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I Tried To Eat Organic For A Month Without Spending Extra On Food ... Prevention.com I managed to eat organic for a month without spending any extra on food , but it wasn't always easy. Here's what I learned. Research and Markets - Natural and Organic Foods and Beverages ...PR Newswire (press release) all 3 news articles »

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I Tried To Eat Organic For A Month Without Spending Extra On Food ... - Prevention.com

Dive Brief:

One of the most contentious ideas before the National Organic Standards Board at its last meeting was whether to require organic crops to be grown in soil not hydroponically. After much discussion, the issue was tabled and sent to a subcommittee for more research.

Its an issue that has been making plenty of news. Five months ago, the Cornucopia Institute filed a legal complaint against the USDA and other major agribusinesses and organic certifying agents claiming illegal labeling on hydroponic produce sold as certified organic. Other groups feel that when produce is not grown in soil, it is not truly organic.

Now, it looks like the NOSB will make some sort of recommendation to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in two weeks. The NOSB's recommendation is nonbinding, but will strongly influence organic policy decisions made by USDA.

If the NOSB recommends banning the labeling for hydroponic-growncrops as organic, it could have devastating effects on these growers. Many rely on the higher prices that organic foods bring in and have transitioned their produce to being grown this way.

Plus, with the organic market growing monthly, and still not enough organic farmers to meet the demand, this will also create more of a problem. The global organic food market is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 14% from 2016 to 2021,according to TechSci Research.

A decision on hydroponics could be another NOSB recommendation that could impact the wider food industry.In November, the NOSB decided carrageenan should no longer be allowed as an additive to organic food. Opponents of the controversial ingredient, which is used as an emulsifier in many products, point to scientific and anecdotal evidence that it causes digestive inflammation. However, the board made its decision based on information that there are other additives that can do a similar job.

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Will hydroponic produce get to keep its organic certification? - Food Dive

Organic food fight: Grocers rush to stock the Seattle market Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle) Cate Hardy, CEO of PCC Natural Markets, in front of a giant photo of Washington more. King County has added nearly 50 food stores in 10 years and nine natural grocery stores have just opened or are set to open soon. That won't be enough to keep up ...

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Organic food fight: Grocers rush to stock the Seattle market - Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle)

The Mindfulness & Wellbeing Project is a component of the Transforming Surge Capacity project, led by Action Aid as part of a portfolio of projects organized by the Start Network, and funded by DfID.

The well-being of aid workers has become a hot topic of discussion in recent years, but it seems much of the talk has yet to translate into meaningful actions.

During a meeting with colleagues at the START Networkfive years ago, Action Against HungerPartnerships Program Manager Hitendra Solanki suggested the idea of introducing mindfulness meditation in the humanitarian sector as a means to prevent stress, which can lead to burnout, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Solanki was referring to a practice in which individuals cultivate a sense of awareness about their own thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations. With time, meditation can help practitioners better relate to these thoughts and emotions and catch early signs of stress before they worsen.

It means you can be aware of things building up before they get out of control or in a more acute stage. If you can catch the subtle signs of stress tensing up in your body, feeling tight or sick in your stomach at the earliest indications of that, it means that you then have the ability to take steps to mitigate it [from] getting into a full blown panic attack for example, or stress accumulating until youre physically sick or youre mentally ill, he told Devex during a visit in Manila early this year, where he conducted a mindfulness meditation training to a group of aid workers, psychology students and personnel at the Ateneo de Manila University.

The practice has its roots in Buddhism, but Jon Kabat-Zinn, a professor of medicine at the University of Massachusetts, developed a program called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reductionthat draws on the scientific evidence of the impact of self-awareness on peoples mental well-being.

79 percent of 754 aid workers admitted to experiencing mental health issues.

Several universities, such as Oxford and Bangor in the U.K., offer courses on MBSR and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, which is focused on helping individuals overcome depression. But there remains limited understanding in the humanitarian sector of what it is, what its not and what its potential benefits are.

The majority of Solankis colleagues to whom he initially proposed the idea rolled their eyes and associated the practice with hippie culture, he admitted.

But the U.K. Department for International Developmentagreed to fund the project a component of the Transforming Surge Capacity projectunder the START Network for three years through its Disasters Emergency Preparedness Program. This allowed Solanki to introduce the practice on a wider scale in the nonprofit sector. Since 2015, the project has engaged an estimated 180 individuals both in person and through audio- and video-based trainings in Pakistan, the Philippines and Thailand. Now Solanki wants to get the evidence base for the practices feasibility, outcomes and impact.

Mindfulness as a practice is not new; a number of high-profile individuals, such as Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan, Huffington Post co-founder and former Editor-in-Chief Arianna Huffington, and CNN Senior Correspondent Anderson Cooper have all embraced the practice.

But most of the available literature that looked into its impact on a larger scale for those who underwent the training has been limited in the corporate sector, where mindfulness has received considerable attention and interest from companies such as Google, Intel and General Mills.

Inspired by the practice, Google launched SIY, or Search Inside Yourself, in 2007, a program spearheaded by one of its engineers, Chade Meng Tan. The program has since rolled out of Google and is now a nonprofit, but it remains a popular training program at the tech giant. An estimated 2,000 Google employees have already gone through the course, and a number of them at least anecdotally have reported changes in their focus, relations and how they handle the pressures of working in such a demanding, fast-paced setting, according to a 2012 article in The New York Times.

Getting that evidence base is what Solanki hopes to achieve in the projects third year, but there have been setbacks and challenges, he said. Plans for an app that participants can use to input data about their experience in practicing mindfulness fell through. Aid workers availability has also put a strain on his evidence-gathering efforts.

How do you bring in an experiential training that takes time to develop in a sector where everything needs to be done immediately? he said. Most people in the sector dont even have time to go for a 5-day training course because they could be pulled away into an emergency. Even when you can afford a time, a person will still be busy worrying about getting back to their inbox because the work is building up.

MBSR developed by Kabat-Zinn was for eight weeks, but to accommodate aid workers erratic schedules, Solanki had to develop a course fit for a five-day, one-day or even half-day trainings where he introduces the basics of mindfulness meditation. This allows aid workers to have a feel for the practice, which is helpful for them to decide later on whether theyd want to continue and deepen their understanding of how mindfulness works and how it can benefit them.

But another challenge is that not everyone is open to the idea, either out of lack of interest or deep-seated preconceptions on meditation being linked to religious pursuits. Some think meditation is about reaching a certain state of bliss, or being freed of negative thoughts. There remain individuals who, after an eight-week course on MBSR, still dont quite get it, said Solanki.

Just imagine youre sitting there, saying OK, I want to achieve a state where there are no thoughts. So every time a thought comes into your head, as it will inevitably do as that is the nature of the mind, youre going to be sitting there getting more and more frustrated and stressed because, oh God, Im thinking again, he said.

The aid sector does not currently have a system in place to get a full picture of how much work-related stress is affecting aid workers mental health and performance. But the few statistics available that tried to capture a segment of the aid worker population revealed worrying numbers.

A Guardian survey in 2015revealed 79 percent of 754 aid workers admitted to experiencing mental health issues: anxiety, depression, panic attacks and post traumatic stress disorder. Approximately 20 percent of international staff from Europe and the U.S. that are part of moderate-to-large-sized NGOs also reported clinically significant levels of depression following deployment, based on researchconducted by the Centers for Disease Controland The Antares Foundation, a Dutch nonprofit providing staff care and psychosocial support to development and humanitarian organizations. Almost 12 percent also reported high anxiety three to six months after returning from mission. National staff from Jordan, Uganda and Sri Lanka who took part in a similar survey also reported significant levels of mental challenges: More than half of the close to 1,000 national staff showed significant levels of depression, while half showed significant signs of anxiety. About one-quarter showed symptoms of PTSD.

We can call it an absolute disaster or crisis if you want to, because thats exactly what it is, Solanki said.

The problem is that most aid workers would rather not talk about it, for fear of judgment and potentially losing their jobs, and aid organizations dont have an overarching policy to deal with their staff members well-being, including consultants on short-term contracts.

This is reflected in an online surveySolanki conducted in October 2016 among some members of the U.K.s START Network. It was meant as a general well-being survey to get a glimpse of aid organizations well-being practices, and consisted of two sets of questions, one for aid agencies human resources, one for aid agencies staff. But it revealed some trends in the sector: Despite increasing calls for organizations to put in place policies that ensure their staff members well-being, very few organizations allocate sufficient budget and have distinct policies in place for this purpose.

Eleven out of 19 aid agencies that took part in the survey apportion little of their budget for staff well-being and support a fraction of the 10 percent allocated for training purposes. Much of that support is focused on security and first-aid training prior to deployment, and only 38 percent of 184 aid workers answered yes to a survey question on whether they received specific training on self-care and stress management revealing differences in how well-being advocates and aid organizations define and understand the scope of well-being.

The survey didnt have data on how many of its participants have or are experiencing some form of stress, anxiety or depression, which several statistics suggest are pervasive in the sector. But the survey did reveal aid workers perceptions on mental health, from how comfortable they were in discussing it with different members of their organizations to what impact they thought opening up would have on their work and their colleagues perception of their abilities. Forty percent of 177 aid workers said they would feel reasonably comfortable discussing their mental health concerns with their line managers, but the numbers are not as high when it comes to discussing with colleagues (36.72 percent of 177), human resources (30.34 percent of 178), staff welfare (29.76 percent of 168) and occupational health service (23.35 percent of 167).

Out of 172 aid workers, 44 percent also felt discussing their mental health needs would have a somewhat adverse impact on their promotions and deployment opportunities.

Theres lack of foresight, understanding and consistency from one agency to another on well-being, Solanki said. Not only are there no policies realistically in place, we dont even know whos going to manage those policies, and theres hardly any money or resourcing even if youre able to put those things in place.

Some aid workers are aware of the practice. Alessandra Pigni, a humanitarian psychologist and author of The Idealists Survival Kit, a book that tackles the reality of burnout in the humanitarian sector, is a mindfulness practitioner herself.

But while most of the literature on mindfulness leans on the positive, Pigni cautions its no panacea. While she herself does mindfulness meditation and has introduced the practice with aid workers from different backgrounds in the Palestinian territories, it is not and cannot be the only answer to assuring aid workers well-being in the field or in the office.

We need a more systemic approach to deal with staff care; it cannot just be a training here and a counseling session there.

I remember a line manager took the time to write to me because she could see the benefits of [mindfulness meditation] in her staff [and] meditation helped me and helps many others, but the real mindfulness here is to tune in with what works for you and do it regularly, almost as a ritual, she told Devex.

In addition, addressing ones own health and well-being is just one part of the equation, she said. Burnout, based on research, is born and breeds in toxic workplaces where staff are overworked and still have to deal with tons of paperwork, red-tape, micromanagers and few incentives, in an environment that lacks care, respect, personal and professional growth, she explained.

Can you beat that on your own with mindfulness? Well, yes if you decide to challenge it and maybe walk away. No, if self-care becomes a crutch to make it to your next R&R, she said. We need a more systemic approach to deal with staff care; it cannot just be a training here and a counseling session there.

Solanki agrees the practice is no panacea for all ills, but he is eager to get more aid organizations and their staff to at least try mindfulness meditation and see for themselves how it can be useful for them in managing stress.

Were doing our best here to really explore how this could help aid workers, to see how it could be utilized by aid workers to try and improve not only their well-being in the sector, but also ultimately, if they have a sense of well-being, then they convey that to the people they are helping as well to improve their well-being, he said.

Solanki plans to conduct a larger survey later in the year to further explore the issue of well-being. Among the focus of that survey is understanding from human resources the barriers keeping organizations from having strong well-being policies and functions, and how open they are in talking about these issues outside the confines of their organizations.

While some are careful of airing their issues in public for fear of attracting negative attention, there are those who may just be looking for guidance and inspiration on how to put in place a proper well-being policy and support that fully meets and matches staff needs.

I want to explore how we can have a safe space where everybody can just sit down and discuss openly of the problems theyre having and document them and address them as a sector, Solanki said.

Read more international development newsonline, and subscribe to The Development Newswireto receive the latest from the worlds leading donors and decision-makers emailed to you free every business day.

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Mindfulness meditation: Can this practice help mitigate aid worker stress? - Devex

Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum is well-known for the incredible focus he displays on the basketball court as one of the NBAs most efficient and deadly scorers. On Wednesday afternoon, he visited local youth at the Boys & Girls Club in Northeast Portland to share one of his techniques for locking in: meditation. McCollum and Headspaces Andy Puddicombe led a guided meditation session for the kids and gave them a unique tool to clear their heads.

I first got into meditation probably two years ago, McCollum told Blazers Edge. Thats when I really started doing it consistently every day, just kind of focusing in on my breathing and understanding that its important not just for my well-being but for my heartrate and concentration and focus.

McCollum explained to the kids how his daily routine now includes meditating with the Headspace app in his free time and listening to classical music on the way to basketball practice. Something without words, like Beethoven. Something that he can listen to and be present for, focusing on controlled breathing and the drive instead of the lyrics. It helps him clear his mind and prepare for the days tasks.

There is something special about really being in a moment. The heightened awareness has a calming effect. Its a state of mind that can benefit anyone from 10-year-old kids to basketball superstars, and McCollum asserts that its a big part of how he stays cool under pressure.

You can only control certain circumstances, which is how you react to adversity, how you react to certain plays, then just your energy and effort. So when things arent going well in the game, I can still stay calm, I can still stay focused in a hectic environment. Maybe its crucial free throws down the stretch or its a crucial possession where we need a basket, Im able to lock in and really not worry about the chaos thats surrounding me. It helps me keep a calming demeanor.

For the kids, that chaos is represented in everyday demands, like homework, problem solving, and social engagement. With McCollum and Puddicombe, they had the opportunity to learn about relaxation and how it can help them improve their lives.

Deep breaths, Puddicombe would say to a roomful of children, sitting peacefully with their eyes closed, 10 more seconds. Not all the kids got it right away, fidgeting as kids do, but some were clearly absorbed in the exercise.

After watching the kids adjourn to their tablets to learn more about meditation, McCollum was pleased with their interest. Five months earlier, he had opened the CJ McCollum Dream Center at the Boys & Girls Club in hopes of encouraging children to find their passions and explore them.

Growing up where I came from in Canton, Ohio, I wasnt exposed to this type of stuff, so with the Dream Center, we want to expose them to as much as possible; educate them on different things that are out there and available to them, McCollum smiled. Especially something like mindfulness and meditation, which can actually help themnot just their day-to-day lifestyle, but their actual health.

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CJ McCollum Teaches Kids the Benefits of Meditation - Blazer's Edge

Amid new-age meditation practices, Odissi dancer Zia Nath is reviving an ancient form of meditation whirling mandalas and sacred dances

This weekend, Odissi dancer Zia Nath (42) wants to take you back to the ancient cultures of whirling dances. Nath has been practising the sacred dances, a unique form of movement meditation, for 25 years. Last week, she started monthly workshops at Bandras performing space, House of Wow. However, she is not looking to popularise the art form or to make it trendy. Whirling and movement meditation find its roots in ancient Asian cultures. I respect it, and dont want it to become just another fad. No offense to Zumba or Zumba Bhangra, but when people sign up for this workshop, I want them to know that its purely a form of meditation, says Nath.

Zia Nath taking a workshop.

Last week, at her introductory session, 15 participants took part. Nath was surprised to see that most of them were interested in the raw form of meditation, and either had theoretical or practical knowledge. The culture of whirling is predominant in Rajasthans traditional folk dance, Ghoomar, as well as in Sufism, says Nath who is a self-taught artist inspired by these dance forms. Her initiation into these meditation practices happened at the Osho Meditation Centre in Pune over two decades ago. For the next few years, she trained at an institute in New Mexico.

Nath, who has been teaching movement meditationacross India, UK and China, for the past 15 years, says she categorically refrains from calling her dance form a spiritual practice. The meditation invokes a sacred consciousness within us. The moment you say spiritual, people come with a range of expectations. In the practice of these dances, we recognise experiences in our body and come close to the understanding of the law of three affirming, denying and reconciling, she adds.

Be there:

What: Zia Naths workshop on Sacred Dance and Whirling Mandala, will take place on April 9, 10.30am to 12pm Where: House of Wow, Bandra (W) Call: 99302 46031 to register Price: Rs 1,100 per person

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This Odissi dancer teaches meditation through sacred dances - Hindustan Times

By Mick LaSalle The San Francisco Chronicle

In 1932, the great comic director Ernst Lubitsch switched gears to make an agonizing anti-war drama, "Broken Lullaby, that did not impress audiences or critics and remains under-appreciated to this day.

"Frantz is a new film by Francois Ozon that takes the "Broken Lullaby story and tells it from a different angle. This new film is exceptional and one of Ozons best.

Talking about "Frantz and its connection to "Broken Lullaby is a bit awkward, in that the premise of "Broken Lullaby the essential thing that the audience knows from the first minutes is made into a mystery in "Frantz.

Both films are set about a year after World War I and involve a young Frenchman who travels to Germany, grief-stricken over the death of Frantz, a German soldier of his acquaintance. The difference is that, while Lubitsch told the story from the perspective of the Frenchman, Ozon focuses on Anna, Frantzs Germans fiancee, played brilliantly by newcomer Paula Beer.

Anna lives with the family of her fiancee, and its a house of grief in a small town that is also grieving, filled with heartsick women and old men all the young men are dead. Anna starts noticing that flowers are appearing on Frantzs grave, placed by the mysterious young man. Soon, she meets this man, Adrien (Pierre Niney) and she brings him to meet Frantzs parents. Like Frantz, Adrien was a music student and his stories about his friendship with Frantz in pre-war Paris bring some relief to the familys sorrow.

A sense of loss pervades "Frantz, one of tragedy that cant be undone, of lives changed forever, of pain that can never go away. The movie is shot in a glossy but unglamorous black and white, which only sometimes switches or melts into color, either for pre-war scenes or brief moments of hope. Ozon creates a beautiful stillness in "Frantz that makes us feel we are there in the midst of these lives, witnessing the purity of their sadness.

For those few who have seen "Broken Lullaby, and even for those who havent, its worth noting that Ozon takes the story of "Frantz months past the ending of the Lubitsch film. "Broken Lullaby was anti-war vehemently, stridently, almost hysterically. The recentness of World War I and the fear of World War II gave the original story a frantic immediacy. "Frantz is about something else. Its a meditation on the impact of tragedy and on the various ways different people are affected.

Paula Beer is only 22, but she has a gravity beyond her years, which is fundamental for playing Anna, who is practically widowed without having been married. Annas youth is her strength and we sense that somehow she will find something approximating happiness, even if she will never be able to return to her pre-war blitheness. Whats in question throughout the film is the form that this future life will take.

Ozon never forgets that these are individuals and not archetypes. With consummate subtlety, he introduces a question about the sexuality of one or more of the characters just the barest hint, but it adds an extra dimension. World War I was a horror that happened to all kinds of people, every one of them with a particular dream and vision of what life might be.

The title, incidentally, is a curious choice. In "Broken Lullaby, the dead soldiers name was Walter. Here hes Frantz, which sounds almost identical to the way youd pronounce "France in French. Thats a nice change that has some relevance to the course of the film.

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'Frantz': Anti-war drama becomes a meditation on loss - The Columbus Dispatch

Meditation app startup teaches users inner peace, projects $20 million in revenue for 2017 San Francisco Business Times In 2012, he co-founded a meditation app with Michael Acton Smith in San Francisco. The two, both British and both tech veterans, have been growing the app with plans to launch of ancillary products eventually. The company makes money using a freemium ...

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Meditation app startup teaches users inner peace, projects $20 million in revenue for 2017 - San Francisco Business Times

Even though its been around for thousands of years, meditation seems to be especially trendy these days. Its part of the mindfulness movement thats been gaining traction in the health and wellness world. And it makes sense that more and more people are actively seeking ways to manage their stress: A 2015 survey from the American Psychological Association found that overall stress levels have increased in Americans in recent years. These higher stress levels can affect mental and physical health in numerous ways: 39 percent of those surveyed reporting overeating or eating unhealthy foods in the last month due to stress, and 46 percent reported losing sleep over it.

Given what a profound affect stress can have on wellbeing, its no wonder that people are looking for innovative ways to get that moment of zen. Meditation studios have recently popped up in some of the countrys big cities (theres Unplug Meditation in Los Angeles, MNDFL in New York City). But theres also a variety of helpful meditation smartphone apps on the market. You may already know about Headspace, which is one of the most-downloaded mindfulness apps. But here are five new or under-the-radar meditation apps worth a try. Because, in addition to relieving stress, meditating can also improve concentration and benefits digestion as well as cardiovascular and immune health.

Sway Cost: $2.99 While most apps in this space feature guided meditations, this brand new optionit launched in late Marchfocuses on your movement as way to help you achieve mindfulness. The app uses your phones gyroscope and accelerometer to measure your moves. In order for the app to work, you need to be moving in a slow, consistent motion (think swaying back and forth or walking slowly). Once you at youre at the proper pace, the app will soundtrack your moves with soothing music. If you get distracted or your movements are interrupted, the app interprets that as a lack of mindfulness and reminds you to refocus. According to the makers of this app, this interactive meditation is one of the newest ways to approach the practice.

Muse Cost: Free Another app that offers interactive feedback is Muse. And while the app is free, it does require you to use Muse: The Brain Sensing Headband ($249) in conjunction with the program. The sensor-equipped headband monitors your brain activity while you mediate with a soothing soundscape (such as a rainforest or beach sounds) playing in the app. If youre zoning out to beach sounds, for instance, the ocean waves get louder when you get distracted, and lower when youre back in a calm zone. The app tracks your sessions so you can see your improvements and set weekly goals in your practice.

Sattva Cost: Free (with in-app purchases) This app has been around for a couple of years, but its recent updates have given Sattva an improved experience. For Apple iPhone users, the app now works seamlessly with the Health app, using info on your heart rate and blood pressure (tracking these stats before and after each session). If youre obsessed with numbers and data, this is the mediation app for you. It features a timer to help you time and track your sessions, and stats like your longest session and longest streak are also stored in the program. And if youre the competitive type, you can compare your stats to your friends who also use Sattva.

Pause Cost: $1.99 Inspired by the principles of Tai Chi, the makers of this app help you achieve calmness by incorporating touch as well as sound. You move your fingertip along a small, colorful blob around the screen while soothing sounds flood your headphones. The act triggers the bodys rest and digest response, which helps you regain focus and release stress in a calm manner. If youre not a fan of guided meditations, this is a way to relax without the pressure of a voice leading (and possibly disrupting) you every step of the way.

Meditation Music Cost: Free If youre an experienced meditator, you might not need any gimmicks to help you stay mindful through your practice. Enter this Android app, which strictly provides music as the soundtrack to your session. The app features a variety of ambient sounds (from a soft piano playing to mystic temple music) that promise to help you relax. Simply choose your preferred music, set the in-app timer and just say ohm. A gong sound will gently ring to let you know your session is about to end. And if you consider cooking a meditative process, use this app as your kitchen timer and the background music as you make dinner.

Kevin Aeh is a New York City-based writer and editor. He has written for Time Out New York, Refinery29, New York Magazines Vulture blog, Furthermore from Equinox and more.

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5 Apps That Will Help You Master Meditation - Healthy Eats (blog)

Of course we all know about the pleasure of eating cakebut, as it turns out,we haven't been paying enough attention to the benefits of baking up our own creations.

Measuring, sieving, mixing and kneading... apparently all the efforts of preparationhave a much more profound effect on our mental health than simply popping out to the bakery.

(via Fox Searchlight)

Speaking to a series of psychologists, theHuffington Posthas suggested that baking can be just as good for our psychological well-being as meditation is for yogis.

And the reason behind the claim is simple.When we meditate, we allow ourselves a quiet moment ofreflection and focus which leads to stress relief; a process that can also be associated withbaking.

As associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at Boston UniversityDonna Pincus explains:

"Baking actually requires alot of full attention. You have to measure, focus physically on rolling out dough.

If youre focusing on smell and taste, on being present with what youre creating, that act of mindfulness in that present moment can also have a result in stress reduction."

So much so, in fact, that there's even a whole branch of healing dedicated to culinary art therapy, the effects of which can be significant. As theHuffington Postreminds us,John Whaite, the winner of the 2012 edition of The Great British Baking Show,claims that baking helped him overcome depression.

But it's not just the idea of focusing on the here and now that makes the activity so therapeutic. In hard times, food can serve as a form of communication and supportwhile the idea of making something yourself gives you a sense of achievement. As Pincus explains:

"Baking for others can increase a feeling of wellbeing, contribute to stress relief and make you feel like youve done something good for the world, which perhaps increases your meaning in life and connection with other people."

As creating a tangible productyou know will give others pleasure is always going to be a positive experience, baking can also be a way of practicingaltruism. As culinary art therapist Susan Whitbourne notes:

"I think offering food to somebody else is just as much a comfort to the person receiving as the person whos serving and offering."

So there you have it, now you don't have to wait until somebody's birthday for an excuse to whip upthat chocolate cake. Happy baking!

Read More ->In Photos: Here's All The Food You Can Eat At Coachella

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Apparently Baking Cakes Is As Good For Your Mental Health As Meditation - Konbini US