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Know Your Adaptogens: Not All Formulations Are Created Equal
*Affiliate disclaimer.
We’re used to seeing those “healthy” juices (read: sugar water) on the supermarket shelf, boasting the “life-changing” benefits of açai or pomegranate or cranberry (rich in antioxidants? Yes. Better than eating a handful of blueberries? Not so much). But now it seems the wellness world has moved on from antioxidants, and perhaps even superfoods, in favor of adaptogens. Are they worth the hype?
Adaptogens are supported by evidence – and they’re especially beneficial to consume in times of stress. These herbs and roots have been used in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years, helping to mitigate the effects of cortisol on the body, improve digestion, contribute to better sleep, and reduce inflammation. (Need proof? We knew we liked you. Here’s our deep dive into the effects of adaptogens on your body. Spoiler alert: it’s kind of awesome.)
“As we all know, stress can take its toll, which is why many people are turning to adaptogens for support,” says Dr. Josh Axe, D.N.M., C.N.S, founder of Ancient Nutrition, DrAxe.com and author of the book Ancient Remedies.
“They are known to support the body’s healthy response to stress and stressors, including physical, emotional and mental ones.”
All good so far, right?
Here’s the thing. Like most supplements, adaptogens exist in a murky, unregulated grey zone, with companies the FDA can’t touch taking advantage of the ignorance of consumers to make products that do little more than make your pee pricier.
If we’re paying good money for adaptogens, we want them to work.
“There are a lot of companies out there that do the cheap thing.”
Chris Kilham, Medicine Hunter, usually spends his days patrolling the world for the most incredible plants to help improve health. Since (like the rest of us) he’s been stuck at home for a while, he answered some of our burning questions about what you should look for on the label – and what indications are kind of (or totally) meaningless.
Not All Adaptogens Are the Same
While adaptogens share some characteristics with one another, they are not all alike, and what works for one person may not work for another. Ashwagandha, for example, is super popular to promote restful sleep and reduce cortisol (it’s a fave of our editor-in-chief Laura Klein); cordyceps help boost stamina and energy. Other adaptogens include ginseng, schisandra, holy basil, maca, rhodiola and more – and each has its…
A Helpful Guide to All the Things You Shouldn’t Eat if You Want to Live Longer and Lose Weight
Here’s an Internet wormhole: Go to YouTube and search for food commercials from the era of your childhood. You will find, remarkably, that not only are they all there, but they’re also organized and curated into playlists that are a crash course – or dare I say, a crash diet – of horrific proportions.
This exercise was a survey of the 70s and early 80s, the apotheosis of Mad Men-style advertising culture that convinced us that “Mikey likes it” and “my bologna has a first name.”
For me, this exercise was a survey of the 70s and early 80s, the apotheosis of Mad Men-style advertising culture that convinced us that “Mikey likes it” and “my bologna has a first name.” I haven’t eaten either Life cereal or Oscar Mayer bologna for decades, and yet the videos inspired nostalgic pangs that Don Draper could surely convince me were hunger.
I’d like to say that I don’t eat these foods because they’re bad for me and the planet, but that’s only part of the story. The carb- and sugar-rich cereal and deli meat of questionable animal origins are, indeed, bad for my body: That’s science. But if my YouTube binge has taught me anything, it’s that food science is in a constant state of flux, and food companies will always have a special interest in exploiting it.
Then came the aughts and the fascination with Atkins-inspired ketosis. It was a time when all fats were good and “fat-free” was just a pair of F-words.
Case in point: fat.
Kuh-Kuh-Kuh-Keto
In the 80s, fat was decidedly bad, and “fat-free” products flooded supermarket aisles. In the 90s, suddenly, some fats became good, but only those with names that sounded like indie movies (“Carey Mulligan stars in Polly, Unsaturated”) and could be associated with a vision of the Mediterranean that was far closer to the imagination of the Nouvelle Vague than the reality of 90s Italy or Greece.
With the aughts came a fascination with Atkins-inspired ketosis. It was a time when all fats were good, and “fat-free” was just a pair of F-words. The throughline was “science,” albeit a science exploited by corporate food chemists, like fish-fingered Frankensteins.
In 1996, for example, the Food and Drug Administration approved for human consumption a chemical additive known as olestra (a.k.a. “Olean”), which replaced fat in everything from potato chips to butter while also (drumroll) replacing satiation with a well-known side effect. Loose bowels. Now…
Blue Foods Are the Key to Longevity, Experts Say
Sesame Street taught us how to count, how to share, and how to positively demolish a plateful of cookies. But the shaggy blue Cookie Monster has embraced healthier foods these days – and not a moment too soon.
Eating your colors is the perfect way to reap loads of antioxidants and polyphenols, and while orange, red, and deep green are easy to add to your diet, blue is the bomb.
(It’s no wonder Cookie Monster looks so good for 55.)
Why Are Blue Foods So Good For You?
Blue and purple foods – especially the most famous among them, blueberries – are perhaps the most potent antioxidant-laden food group. Their blue pigment comes from anthocyanins, an antioxidant that contains naturally occurring polyphenols. The darker the fruit or vegetable, the more of the pigment that it contains. Blueberries, for example, contain 15 different anthocyanins.
“Blue foods like blueberries and blackberries are packed full of antioxidants making them excellent for optimal health,” says Dr. Campbell. “These foods are also great for reducing inflammation in the body, and with inflammation being at the root of nearly all disease, it is critical that we consume as many anti-inflammatory foods as we can.”
Anthocyanins’ power comes from how they relate to free radicals. Free radicals cause the body to be under constant oxidative stress because they’re always scavenging for free electrons to pair up with and when they are unable to find their match they cause damage to the body’s systems. Anthocyanins work by donating an electron to free radicals, allowing them to become harmless molecules before they can do damage to the body. (Kind of like tossing an overzealous guard dog a bone.)
It’s for this reason, according to Dr. Becky Campbell, a board-certified doctor of natural medicine (DNM), that anthocyanins directly reduce inflammation in the body.
“Blue foods like blueberries and blackberries are packed full of antioxidants making them excellent for optimal health,” says Dr. Campbell. “These foods are also great for reducing inflammation in the body, and with inflammation being at the root of nearly all disease, it is critical that we consume as many anti-inflammatory foods as we can.”
What Are the Benefits of Blue Foods?
Since anthocyanins reduce oxidative stress in the body, they also extend our lifespan by reducing long-term damage to the body’s systems, according to Dr. Campbell. Their well-known benefits include:
- Contributing to overall health and fighting off disease-causing free radicals
- Supporting immune health
- Supporting brain…
Can Luxury and Sustainability Coexist? These Napa Wineries Prove They Can—and Must
These days, you need some mad ninja skills to ward off greenwashing: it’s on your “recyclable” packaging (nice try, plastic #7!) and your “biodegradable” coffee pods (gotcha, bioplastic!) But perhaps the area where this is most pervasive? Wine.
And that’s in large part because, despite loving good wine (and oh, do we love it…), most of us don’t have a clue what really goes into making it.
Nuh-uh, OA, I hear you say. I’m a wine connoisseur.
OK… well, how about this: imagine a wine with a label boasting that it contains “fewer than 200 parts per million of sulfur!”
That seems like a good thing… until you realize that in most natural wine circles, the accepted max for this additive is something between 70 and 30 parts per million.
Or let’s consider the winery claiming all of its products are vegan. Sounds good… until you realize that bentonite, a clay-based fining agent, is not only vegan, but it’s also common in mass-produced, industrial wines, and the vegan-ness of the wine isn’t necessarily a marker of quality or luxury or… really anything except the absence of animal products like egg whites, which are used by many producers of delicious organic wine that isn’t vegan at all.
But there’s more salt in this wound: the veritable Venn diagram of overlapping yet distinct programs and missions and certifications from organic to sustainable to biodynamic to natural (which has become associated with a sort of murky, cloudy, unstable, “natty” wine that is far removed from high-end Rinaldi – also technically natural), and it’s enough to make your head spin (and you haven’t even popped the cork yet!).
But here’s what we know for sure:
- Perfect is the enemy of good. (We’re not sure Voltaire was talking about wine when he coined this phrase, but he was French, so let’s say he was.)
- “Good” is motivating luxury wine producers in Napa Valley – with excellent results.
Care of Larkmead and Jimmy Hayes
A Napa Valley Winemaker Making a Difference in How “Green” Is Defined
Napa Valley is home to some of the world’s best wine, but it’s not always the easiest place to make it. Hotter, longer summers are pushing harvest dates back further and further, and an ever-changing panoply of issues ranging from phylloxera to drought to smoke taint plague winemakers every year.
And yet, despite – or…
Rant: Plastic Straws Were Never the Problem (But These Just Might Be)
OK, fam. It’s time for an uncomfortable opinion. You know that metal straw you’ve been proudly toting around for a few years to use in place of disposable plastic? It’s a little bit cringey.
Wait! Don’t run away.
Here’s the tea: the plastic straw issue is such a small piece of the environmental puzzle. Of the 35 million tons of plastic pollution around the world, straws make up just four percent. So why did we focus so much on them?
Simple.
No, really. Because eradicating them is simple. For most of us.
Think about it. Once we started eschewing plastic straws, the transition became easy. We all started carting around metal straws or refusing straws entirely, putting blinders on to the fact that a) this alternative is only simple for the able-bodied and housed among us and b) that carrying our little straws around like a security blanket makes us feel like we’re doing our part, when the reality is that there are so many more things we could be, should be doing that are a whole lot harder to adapt to than a pretty metal straw in our handbags.
We’re not saying plastic straws are great for the planet, of course. According to data from Australian scientists Denise Hardesty and Chris Wilcox, there are nearly 7.5 million plastic straws lying on America’s shorelines alone. But other single-use plastics are just as bad. And so, for that matter, are a lot of other items omnipresent in many of our homes.
To wit: paper straws, which have been found to be coated with PFAS, aka endocrine-disrupting forever chemicals.
“While it’s by all means great that many societies have decided to get rid of plastic straws or outright ban them, they are not nearly as damaging for the environment as, say, plastic bags or drink bottles are,” says Silvia Borges, founder of Enviromom.com. “Why choose to get rid of them and not, say, water bottles? Because it was easy enough to do, not taking much personal sacrifice from me and you as consumers.”
And while removing single-use plastics is great, the replacements have been found wanting. To wit: paper straws, which have been found to be coated with PFAS, aka endocrine-disrupting forever chemicals.
“Plastic straws do contribute to plastic pollution, however, they are safer and their single-use makes them more hygienic than the metal straw alternative, which carries the risk of…
Why We Can All Stop Worrying About Cooking Oil Smoke Points
As they say in the meme universe, I was “today years old” when I learned that cooking with certain fats and oils at the wrong temperature can be detrimental to your health.
Like most amateur gourmands, I knew that every fat or oil had its own, specific smoke point — the temperature at which it begins to smoke while cooking (or, I guess, technically burning). I even knew that reaching the smoke point of fats or oils can produce “off” flavors. What I didn’t know, however, was that exceeding their smoke point will not only destroy their nutritional value, it will also produce toxic compounds. Out of the frying pan and into the cancer ward? Uh, no thanks.
Where There’s Smoke, There’s Inflammation
When a particular oil is heated beyond its smoke point, fat molecules begin breaking down into glycerol and fatty acids. Neither is problematic on its own. Glycerol is an odorless, tasteless polyol compound that actually has some antimicrobial and antiviral properties. Moreover, most animals use some form of fatty acid for fuel. But if you keep the heat on them, the glycerol turns into acrolein.
Wait — pronounce that out loud: Ak-krO-Lee-In.
You may be asking yourself, why does acrolein sound like some bad guys from Star Trek? Because it’s straight-up evil — it can literally alter your DNA. Acrolein is known to cause all kinds of inflammatory chaos and can set you on a path toward a range of diseases, from cancer to Alzheimer’s.
Who knew burning the butter could be so sinister?
The American Heart Association has long known acrolein is a cardiovascular villain (the compound even cameos in tobacco smoke for crying out loud). But fortunately for those who love high-heat cooking, there are a variety of oils and fats that can take the heat (and stay in the kitchen!).
Numbers Racket
From EVOO to butter, plant-based oils (olive, canola, and onward) to animal fats (derived from dairy or meats), every single fat has its special number: the point of no return. The sweet spot. For our purposes, this number will be in degrees Fahrenheit – here are the five most popular arranged from highest to lowest smoke point courtesy of the Kendall Reagan Nutrition Center at Colorado State University.
1. Avocado Oil
Avocado oil is the high-heat champion, with a staggeringly hot smoke point of 520°F. That’s practically lava. Better yet, avocado oil is monounsaturated, which, according to the…
Staub’s Clean Enameled Cast Iron Cookware, is As Beautiful as it is Useful
*Affiliate disclosure.
Enameled cast iron is the cooking vessel of choice for many French culinary classics, from coq au vin to beef bourguignon (not to mention modern faves like white bean stew, braised chard or even mushroom bourguignon). It’s no surprise, then, that France is home to the best in enameled cast iron cookware. In rural France, for nearly 50 years, Staub has been producing cast iron cocottes that have conquered hearts around the world, from famed French chef Paul Bocuse (who contributed to their very conception!) to our very own editor-in-chief Laura Klein.
When it comes to clean, non-toxic cookware (see our guide here), enameled cast iron is boss. Naturally nonstick and made to last a lifetime, these Dutch ovens and cocottes are an essential for any home chef.
The Staub Cocotte Dutch oven is ideal for cooking no-knead bread.
Why Choose Staub’s Cast Iron?
Cast iron is beloved for many reasons, but a key is heat retention. You know when you’re making a stew and, after carefully bringing the oil up to temp, you add your meat, only to find the temperature drops and your lovingly sourced, grass-fed beef goes grey instead of brown? Yeah… that doesn’t happen with a Staub cocotte.
Cast iron naturally retains and evenly distributes heat across the cooking surface. Translation: no hot spots, and minimal temperature fluctuation for easy frying, searing, and braising with a perfect result, every time.
“To bring these cocottes from the rural French village of Merville (so, so close to merveille, which means marvel, which Staub is), the company relies heavily on the expertise of local artisans.”
Unlike other enamel cast iron, Staub’s cast iron cocotte boasts a unique black matte enamel coating made of glass studded with quartz particles. The resulting surface doesn’t just promote exceptional browning – it also resists wear and tear from metal utensils, which means your pot will look just as good in ten years as it does today – if not better, thanks to all those years of seasoning! It also means that Staub works well for more acidic dishes that regular cast iron might not, like tomato sauce.
The spikes underneath the Staub cocotte lid are designed to retain moisture. An ideal attribute for slow cooking and baking bread.
Organic Authority
And the pot itself isn’t the…
Travel Abroad without Leaving Home this Summer with Homemade Paella
*Affiliate disclosure.
When Europe began allowing vaccinated Americans to cross its borders, a lot of us slammed the “buy now” button for an airline ticket faster than you can say “hola.” But others took pause. The Delta variant is dangerous, and after a year-and-change of consistently astronomical stress levels, a staycation might seem like the far more relaxing summertime plan. But just because you aren’t packing your suitcase quite yet doesn’t mean you can’t take full advantage of the double-vaxxed lifestyle. Readers, allow us to invite you on a trip to Spain… by way of your kitchen.
Paella is a classic Valencian specialty that’s positively perfect this time of year. This dish turns any meal into a special occasion, and it’s perfect for feeding a crowd (accompanied by, porque no, some delicious sustainable wine).
It’s also notably a favorite of our founder and resident chef, Laura Klein, who first encountered it in Nerja, Spain and has treasured it as a special dish ever since.
“I like to make paella for a crowd or a dinner party particularly during the summer,” she says. “It’s fun, it’s family style and people are always impressed by it. And it’s not something that people find at our local restaurants or eat often, so it’s a bit outside the box.”
In terms of a recipe, Klein lets the ingredients be her guide.
Laura’s Chorizo and Seafood Paella in a Made In Paella Pan
“I stick with the classic Spanish version as inspiration,” she says, noting she blends a combination of vegetables, Spanish chorizo, and fresh fish or seafood with the base of saffron-scented rice. One of her favorite go to recipes is her Seafood and Chorizo Paella. When choosing the seafood, Klein relies on a nearby expert.
“I have a local fishmonger that I’ve gotten to know over the years whom I know and trust,” she says. Bolstered by some research on SeafoodWatch.org for the most sustainable options in her area, she lets him guide her to the best choices.
“So it comes out a little different every time.”
Michelin-starred Chef Danny Lledó of Washington D.C.’s Xiquet echoes Klein’s call for quality products, especially the seafood, which he says is sure to bring this dish to the next level every time. But the most essential ingredient, in Lledó’s opinion? The broth.
“The…
The Best Sustainable Camping Cookware to Get You Out of the Damn House
*Affiliate disclosure.
As with so many of us during the pandemic, I spent a lot of time deeply reflecting on the important things in life. Like whether or not I should buy one bottle of biodynamic wine or two. Or whether or not I should be talking to a therapist about the existential dread I feel every time I scroll through Netflix. You know, the big stuff.
Then there was the actual big stuff. Being at home all the time, it got to a point where I found myself wondering, why am I constantly taking out the trash? And why is there so much of it? As a conscientious re-user and recycler, it was concerning to see how much waste I was generating.
Another realization was that all the travel daydreaming I found myself indulging in with my WFH reality could also become…my near-future reality.
With this new mindset, I’ve filled up the second half of 2021 with all sorts of plans (and crafted a handful of OOO replies so people know I’m not messing around), I’ve reevaluated what I have in my camping gear, and picked up some new items so I can reduce my waste, especially plastic, and be more mindful of the footprint I’m leaving behind.
Plus, as someone who cooked a whole lot during the pandemic, I’m absolutely done with low-quality cookware. Below is a list of high quality, camping cookware items that are sustainably crafted and will last for years to come.
The Products
FOR SOLO CAMPERS
Snow Peak Titanium Trek 700 Mug
REI
Snow Peak Titanium Trek 700 Mug
Is it a pot? A mug? A bowl? According to the makers of this mug, it’s all three. And if it had a wine opener, I’d be calling it the Swiss Army knife of mugs (suggestion for the next model?) because it’s everything in one. So go ahead and ditch the extra pots and plastic bowls since the flip-top lid lets you easily strain pasta and rice, then eat right from it. Plus, it’s BPA-free, so you don’t have to worry about toxic contamination when you heat the mug.
Snow Peak Giga Power 110 Gold Fuel Canister – Use this with the Snow Peak Titanium Mug.
REI
Snow…
Pack Nutrients into Your Daily Serving of Veggies with This Unexpected Plant
Dandelions weren’t always the bane of snobby suburbanites competing for the glossiest green grass. Actually, for most of history, the yellow-flowered lawn interloper was considered a mini medicine cabinet across folk traditions the world over. Colonialists brought dandelions from Europe to North America for their wide array of medicinal uses. Much like mom jeans and platform sandals, dandelions used to be cool. And they’re about to be cool again.
The tough-AF plant can take up residence pretty much anywhere, which is bad news for golf courses but great news for environmentally conscious humans looking to get their hands on more nutritious, whole foods.
Cannabis isn’t the only weed with full-body benefits that science (and society) is finally acknowledging. Dandelions are packed with vitamins A, C, and K and contain more iron and calcium than spinach. Basically, contrary to popular opinion, dandelions are just as good for you as trendier greens like kale and wheatgrass or spirulina. They’re widely available and very cost-effective (especially if you forage them). Bonus points: adding this organically grown weed to your plate or morning brew is really great for the planet.
Every part of this unsung herbal hero is edible and, on top of their nutritional value, they have those coveted extra health benefits we’re all after these days. Dandelions reduce inflammation and help with digestion. Packed with antioxidants, they can also ease the aging process and generally keep the body, y’know, spry and youthful. The plant has historically been used to treat liver issues and is widely known even today to support the body’s natural detoxification processes.
What makes this plant a weed is also what makes it such an earth-friendly veggie option. It’s an extremely hardy perennial, not easily endangered. When you pick the plant without removing the roots from the ground, another plant just grows back in its place. Letting your own lawn fill up with a few dandelions isn’t a bad idea, either. Your local ecosystem will thank you for it. The blossoms are great for bees and diversifying the plants that grow on your lawn is optimal for healthy soil, boosting water and nutrient retention (saving you on your water bill, too).
If you want to harvest dandelions yourself, get a little hunter-gatherer with it (loincloth not required). Don’t pick from places like local parks or roadsides that have likely…
