Tag: balance

You take care of your kids, run your household, and try to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Add in hobbies and a hectic day job, and you’re pretty strapped for time. On top of that, you don’t get sick days or time off, and you never lose your cool.

Congratulations, you’re a supermom. Feels great, doesn’t it?

The good news is that every superhero gets to use a secret weapon or two. These products will help you manage the chaos of your everyday life (well, to some extent).

1. Rifle Paper Co. Lively Floral Weekly Desk Pad You’re nothing if not organized, and you know the power of a good list. Few things are more satisfying than looking down at your schedule and seeing tangible proof of your productivity.

This desk pad lets you map out weekly activities for a full year, and it provides plenty of whitespace for organizing the schedules of your entire family. Use it in place of a typical mouse pad, and you’ll always have your schedule nearby. The tranquil floral design is the perfect touch. It’s available here.

2. momAgenda Need a more powerful planner? momAgenda is designed to help you coordinate schedules for up to four kids. There’s a separate schedule for Mom, too, and with chic cover options and a slim profile, this planner is an indispensable organizational tool. Check out the momAgenda here.

Key Review: “With 3 kids and very busy schedules, my day is a hectic one. Every morning when I wake up I check my agenda to see what is going on that day. What I have to do, what the kids’ activities are, what I’m making for dinner, etc. It helps me be more efficient with my time. It goes in my purse everywhere I go! I would be lost without it.” – Julia Rhinehart of Alpharetta, Georgia.

3. Rifle Paper Co. Rosa Weekly Meal Planner Keep control of grocery bills and plan out your meals like a boss (or, more accurately, like a supermom—even if that doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as easily).

One side of the planner lets you list your meals, while the other lets you build a shopping list. The shopping list pages are perforated, so you can tear them out and head to the store without bringing your full planner with you. All you’ll need are your car keys, if only you could find them. Available here.

4. Tile Combo Pack Nothing’s worse than hurrying out the door to a recital or sports practice only to realize that your keys (or purse, or wallet, or some other critical item) aren’t where they’re supposed to be. Hey, you’ve got a lot going on—we get it.

The Tile Combo Pack includes four ingenious Bluetooth trackers that fit onto keyrings, in wallets, and just about anywhere else. When you’ve lost something, open the Tile app to “ring” the missing item or display a map with its last known location.

Tile isn’t the only item tracker on the market, but it’s the only one we found that doesn’t require regular battery replacements or charging. Instead, they use a “custom power source” that lasts for a year, at which point you can trade them in to get a discounted price on a replacement. Check them out here.

Key Review: “I now have Tiles on my purse, keys, car, and luggage. I love that I can find things easily that often took me forever to find. Haven’t yet tested finding my car, but if it works, it will save me lots of time wandering around parking lots!” – Patricia

5. Monkey Mat Quilted Portable Floor Mat This mat easily folds up into a compact pouch. It’s a clean, portable surface that fits into your purse. What’s not to love?

Ideal for use indoors or outdoors, the Monkey Mat cleans easily, and it’s remarkably light. You’ll quickly wonder how you ever got along without it. Check it out here.

Key Review: “Love my Monkey Mat as a portable floor to take camping, to the beach or to the park! So ea
sy to fold up and carry anywhere!” – Fireblossom

6. Mom’s Besty Luxury Car Backseat Organizer with Tablet Holder Who needs a messy, unorganized car? Certainly not you.

This simple organizer holds toys, snacks, books, and more. It attaches easily to the back of the driver- or passenger-side seat, and extra straps help to keep it securely in place. There’s even a touch-screen viewer, so kids can watch movies on a tablet without taking it out of its pocket. Check it out here.

Key Review: “I now keep it stocked up! Bought this for a trip and it has proven to be awesome. Tons of pockets for my kids to organize their stuff. We are in the car a lot just going to and from. We currently have a pocket for toys, a pocket for snacks, a pocket for a water bottle, a pocket for their charger, a pocket for their tablet, and a pocket for tissues!” – Tiffany R.

7. Knock Knock Pads, $13.98/set – If you want a list for pretty much everything, these quirky pads should do the trick. Try the “Let’s Eat!” set, which contains a weekly meal planner and a grocery list, or the “List Lover’s” set, which includes a to-do list and a weekly planner.

Let’s Eat! Notepad Set

List Lover’s Notepad Set

There’s no shortage of clever options, so if you’re really into organization, you’ll definitely want to stop by KnockKnockStuff.com.

8. The Mommy Hook This might be the best invention since sliced bread. Actually, come to think of it, sliced bread wasn’t that great.

The Mommy Hook lets you easily hang on to grocery bags, diaper bags, and anything else with a loop. Attach it to your stroller, and you’ve basically turned it into a makeshift shopping cart. Check it out here.

Key Review: “Anyone who has ever tried to do grocery shopping with a stroller knows this item is necessary. I use it to hang my grocery basket on while I shop, then use it to carry the grocery bags home.” – April

9. Play & Go Mat Quickly clean up after playdates with this two-in-one mat. It provides a clean playing surface, and when you’re ready to go, it quickly converts into a drawstring bag for toys. It’s ideal for picnics or a day at the beach (and yes, it’s machine washable). Check it out here.

As smartphone technology has improved, my use has steadily increased. What I once used to check in with my parents while I was out with friends is now a personal computer, in a way. I work from my phone, I take pictures of my kids, and I keep up with my friends. To be perfectly honest, I wish I used my phone less. I know it distracts me from more important parts of my life.

It’s more than a distraction, though. I have always suspected my phone was negatively affecting me in some ways. I notice I feel a bit jittery before bed if I have been using my phone too much late in the evening. At times it makes it difficult for me to fall asleep.
There was a time when I assumed I was simply hypersensitive to technology, but lately I have learned that most people experience negative side effects from overuse of their smartphones. In some cases, they don’t realize that their symptoms are connected to the device in their hands. Don’t believe me when I say it would do you good to cut back on your smartphone use?
Keep reading to find out how our society’s state of hyperconnectedness can negatively influence both our bodies and our minds.

1. Smartphones are killing thousands each year.

In 2015 alone, 3,477 deaths were attributed to texting and driving, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That means every day, nearly 10 people die because someone was too distracted by their phone to give driving their full attention.

We’ve all been guilty of letting our devices keep us from making safe driving our top priority, but distracted driving is deadly driving. We can’t neglect our duty to put down the phone and drive safely.
If you are struggling to stay off of your phone while driving, it is best to remove the temptation altogether. Throw your phone in your purse or bag and put your bag in your back seat. Put on some music or a podcast if you’re bored with driving. It’s worth the lives you could save by staying away from your phone’s screen.

2. Your smartphone is giving you CVS.

When you spend several hours a day looking at a screen—and most of us do—it can negatively influence the health of your eyes. The American Optometric Association warns against extended use of tech, especially without breaks, because it could cause a wide range of symptoms from eyestrain and headaches to dry eyes and blurred vision.
Environmental factors such as bad lighting and glare on screens can worsen the eyestrain caused by routine screen use. Additionally, if you already have poor vision, you may be more susceptible to experiencing computer vision syndrome or CVS.

To lessen the effect screens have on your eyes, don’t use screens as much. When you can’t cut back, make sure you are taking at least a 20-second break every 20 minutes to look at something far away.

3. Your smartphone can’t fix this common symptom.

If you suspect that your smartphone use is negatively affecting your mood, it definitely isn’t all in your head. Excessive smartphone use is directly tied with poor moods, according to the journal Personality and Individual Differences. People who check their phone constantly are likely trying to “fix” their depressive symptoms, but the habit they’re relying on doesn’t work.

In fact, frequent use of social media has been found to play a role in depression, since users are apt to compare their own lives to the highlights being posted by others online, according to the Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology. For many, their smartphone is their connection to social media.
If you are experiencing feelings like jealousy, decreased self-esteem, or good old-fashioned FOMO, it might be time to take a step back and re-evaluate your smartphone use.

4. Your smartphone is sabotaging your diet.

If you’ve been trying to lose some weight but haven’t had a lot of luck reaching your goals, consider how your phone might be sabotaging your diet. In the simplest terms, the key to losing weight is consuming fewer calories than you are burning each day. This requires mindfulness of what goes into our bodies.

When you bring your phone to the table, it distracts you from the task at hand—eating. For many, focusing on the wrong thing at mealtime might mean they don’t realize when they have had enough. They end up overeating. Overeating regularly will cause weight gain in most people, so put your phone away and pay attention to what you’re putting in your body.

5. Your smartphone can’t be your friend.

Smartphones are tricky little devils; they can lead heavy users to believe they are connected with their friends, when in reality they actually make people lonelier. Some people are prone to shyness or struggle with certain social interactions, and the key to feeling more socially competent is practice.

Unfortunately, smartphones have provided an escape for those who feel discomfort in social settings, according to the journal Social Science Computer Review.
Before you write this off as something only the socially awkward experience, you should know that using smartphones to avoid social situations has becoming increasingly common.

In fact, 89 percent of adults reported using their phone while at a social function, and 82 percent said they knew their habit of looking at their phone was keeping them from having meaningful conversations with others.

6. Your smartphone is turning you into an insomniac.

Sleep is essential to good health, and not getting enough of it has been linked to all kinds of long-term health conditions, including cancer, diabetes, and obesity. With as much as 35 percent of the adult population reporting experiences of short-term insomnia, it is easy to believe the research that suggests screens have something do with our sleep troubles.

The body’s circadian rhythms are influenced in part by the hormone melatonin. How much melatonin the body makes and when it makes it is strongly influenced by the light we expose ourselves to late into the evening.
Blue light—the artificial light emitted by screened devices—has been found to be disruptive to sleep, according to the Harvard Health Letter. If you want to manage the effect that blue light has on your health, start cutting back on your phone use before bed.

Experts recommend powering down as early as three hours before you plan to switch off the lights, which means it is probably time to head to the library and pick up a few good books.

7. Your smartphone is a pain in the neck.

It is no coincidence that more doctors are reporting treating young patients complaining of neck and upper back pain than they have in the past. These symptoms have been coined “text neck,” and it is exactly what it sounds like.

When we lean over devices to send a text or check social media, the specific angle of our neck makes our head feel way heavier than it actually is. In fact, at texting angle, our 10- to 12-pound head actually puts 60 pounds of pressure on the neck, according to Health Essentials, a publication of the Cleveland Clinic.
This is causing a lot of pain for regular smartphone users. The primary symptom of text neck is strain and pain in the neck. Additionally, hunching over your phone can compress your lungs, limiting your breathing capacity and forcing your body to work harder to pump blood to your organs.

8. Your smartphone is giving you cell phone elbow.

The invention of the smartphone brought with it the advent of some brand-new health conditions that have been given pretty catchy names. Of course, the symptoms of cell phone elbow, texting claw, or Tinder thumb are anything but cute for those experiencing them.

Repetitive motions can be hard on the body, especially if improper form and awkward movements are involved. More people are experiencing pain unique to how and how often they use their smartphones.
Heavy users who spend a lot of time texting or swiping are more likely to experience the symptoms of tendinitis, a condition characterized by joint pain and inflammation in the wrists and fingers.

Want to avoid these uncomfortable symptoms? Text less, turn off Tinder, or just put down your phone for a while.

9. Your cell phone is playing tricks on your brain.

Have you ever felt your cell phone vibrate only to pick it up and see that no one has called or texted you? There is a name for this sensation, and you’re not the only one imagining things.

Ringxiety is the name the internet has assigned to this incredibly strange phenomenon. The belief is that our extreme attachment to smartphones has created a sense of hypervigilance in regular users. According to The New York Times, the brain is making connections when you hear a sound that resembles your phone even a little bit.
Whether it is something similar in terms of vibration or a note in a song that sounds like a chime on your phone, you’ve got your phone on your mind, so your brain fills in the rest.
One suggestion for dealing with ringxiety is challenging yourself to check your phone less often. Try setting a timer on your phone, and force yourself to stay off it completely until the alarms sounds. Then slowly increase your phone-free time over several days. Adopting this habit is one way to fight back against the hypervigilant connection to smartphones that so many of us experience.

Of course there is nothing wrong with using and liking technology. Smartphones allow us to remain connected to the people we care about, no matter where they are located—a few blocks over or halfway around the globe.
The internet is an exceptional source of information, and for many (me included) it is a source of livelihood for our families that is easily accessible from our phones. Like anything else in life, finding balance is the key to responsible use of technology.

You don’t need to throw out your phone to decrease your risk of health complications. You simply need to cut back, take extended breaks during the day, and find other ways to fill your time. You’ll be glad you did. We promise.

You may feel like you just figured out how to successfully breastfeed, and suddenly it’s time to introduce your baby to solid foods already. Deciding what to feed your little ones can be tough for new parents.

While your baby’s first meal probably shouldn’t be a ribeye steak and potatoes, you might be surprised by what real nutritionists feed their babies and toddlers.

Introducing Solids for the First Time

When your baby shows more interest in what’s on your plate than in their bottle (or your breast)—usually when they’re between 4 to 6 months old—they’re probably ready to start solids. Dietitian Katherine Baqleh recommends that parents “start with a few mouthfuls one to two times a day after breastfeeds then increase it.”

Baqleh continues, food “textures should move from puréed to lumpy to normal by 12 months.”
It’s good to start with bland foods, like fortified cereal mixed with breast milk or formula to get your baby acclimated to solids, but you can move on to real solids pretty quickly.

After that, you can start introducing a wider variety of foods, which should contain lean protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates for a well-rounded meal.

Foods for Babies Over 6 Months

When introducing your baby to real foods, there are a few guidelines to follow. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology recommends introducing “highly allergenic foods to your baby after other solid foods have been fed and tolerated, and with the first taste being at home. If no reaction occurs, then you can gradually increase the amount at a rate of one new food every 3 to 5 days.”

Always make sure foods are small, soft, and cut into tiny pieces to prevent choking. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests bananas or scrambled eggs.
Other good foods to start baby out on include:
Salmon and Peas
Nutritionist Sara Doll says “broiled salmon and peas are great for babies just starting to feed themselves.” Both salmon and peas are soft and easy to swallow.

Salmon is a great source of lean protein and healthy fat, and peas are a great source of fiber and iron, which breastfed babies may start to get low on at around 6 months.
Lentils
Natalia Stasenka, a registered dietitian, says “beans and lentils are a stellar source of protein, iron, folate, zinc and manganese for the whole family, including baby.”

Just make sure to soak the beans overnight until they are very soft, and either puree or mash before feeding to baby.
All the Squash
Babies, just like their parents, have a natural affinity for sweet stuff. Jessica Shapiro, a wellness dietitian, started her baby on butternut and acorn squash.

She explains, “I continued along the vegetable spectrum [see below] before introducing fruit, other grains and meat. My theory is that I wanted my baby to appreciate vegetables before fruit to deter rejection of vegetables. Was my theory correct? Who knows, but I do know that my baby still loves vegetables.”

Transitioning to Toddler Foods

There are some foods to avoid before a baby hits the 1-year mark. According to Shapiro, these foods are:
–Milk (other dairy products are okay)
–Honey (which carries of a risk of botulism, a foodborne illness)
–Choking hazards: popcorn, chunks of raw fruits, raw vegetables, hot dogs, grapes, olives, meats. If it can fit through a toilet paper roll and doesn’t break down easily, it’s a risk.

After one year, you can start introducing your toddler to more foods and textures. Nutritionist Sarah Bester says, “There is no such thing [as a baby-friendly food]! If I’m eating it, she can eat it.”
Try some of these toddler-friendly foods:
Blueberries
Rachel Beller, a registered dietician, recommends giving toddlers blueberries.

Blueberries are a superfood packed with antioxidants and are a great way to satisfy and toddler’s sweet tooth without giving them a sugary dessert. They can be served for breakfast in smoothies or oatmeal or for lunch and dinner as a side or in a salad.
Tofu
Beller also recommends soy foods like tofu for toddlers.

“Whole soy foods are an excellent source of lean protein and have potent anti-cancer benefits. Tofu is great for young girls because it has a protective effect as their bodies and breast tissue are developing—which lasts into adulthood.”
Smoothies
Dietitian Cassie says, “Smoothies are another kid-friendly option that you can jam pack full of nutrition, and they can be portable too! Make one of these, dump it into your kid’s cup (instead of juice!) and take it to-go!

“I recommend blending some carbohydrate (half of fresh or frozen banana or berries and half cup of spinach!) and healthy fat (1-2 tablespoons peanut butter to complement that banana or half an avocado blends in very nicely) and half a scoop (equivalent to about 10 grams of protein) of natural whey protein powder.”

For Picky Eaters

Babies and toddlers are notoriously picky eaters, but there are some tips and tricks you can try to get your kids to eat a variety of foods.

If you’re just introducing your baby to new foods, and they continue to turn their heads or cry during mealtime, don’t force them to try solids, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics advises. Instead, go back to the bottle or breast for a few days and then give solids another go.
For picky toddlers, you can try hiding healthy veggies in other meals, like sneaking broccoli into pasta sauce or green veggies into a sweet smoothie. Check out this easy recipe for sneaky veggie mac n’ cheese!

Dietitians recommend these foods to tempt your picky eater:
Hummus and Other Dips
Sticking food into creamy dips is a fun way for both kids and adults to snack. Kids especially might warm to vegetables if they get to dip them in a flavorful (but still healthy!) spread.

“My girls struggle with eating vegetables, so we rely on dips like hummus, guacamole, and even ranch and ketchup to encourage them to eat more veggies,” says registered dietitian Holley Grainger. “With dips, they’ll eat carrots, cucumbers, butter lettuce, canned green beans, and broccoli.”
Apple “Sandwiches”
One way to get your threenager to eat snacks they might not otherwise touch is to serve it in creative ways.

Instead of boring apple slices, try making your toddler an apple sandwich with nut butter instead. Simply slice the apple into rings, spread on your favorite nut butter, and sprinkle with granola or raisins before placing another apple slice on top.
Pizza
Hold on…pizza? Yes, if your kid loves pizza (and what kid doesn’t?), serve up a healthier version for picky eaters to ensure they get their nutrients in. Use a whole-grain English muffin for the crust and top with turkey pepperoni and pasta sauce. Gisela Bouvier suggests a homemade sauce packed with pureed veggies.

When her daughter refused veggies at mealtimes, Bouvier said, “As her mother and dietitian, this was very concerning to me. Although I continue to introduce vegetables to her, hoping that she will eat them again, I find ways to hide them as well to ensure she gets the nutrients she needs. Smoothies and pasta sauces have been the greatest hits.”

There is a fairly common technique used by marketing professionals to increase their potential for profit. They look at a product and ask themselves how they can shift their target audience and how they can market their product to encourage more sales.

Perhaps one of the most obvious cases of this approach is Lego bricks. Over the last several years Lego sets made specifically for a female audience have increased. Now entire aisles exist to house sets of these purple, pink, and yellow buildable toys.

Less obvious, perhaps, is the practice of taking products made for children and marketing them to adults. Shifting the target age demographic for a product gives manufacturers big opportunities to make more money off consumers, and it gives consumers the chance to relive their childhood all over again.

Sound like something you’d be into? Check out these 11 products made for kids that are now being marketed at adults.

1. Get your happily ever after.

Move over, preschoolers decked out in Minnie Mouse ears, it’s time to share the happiest place on earth with the adults living out their Walt Disney World honeymoon dreams.

Of course, romance may not be the first thing that pops in your mind when you think of posing next to a Disney Princess, but for some newlyweds, there is nothing they would rather do than spend a few days in this magical destination.

Disney has capitalized on this desire too.

Honeymooners can make reservations at on-site fine dining options, book spa services, and then crash in the luxurious bed at one of the upscale hotels.

2. For Adults Who Can’t Sit Still

Originally created for kids struggling to sit still during school, fidget spinners have become a craze in a very short time. Although stores have repeatedly sold out of these spinning distractions, apparently getting a spinner in the hands of every child in America wasn’t enough.

Now fidget spinners are being sold to adults in distinguished-looking hardwood or rose gold. If you decide to indulge in this toy, it might be best to hide it from the littlest members of your household if you don’t want it to go missing right away.

3. Break out your crayons.

If fidgeting with a spinning toy doesn’t calm your nerves, maybe this next kids’ product being marketed to adults will do the trick.

Adult coloring books have caught on like wildfire over the past few years, and you can find them in the checkout line of most stores. With themes like underwater life, mandala designs, and sugar skulls, coloring books are catching the eye of amateur artists of all ages.

The real attraction for many adults, however, is that these products are being marketed as a source of calm and a means of reducing anxiety. In a time when Americans are reporting being more stressed than ever before, it’s easy to understand the appeal of a little cheap art therapy.

4. Satisfy your sweet tooth.

Noshing on sweets certainly isn’t a new practice for adults, but more are setting aside their dark chocolate and nut-filled treats for something a little more juvenile.

Candy typically sold to children is being reimagined for adults in candy stores. By employing fancier packaging and incorporating flavors appreciated by a more sophisticated palate, candy stores have found creative ways to sell their products to an older crowd. Bubbly gummy bears? Sign us up!

5. Cruisin’ Down the Street in My Sweet Ride

For most toddlers, a tricycle seems like a rite of passage. Who doesn’t remember cruisin’ down the block on their Big Wheel?

Now 2-year-olds aren’t the only ones hitting the sidewalk on their three-wheeled bike. As strange as it may seem, tricycles are now being marketed at kids of all ages. Priced anywhere from $60 to just under a grand, these bikes are made with alloy metal strong enough to support an adult.

6. Never grow up.

These days, there is a good chance the man in your life is just as into action figures as your 7-year-old son is.

Over the last decade and a half, adult action figures have been marketed to sci-fi geeks and gamers as one more way to share with the world what they’re into. You might find these action figures littering a coworker’s cubicle or safely displayed in a glass case at home.

The smartest manufacturers of these products are turning them into collector’s items, selling a limited quantity to fanatics at a higher price.

7. The Easiest Sack Lunch out There

When it comes to watching what you spend, the sack lunch is the gold standard of the most frugal folks out there. So it makes sense that the makers of Lunchables took advantage of this habit by aiming their marketing at grown-ups.

To capture the attention of adults who seem more worried about health than what type of cookie they can find in the bright yellow box, Lunchables began producing energy packs, filled with cheese, meat, and nuts. Sounds pretty good, if you ask us.

8. When You’re in the Mood for a Hot Lunch

What’s a brand to do when selling to college kids and poor bachelors isn’t bringing in the revenue they dreamed of? Simple: Introduce a few new products marketed toward a more sophisticated crowd.

This is the approach Hot Pockets used when they began selling their gourmet pockets. Their hope? To capture the attention of true foodies. We have a feeling that will be easier said than done, although we must admit that Steak & Cheddar with Garlicky Crust doesn’t sound half bad.

9. It’s a lifestyle.

It’s hard to believe there was ever a time when video games weren’t being marketed to adults, but grown men haven’t always been gaming into the early morning hours.

Initially, game systems like the original Nintendo were meant for upper elementary and high school–aged kids. As game systems became more advanced, so did their users. Modern online gaming is full of strategy, community. and impressive graphics—exactly what’s needed to attract an older group of players.

10. Everyone loves an easy read.

This trend dates back to the introduction of Harry Potter to the reading world.

When this fantasy series caught on, adults became obsessed, too. Now, Potter isn’t the only young adult fiction being devoured by adults.

Over half of young adult novels are actually being read by people over the age of 18 years. From The Hunger Games to The Fault in Our Stars, even though these easy reads were written for a much younger audience, they have story lines gripping enough to attract all ages.

11. When You Gotta Go

This last product may have been created for babies, but it is now being marketed to adults out of pure necessity.

Adult diapers first hit the shelves in 1990 and were marketed as an adult incontinence brief, primarily sold to aging adults who were getting health care that enabled them to remain active into old age. It’s really amazing to think that something that is now a staple in hospitals and nursing homes has only been available for just over a quarter century.

What do you think? Will one of these kids’ products being market to adults find their way into your shopping basket the next time you’re at the store? I’ve personally got my eye on a floral coloring book to pass the time on our next family road trip.

Beer is delicious, but it’s not really a part of a well-balanced nutrition plan. Unless, of course, you adhere to the unusual philosophies of “beer yoga.”

Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. Beer yoga practitioners go through typical yoga moves, taking regular sips out of beer pints to reward themselves for their effort. The moves aren’t any more complex than what you’d find in a typical yoga class, but participants often feel more relaxed at the end of their sessions.

If you’re picturing a bunch of people overindulging while struggling through their sun salutations, think again. Participants typically get a single beer, which they enjoy while working through a fairly standard yoga routine.

But beer yoga instructors say that the extra incentive helps to bring in people who wouldn’t normally try yoga.

“It adds a little bit more extra relaxation because a lot of people tend to be very tense when they come. Especially their first time,” yoga teacher Guzel Mursalimova said to Business Insider UK.

It started in Germany, and the strange fitness craze spread quickly.

Beer yoga studios have popped up in London, New York, Brisbane, and dozens of other major cities. The appeal is obvious, and although some publications have derided beer yoga as a “hipster experiment gone wrong,” participants say that they’re simply having fun.

Well, in most cases.

“BeerYoga is fun but it’s no joke,” one yogi told Mashable. “We take the philosophies of yoga and pair it with the pleasure of beer drinking to reach your highest level of consciousness.”

Uh, right.

The exact practices vary from studio to studio. Some classes actually incorporate the beer glass into their yoga routines. Participants balance their pints while performing their poses, which adds a fun element (and probably a bit of cleanup). Some studios wait until the end of class to enjoy the beer. Really, “yoga” and “beer” are the only true constants.

That leaves one question: Does beer yoga burn more calories than it expends?

Well, yes, but just barely. A 125-pound person will burn about 240 calories while performing an hour of yoga, according to Harvard Health Publications. People who weigh more will burn more calories, and the exact yoga routine will also affect the total caloric expenditure.

A typical draft beer contains about 182 calories. That varies, depending on the exact recipe; a pint of Guinness, for instance, contains around 210 calories. Beer yoga classes tend to use a variety of craft brews, so calorie counters may have a tough time keeping track.

Ultimately, anything that gets you exercising is probably good for you, and if you need an IPA as your motivation, have at it. As one instructor told MSN, beer yoga doesn’t take itself too seriously—and that’s what makes it so fun.

“I think of Beer Fit Club as fitness for the rest of us,” said Sophia Del Gigante of Beer Fit Club in New York. “It’s the least serious class you’ll ever take. There’s literally no judgement.”

Florence Bearse says that she knows the key to a long, healthy life.
Bearse recently celebrated her 100th birthday, surrounded by her friends and family at the Westgate Center for Rehabilitation in Bangor, Maine. The centenarian spoke to local news channel WLBZ-TV, succinctly explaining her secret.
“I like my wine,” she told the station, a broad smile breaking across her face. “Don’t take it away from me.”

The Bangor resident was a successful restaurateur, and she says that her career helped her learn to appreciate other people.
“The people have taken me, I think,” she said before cracking a joke. “They understand me…that I’m crazy.”
Bearse also provided a bit of simple advice for living life to the fullest: “Don’t take any baloney.”
With that in mind, we decided to look into the science of red wine. Does it really provide notable health benefits—and could moderate wine consumption help a person reach age 100?

Science supports some centenarian claims.

Some red wines include resveratrol, one of several antioxidants that protects cell membranes, potentially reducing some of the effects of aging.

Cornell University researchers recently discovered that wines from New York state tend to have the highest resveratrol concentrations, with the Pinot Noir variety holding higher concentrations than Cabernet or Merlot.
White wines contain much lower levels of resveratrol, since the antioxidant is most commonly associated with the skins of red grapes.

Research also shows that moderate consumption of red wine can reduce the risk of heart disease. Scientists frequently cite this as a potential explanation for the “French paradox.”
That paradox notes that the French diet, which is high in saturated fats, doesn’t seem in line with the country’s relatively low rate of coronary heart disease. Some researchers believe that red wine may help to mitigate some of the effects of high-fat diets.

The American Heart Association notes that moderate intake of any type of alcoholic beverage seems to be beneficial to heart health, and red wine seems especially beneficial. However, the AHA stops short of recommending a glass of red wine each day, as excessive alcohol use contributes to high blood pressure, neurological disorders, and a host of other health issues.
“Patients are not advised to drink wine for their health,” wrote researchers Paul E. Szmitko and Subodh Verma, “but rather to drink—moderately—to their health.”

Bearse’s love of wine isn’t unique among centenarians.

According to the latest census data, the number of centenarians in the United States is growing. As of July 2015, the U.S. Census reported 76,974 individuals aged 100 or older.

John and Charlotte Henderson, 104 and 102, told USA Today that they typically enjoy wine or cocktails before dinner. But John noted that moderation is key.
“We never do anything,” he said. “Eat well. Sleep well. Don’t overdrink. Don’t overeat. And exercise regularly.”
Charlotte concurred with her husband, adding that their marriage is a source of strength. “We had such a good time when John retired. We traveled a lot,” she said. “We just stay busy all the time, and I’m sure that helps.”

Over a year ago, I downloaded the Headspace app, which provides 10 free, 10-minute guided meditation sessions that I cycled through most mornings for months. Now I just set an alarm on my phone for 11 minutes and try my damnedest to focus on my own breathing, or how my body feels, despite spending most of those minutes being mentally dragged around by various thoughts.

While I have not always been consistent in my practice, and in fact have often wondered if it’s possible to get increasingly worse at meditation over time, I continue to return to it because I imagine that it’s healthy, and, placebo effect or not, sense that it offers me some emotional peace and mental clarity. Plus, anything that’s been recycled for thousands of years probably contains at least some element of truth, right?

According to multiple studies, the benefits are not just in my head—even if that is where most of the changes take place. And meditation isn’t the only age-old wellness practice that shows promise. Here are three ancient health rituals that modern science hasn’t been able to throw out.

Meditation

Recent research has shown that meditation not only reduces stress but also literally changes the brain. Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School neuroscientist Sara Lazar was one of the first scientists to test the benefits of meditation and mindfulness using brain scans. She became interested in the topic when an injury sidelined her from marathon training and she picked up yoga as a replacement.

“The yoga teacher made all sorts of claims, that yoga would increase your compassion and open your heart,” Lazar told The Washington Post in 2015. “And I’d think, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m here to stretch.’ But I started noticing that I was calmer. I was better able to handle more difficult situations. I was more compassionate and open hearted, and able to see things from others’ points of view.”

Lazar’s first study compared long-term meditators to a control group; she found that a 50-year-old meditator’s gray matter in the brain’s auditory and sensory cortex, along with the cortex associated with working memory and executive decision making, was closer to that of a 25-year-old.

Her second study sought to answer whether the meditation had caused this brain change or the longtime meditators had simply started with more gray matter. This study’s participants, all of whom said they had never meditated before, were divided into two groups. The members of one group enrolled in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program. After eight weeks, Lazar and her team observed differences in brain volume between the groups in five different brain regions, including thickening among the meditation group in four regions.

Changes were seen primarily in the area involved in mind wandering and self-relevance but also appeared in areas relating to learning, cognition, memory, emotional regulation, empathy, compassion, anxiety, fear, and stress.

Essential Oil Use

A couple of weeks ago, I was at a pizza party, bonding in the kitchen with a woman I’d just met. She was saying that she’d typically been a skeptic about certain hokey-sounding health remedies but, by golly, if she hadn’t been promptly healed from a sickness after taking her roommate’s advice to swallow some oregano oil.

If the term “ess
ential oil” has only ever made you think of erotic massage or overpriced health food stores that take themselves a little too seriously, think again. According to a 2015 article in The Atlantic, scientists are beginning to look to plant extracts—aka essential oils—as a possible remedy to antimicrobial resistance. Given that livestock are often pumped full of antibiotics to offset any potential illnesses from the unsanitary conditions of mass farming, and with the hopes of speeding their growth to keep up with humanity’s voracious appetite for animal flesh, antibiotic-resistant “superbugs” are top of mind for many.

Dr. Cyril Gay, the senior national program leader at the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service, calls it “potentially one of the most important challenges the medical and animal-health communities will face in the 21st century.”

A number of studies have found reason to believe that essential oils might offer help. One of these, published in 2014 in Poultry Science, found that one essential oil—oregano!—added to chicken feed resulted in a 59 percent lower mortality rate due to ascites, a common poultry infection, than in chickens that were not treated. And research published in a 2011 issue of BMC Proceedings found that a combination of oregano, cinnamon, and chili pepper oils changed chickens’ gene expression in a way that promoted weight gain and protected against intestinal infection.

Acupuncture

Despite much anecdotal evidence and some research suggesting that acupuncture can benefit patients in real, lasting ways that improve chronic issues like pain, depression, and inflammation, scientists remain skeptical. In 2014, five scientists with various backgrounds weighed in on the topic for Scientific American.

You can see a tone divergence in their responses that is sort of informative in its own right. Observe their answers to the first question, regarding acupuncture’s effectiveness in treating depression:

MacPherson: Strong evidence exists that acupuncture is effective for chronic pain conditions. For depression, we have evidence that acupuncture is a useful adjunct to conventional care. In one recent trial patients on antidepressants who received acupuncture did significantly better than those who just took medication. Patients who received counseling in addition to their medication received a similar benefit to the acupuncture group.

Ernst: Most studies examining the effectiveness of acupuncture are not rigorous. Those that are more rigorous fail to show that acupuncture is more than a placebo in managing depression.

Wang: My opinion is that acupuncture stimulations trigger the release of beneficial hormones and, theoretically, can serve as a mood stabilizer.

Colquhoun: Acupuncture does not work, which means all discussions of how it does work are irrelevant. I’m not aware of any evidence that acupuncture works for depression.

Hall: The published evidence on acupuncture indicates that it might be helpful for pain and possibly for postoperative nausea and vomiting, but not for any other indications. All the evidence is compatible with the hypothesis that acupuncture is no more than a placebo.

Honestly, Colquhoun seems like kind of an uppity jerk, but maybe he’s onto something. “There is a lot of money at stake for those who sell acupuncture—and a certain amount of fascination with New Age thinking,” he points out in a later response. “There are excellent controls such as retractable needles. Almost all experiments show no difference between real and sham acupuncture.”

Yet, as science writer Jo Marchant tells NPR, “[W]hat you see in all these different conditions is that taking a placebo, or, to be more accurate about it, our response to that placebo, can cause biological changes in the brain that actually ease our symptoms, and that’s not something that’s imaginary; that’s something that’s underpinned by these biological changes that are very similar to the biological changes you get when we take drugs.”

So maybe Colquhoun is right. Perhaps acupuncture is technically a sham. It wouldn’t change the fact that the mind-body connection is undeniable, and powerful, which opens up a whole world of healing possibilities.

In second grade, I liked to wear my grandmother’s old clothes. My sister and I would play dress-up with her glamorous gowns and other outfits and have our pictures taken. I’d wear plum lipstick and stare solemnly in the direction of the disposable camera, which was maybe held by my babysitter, my mom, or my sister.

One day my friend came over, saw a picture of me in a midriff-baring shirt, and said I shouldn’t be showing off my outie belly button. I don’t know if her comment sparked it, but I remember one of the recurring prayers of my girlhood was for a belly button like my sister’s—a dark little tunnel you could poke your finger into.
By age 15, I was smitten with an 18-year-old boy who, as we sat making out in his truck, said to me once, “You’ve got cankles.” I couldn’t have been more than around 110 pounds, the thinnest my post-puberty body would ever be. (I would always try, and fail, to get back to that weight.)

From him, I learned it was gross that I didn’t shave as much of my body hair as I should and that I must’ve been a prude or a lesbian for not “going further” with him. The bulk of our relationship took place over AIM, where I mostly remember him sending me pictures of other girls and calling me an idiot.

I’ve wondered how differently my life would’ve gone if I’d realized sooner that a man’s desire for my body did not mean he cared for it.

At some point, women come to understand that their bodies are public domain. They are something to be apologized for, too much or not enough, and always subject to the opinions of loved ones and strangers. Whether they’re too fat, too skinny, too dark, too pale, too voluptuous, too flat-chested, too pretty, too plain, too made up. Whether they’re not beautiful enough, not thin enough, not curvy enough, not approachable or accessible enough.
Women’s bodies are always wrong, and there is no shortage of people to tell them exactly how.

As we absorb the idea that our worth is inextricable from our physical appearance, we become unconscious disseminators of this message ourselves, doling out what we’ve been fed on for as long as we’ve been aware of our own bodies.
When I was bored in middle school, I used to make over female classmates in my mind, the same way I mentally made myself over. I shared makeover suggestions with my friends because this was a currency I understood. It was the central plot line to so many movies I loved, like Pretty Woman, She’s All That, Never Been Kissed, and She’s Out of Control.

Beautification as spiritual transformation: This was the story of female triumph I knew.

Finally, one friend told me that my “tips” were unwelcome, that they made her feel bad. I was shocked, defensive. I’d seen them as compliments. They were my way of saying, “You have this feature that I really wish I had and if I did have it, this is what I would do with it”—but, centrally, they were unsolicited. It’s this kind of ignorance that can be so damaging, carried out by people who haven’t yet learned better ways to love.

We know now that body shaming is contagious, so how can we do better?
In an article for The New York Times titled “Why I Talk About My Daughter’s Body,” writer Jeanne Sager reflects on her efforts to raise a daughter with a positive body image even as she battles bulimia herself. After her 11-year-old daughter has broken her foot, the focus stays on what Sager has always tried to keep the focus on when it comes to her daughter’s body: function.

“We talk about the muscles that are being pulled taut across the top of her back as she works to push down on her crutches,” she writes. “We talk about the legs that will power her across a soccer field again once her foot has healed.”

The next time you want to talk bad about your body, think instead of what it does for you. Then show it love.

Recently I reached out to my social media network and asked people who’d grown up in female bodies to share their first, or most memorable, instances of being shamed for them. Maybe half an hour later, I already had multiple direct messages. Comment after comment, friends and acquaintances repeated the variety of messages they’d received about their physical appearance.
Here are their stories.

“I had a teacher pull me out of class, expose her stomach and legs and tell me that the way I was dressed was disgusting.”

I was 13, wearing a skort [because] I was self-conscious about being tall. I had a teacher pull me out of class, expose her stomach and legs and tell me that the way I was dressed was disgusting and asked me if it was ok for her to do and told me I was “just looking for male attention” (I was wearing a skort (perfectly “dress code legal,” a t-shirt and a long sleeve jacket) –Megan, 28, Missouri

Body shaming in eating disorder units among patients. “She’s not good enough to be here” there’s some sick stuff that went on –A*, Idaho
I remember a certain idiot I dated in college who told me my [butt] wasn’t big enough, I didn’t wear high enough [heels], I didn’t wear enough makeup, and that I “used to be cute in high school” –Megan, Missouri
I was in eighth grade at lunch and my “friend” called me fat a**. –Name withheld, 31, Tennessee

In Brazil on mission trip. The doctor with us told me I should weigh no more than 120 and did I reaaaaally want to eat that. Yay. I was 16 –Amy, Arkansas
I remember being 9 and this girl making fun of me for having hair on my big toe! –Katie, New York
Not so much body shaming [as] color shaming… From about Kindergarten to 6th grade I would get asked if my mom cheated on my dad or if they just adopted me from Africa because I’m tan… Totally appropriate questions for a small child right? –Kelley, 28, Missouri

“I was mortified. Everyone laughed.”

In third grade, some older kid (at least sixth grade) stood up at the front of the school bus and started making fun of everyone, going down the rows, one at a time. I remember almost crying before he even got to me bc everyone was laughing, and I was painfully shy. He got to me and said, “and you don’t have any boobs.” I was mortified. Everyone laughed. My brother was on the same bus. He stood up and started yelling back at him, calling him a pimple face something or other. Looking back, it’s ridiculous. Of course a third grader not having boobs is perfectly normal, but I will still never forget how it made me feel at the time! And how sweet it was for my brother to stand up for me. –Anna, 28, Arkansas

In fifth grade someone told me the dark circles under my eyes made me look like a “pale holocaust victim”. I’ve worn concealer everyday since. –Sarah Beth, 29; lives in Davis, California, from St. Louis, Missouri
[I was was 13 when] a guy poked my arm pit fat and made fun of me. Been self conscious of it ever since. –Julie, 30, lives in Spain; from Texas
In ninth grade library one of the really cute boys told me I had chicken legs and shouldn’t wear dresses. –Diana, Texas

I was a young girl, around age 8 or 9. My younger brother would always call me fat and “fata**” and then him and the neighborhood kids would gang up on me and call me that. I went through a chubby stage growing up, before I hit puberty. If you’ve seen the show This Is Us that was pretty much my life. My mother was super thin and beautiful and I always felt like the ugly duckling. She’s a very healthy eater too though and always walks and exercises and lives a healthy lifestyle. I know my mom was just looking out for me, but when we would have cookies and milk growing up, she would tell me I could have 2 and my brother (Sean) could have 8 if he wanted to, because everyone has different bodies. Kids don’t realize how much their words hurt sometimes, but I can remember my brother and all of the neighborhood kids calling me “fata**” growing up, [then] guess what happened? When I hit age 13, eating disorder central. Anorexia, bulimia, ipecac, I was obsessed. It’s something I’ve struggled with ever since. I don’t think I ever showed how hurt I was back then, as naturally, I’m a very strong person, but, that stuff sticks with you man. –Caroline, 33, Massachusetts

“I have been told throughout my life that if I am harassed, it is due to my behavior or attire.”

When I was around 11, my grandfather asked if I “really wanted to eat ALL that [because I would] be fat.” Great for the self-esteem.
I went through puberty a bit early in that I needed an underwire bra by sixth grade. I was groped at a school dance by a seventh grader once. Another time, by an eighth grader in front of the school. When I reported the incidents to the male principal, he suggested that I ought to cover up more because my shirts attracted attention. I was a kid!!!

In the 8th grade, I got into an argument with two “friends” who told me that […] because I had large breasts [I] needed to buy different clothes.
I’ve been asked if I had black eyes due to my dark circles (allergies and depression) so I never left the house without full-face makeup. It took motherhood to lift that burden of feeling the need to please others.
I have also been asked if I had ever broken my nose (no) and have been told as recently as LAST MONTH that I needed a nose job. That was from a female who resorted to personal attacks who disagreed with my opinion on pit bulls. And, yes, I am INCREDIBLY self-conscious about my nose. It already bothers me since I get this trait from my biological mother, but when people draw attention to it, I just want to crawl under a rock. I honestly want a rhinoplasty.

I have been told throughout my life that if I am harassed, it is due to my behavior or attire. If I have an appetite, I will be fat (FYI – Fat does NOT mean ugly). And any “flaws” as perceived by others should be covered, concealed or corrected. –Jena, 29, Texas

“My friend’s dad called me ‘Big Bertha NoA**AtAll’ growing up.”

My friend’s dad called me “Big Bertha NoA**AtAll” growing up. Started when I was about 11. –Sarah, 29, lives in Sacramento, California; from rural Arkansas
The first thing that came to mind is an instance that took place in the seventh or eighth grade. A friend and I found out that some other girls in our grade had been calling us “pudgy.” It hurt me, and I’m pretty sure it hurt my friend, but we tried to make light of it by writing “pudgy 4 life” on what, looking back, was the type of stomach most 12-14 year old kids have. –Dana, 29, Central Arkansas

I was in middle school and another girl on my bus called me a “gorilla” and made fun of the hair on my arms and legs so often that I went home one day and locked myself in my parents bathroom and tried to shave my legs which resulted in many nicks and my Dad having to finish shaving my legs while I was crying. Funny now, kind of sad then. –Ashli, 27, Arkansas
Have been told forever I’m “too big”… In elementary school I was told I had a “bubble butt” by another third grader. At the fifth grade health fair when I was over 5′ and weighed 99 pounds, one of the girls asked why I was “so big”? This could go on, but that’s where it starts –Natalie, 28
I remember in seventh grade a popular boy giving me the nickname “Splinter” because he thought my face resembled the rat from teenage mutant ninja turtles. The next year, my boobs doubled in size and instead of him calling me splinter, he dubbed me as a “butter face” (everything is hot but her face). I was self conscious and very critical of my appearance from then on. A**hole. –Lauren, 29, Arkansas

When I was in elementary school (in Georgia at the time), I had bad teeth (antibiotics reaction I think). All the kids referred to me as “butter teeth.” I (and my parents) spent $5000 to get veneers. I still carry floss in my purse because I’m so self conscious about my teeth.
Once, while bartending, I was reaching up to get a beer out of the cooler, and a guy thought it appropriate to yell at me “Damn girl, you have some huge calves!” ….uhhh, thanks? I was really mortified. –Renee, 28, Arkansas

“They thought it was hilarious. I cried. A lot.”

In fourth grade someone drew a “cartoon” of me with an exaggerated gap. I’ve been self conscious about my teeth since then. (I’ve always had a speech impediment that caused my teeth to space out) In college a group of guys changed my profile picture (I had forgot to log out) to a skinny man with a huge gap. They thought it was hilarious. I cried. A lot. –Alyssa, 26, Missouri
I changed to a religious school for the start of second grade. I’m pretty sure it was then that my classmates started calling me “Dumbo”, since my ears stuck out. Luckily I’ve grown into them, but to this day, I still worry about my hair styles and and hats and if they [make] my ears look big or not. –Allison, 32, New Jersey

Middle school being named called for big teeth and “chubby” cheeks, ferret and chipmunk. Still struggle with my teeth to this day.
All my life I’ve been thin with a big appetite. Constantly told to eat a biscuit, put some [meat] on my bones Or any other way you could tell someone to gain weight. Then on the reverse while eating a lot like I did I was told to watch out one day it will all catch up to me and I actually gain weight eating the way I do. –Morgan, 30, Arkansas

“In the fifth grade a boy asked me if I ‘was even really a girl.'”

In the fifth grade a boy asked me if I “was even really a girl” because I was SO flat-chested and all (in retrospect, probably just a few) of the other girls had started showing some signs of development and I very much did not so the next day I stuffed my sports bra with socks(!) to try to look more “girlish” but it was a rather, erm, obvious change overnight, and I just got made fun of even more. (Hindsight, and all that).
I was always really flat and self conscious about it. I even ended up getting breast augmentation surgery when I turned 21. The truth is, if you think cosmetic surgery will make you feel better about yourself—well—it probably will. —Jada*, 29, Little Rock, Arkansas

I was crazy about this guy when I was 15 I think. A friend of mine went to see that guy and told him: ‘Hey Gloria really likes you and would like to date you’. He said: ‘I can’t, she has the body of a 6-year-old girl’ (because I was -and still am- flat) –Gloria, 33, Paris, France
Third grade (8 or 9 years old)- got nicknamed the Big Show after the wrestler. I was already tall and wearing juniors clothing. I don’t recall I was particularly overweight then but definitely didn’t have the body of a normal 8 year old. –Kara, 27, lives in Mississippi; from Arkansas
In fifth grade my nickname was “double d” boys would stuff softballs up [their] shirts and ‘pretend they were me’ (it stuck all throughout middle school, my friends would even introduce me as double d instead of my actual name to new students) –Lauren, 29, Missouri

Right after the birth of my first son (27), I was putting my baby in his car seat after grocery shopping. Three “men” were sitting in a truck right next to me. They kept saying, “Look at that fat ass”. I finished with the car seat, walked up to the truck window and said, “I may have a fat a** but I can lose the weight. You all are f***ing ugly and there is not a damn thing you can do about it.[“] I got in my car and drove away. –Jeni, 56, Missouri
*Names have been shortened or changed. Some quotes have been edited for clarity.

Think that you’ve got this whole eating thing down? Little do you know what you’ve been missing! Here’s a list of the foods that most of us eat every day—the wrong way.

Apples

How do you eat an apple? Generally, you chomp or cut around the core and throw the rest away. Guess what? Experts say that the core is a myth!
The proper way to eat an entire apple is to start from the bottom and make your way up—eating everything in your path, including the seeds (just make sure you wash the entire apple well to get rid of nasty pesticides first).

Boiled Eggs

When you peel your eggs do you find that half of the egg gets stuck to the shell and you end up throwing it away? Check out how to avoid the hassle when it comes to peeling hard boiled eggs, plus some other easy peeling hacks!

Save yourself frustration and money by adding one teaspoon of baking soda to the water that you boil the eggs in. The shells will come right off!

Hot Dogs

This American staple never seems to cook thoroughly or evenly, often leaving you with a charred outside and a cool inside. Next time try slicing it in a spiral for a perfectly done dog.

Bananas

Peel a banana and eat it, right?

Actually, the proper way to consume one is to flip it stem-side down and squeeze it from the bottom. It’ll open right up.

Oranges

Hate the white strings that are attached to the fruit of oranges? Try this trick for nice, clean fruit:

Chinese Takeout

Most people are surprised to learn that you’re not supposed to dig and search for you food in a to-go Chinese food container.

The proper way to eat Chinese takeout is to break down the box around the food, creating a paper plate.

Peanut Butter and Jelly

Most of us just heap the peanut butter and jelly on bread in a big, globby mess. Try putting the peanut butter around the perimeter of both slices of bread then put a generous serving of jelly in the center of the first slice.

Squish the two slices together and enjoy the perfect peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

Mangoes

There’s nothing easy about peeling and slicing a mango—most of the fruit gets stuck to the pit and thrown away. Next time you’re craving one, cut the fruit in half and slide each side down an 8 oz. glass.

The inside of the fruit will easily peel off, leaving a clean easy piece of fruit to slice or dice.

Baked Potatoes

Baked potatoes can take forever to cook and often end up being too dry. The next time you cook this American favorite, make ¼-inch vertical (scallop) slices down the potato. Add slices of butter and/or cheese in between the slices and bake it for an extra tasty meal!

Cupcakes

Tired of getting a whole lot of frosting with no cake, then a bunch of cake and no frosting?

Balance out your sweet treat by twisting off the bottom half of the cake part of a cupcake and placing it on top of the frosting to make a cupcake sandwich.

Kiwi Fruit

Kiwi fruits tend to get mushy and hairy when you try to peel or slice them. Check out an easy way to peel them, plus a few of your other favorite fruits!

The best way to eat this super healthy fruit is to cut it in half, then eat each half with a spoon, like a built-in bowl.

Pomegranates

Do you find that whenever you eat this antioxidant-rich fruit you question whether it’s worth the bright red dyed fingers you end up with after digging out the seeds? This trick will help! Cut the fruit in half and twist it. Then gently tap each half with a wooden spoon or other hard utensil, and watch the seeds just pop out.

Cheese

Soft foods like cheese and cakes are hard to cut through cleanly. They can get squishy and end up stuck to the knife.

You can make neat, easy cuts by using regular unflavored dental floss. It easily passes through the food and creates perfect slices every time.

Hash Browns

Hash browns can quickly become too oily or overdone when you prepare them in a frying pan.

Brown them to perfection by cooking them in a waffle iron.

Shallots

Do you love using shallots but hate trying to peel the skins off them? Try steeping them in boiling water for five to 10 minutes and watch the skins slide right off.

Pasta

In America, we often use spoons and knives to help us eat our favorite pasta dinners. But this would offend the most judgmental culinary connoisseurs in Italy!

That’s considered a serious faux pas. They believe the only utensil that should be used in the consumption of pasta is a fork.

Asparagus

Asparagus can be super tricky to cook: Leave it in for 30 seconds too long and you’ve got mushy, limp stalks.

Always steam or stir fry asparagus very quickly (don’t boil it) so that it stays firm and crispy.

Lobster or Crab

It may be fun to smash your crustaceans with a hammer, but it often leaves you with little to no meat.

The best way to enjoy your delicacy to its fullest is to use old fashioned kitchen shears. They do a better job of cutting through tails, claws, legs, and knuckles.

Chicken Wings

It can be messy and frustrating to eat chicken wings. The foolproof way to get all of the meat off the bone easily is to pull the (protruding) cartilage off by gently twisting and removing it. This loosens the other bones, making it easier to remove them and enjoy your wing bone free!

Bacon Sandwich

Bacon sandwiches are yummy, but not when you take a bite and end up only with a mouthful of bread. The best way to ensure that you get a perfect tasting meal is to weave the strips of bacon together in the shape and size of your bread and bake them.

No part of the sandwich will end up without bacon.

Peas

This runaway vegetable can be handled so much more easily when it’s in a group. Simply use your fork to mash your peas together and enjoy!

Lettuce Taco

How many times have you been in this situation? You take a bite of your taco, the hard shell breaks, and everything falls out.

Lettuce normally goes inside of the taco (and you can keep it there too), but try wrapping a larger piece of lettuce around the shell of the taco to keep it from breaking. It’ll also catch all of the extra stuff that falls out!

Candy Apples

How can something so delicious be such a pain to eat? Take the stress out of snacking on candy apples by adding an extra stick to the other end of the apple. Turn it on its side and eat it like corn on the cob.

Watermelon

Eating watermelon in a half moon shape is messy. Get perfect chunks by cutting a seedless watermelon in half. Then take each half and make three horizontal cuts on either side by cutting through the rind.
Cut around the perimeter of each half, then grid-cut the fruit on each side. Watch the little pieces fall out perfectly!

Ketchup

Ketchup packets are the absolute worst part of eating on the go. They’re messy and end up squirting and getting everywhere. But that’s only because they’re not used in the way they were intended!

Instead of squirting your ketchup all over the place, tear off the corner of the package and make it into a miniature bowl to dip your fries in.