Healthy Eating: Quick Breakfast for School & Work

I admit that breakfast is hardly usually my first priority, especially on busy school/work mornings, which generally involve me grabbing a granola bar or opting out entirely for a coffee with soy milk. But I am trying to improve on that, and today wanted to show a fairly easy, relatively healthy breakfast I've been enjoying.

It's a simple stack of pre-made waffles with half a banana and pure maple syrup. I'm enjoying the Van's gluten-free waffles, which are already lightly sweetened with fruit juice. However, the texture is a bit dry and crumbly at points, which I suppose goes with the gluten-free aspect. At any rate, this is filling and enjoyable even as a dessert (which I confess to doing more often than not).

Still on the hunt for good breakfast ideas, so feel free to share!

My Drugstore Sunscreen Picks

I've certainly splurged on very pricey sunscreens before (I'll be posting a review of one of them shortly), but to be honest have rarely found them to be worth it. In fact, branded, expensive sunscreens are just as likely to contain the "Avoid" ingredients as drugstore ones and the performance gap just isn't enough to warrant the high price tag. 

Here are three of my drugstore sunscreen picks that you can get for under $10. You can zoom in on the ingredients list in the photo below and see that all three pass the "Avoid" test.  

Aveeno Natural Protection: This one leaves the most obvious white cast, so for that reason it's my least favorite of the bunch. It's fine for the body, but I would keep it far away from the face and neck - I once put it on and despite blending it as best as possible, I had people commenting on what the white stuff on my face was. Yikes. However, the texture is quite smooth and less goopy than some of the others, making it easier to spread out than a couple of the others.

I will warn you to watch out against the other products in the Aveeno sunscreen line. They have a Protect and Hydrate SPF 70 version with very similar packaging, but that's a chemical sunscreen with Oxybenzone. Stick to this Natural Protection version if you're doing this brand.

Banana Boat Kids (Yellow Tube): This is my favorite. It's also conveniently the cheapest of the three, costly less for 8oz than the others for only 3 or 4oz. You'll note that I have two kids choices up here, because it seems manufacturers are at least becoming aware of the importance of keeping harmful chemicals off kids skins. But don't be deterred, because these work perfectly fine for adults too!

This one is a nice medium between the other two. It's fairly easy to spread and does not leave a white cast when blended out. I use it on my face and body.

Banana Boat Kids Natural Reflect (Green Tube): To be honest I'm not sure what the major difference between this and the yellow tube are, especially as this costs over twice as much per oz. It is a significantly thicker texture though, so maybe it has a higher coverage (I noted the Titanium Dixoide is 3.6% versus 3.1% for the yellow tube)? Anyways, as much as I like this product, I really don't like the thick formulation. This one is literally impossible to rub in - you have to aggressively pat it onto the skin because it's so thick.

However, unlike the Aveeno one, once you pat this in it all but disappears, leaving a flattering glow to the skin. In fact, that's what I kind of like about mineral sunscreens - they make the skin appear luminous after. Just make sure to powder, or else your face will be too shiny.

As always, make sure to apply sunscreen often, and keep protected!

Health Tip: Protect your gums by not using hard toothbrushes

This is a combination beauty and health tip, but recently I've been experiencing some gum pain, and my (much older) doctor told me that one of her greatest regrets is that for over 40 years she used a very hard-bristle toothbrush and essentially put undue pressure on her gums every time she brushed her teeth. This later led to receding gum lines. Scary stuff, and just goes to show that you shouldn't ever blindly listen to dentists' recommendations! Her recommendation is to go with soft bristle brushes, and to use the sensitive setting on electric toothbrushes to avoid destroying the gums.

I wanted to expand that a little further by touching upon my own experience with a deep-cleaning, which was both unnecessary and in retrospect far more damaging than beneficial. My dentist scared me with the idea of things growing under my gum line, so I proceeded to go forth with a deep cleaning. That certainly led to receding gum lines, especially in my rightmost front tooth. The gum line, especially behind the tooth, is noticeably deeper now, and occasionally causes discomfort.

Please note that as a disclosure I am not a dental expert, and I'm sure some people have benefited from deep-cleaning procedures. But if I could go back, I wish someone would have shared this with me and let me understand the full risks, especially as I'm young and honestly it's done more harm than good.

Beauty Tip: Avoiding wrinkles from ill-fitting sunglasses and rubbing your eyes

There's two beauty mistakes I've recently discovered myself to be guilty of, and it's time to change those ASAP. The first is wearing sunglasses that don't fit on my nose and consequently end up being supporting by my cheeks. Turns out this can lead to wrinkles (which makes sense because of the downward pressure by said sunglasses). It's a pity, because my Tiffany's prescription sunglasses (top pair in picture above) are very much of this sort, which means I've literally been doing harm for years (yikes!)

I have a very low nose and relatively high cheekbones, so it's difficult to avoid, but after much searching I think I finally found a pair that fit without nudging against my face (from Urban Outfitters, the pair below). I unfortunately don't find them as flattering on, but for $24 they'll do well as a substitute in the meantime.

Of course, please note that despite the risk of cheek-resting, you should definitely keep wearing those sunglasses, because they still shield your eyes from UV damage and help you avoid constant squinting (which can lead to other wrinkles).

The second rule is to stop rubbing those eyes! Lately I've found myself doing that almost constantly through the day. Much of it is out of paranoia that there's stuff in my eye and other times it's to itch them. This has to stop. It's not only unhygenic, but the tugging of the skin as you rub is exactly the recipe for wrinkles.

Hope this was informative and helps some of you to make a change like me earlier rather than later!

Healthy Eating: My Typical Breakfast

I realize that almost everyone has been with the healthy-eating fad lately, but I really do think it's something worthwhile for both long-term health and beauty. Along with trying to expand my diet to include more fruits and veggies, I've been trying to train myself to eat a more healthful breakfast.

Personally, I don't think you should overeat in the mornings. A few of the nutritionists I follow, including Kimberly Snyder, recommend going easy on your digestive system at the start of the day with something light. Listen to your body and don't eat a ton if you're not feeling hungry.

On busy class days, oatmeal is my default because of its easiness and warmth (especially in the cooler months). The verdict is still out on whether grains, including oatmeal, are good or bad, but there's really nothing that beats the convenience in the morning.

I usually prefer my oatmeal plain, generally without any toppings and sweeteners. To be honest, I've always found sweetened oatmeal to be rather sickly. Recently though, I've been experimenting with adding chia seeds on top. Chia seeds have a slightly nutty flavor and add a nice crunch. Plus, they will expand when exposed to water either externally or in your stomach. This helps to make you feel fuller post-consumption.

I'm not sure if this chia craze is truly worth it, as these seeds are fairly pricy. However, I'm willing to give them a shot and so far I've been enjoying them.

Some people do smoothies in the morning, and someday I'll try to find a way to do that instead. But for now I'm enjoying my daily breakfast.

Beauty Tip: Wait 30 mins Before Brushing Teeth After Eating

I wanted to share some of the beauty tips I've come across that may be popularly applicable. The first is a bit unusual, but helpful to anyone looking to maintain their smile.

Taiwan celebrity Ariel Lin has mentioned in interviews that she never brushes immediately after a meal, and will instead floss. Turns out this is pretty smart, because after we eat or drink, the acid from the food will remain in the mouth and temporarily soften our teeth. If we brush immediately after, we'll essentially be scratching away at our enamel, causing additional harm and abrasion. Instead, we should wait about 30 minutes, by which time saliva will have restored the pH balance in our mouth. Alternatively, you can floss and use mouth wash.

I personally wish I'd known this sooner (ahem, guilty of midnight snacks followed by immediate brushing). If interested, you can read more here,