The new bean on the block
Yet another ultra-nutritious ingredient to add to your pantry, lupini (or lupin) beans are the latest member of the pulse family to receive some well-deserved attention. A staple of Mediterranean cuisine, the humble lupini bean is a member of the pea family, resembling a lima bean that has been dipped in gold. In any given recipe, lupinis will have plenty of presence thanks to their mildly sweet, nutty flavor and pleasantly toothsome texture.
An excellent source of protein and dietary fiber, lupini beans can be added to salads, stews, soups, pasta dishes, and braises. They can also be used to make a low-carb flour or roasted for a high-fiber snack. Regularly including lupini beans and other pulses in your diet can have a wide range of health benefits, including improved nutrient density, an increase in gut-friendly prebiotics, more efficient weight loss results, and noticeable levels of satiety after eating.
Try facial yoga for youthful skin
Feeling curious about anti-aging procedures but don’t want to commit to an invasive procedure? Facial yoga may be just the approach you’re looking for! A series of non-invasive strengthening and stretching exercises for the muscles on your face, facial yoga shows promise in improving facial expression and muscle tone.
A recent study looked at the effects of a daily facial yoga program on middle-aged women over the course of 20 weeks. Overall, those who had consistently completed the exercises reported increased cheek fullness and more youthful looking skin. In terms of technique, facial yoga favors exercises that focus on puckering and squeezing the cheeks—two movements that have been shown to increase fullness in the upper and lower cheek area. According to experts, the results of a daily facial yoga routine tend to be noticeable after three to four weeks.
Sit back and relax with a healing foot soak
As anyone who has ever had sore feet knows, a good soak does wonders for many aches, pains, and ailments. In fact, regularly soaking your feet has proven to improve sleep quality in menopausal women, reduce stress and regulate mood in stroke patients, and provide overall pain relief.
To get the most out of your foot soak, be sure to add a generous scoop of Epsom salt. Not only will it help soften rough skin, but Epsom salt can also relieve foot and leg pain, while lowering stress levels. Vinegar is another beneficial foot soak ingredient, thanks to its strong antimicrobial effect against bacterial and fungal infections, making vinegar soaks an effective treatment for foot odor. For similar benefits, try adding an essential oil with antibacterial properties such as tea tree, thyme, rosemary, clove, or lavender.
Chew your toothpaste—in tablet form!
Move over tubed toothpaste, it’s time to give tablets a try! Whether you’re looking to make the switch for sustainability reasons, or you’re in search of the perfect tooth cleaning formulation, the toothpaste tablet may be the right choice for you. First made into a powder using ingredients such as xylitol, calcium carbonate, baking soda, and cream of tartar, the mixture is then pressed into molds and dried.
To use a tooth tablet, simply chew and break down the tablet using your saliva or a sip of water, before brushing your teeth as usual with the resulting paste. Recent research showed that certain toothpastes could be more abrasive on enamel than tablets. And though the cavity-preventing capacity of toothpaste tablets has yet to be proven, they may also be an eco-friendly alternative for those looking beyond the tube.
