Wu weia, lyadh and lagom

In response to longer work weeks and increased pressure, learning to let go has become a popular call to action. ‘Lagom,’ finding joy in moderation, action-less action or ‘wu wet’ and the art of doing nothing, ‘niksen,’are practices that have been adopted in countries around the world to encourage citizens to find ways to de-stress and enjoy the moment. A nod to a regular serving of ‘lyadh,’ (the lush lazies), also hails from the Bengalis living in the Indian city of Kolkata.

Move over white truffles

Our love affair with fungi isn’t over. With wild white truffles becoming scarce and crazy expensive (6-10K lb.) their dark cousins, the black truffles are whizzing to the top of spa menus. Blacks are known for regenerating skin at night, carrying antioxidants to brighten the skin and fatty acids to moisturize. Look for Babor’s Active Night Ampoule or Deplieve’s Black Truffle Wax.

Jaggery

Called Gud in Pakistan, Kokuto in Japan and Rapadura in Brazil, jaggery is more than a medicinal food or a delectable dessert, it’s an unrefined sugar, made with love that’s part of ancient healing culture.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recognizes that jaggery’s unrefined nature means trace minerals and molasses residue are retained even after the evaporation process, with molasses giving jaggery reputed health benefits, such as small amounts of calcium and magnesium. 
bbc.com