8 New Superfoods You Should be Eating

From an article by Allison Young for 

Women's Health magazine,

here is a way to make eating heathily

much more interesting.

Take a look at 8 fresh cancer fighting,

age-defying, energy boosting

ingredients to add to your plate:

Kefir

With more protein and less sugar than yogurt, but the same tangy taste, probiotics and creamy texture, Kefir is thought to be an immune system enhancer, and may protect against colon cancer.

What is kefir?

Try It Instead of yogurt in salad dressings or smoothies. Plain kefir is in the dairy aisle, but Lifeway makes a dessert-ready frozen variety too.

Jicama

This slightly sweet and crunchy root veggie stars inulin, a belly-flattening fiber that acts as a prebiotic to promote helpful bacteria in the gut. It's also an excellent source of vitamin C, which may boost collagen and fight wrinkles. 

Try It Cooked or raw in slaws, stir-fries, tacos, and salads, or tossed in lime juice and sprinkled with chili powder. Find it at farmers' markets or Mexican groceries

Chia

One tablespoon of these nutty-tasting edible seeds has as much fiber as a bowl of oatmeal, plus bone-building calcium and heart-healthy omega-3s.
Chia is also a good source of iron, which many women don't get enough of,
 (Related: 8 Surprising Foods for Heart Health)
Try It On cereal, salads, and soups, or use it to thicken puddings and stir-fries. (The seeds absorb liquid and acquire a gel-like texture.) Available at natural grocery stores.

Sprouts

 

Three-day-old broccoli plants may contain 

up to 50 times more 

of the anticancer agent sulforaphane 

than mature stalks, 

but without the pungent taste.

Try Them On sandwiches, wraps, pizza, baked potatoes, 

stews, stir-fries, tacos, and just about anything else you can think of. 

Black Garlic

 Fermentation gives this garlic its sweet, clove-and-caramel flavor and concentrates its natural antioxidants to nearly double that of a raw bulb. These compounds help lower cholesterol and can help decrease cancer risk, says Janet Helm, R.D., of NutritionUnplugged.com. And the black stuff comes with no nasty breath! 

Try It In fondue, sauces, pizza, and, believe it or not, cookies, brownies, and cakes. Order some at blackgarlic.com.

Kelp

A possible anti-breast-cancer crusader, kelp is loaded with vitamin K, calcium, and other essential nutrients. And its natural alginate fiber may help block fat, says nutritionist Christine Avanti.

Try It In powdered form, mixed into meatballs and soups; use sheets (kombu) as uber-low-cal wrappers. Some specialty stores carry Sea Tangle Kelp Noodles (kelpnoodles.com), which have just six calories per serving!

Nutritional Yeast 

A single serving of these cheese-like flakes has an incredible nine grams of satiating protein and provides more than your RDA of B vitamins to help boost energy, squash stress, and decrease your risk for chronic diseases.
Try It As a dairy-free sub for Parmesan on popcorn, potatoes, pasta, or scrambled eggs. You can find this yeast in specialty markets or health-food stores.

Barley

 

 This sweet, nutty supergrain is rich in niacin (for healthy hair and skin) and cancer-fighting lignans. Plus, "the soluble fiber keeps your cholesterol levels healthy, cutting your risk for heart disease," says Geagan.

Try It In place of pasta, rice, or oatmeal. Or swap Bob's Red Mill Whole Grain Barley Flour (bobsredmill.com) for up to a third of the flour in baked goods. Both are available at regular grocery stores.

 

3 Quick Ways To Brighten Tired Eyes

There's no need to walk around looking sleep deprived.

Here are 3 quick tricks to wake up your tired looking eyes in an instant,

and leave you looking vibrant and gorgeous!

1. If you're the girl who likes to wear beige/taupe or neutral shadows:

abandon the flat mattes and use a shimmery version instead.

Or add a shimmer product,  

such as Makeup Forever Star Powder in #926

to the inner corner of the eyelid, and sweep it across

the inner 1/3 of the lid.

The tiniest touch of champagne beige shimmer

under the inner 1/3 of the lower lash line will wake your eye right up too!

2. If you're the girl who normally wears black or brown eyeliner:

Try a navy blue liner instead.

 

When you run a little navy blue under the lower lashes (and blend it) it will make bloodshot tired eyes look brighter

3. If you're the girl who prefers vivid eye shadow colors:

Try lavender eyeshadow.

Lavender is the most universally iris-brightening shade.

Avoid purples with a very deep blue base, stay lighter and fresher instead.

 

Annabella Barber for Plaza Kvinna

I love all things Australiastic.

Sydney feels like home to me.

Model Annabella Barber stars in 

this beautiful shoot by

photographer Jaclyn Adams

for Australia's Plaza Kvinna.

 

Styled by Vass Arvinitas

Makeup by Julie Provis

Hair by Joey Scandizzo

Sometimes life just needs to be simple, sweet and floral.

The 5 Grossest Things You're Eating

This is pretty hideous!
Men's Health magazine ran a piece on 
the 5 grossest things we're eating.
Here's what they said:

1. Grain Products

 Why they're gross: Many packaged breads and baked goods contain L-cysteine-a non-essential amino acid made from dissolved human hair (often from China) or duck feathers (mmmm). Food manufacturers use the ingredient as a commercial dough conditioner, meant to improve the texture of breads and baked goods.

Why it's bad: Eating something derived from the human body violates the religious and ethical beliefs of Muslims and vegans. Plus, eew! If you want to avoid ingesting hair and feathers-and really, who doesn't?-try eating unprocessed whole grains like oats and brown rice, and make your own baked goods whenever possible. (Search: Which whole grains are the healthiest?)

2. Shrimp

 Why it's gross: Depending on where your shrimp comes from, it could be tainted with chemicals used to clean filthy shrimp-farm pens. Just as disgusting, farmed shrimp from overseas is often full of antibiotics, mouse and rat hair, and pieces of insects (yummy!).

Why it's bad: Only about 2 percent of all imported seafood is inspected, meaning this nasty stuff is making its way onto your plate. Contaminated shrimp tends to come from critters imported from overseas shrimp farms, so if you're looking for safer-and more appetizing-options, choose domestic shrimp. (Search: Make sure you're eating the healthiest seafood in the sea).

3. Salad Dressing

 Why it's gross: Big food corporations often add the chemical titanium dioxide-commonly found in paints and sunscreens-to processed foods like salad dressing, coffee creamers, and canned icing to make them appear whiter.
Why it's bad: Titanium dioxide is a component of the metallic element titanium, a mined substance that's sometimes contaminated with toxic lead. Plus, most white dressings (like cream-based ranch) aren't great for you anyway. Both your health and your waistline will fare better if you go with an olive oil- or vinegar-based salad topper instead. Or, better yet, make your dressing at home.

4. Jelly Beans

 Why it's gross: Many artificial food dyes-found in hundreds of everyday foods-are made from petroleum-derived materials. Food producers use these chemical dyes in cereals and candy to make them more "fun" for kids, in pickles to make them appear fresher, and in place of real ingredients in a variety of other packaged foods. Betty Crocker Carrot Cake Mix, for example, is actually a carrot-free product, with "carrot flavored pieces" cooked up from corn syrup and artificial colors Yellow 6 and Red 40.

Why it's bad: Orange and purple food dyes have been shown to impair brain function, and other dyes have been linked to ADHD and behavioral problems in kids, as well as brain-cell toxicity. And not only are these additives potentially hazardous, but they're also a rip-off! It's cheaper for food companies to use fake dyes in place of real ingredients, so you end up with food frauds like Tropicana Twister Cherry Berry Blast, a "juice" product without a trace of cherry or berry juice (check out our full list of the 20 Worst Drinks in America). Get your brightly colored foods from the produce aisle only!

5. Canned Mushrooms

Why they're gross: The FDA legally allows 19 maggots—tiny, rice-shaped fly larvae that feast on rotting foods—and 74 mites in every 3.5-ounce can of mushrooms. Bon appetit!

Why it's bad: While maggots do have their place in the medical world—they can help heal ulcers and other wounds—most of us would agree that they don't have a place in our mouths. Opt for fresh mushrooms instead, and if you need another reason to ditch canned goods, consider this: Most are lined with bisphenol A (or BPA), a plastic chemical that causes unnatural hormonal changes linked to heart attacks, obesity, and certain cancers.

 

Odile Coco for L'Officiel China

Isn't she just lovely?

Michelle du Xuan photographed 

model Odile-Coco

 in this beauty story 

for L'Officiel China May 2012 issue.

Styled by Pierre Yves Marquer

in sweet feminine simplicity

offset by the beautiful makeup of Aya Fujita

and hair by Shuko Sumida.

Ada Wrzesinska for Harpers Bazaar Turkey, April 2012

Ooooh!! I do enjoy a good blonde wig!!

I'm not quite sure how I missed this 

Harpers Bazaar Turkey editorial in April,

but check out how sensational 

a chopped platinum wig with blunt force bangs,

courtesy of hair stylist Ibrahim Zengin

looks on model Ada Wrzesinska.

Shot by Emre Guven

and styled by Mert Aslan,

the entire editorial is pulled together by the gorgeous fucshia nails

and soft makeup of Gulum Erzincan.

I love it.

Traveling With 3 Fluid Ounces

When you travel, you need to think about condensing the volume of the products that you are packing.

When you are flying the friendly skies

 this becomes essential

as the cost for excess baggage weight has become exorbitant.

If you are taking your bags on board with you

you have to follow the 3 Fluid Ounce rule

(that is: no liquid or cream based products in containers weighing more than 3 fluid ounces.)

I transfer some of my products into travel sized containers,

but most of them I prefer to buy already packaged for me.

There are some really fabulous websites that deal specifically with travel sized items, my favorite of which is

3floz.com

 Not only do they carry an assortment of elite 

skin care and haircare brands including

Ole Henrikson, Oscar Biandi, Dr Haushka and Somme Institute

(there are tons more too)

but they also carry all kinds of fun, random products 

that are perfect for business travel, vacation travel, 

honeymoon travel,

and make fantastically cool and quirky gifts.

I love the fragrance diffusers from Archipelago

(this summer I am traveling with "Santorini" named after the party island)

the Archipelago soy candles  have a 6 hour burn

(I'm taking the Positano candle with me next week).

The shave cream is a must, as is the soy body lotion.

 

The 21 Drops series is really cool - an assortment of travel packaged essential oils to help you with everything from

 stress to PMS, digestion to pain relief, as well as oils to invigorate you, inspire you and add a little passion.

My favorite new purchase from 3floz.com 

has to be the Help - I Need A Lot Of Help set.

This is a completely brilliant 8 piece set of help remedies, color coded and packaged into slim-fit cases.

It's always ready to travel, and easy to find in your suitcase in the middle of the night. 

Help I have a blister

Help I cut myself

Help I have a headache

Help I cant sleep

Help I have allergies

Help I have a stuffy nose

Help I have chest congestion

and Help I have an aching body

clever non?

Coco Rocha For Elle Brazil May 2012

Canadian model Coco Rocha

brings it big time, yet again with

her ELLE Brazil May 2012 cover and editorial

photographed by Max Abadian.

Stylist William Graper dresses her

in some of spring's most interesting pieces

from designers including Balmain, Gucci

Roberto Cavalli and Givenchy.

Slicked back center part by Andre Gunn

dark lip and smoky eyes by Hung Vanngo

Fabulous.

The Special Model

you can follow Coco Rocha on twitter @cocorocha