR. People with curly hair can possibly go even longer without shampooing, but again, it’s different person to person. However, you should only ever be applying shampoo to your scalp—never down to the ends of your hair.
The way you lather up matters, too. Never apply shampoo in a circular motion. This can cause serious tangles and break your hair. Instead, move your fingers vertically across your scalp. And don’t think you need to follow the “rinse and repeat” adage. Unless your hair is exceptionally dirty (in this case, the shampoo might not lather at all), there’s no reason for round number two of ‘poo.

Finally, when you’re ready to condition, squeeze some of the water from your hair and then apply the product from the middle of your hair down to your roots (your scalp doesn’t need the extra oil). Leave conditioner in for as long as you can, and then rinse your hair until all of the product is removed. Then, if you can stand it, finish off your shower with a cold water rinse. This will seal the cuticle as well as the outer layer of the hair, giving it the most shine.
Also take note of the ingredients of the products you use.
https://twitter.com/kellsjay1/status/964343111508934656
“Avoid products with sulfates, as they strip hair of its good stuff [natural oils], and sodium chloride because it can be very drying,” says stylist Kashmir Asvaraksh.
Look for paraben- and sulfate-free products instead—those will clean and condition your hair without the harshness.

3. You’re towel-drying your hair wrong.

Nothing is sacred anymore. Even towel drying your hair after a shower can cause breakage and damage! While it may sound insignificant, the way you dry your hair really does affect the way it looks.

Vigorously towel drying after a shower causes a lot of friction, which leads to breakage—especially if you use a circular motion. Dry too roughly and you can damage hair cuticles, the protective outermost layer of each hair. That leads to frizzy, damaged-looking hair, and no one wants that.
The best way to dry your hair with a towel is to press or blot the towel onto the wet hair—no rubbing! Alternately, you could “swap that bath towel for a microfiber towel or old T-shirt instead,” Stewart says. “The high thread count will be much more gentle on those cuticles.”

4. You’re blow-drying your hair all wrong.

If you prefer to use a blow dryer, make sure you don’t go too crazy and dry your hair out with excessive heat. While thin hair is most susceptible to heat damage, even thick or curly hair shouldn’t be subjected to the high heat of a blow dryer for an extended amount of time. If you absolutely must blow dry, though, use a continuous motion and a flat nozzle attachment—that will direct the the warm air and help hair dry quicker and more evenly.

To properly blow dry, start by sectioning off parts of your hair. These smaller sections will allow your hair to dry faster with less heat, which is always a good thing. Decide on the look you’re going for beforehand, and then use the blow dryer to help achieve that look. Hold your brush vertically, and the blow dryer horizontally. This will give your hair more volume and won’t leave it stick-straight.

A boar-bristle brush is best to use while drying hair. Unlike its ceramic counterpart, the boar-bristle brush doesn’t conduct heat, which can flatten natural volume, quite as easily. Boar bristles will also smooth down the hair’s cuticles with ease. As for the type of hair dryer to use—it all comes down to your hair type.
Ionic dryers are better for thick or frizzy hair because they break up water droplets faster, cutting down drying time. However, these dryers aren’t great if your hair is oily or if you’re going for volume.
https://twitter.com/tatorade13/status/848423748168327168
Ceramic or infrared dryers are great for people with thinner, dry hair, but can also be beneficial for almost everyone. The weight of your locks also comes into play, especially if you have a ton of hair and have to hold the darn hairdo up for a long time. If you’re ready to splurge on a nice dryer, take some time and find the one the fits the majority of your hair needs—not just the most expensive or popular one.

4. You’re using heated tools disastrously wrong.

In addition to practicing good blow-drying habits, you should definitely be careful when using heated tools to style your hair. First and foremost, you have to use heat-protectant products if you are using a blow dryer or other heated styling tools.

“You can use heating elements regularly if, and only if, you use a heat protectant and a sufficient amount of it,” says Asvaraksh. “The heat protectant needs to be applied all over the hair” to be effective for keeping hair healthy while drying and styling, she says.

“To get the best results, look for products that fit your hair type. These heat-resistant products will prolong your blowout and limit heat damage,” says salon owner and stylist Eliut Rivera. For natural hair, you want to keep the temperature of any heated tool under 400 degrees. People with color treated, fine, or processed hair should stick to lower temperatures.
Rivera shares the cardinal rule of using heated tools on our hair: “The more heat applied, the more damage is being done,” the stylist says.
We would add a sliver of wisdom from Rapunzel’s world of myth. She never used heated tools, remember, and look how well that worked out for her.

Tags Commerce, social

Happy Home Lifestyle

How Feng Shui Works (And How It Doesn't) According To Science

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date February 13, 2018

Not happy with your home? Blame your chi.
That’s the basic reasoning behind feng shui, a Chinese philosophy that advocates cultivating harmony with your environment. Essentially, feng shui practitioners believe that every object and person has an energy—known as chi or qi—and that properly organizing your surroundings can allow your energy to flow more effectively.
That’s where the name “feng shui” comes from; it roughly translates to “wind and water.” The philosophy claims that different directions have different elements associated with them, and by managing the flow of your chi effectively, you can live a calmer, happier lifestyle.

Of course, there’s no scientific evidence to support the spiritual claims of feng shui. Scientists haven’t found a chi in any laboratory experiments, and while organizing your surroundings can certainly improve your productivity, the effects are somewhat limited.

Its almost spring, which means spring cleaning. Stop hoarding items in your room, donate your clothes you don’t use, do a little feng shui, buy some flowers, be happy.

— ✨ (@itzeeladrianaaa) February 11, 2018

Still, feng shui has been around for thousands of years. Surely there’s some value in it, right? We spoke with several feng shui experts and self-proclaimed psychics to find out.

Claim 1: Choose the right color for your front door to complement your chi.

An article on The Spruce suggests choosing a color for your home’s front door to maximize the positive energy flowing through it. A south-facing door, for instance, should be red, since the direction signifies fire in traditional feng shui. A door that faces the west draws its power from metal, so homeowners should use white or grey.

Unfortunately, there’s no science to back this up. Color can certainly affect moods, so if you paint your door green, you might feel slightly refreshed when you walk through it, but different colors affect people very differently.
“[Color perception] is very much based on culture,” Dustin York, an associate professor at Maryville University who specializes in nonverbal communication, tells HealthyWay. “Here in the United States, black is usually seen as a negative connotations. With other cultures, black is actually seen as a positive, clean color, almost like white is for people in the West. You will definitely see changes within cultures.”
There’s certainly something to be said for choosing colors carefully, but don’t expect any mystical energy to flow through your front door.

Claim 2: Bedroom organization can affect your energy levels throughout the day.

“To spread the good vibes or chi, you need the bed positioned as far away from the door as possible or diagonally from the door,” says Adam, head interior designer at Decorelo (he didn’t provide his last name). “Do not position in line with the door or too much chi will flow towards the bed.”

We’re skeptical of that claim (sorry, Adam), but we could understand how putting a bed right next to a door could make a room appear somewhat cramped. We couldn’t find any research that looked at bed placement relative to bedroom doors (somehow, nobody’s funding that research).

If you notice a drop in positive vibes from your life, my apologies for stealing them. I’m about to Feng Shui my bedroom.

— Paolo Mateo Mojica (@paolommojica) February 12, 2018

However, we’re on board with this next bit:
“It is important that there is a gap under the bed to let the energy circulate around you while you have a good night’s sleep. Keeping the bedroom tidy and uncluttered should keep any negative vibes away, also.”
While we’re not strong believers in “energy,” air flow can certainly help to prevent dust and mold from accumulating on a mattress. If you can’t find a cheap frame, sleep blog Sleep Advisor recommends cleaning your floor and mattress regularly.

We should also note that our feng shui expert is absolutely correct about clutter. A study from the American Academy of Sleep showed that people who sleep in extremely untidy bedrooms may be at risk for developing sleep disorders.
The key word there is “extreme,” as the study focused on people with mild to moderate hoarding problems, but it still demonstrates the importance of a clean, organized bedroom.
The takeaway: If you want to stay productive, stay organized. Our other feng shui experts agreed with that assessment.

“In feng shui, the clutter symbolizes the unfinished work, so just remove every item without a practical purpose or those which don’t contribute to the overall look of the place,” says Lauryn Haynes, a home organizing expert at Star Domestic Cleaners in London.
That sounds perfectly reasonable to us.

Claim 3: Spread salt around your house and sing.

“Spread sea salt around the house and leave it for the next 24 hours to absorb the negative energy, then vacuum it all away singing joyful songs,” says feng shui expert and author Milana Perepyolkina. “Open all windows and go around the house clapping your hands, moving the negative energy out of the windows and inviting positive energy in through the doors.”

Okay, we’re aware that this one sounds unorthodox, but science backs up Perepyolkina’s suggestions—just not the reasoning behind her suggestions.
Salt might not actually absorb negative energy, per se, but it’s fairly good at absorbing some odors. To take you back to high school chemistry class, a salt is an acid combined with a base, and table salt (sodium chloride) is relatively pH-neutral. When salt contacts the chemical compounds that cause odors, it sometimes helps to break those compounds up and reduce their acidity, neutralizing the smell. The vacuuming certainly helps. We’d classify nasty odors as “bad energy,” so we’re on board with that part of Perepyolkina’s advice.

As for “singing joyful songs,” that sounds ridiculous, but it’s actually a pretty decent suggestion. A 2004 study showed that singers have lower levels of cortisol—a stress hormone—than the control group.
However, there’s a catch: The study looked at group singers, so to get the best possible effect, you’ll want to get a friend to sing with you.

Claim 4: Talk to your pillow before you go to sleep.

“Trust me on this,” says Perepyolkina, “your possessions absorb good energy and then share it with you while you sleep.”

We really like her attitude, but sadly, we could not find any research that supports this idea. While you’re certainly free to engage in some pillow talk, you’d spend your time more effectively by researching pillows. One study showed that certain pillows can contribute to sleep disorders and advised using latex pillows to limit arm and spinal pain.
To give Perepyolkina the benefit of the doubt, talking to a pillow could be seen as a form of meditation. That’s certainly a helpful practice; numerous studies show that mindfulness meditation can fight insomnia and improve the overall quality of sleep.

Claim 5: Clean your windows to improve your perspective.

“The windows symbolize your eyes looking at the world,” says Haynes. “Clean windows can help you see things clearly, while dirty ones can only limit your perspective. Grab some old newspaper and a mixture of white vinegar and water, and voila.”

Again, we don’t disagree with the advice, just the reasoning behind the advice. We’re not sure about windows symbolizing perspective, but they do let in daylight. One study showed that office workers report better overall health and fewer sleep disturbances when they have access to a window during work hours.
Researchers believe that daylight inhibits melatonin production, which allows for a healthy sleep cycle. To stay happy and healthy, you’d better keep your windows clean—and Haynes is right to recommend old newspapers and white vinegar. Newspapers are made with soft, densely packed fibers that pick up dust without leaving behind streaks.

Of course, newspaper subscriptions are dwindling in the United States. If you don’t have any old newspapers laying around, you can simply grab a high-quality microfiber cloth.

Claim 6: Cover your bedroom TV with fabric.

“The active energy of the TV has active energy which can be really disruptive to your sleep and the overall mood of the bedroom,” says Haynes. “You can simply cover it up with a beautiful fabric when not in use.”
Once again, while we’re skeptical about the “energy” talk, we can support this suggestion with good, hard science. A 2009 study from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine showed that television watching is an important determinant of sleep quality. People who watch more television tend to sleep worse, particularly if they watch TV around bedtime.

@LauraAshleyUK #MakeandDecorate Left over laura ashley fabric makes a lovely cover to hide the tv when entertaining pic.twitter.com/jZwfFJmtPi

— Nicola Andrews (@andrews_nj) September 13, 2015

There’s also a growing body of research indicating that certain wavelengths of blue light can diminish sleep quality by messing with your body’s production of melatonin (that sleep hormone we mentioned earlier). Watch a stressful television show, and your body will produce hormones like cortisol, which certainly won’t help your cause.
Putting a piece of fabric in front of your television might conceivably stop you from using it as often since you’ll be less likely to walk across the room to remove the fabric when you could simply reach for a book. Just make sure not to substitute your phone, laptop, or tablet for your TV, as any of those items could cause similar sleep disturbances.

We should note that feng shui isn’t a religion.

Its practitioners approach its fundamental beliefs in different ways. Some see it as a simple way to organize more efficiently, while some designers take the whole “chi” thing to heart. Some feng shui adherents will undoubtedly disagree with some of the suggestions in this list, and some will adamantly insist that we’re incorrect in approaching this ancient philosophy with science.
Our goal isn’t to paint the philosophy as ridiculous, but only to show that when the mystical advice works, there’s generally a practical, scientific reason. When the advice doesn’t work, it’s not because of an imbalance of chi; it’s because your interior designer didn’t quite connect the dots.

Tags 50038336, balance, hemingway, social

Motherhood

Try As You Might: Childproofing Mistakes Parents Can't Help But Make

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date February 9, 2018

Childproofing your home? Unfortunately, you’re probably making a few mistakes.

That’s not to say those mistakes result from poor efforts. If you’re like many parents, the childproofing process started right when your child started crawling. You secured your cabinets, covered sharp corners, picked up covers for all of your outlets, and took other essential steps to childproof your house. You thought carefully about every potential danger, purchased the most expensive products you could find, and made to pay close attention during every playtime.
Yet accidental injuries are the still the leading cause of fatality among children, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Many of these accidents occur in the home, and many are preventable.
[pullquote align=”center”]”Our adult world is designed around convenience, and there’s never been a convenient baby.”
—Peter Kerin[/pullquote]
Childproofing is an expensive, time-consuming process, but even when you’re careful, it’s easy to make costly mistakes. But by changing your approach, you can effectively ensure your child’s safety (while eliminating a major source of stress).
We spoke with Peter Kerin, a Minnesota childproofing expert and owner of Foresight Childproofing, to learn about some of the common missteps that parents make when taking on their first childproofing projects. For instance…

1. Using pressure-mounted gates without reading the directions.

The first step that most parents take when childproofing their homes: installing gates. It’s a good impulse, but Kerin says that some of the most common gates simply aren’t up to the task.

“The biggest mistake that people make when trying to childproof is that they use a pressure-mounted gate at the top of stairs,” Kerin says. “First of all, any pressure-mounted gate has special restraining caps that you’re supposed to screw in.”
Many parents don’t install those extra screws, which creates an obvious safety hazard; a child leaning against the gate could dislodge it, causing a serious accident. And even when they’re properly installed, pressure-mounted gates are designed for convenience, which isn’t always a good thing.

“Some gates swing in both directions,” Kerin adds. “You never want a gate that opens towards the stairs.”
Hardware gates can be safer, and while they require a more involved installation, Kerin says that they’re well worth the extra effort. The Consumer Product Safety Commission agrees, noting that at the top of staircases, parents should only use gates that screw directly into the wall.

2. Getting childproofing “hacks” off of social media sites.

We know, we know; we love life hacks as much as the next online publication. We’ve even employed a few childproofing hacks in our own homes. But according to the experts, that’s not such a great idea.
“People are starting from a positive place,” Kerin says. “Parents go to Pinterest and they see these childproofing ‘hacks,’ so they want to try them out. Unfortunately, so many of them are not appropriate. They actually introduce dangers.”
[pullquote align=”center”]”Most of the traditional foam padding, children pull off, to be honest. The simple solution for childproofing a coffee table is to put it in the basement.”
—Peter Kerin[/pullquote]
Kerin says that, as a rule of thumb, anything you use to childproof your home should be made specifically for that purpose. While you might have trouble finding time to run to the store while raising your child, you should make the time—don’t just rely on things you find around the house.
“For instance, [parents might] take pipe insulation, which you can buy at Home Depot, and use that to cover hard corners,” Kerin says. “Well, the kids pull it off, and children are known for being oral; anything they have access to, they’re going to put in their mouths.”

“You need something that isn’t a choking hazard. Something that adheres well, and doesn’t give much of a gripping profile, so that kids can’t get a hold of it easy.”
Even when properly installed, childproofing corner guards aren’t a perfect solution. Kerin has another suggestion for keeping kids safe: Don’t expose them to those corners in the first place.
“Most of the traditional foam padding, children pull off, to be honest,” Kerin says. “The simple solution for childproofing a coffee table is to put it in the basement.”

3. Using hair ties to keep children from invading cabinets.

This is an understandable mistake; you’ve got dozens of hair ties sitting around, and they seem to get the job done. Wrap a few of those around your cabinet handles, and you’re good to go, right? Not quite.

“Some kids will figure those out pretty quickly,” Kerin says. “The best solution are magnetic cabinet locks. They’re a little more expensive, and they take a couple of days to get used to, but they provide so much more safety than any other option.”

Many magnetic locking systems install in seconds, and yes, they’re fairly stylish. With that said, your first priority is to find something that works, not to impress visitors with your chic decor.

“People put fashion in front of function,” Kerin says, “but these are common-sense precautions. Always prioritize safety over style or convenience.”

4. Installing the baby monitor right next to the crib.

“Parents need to take the monitor off of the side of the crib,” Kerin says. “Children can’t have access to that power cord. It’s an easy fix that doesn’t cost you any money.”
A study from Childproofingexperts.com showed that 60 percent of baby monitors are installed within three feet of the crib, potentially within grasping distance for a curious baby. More disturbingly, 80 percent of those baby monitors had visible warning labels, which implies that parents simply aren’t reading the instructions.

Why would parents make this mistake? They’re likely not thinking from an infant’s perspective.
“Every parent has been an adult longer than they’ve been a parent,” Kerin says. “Our adult world is designed around convenience, and there’s never been a convenient baby.”

5. Not thinking ahead.

Before tackling a childproofing project, make sure you’ve got the right perspective.
“Let’s take the wide-view on this: Parents just need to be aware of their child’s development,” Kerin says. “They need to be looking six months down the road, if not a year or two.”

In other words, if your child just started crawling, your home should be prepared for their first steps. While that might seem like overkill, kids develop quickly, and they don’t wait for parents to catch up.
“Fathers will often tell me, ‘Oh, she’s not doing that.’ Well, no, she’s 7 months old! But they develop like little superheroes. Before you know it, they’re tall enough to reach the counter. You want to be proactive, not reactive.”

“What might be adequate for a crawling 7-month-old might by wholly inadequate for a 12-month old. Anything you look at to provide safety, it’s important that it serves its purpose for the duration of your need. For most children, that’s [up to] 3 years and beyond.”
That might seem overwhelming to new parents, but the good news is that you’ll have peace of mind throughout your child’s development.
“The unexpected benefit is it makes parenting easier,” Kerin says. “You don’t have to be as stressed out. You don’t have to be that hovering parent chastising them for their innate curiosity. Just be willing to embrace a small amount of inconvenience for the child’s safety and the parent’s peace of mind.”

6. Relying on outdated childproofing information.

“At a pediatrician’s office, I saw a brochure warning parents to childproof their telephone cables,” Kerin says. “But really, who has telephone cables anymore? It’s not bad advice, but it shows that there’s a lot of irrelevant information out there.”

Make sure that you’re taking your advice from a qualified childproofing resource (or better yet, several resources).
We’re not excluding our own publication from this rule, by the way. While we researched this piece thoroughly, we still recommend visiting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for an accurate, up-to-date childproofing checklist.
Not sure whether you’re doing something correctly? When in doubt, you can always call a professional. Kerin says that he’s always happy to answer parents’ questions, and organizations like the International Association for Child Safety exist solely for that purpose.

7. Trying to perfectly childproof an entire home.

In writing this piece, we’re not trying to scare parents into hiring professionals—and neither is Kerin, for that matter. We also can’t detail every single childproofing mistake, simply because the process differs for every household.
[pullquote align=”center”]”When your child is born, that’s one of the best times in a parent’s life. I want parents to enjoy it.”
—Peter Kerin[/pullquote]
The important takeaway is that childproofing is a big job that requires plenty of planning. There is, however, one crucial point to keep in mind: You don’t have to childproof everything.
“Parents, try to identify neutral areas,” Kerin says. “You don’t have to paint the whole home with the same brush.”
You can allow children to explore those neutral areas on their own, and if you’ve done your job, you’ll have peace of mind.

“[Parents] will sometimes look at me and say, ‘I watch my child constantly,'” Kerin says. “My best response is, ‘No you don’t.’ And if you’re attempting that—as well-intended as that is, it’s misguided to think that that’s possible over the course of a child’s development. And it’d be stressful to try.”
The good news: When you’ve set up neutral areas properly, the hard work is done. It is, of course, quite a bit of work, but ultimately, you can relax.
“When your child is born, that’s one of the best times in a parent’s life,” Kerin says. “I want parents to enjoy it.”

Tags social

Nosh Nutrition x Advice

5 Things About Obesity That Everyone Still Gets Wrong

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date February 1, 2018

The conversation about obesity in America is filled with loaded questions and misconceptions. Even worse, discussions carry an element of cruelty that’s proven frustratingly hard to eradicate. We don’t just mean adolescents on social media and wanton fat shamers in the media; even doctors can harbor prejudices. Even weight-loss gurus can paint the issue with an overly broad brush.
No one knows this better than Cheryl Springer. The graphic designer, who struggled with her weight for years, says that, too frequently, doctors look at an obese patient and stop searching for other health problems—potentially leading them to miss life-threatening diagnoses.
“People, especially women, are dying because doctors can’t see past the fat,” Springer tells HealthyWay. “They fail to diagnose cancers and other diseases because they only want to talk about weight (in a way that shames patients and without any practical advice on how to actually lose the weight).”
The science backs Springer up. One study suggests that doctors’ bedside manner suffers when confronted with overweight and obese patients; they are literally more compassionate to their thinner visitors. Another uncovered evidence of anti-fat bias in the healthcare community. A significant portion of health professionals in that study harbored stereotypes about their obese patients, associating them with laziness, stupidity, or even worthlessness.

There are all kinds of myths surrounding health and weight, and they can be deadly. Our list is far from exhaustive, but here are five things that we continue to get wrong about obesity:

1. It’s all in the genes.

If someone is overweight, their genetic makeup is obviously to blame, right? While there is some evidence of genetics playing a role in how some bodies store fat, it’s not the end-all-be-all answer to the question of obesity. This is much more complex than “It’s just your genetics.”
HealthyWay
The rate of obesity in America has increased so dramatically over the years that it would be impossible for genes to be the only cause. While obesity rates vary depending on geographic location, community, gender, and race, America has been dealing with increasing obesity levels for decades. Childhood obesity rates have tripled since 1980, and adult obesity rates have increased by about 30 percent from 1990 to 2016.
The State of Obesity report is a yearly study administered by the medical nonprofit Trust for Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Lately, the report has begun to suggest that the rate of obesity is finally stabilizing rather than shooting upward year after year. However, with 38 percent of American adults currently considered obese, we still need to change our approach. The genetic component won’t fix the problem alone.

2. It’s all about willpower.

Another seriously damaging misconception is that overweight people simply can’t control themselves. If they could muster up more willpower, all their problems would be fixed, says this myth. It couldn’t be further from the truth.

One reason willpower isn’t the answer to losing weight is that there are many factors that contribute to success when it comes to self-control. You might think each person chooses to eat unhealthy foods or take those extra bites of dessert—that they can just stop eating like that and lose weight. But studies show that self-control is actually limited. When people are presented with tasks that require strict discipline, they are more likely to give in to urges later. In fact, our brains don’t function well when we’re under stress—or when we’re feeling lonely or hungry.

So while it’s a nice idea that we are always in control to make healthy choices, the truth is that our brains are often working against us and want us to seek out comfort food. Biological differences also play a part in this as well. Multiple individuals can subscribe to the exact same weight loss plan, and all have completely different outcomes—regardless of effort or willpower exerted.
More to the point, diet is far from the only root cause of obesity. You can have the will of an ascetic and still end up overweight or obese.

3. It’s all about dieting.

Dieting goes hand in hand with the myth of self-control: If someone can restrict their calorie intake, they’re bound to lose weight. That’s true in the short term. The bad news is that most people who lose weight by severely limiting their caloric intake will gain back the weight eventually.

And lose-weight-quick schemes like fasting, skipping meals, or using laxatives are associated with feeling more depressed and despondent throughout the weight-loss journey. That often ends in a weight loss staycation.
There are also physiological factors that can cause certain bodies to stop reacting to calorie-restrictive diets. Joseph Proietto is an endocrinologist who specializes in diabetes and obesity. For years, he has helped people lose weight at his facility in Australia, only to see almost everyone gain back every pound they worked so hard to shed. Proietto believed there was more to this weight gain than people not trying hard enough, or not following their diet plans.

In 2009, Proietto recruited 50 obese men and women to participate in a study. For eight weeks, the participants replaced “all three of their daily meals with a very-low-energy dietary formulation … and 2 cups of low-starch vegetables, according to the manufacturer’s guidelines, which provided 2.1 to 2.3 MJ (500 to 550 kcal) per day.” After 10 weeks, the 34 remaining dieters lost an average of 30 pounds. Despite being counseled by nutritionists and working toward maintaining their lower weight, each participant slowly started gaining back all the weight they lost.
After they lost weight, the participants found themselves feeling hungrier and more obsessed with food than they were before the study. Proietto discovered that, even a year later, the participants’ bodies were still in an altered state from the weight loss. Their bodies were literally acting like they were starving, showing an influx of the ghrelin, the “hunger hormone,” and low levels of the appetite suppressant hormones leptin and peptide YY.

The diet put each person’s body into a strained metabolic state that is completely different from those who hadn’t attempted dieting at all. Proietto’s study may have been small, it does shine some light on how little we actually know about treating obesity.

4. Losing weight is always healthy.

Tying into what Proietto found in his study, sometimes weight loss comes at a price. Hormones change and fluctuate as our bodies change. When we use unhealthy or extreme tactics, we subject ourselves to serious health risks.

Extremely low-calorie dieting is not only impossible to keep up long term, but it’s been shown to increase levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body. Chronic stress isn’t great for the body, which brings us to an important point: Mental health issues also come into play with weight loss. Not only can psychiatric disorders lead to weight gain, they can damage self-esteem, making it harder to get motivated to actually lose weight. You can’t understand the body without understanding the mind, it seems, and vice versa.
Donald Hensrud, MD, writing for the Mayo Clinic, recommends weight loss of one or two pounds per week for most otherwise-healthy people. Any more than that, he writes, and you could be veering into unhealthy territory.

5. Doctors always know best.

Over at the healthcare journalism site Stat, columnist Jennifer Adaeze Okwerekwu tells the story of a young woman who complained of the symptoms of a growing lung tumor for seven years. The doctors consistently attributed her increasingly debilitating cough to obesity-related disorders. Finally, after years of this treatment, a doctor ordered a CT scan of her torso, revealing the tumor. By that time, it was so advanced that they had to remove the entire lung.

In a chilling sentence, Okwerekwu writes, “Fat shaming … cost her a lung, and it could have cost her her life.”
This story would sound familiar to Springer. She knows too well the frustration and sorrow caused by doctors who focus on weight to the detriment of all else.
“Because of misconceptions about obesity, I have suffered deeply in my life,” she tells HealthyWay. “No matter what issue you see a doctor regarding, they assume it is weight related. This has caused deaths. And it caused me to lose my child. This has been the running theme throughout my life.”

Springer suffered from chronic low blood pressure, but during her pregnancy the opposite occurred, and all of a sudden she was dealing with high blood pressure. “It wasn’t taken seriously because obese people have high blood pressure. As it turned out, what I had was pre-eclampsia,” Springer says. “I was 38 weeks pregnant and my child passed away in utero specifically because I had pre-eclampsia that went undiagnosed because my blood pressure wasn’t that bad for my size.”
[pullquote align=”center”]“It was my own doctor’s willingness to listen to me … that opened the door to real conversations and finding a medical solution.”
—Cheryl Springer[/pullquote]
But the news isn’t all bad. Susan Besser, MD, practices at the Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland, and is board-certified in obesity medicine. She says that an open conversation with patients is crucial to good care.
Doctors should ask questions and listen to patients to create as honest of a medical history as possible. “We are all trained to do that, but frequently due to time or other constraints, it doesn’t happen,” says Besser.

It’s also incredibly important to talk about weight along with everything else. Whether it’s fair or not, patients might need to push the conversation to places their doctor isn’t leading. “The basic problem, as I see it, is that most patients (especially obese ones) do not know how to advocate for themselves,” says Springer. “They experience so much shame, they don’t even know where to start.”
“You as a patient are your own best advocate,” Besser tells HealthyWay. “You need to take an active part in your health care, communicate with your doctor. Many patients and doctors are afraid to talk about obesity because it has such negative feelings—treat it like the disease it is, not a moral weakness.”
That advice explains how Springer finally began to lose weight. Her success was possible because her doctor listened to her.

“It was my own doctor’s willingness to listen to me that I was not eating whole pizzas and washing them down with 2-liters of soda that opened the door to real conversations and finding a medical solution,” Springer says. “It turned out I had a medical problem whose only known solution was gastric bypass (as my issue is insulin related and only a bypass can fix it). In 15 months, I am down 190 pounds.”
If you feel like your doctor isn’t taking your health seriously, it’s time to find someone new.
“Many of us medical professionals were not trained to deal with obesity. It just wasn’t really discussed in school in the past,” says Besser. “So, if you feel you aren’t making progress with your doctor, look for another [primary care physician], preferably someone who is comfortable treating obesity.”
Hopefully, someday soon, that will describe every physician.
“Lives are depending on it,” says Springer.

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Nosh Nutrition x Advice

"Dead Meat Bacteria" And Why Certain Processed Foods Might Fuel Inflammation

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date January 30, 2018

When your work is featured in a major documentary, you’d figure you’d at least get a phone call.

Dr. Clett Erridge was somewhat surprised to learn that his research was featured in What The Health, Netflix’s ultra-popular documentary on the dangers of eating meat. We know Erridge was surprised because, well, we were the ones who told him—nobody from the film had ever reached out.
In 2011, Erridge, an honorary research fellow in cardiovascular diseases at the University of Leicester, authored a scientific paper called “The capacity of foodstuffs to induce innate immune activation of human monocytes in vitro is dependent on food content of stimulants of Toll-like receptors 2 and 4.” Not the snappiest title, but he wasn’t writing for Esquire, either.

Published in the British Journal of Nutrition, the paper made the case that certain microbes present in certain foods—primarily meats and processed foods—could stimulate the human immune system, causing inflammation that could eventually increase a person’s chances of atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries) and other diseases. It was impressive research, but it didn’t exactly capture the public’s attention.
It did, however, grab the eye of Michael Greger, MD, an adamantly vegan doctor who runs the website NutritionFacts.org. Greger posted a video drawing, in part, on Erridge’s research. The video was titled “Dead Meat Bacteria Endotoxemia.” Greger contacted Erridge to tell him about the video, but only after he’d produced it and posted it online. Erridge wasn’t too concerned; he was happy that someone was talking about the research.

Greger’s website is apparently where those at What The Health found out about Erridge’s work. They posted Greger’s video, and Erridge’s article, on their website’s fact-check page, giving a much more dramatic introduction:
Within minutes of eating dead meat bacteria toxins, the body gets a burst of inflammation, stiffening or paralyzing the arteries.
(For this story, we also reached out to A.U.M. Films & Media, the distributor for What The Health, to put us in touch with the filmmakers. While A.U.M. initially agreed to provide a statement, they changed their minds once we’d forwarded a few questions, noting that it “seems quite difficult for us to be able to participate in [the] piece at this time.”)

But while What The Health made some exaggerated claims, the documentary might also have glossed over some extraordinarily important research. Erridge’s study is complex, but if replicated, it could help scientists limit cases of diabetes, atherosclerosis, and even obesity—without changing the way we eat.

The documentary’s “dead meat bacteria” descriptor isn’t quite accurate.

While “dead meat bacteria” might be an excellent band name, it’s not much of a scientific descriptor. The toxins in question aren’t just on meat—and their “paralyzing” effect on arteries is significantly overstated, too.
“There are some elements of truth in [What The Health’s claim] from a scientific perspective,” Erridge notes. “They’re right that bacteria produce these molecules, which our bodies see as foreign, and that when they’re ingested in a particular way, we can absorb them and trigger inflammation. But it’s very, very mild inflammation, and it doesn’t immediately paralyze your arteries.”
In other words, at normal levels, those toxins won’t end a person’s life immediately (though Erridge did note that they might have that effect “if you injected somebody with huge quantities,” which he wouldn’t recommend).

Exaggerated claims by filmmakers aside, Erridge’s research is still new and somewhat controversial among scientists. The prevailing opinion in the field has been that saturated fats or low-density lipoprotein cholesterols are what cause that “paralyzing” inflammation. For a time, Erridge believed those hypotheses, but his research led him to what What The Health would term “dead meat bacteria”—he calls them bugs.
They aren’t literal bugs, but rather several strains of bacteria present on the surface of many foods. Those bacteria create pathogen-associated molecular patterns, or PAMPs, which may be the culprit behind the dangerous inflammation.

That discovery basically occurred by accident.

Erridge was considering whether the microbes already in our guts create the inflammation when he received what he thought was an incredibly stupid question.
“As I was doing that work and developing new tools to look at the gut microbiota, a reviewer of one of my papers asked me, ‘How do you know these microbes weren’t coming from the food?’ And I thought at the time, ‘that was one of the stupidest questions ever.’”

“But I thought, ‘I have to address this at some point, so I’ll just do a couple of experiments to show that it’s complete rubbish, and then I can move on.'”
As he quickly learned, there are no stupid questions in science.
“I did these experiments, which I thought were going to be complete duds. And it turns out that a lot of processed foods are full of just massive quantities of these molecules, which I did not expect at all.”

Erridge thinks that those molecules might trigger an immune response in humans, and after he performed a few experiments, he published the unsnappilly-titled 2011 paper, which he now describes as “speculative.”

Here’s why this research has the potential to change the world.

We’re simplifying here, but Erridge essentially made the case that certain microbes on the surface of our foods release the PAMPs. The PAMPS then cause inflammation—our bodies see the molecules, which look like germs, and respond accordingly. In heavily processed foods, those microbes often grow into larger colonies, and in turn, PAMP levels rise.
[pullquote align=”center”]We designed a diet that was very low in these PAMPs … [and] to our surprise, a whole bunch of markers went down …[/pullquote]
With finely cut foods, PAMP levels rise rapidly by the day, even when the foods are refrigerated. Ground beef and sausage seem to be particularly susceptible to this effect, and common cooking methods don’t rid the meats of the PAMP molecules.

However, the effect isn’t restricted to meat. The “bugs” seem to love chopped onions, in particular, so foods like jarred pasta sauces might create more of a dietary threat. Sadly, chocolate is another high-PAMP food, since chocolate processing requires fermenting the cocoa beans for several weeks.
Fresh foods seem to have very low PAMP levels, but finely chopped foods have much higher levels of the molecules. Unprocessed meats—steaks, for instance—don’t seem to pose as much of a problem, since the bacteria doesn’t permeate the meat (though Erridge notes that steaks can be unhealthy for other reasons). Also, no two meats will have the exact same bacterial species, so as Erridge says, “it’s possible to find a perfectly good sausage.”

Erridge’s work didn’t stop in 2011. He later designed a new experiment to test the hypothesis in vivo (in actual living organisms), comparing the health markers of 11 human volunteers before and after they participated in a special diet.
“We designed a diet that was very low in these PAMPs, and we tested the food to make sure that it was low in PAMPs,” Erridge says. “And to our surprise, a whole bunch of markers went down [for] cardiovascular risk and risk of insulin resistance. We saw the leukocyte count go down, not so far that it would cause infection or anything, but certainly bring some [people down to] the low-risk category for a bunch of diseases.”

That’s not all: The low-PAMP diet seemed to help people lose weight.

Erridge’s team wasn’t expecting that. They hadn’t set out to create a weight loss diet.
“This was surprising, because we’d been asking the people to eat just as much food as they wanted to the whole way through [the study], and they weren’t complaining of being hungry,” Erridge says. “They’re eating just as much as they wanted, but they still lost weight.”

If Erridge’s research is correct, it could explain why diets like the Mediterranean diet seem so heart-healthy: They forbid processed foods, so they’re naturally lower in PAMPs.
But Erridge also noted that dietary studies are notoriously difficult, since researchers have trouble accounting for all the factors that inevitably affect the results. He was careful to note that, while he’s confident in his research, he welcomes criticism of his methods.
If he’s right, his work could change the way we eat. By ridding foods of PAMPs, we might be able to eliminate the moderate inflammation we get from eating certain foods. That could lower rates of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity worldwide, and it wouldn’t require any large-scale dietary changes.

We’ve got a ways to go before that’s a reality, but it’s exciting work.

Erridge’s research needs to be replicated, and he’s currently working on additional research that might provide more insight. Nothing is concrete yet, so stating the “dead meat bacteria toxins” cause a “burst” of “paralyzing” inflammation is pretty dramatic. Scientists prefer to use more measured terms when describing their work, since hypotheses are subject to continual reevaluation and change.

That’s really one of the key takeaways here: These studies might save millions of lives, but they also might fizzle out with the next round of research. While Erridge is a respected authority in his field, he doesn’t pretend to have all of the answers, and he seemed genuinely delighted at the idea that he might be proven wrong.
That’s really how innovations like these start: You’ve got to be willing to ask stupid questions, and you’ve got to be willing to change course when you don’t get the results you’re expecting.

Oh, and you might discover that chocolate is secretly evil. That revelation didn’t go over so well with Erridge’s team—or with the doctor himself.
“I do still eat chocolate,” Erridge admits. “[My diet] probably hasn’t changed as much as it should.”

Tags 50036106, fuel, hemingway, social

Wellbeing

Florists Reveal Bride Behaviors That Drive Them Crazy

Post author By HealthyWay Staff Writer
Post date January 15, 2018

More than 2 million couples get married in the United States every year, and presumably, most of them have weddings. Most of those weddings have flowers, and most of those flowers are prepared, arranged, delivered, and set up by florists.
In 2017, on average, those florists worked 54 weddings apiece, with about 23.7 hours of work per event. The average wedding requires 632 “stems” (that’s florist talk for individual flowers). Over and above the near-full-day florists spend arranging flowers for each wedding, they also provide countless hours of consultation, email correspondence, and debate over the relative merits of fuchsia versus magenta.
Florists are human beings who can only take so much before they want to set fire to their own flower coolers. And couples who are essentially tasked with planning a massive, raging party that won’t offend the grandparents aren’t known for their calm, stress-free approach to personal interaction.

I’d rather go out of business than go back to weddings every weekend.

Florists get it: It’s your special day. But your special day is another hard shift for the person behind your floral dreams. It’s nice to remember that and to avoid behavior that drives florists crazy. We’re talking about stuff like:

1. Having Eyes Too Big for Your Budget

We’ll call this florist “Violet.” She runs a small, Midwestern flower shop that caters largely to the young and the hip, i.e., the prime marriage demographic. But not so long ago, she stopped offering wedding services, even though the events made up a fair chunk of her shop’s income.

“I’d rather go out of business than go back to weddings every weekend,” she tells HealthyWay. This is a source who’s ready to talk straight. With no incentive to sugarcoat, she’s the ideal florist to warn those who are about to get married what not to do.
When we ask Violet about annoying bride behavior, one word comes up again and again: Pinterest. Apparently the site’s floral content can create outsized expectations.

“They find some pictures on Pinterest and then contact you about their wedding,” Violet says. “They’ll be like, ‘Well, I have a really low budget, but it’s cool because I just want something really simple, like this.’ And they’ll show you a bouquet that they maybe think is really simple because it just has one ingredient, but it’s about 30 stems of Phalaenopsis orchid, which are quite expensive per stem.”
The misunderstanding isn’t the problem, Violet says. She’s happy to explain the blunt facts of cut flower pricing to a confused bride. The trouble starts when Violet gently breaks the news that this Pinterest bouquet would cost a cool grand, and the bride stares back, unperturbed.

“But they’re like, ‘Okay, so my budget is $75, and this is what I want. What can you do for me?'”
Keep in mind that florists are very aware they’ll be interacting with their clients for the next 12 to 18 months or however far out they book their weddings. This is not the right foot to start out on. Still, Violet doesn’t blame the bride, not really.
“That happens a lot,” she says. “But that’s the internet’s fault.”

2. Expecting “Local” Without Limits

“Lily” works for another Midwestern flower shop, where she handles most of the wedding business. Her shop focuses on local flowers and greens, with dramatic, unconventional arrangements.

As a result, Lily’s shop has become quite popular with couples who worry about the (considerable) environmental problems associated with importing cut flowers from Central and South America. The concern is commendable. Unfortunately, some brides seem to like the idea of shopping local more than the reality of what’s locally available.
“They’ll book a wedding on New Year’s Eve and say they want all local,” Lily says. “I mean, unless you live in Hawaii, that’s not very cool to do.”
Local flowers grow according to the local ecosystem. Sadly, brides must choose between what’s available locally during the season and having the bouquet they’ve always dreamed of.

Of course, there is a middle ground if neither extreme works for you. You can always ask for sustainably-grown flowers from California. The California Cut Flower Commission awards BloomCheck Certification only to growers that use the “best practices for sustainability when it comes to water; air and soil quality; wildlife protection; and social impacts on workers and the community,” and the state offers a wide range of cut flower species year-round.

3. Inviting Too Many Cooks to the Consultation

Wedding consultations can be short and sweet. Often, more gets done that way. Most are neither short nor sweet, to hear Violet tell it. She never charged for consultations (many florists don’t), and as the hours ticked past, she could hear almost the steady plink of coins dropping from her cash register into the bottomless pit of lost productivity.

“The second-worst [person to bring to a wedding consultation] would be a sister or a bridesmaid who just got married,” Violet says. “Because then that person will be like, ‘Well, at my wedding…’ It’s really fresh in her mind because she just did all that, so she wants to be a lot like, ‘When I was planning my wedding, then…,’ you know? That person can be bossy.”
Okay, so we have to ask: If that’s the “second-worst” attendee of a wedding consultation, who is the worst? Violet doesn’t bat an eyelash.

“The worst thing is a mom, and then the worst type of mom is the one that’s like, ‘Well, I worked at a florist shop when I was in high school, so I have a lot of ideas and specifications about what should happen here.'”
Apparently, this character appears frequently enough to be a thing in the floral industry.
Now, we wouldn’t advocate leaving your mother out of the consultation if you want her there. But there are a few things you can do to make the whole experience more pleasant.

First of all, have clear ideas about what you want. Arrive with your budget in mind. And, if you prefer a longer, more intensive discussion (or if your mother takes the whole afternoon off in preparation), consider visiting a florist that charges for consultations. At least that way, there’ll be pressure on both sides to keep things rolling along efficiently.

4. Having Too Particular a Palette

Florists are experts in color. They can talk your ear off about the difference between “eggshell” and “cream.” But what they can’t do is affect the subtle shade of a particular bloom, at least, not without spray paint, and who wants a spray-painted flower?

The color scheme is a huge decision for a wedding ceremony, and many couples get really into picking theirs out. That’s terrific. Just remember that flowers are plants, and while growers breed them in many finely-tuned hues, there’s bound to be a little variation from stem to stem. A bit of flexibility will go a long way in creating the picture-perfect ceremony.
The most annoying bridal behavior “comes in the form of a Biblical nitpickery … like, 18 emails a day for a year,” says Violet. “Like, ‘Look, I know before I said royal, but now it might be more of a cobalt, but cobalt tending more towards royal than to navy. Maybe it’s a light navy.”

That’s too particular, Violet says.
“It doesn’t get to that level of specificity,” she explains.

5. Being Too Stressed to Survive

This advice goes way beyond the flowers: Relax. No wedding ceremony is perfect. The caterers will forget the mac and cheese. Your in-laws will be unhappy with the music. The kids will drain unattended glasses. This stuff happens, and you still end up married the next day.
Wedding florists have seen it all, and since they’re on the scene on the big day, they often end up acting as unofficial fixers for the couple of the hour. They might provide the crucial safety pin to correct a last-minute dress malfunction. They might talk down a stressed out groomsman while pinning on the boutonniere. But performing in this role also subjects them to some less-than-chill behavior on the part of their clients.

“You can have a bride that is really easygoing up to the day of the wedding, and on wedding day, she’s a type A nightmare,” says Lily. “Wedding days are stressful, so that makes more sense.”
The stranger iteration of a stressed-out bride is the opposite, Lily says.
“What’s weirder, and this happens just as often, is that someone who bothers you for months before the event, and then on wedding day, they’re super relaxed about whatever happens,” she says. “That’s a little more heartening to me: They made it here, and they’re happy about it. They’re enjoying this.”

6. Ignoring This Alarming Professional Advice

You know what else gets you married, besides a lavish, 500-guest, Kim and Kanye-style ceremony? A quick trip to the courthouse. Violet won’t blame you if you decide to take the easy route. Her general take on the wedding ceremony is that it’s more trouble than it’s worth.

“For most people, it does seem like a really stressful and off-putting occasion,” she says. “And I feel bad for them.”
Her advice?
“Just don’t do it,” she says. “I mean, that’s the only way to avoid the overthinking and the terror and the anxiety.”

Tags 50038171, balance, hemingway