Healthy Living, Simplified

Person sleeping under a patterned blanket in bed.

Can You Sleep Too Much? New Research Suggests There’s a Sweet Spot

More sleep isn’t always better. A Nature study found a U-shaped link between sleep and biological aging, with the lowest aging markers between about 6.4 and 7.8 hours.

Seared herby salmon and couscous with spinach, fresh dill, and a lemon wedge on a white plate

One-Pan Herby Salmon and Couscous

Seasoned seared salmon nestled into a creamy, herby basil-dill pearl couscous. This one-pan salmon and couscous is an easy Mediterranean weeknight dinner with 42g of protein and minimal dishes.

Recipes

a woman mixes electrolytes, which is one of many healthy drinks besides water

5 Healthy Drinks Besides Water, Backed By Research

a woman eating a bowl of high volume low calorie foods like leafy greens and vegetables

13 High-Volume, Low-Calorie Foods That Fill You Up

High-volume, low-calorie foods — think leafy greens, broth-heavy soups, potatoes, and berries — take up more space in your stomach because they contain more fiber and water, while keeping calories low.

Shopper placing a pineapple in a grocery basket, one of the low-pesticide picks on the Clean Fifteen list

The Produce That Carries the Least Pesticide Residue

Discover the 2026 Clean Fifteen, the non-organic produce with the lowest pesticide residue, thanks to thick skins, husks, and short harvest windows that naturally shield what you eat.

Fitness

Nutrition

Sleep

What Your Sweat Can Tell You About Your Health

Your sweat does more than cool you down. How much you sweat, how it smells, and how salty it is can offer clues about your hydration, stress, hormones, and overall health. Here's what to watch for and when to check in with a doctor.

Just 11 Minutes of Hard Exercise Can Go a Long Way

Move It: For most people, more exercise is generally better — the WHO reports that nearly 1.8 million adults are at risk of disease from physical inactivity. But a new study suggests that when it comes to very intense exercise, you can get away with less than you might think. The Study: Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 69 randomized controlled trials involving 2,387 adults to examine how exercise duration affects VO₂max, a measure of cardiorespiratory fitness. They looked at both high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). The dose-response analysis found that benefits increased with longer sessions, but with diminishing returns. Just 11 minutes of exercise per session produced about 80% of the maximum modeled improvement in VO₂max. The Takeaway: You don’t need a marathon training schedule to improve your cardiovascular fitness. A focused 10- to 12-minute workout can deliver a substantial chunk of the potential benefit, particularly if time constraints are what keep you from exercising consistently. Keep in Mind: This doesn’t mean 11 minutes is a magic number, nor that every 11-minute workout will produce the same results. The studies varied in exercise intensity, frequency, duration, and participant characteristics. And more exercise, especially of the low […]

Woman in green leggings holding a kneeling lunge position at home as part of a glutes workout to strengthen and tone the lower body

Glutes Workout: The Best Exercises to Build Stronger Glutes

A complete glutes workout trains the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus with squats, hip thrusts, hinges, and abduction work — plus how to program them two to three times a week.

Protein powder older adults use in a smoothie, though studies show it alone doesn't build extra muscle strength

Does Protein Powder Actually Help Older Adults Keep Muscle?

A new clinical trial found that older adults already getting enough protein saw no extra strength benefit from protein powder or supplements. Exercise, not extra protein, was the real driver of muscle preservation.

Research Links 8 Common Food Additives to High Blood Pressure

Food for Thought: There’s long been suspicion that preservatives aren’t healthy for our bodies, but they’re certainly useful when it comes to your food: they keep bacteria and mold at bay, slow spoilage, and extend shelf life. New research, however, points to eight common preservatives as potential culprits behind high blood pressure. The Study: Researchers analyzed data from 112,395 adults in France participating in the NutriNet-Santé study. Every six months, participants recorded everything they ate and drank for three days. Researchers analyzed the ingredients in those foods and drinks, including their preservative content, then tracked participants’ health for an average of seven to eight years. Nearly everyone — 99.5% of participants — consumed at least one preservative. Those consuming the highest amounts of non-antioxidant preservatives had a 29% higher risk of developing hypertension, while the highest consumers of antioxidant preservatives like vitamin E had a 22% higher risk of hypertension. The Takeaway: The findings add to the case for favoring minimally processed foods when practical. Keep in Mind: This was an observational study. The associations remained after researchers accounted for other factors, but still cannot establish that preservatives directly caused the increased risk.

Why Sourdough Might Be Better for Your Stomach

You Should Know: Sourdough baking never really went out of style, even after the pandemic baking boom, and it has earned a reputation as a gut-friendly bread. The magic comes from the starter, a flour-and-water mix fermented by healthy bacteria and naturally occurring yeasts. That long fermentation partially breaks down gluten and some FODMAPs (carbs that can be rough on sensitive stomachs). Research suggests this makes sourdough easier to tolerate for some people with digestive sensitivities. Going Deeper: To be clear, you’re not going to find live probiotics in a baked loaf of bread, but fermentation can create compounds that may help support the good bacteria already in your gut. Some studies suggest sourdough can also produce a gentler blood sugar response than certain conventional breads, depending on the flour they’re made with and the fermentation time. However, not every bread labeled sourdough is made with a long, traditional fermentation process, and some store-bought versions use additional yeast. Takeaway: Sourdough can be easier on your stomach and kinder to your gut bacteria thanks to slow fermentation, but look for a short ingredient list and whole-grain flour. And if you have celiac disease, regular wheat sourdough still isn’t safe. Bottom Line: […]

A ripe avocado half with its pit beside whole avocados on a wooden table.

An Avocado a Day May Lower Your Diet’s Glycemic Load, Study Finds

A six-month trial found eating an avocado daily lowered dietary glycemic load by nearly 14 points — mostly by crowding out higher-GI carbs, not by changing glycemic index.

Two bowls of oatmeal topped with berries and sliced citrus on a blue tabletop.

7 High-Protein Breakfasts to Keep You Full That Aren’t Eggs

Eggs are easy, but these seven high-protein breakfasts — Greek yogurt, chia pudding, tofu, smoothies, cottage cheese, oatmeal upgrades, and beans — keep you full with extra nutrients eggs don’t offer.

How to Block Nighttime Light for Better Sleep and Heart Health

Lights Out: Plenty of us drift off at night with a streetlight glowing through the blinds or a phone lighting up the nightstand. But new research suggests even all-too-common dim light while sleeping could be bad for your heart. In a study of more than 70,000 adults, sleeping with light about as bright as a nightlight was linked to more heart problems years later. Luckily, darkening your bedroom is pretty easy. How to Do It: The easiest solution is an eye mask because it blocks out most of the light, although a little can still slip in around the edges. So add blackout curtains to take care of any streetlight. Also, switch off the hallway light or close the door and add a draft stopper. And the notifications flashing on your phone can disrupt your sleep without ever waking you, so turn off or cover your devices before bed. The Benefits: Over eight to 10 years, people with high nighttime light exposure had a 24% higher risk of heart attack than those with none. Shorter sleep seemed to explain part of that link, and earlier studies have tied light during sleep to depression and blood sugar problems.

Better Sleep Without Melatonin: Habits That Actually Help

You don't need a supplement to fall asleep faster. These nighttime habits, like limiting screens, cooling your room, and sticking to a consistent schedule, support better sleep naturally.

More People Are Ditching Melatonin for Magnesium. But How Does It Help With Sleep?

You Should Know: Melatonin was the go-to sleep aid for a long time, but more people are now reaching for magnesium instead. Magnesium’s surge in popularity is potentially connected to recent research linking melatonin supplements and heart risks. Plus, melatonin can make some people feel groggy and cause vivid dreams or nightmares. Both supplements can help with sleep, but do they affect your body in the same way? Going Deeper: The body needs both magnesium and melatonin to function properly. Melatonin is a hormone that helps to regulate the sleep-wake cycle and induce sleep. It’s produced in the pineal gland, increasing production when it’s dark and decreasing production when it’s light. Magnesium is a mineral that plays a role in hundreds of bodily functions. Takeaway: Magnesium may improve sleep by balancing the effects of excitatory and relaxing neurotransmitters, including GABA, serotonin, and cortisol. It can also calm the nervous system and treat restless leg syndrome. Bottom Line: Experts say magnesium is likely safe for healthy people, but not every type is good for sleep — so choose magnesium glycinate or L-threonate to catch some Z’s. And remember that taking sleep aids too often could mask more serious conditions, such as chronic […]

2 Science-Backed Ways to Recover From a Bad Night of Sleep

Counting Sheep: We all deal with a bout of bad sleep now and then. Functioning properly the next day can feel impossible, as both our brains and our bodies feel sluggish and exhausted. But new research suggests there are two effective ways to help our brains work better the next day (and not one involves downing a pot of coffee). How to Do It: Researchers kept 54 adults awake for 30 hours, and split participants into three groups. After the bout of sleep deprivation, one group took a 90-minute nap, one group cycled for 20 minutes at a moderate to vigorous intensity, and the other group sat on a stationary bike, neither napping nor pedaling. Then, all of the participants were shown several images — three days later, they all took a memory test on those images. The nap and exercise groups both performed better than the no-intervention group, though the neural mechanisms driving this differed between the two groups. The Benefits: Napping and exercising after being sleep-deprived protected memory in different ways. Exercising appeared to help the brain encode new information more efficiently, due to increased attention from physical activity. Napping decreased mental fatigue and sleep pressure before the […]