Guilt-free indulging?

Ask any baby boomer what he or she most fears - aside from wrinkles - the answer’s very likely to be memory loss. “But there’s good news,” says “Rogue Nutritionist” Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., CNS. “Compounds in cocoa called flavanols activate a pathway that just might guard against Alzheimer’s.” Bowden points to research just published in the Journal of Cellular Biochemistry showing that flavanols trigger “neuroprotective activity,” which is science talk for protecting your brain. This definitely got our blood racing with excitement as half the time we can’t remember where we left our keys let alone keep track of all the things we have to check off our to-do list.

“The researchers believe that cocoa flavanols may be beneficial in a number of conditions such as aging and dementia,” explains Bowden. He also cites research by Harvard nutritionist and epidemiologist Eric Ding, Ph.D., published in the Journal of Nutrition which demonstrates the positive effect of flavanols on heart health, metabolism and circulation. “In my book, that makes chocolate a bona fide health food!” says Bowden.

Still on the fence? Bowden, the author of 13 books including the highly [...]

A must-have fruit bowl

Getting the kids and the hubbies to eat right is an ongoing challenge. One of the things we’ve learned however is that making healthy foods accessible goes a long way. If we pre-cut fruits and veggies and display them front and center in the fridge we’re all less likely to go rummaging through the pantry looking for something packaged. Now thanks to designer Robert Seigelnspired it’s made all the more easy with his fun porcelain bowls, inspired by his grandmother’s fruit bowl.

The bowls and saucers are crafted and glazed by hand with a cluster of holes so that you can rinse your berries, while also allowing air to circulate, which helps keep fruit ripe. There’s [...]

Move over Marc Jacobs

There have been countless celebrity turned designer disasters - ahem P. Diddy and Jennifer Lopez - but here are 10 that consistently get it right.

1. Victoria Beckham

2. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen

3. Gwen Stefani

4. Pharrell

5. Nicole Richie

6. Rachel Zoe

7. Brad Pitt [...]

Stay wrinkle free

Believe it or not our bodies are subject to varying degrees of dehydration throughout the year - especially this time of year when we’re transitioning from cold dry winter air to warmer temperatures, the body’s largest organ—your skin—takes a beating. Things get worse in the summertime when we’re baked by the sun and minutes later blasted by frigid air-conditioning devoid of any humidity. “The ideal humidity comfort level for humans can be anywhere from 40-60 percent,” says Heather Hausenblas, Ph.D., of the University of Florida College of Health and Human Performance, “Americans spend a good portion of their time inside with the AC blasting. In these types of environments we are constantly sucking vital nutrients out of the skin, which can lead to a plethora of undesirable conditions — from wrinkles to acne breakouts to itchy dry patches…not to mention feeling like your body’s running a quart low all the time.” To deal with the humidity conundrum—which is a year-round challenge for the skin, Hausenblas recommends an “inside-out” approach that incorporates the following tips:

1. First and foremost stay hydrated—drink at least half your body’s weight in ounces of water or low sugar juices every day [...]

A new in-house home brand

Target launched their new home brand, Threshold, with a bang last week erecting a 1,600-square-foot dollhouse complete with a patio and lawn area smack in the middle of Grand Central in New York City. There were somewhere between 3,500 and 4,000 products on display in the house and, with few exceptions, all are available for purchase at Target.

Needless to say Threshold offers an extensive range of products to meet pretty much every home need you can imagine. We’re particularly fond of their tabletop, linens, and outdoor furnishings and we love that the prices are [...]