Healthy Living, Simplified

Blocks of tofu are stacked on a table alongside soy beans, as part of a tofu low-calorie meal

Is Tofu Low Calorie?

This plant-based protein in the form of condensed soy milk may be able to help support your weight loss goals. Tofu has often been written off as a bland “diet food” with an unappealing texture. But is it worth adding to your own plate, and is tofu low calorie? In reality, this superfood is packed with nutrients and it’s low in calories, especially for the amount of protein it delivers. Don’t let the fact that it’s flavorless turn you off either — think of it as a blank canvas to work with. You can add this plant-based protein to salads or easily incorporate it into your favorite meals for a nutritious boost. Here’s why this low-calorie food should be high on your list of proteins. TL;DR Yes, tofu is low in calories — especially for the protein it delivers. Firm tofu has about 144 calories per 100 grams, and silken tofu has even fewer, at roughly 55 to 75. Add 17 grams of protein per 100 grams, and tofu is one of the more filling low-calorie foods you can keep on hand. Key Takeaways What the Research Says About Tofu and Calories Tofu is a plant-based protein made of condensed […]

This Muscle Supplement May Help Your Brain

Brain Gains: Creatine is a popular supplement for people trying to build more muscle, but new research suggests it might also have some benefits for mental health. A recent systematic review looked at randomized controlled trials and found creatine may be able to help with major depressive disorder (MDD) when taken alongside prescribed depression treatments. The Study: Researchers analyzed data from five randomized controlled trials with 238 participants from the United States, South Korea, India, Brazil, and Israel who received either creatine monohydrate or a placebo. Most were women, and the average age was 36. Four trials focused on people with MDD, and one looked at people with bipolar disorder with depressive episodes. The Takeaway: Two of the trials found participants who took creatine in addition to either the antidepressant escitalopram (Lexapro) or with cognitive behavior therapy had significant symptom reductions compared to a placebo. The other three studies found no benefit from taking creatine. Previous research indicates creatine can increase cellular energy production in the brain and may also influence mood-regulating neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin. Keep in Mind: Only five trials were included — with mixed results. More research is needed before saying creatine could work as a reliable […]

Cognitive Health

What to Eat After Intermittent Fasting

leaving the stove on can lead to a dangerous smell in the house

6 Dangerous Smells in the House You Shouldn’t Ignore

Not every odd household smell is harmless. Here are six dangerous smells in the house that can flag a gas leak or hidden mold — and what to do the moment you notice one.

Canned Cocktails Are Getting More Popular (And More Potent)

The Trend: Beer once ruled the Fourth of July backyard barbecues, but the cooler is looking different these days. Canned cocktails have exploded in popularity over the past few years, evolving from simple hard seltzers into canned margaritas, espresso martinis, and vodka sodas. According to the International Wine and Spirits Record (IWSR), 2025 saw Americans consume some 11 billion servings of ready-to-drink cocktails. What People Are Saying: Fans say convenience is a major factor in their switch to canned cocktails: they’re portable, require zero mixing, and mask the taste of liquor. Some industry watchers have sounded the alarm, saying that between the sugary flavors, bright packaging, and trendy marketing, canned cocktail brands are deliberately targeting young drinkers. Others worry the sweet flavors can disguise just how potent these drinks are, making it easier to consume multiple servings before the effects catch up. What to Know: Many of these drinks pack far more alcohol than people realize — some single-serving canned cocktails contain 7 to 15% alcohol by volume (ABV). Before cracking one open, check the ABV and serving size. One can isn’t always one drink. To keep things enjoyable rather than regrettable, space out your drinks with plain water, and […]

Fitness

Nutrition

Sleep

a woman learns how to target glutes on leg press

How to Target Glutes on the Leg Press: What Actually Works

Learn how to target your glutes on the leg press with simple, effective technique tweaks. Placing your feet higher on the platform, using a controlled deep range of motion, and driving through your heels can shift emphasis toward the glutes while reducing quad dominance. Consistency and effort matter most for results.

How Exercise Keeps Your Cancer Defenses Up

Pumped Up: Your muscles do a lot more than help you lift things or power through a workout. New research published in Nature Communications found that healthy skeletal muscle releases tiny particles called extracellular vesicles that carry signals capable of suppressing tumor growth. So as our muscles weaken with age, the body produces fewer of these protective particles and the signals they carry become less potent. The Study: Researchers focused on sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength. Using animal models, they found that sarcopenic muscle secretes fewer extracellular vesicles, and those vesicles contain lower levels of a microRNA called miR-7a-5p, which helps restrain tumor growth. Exercise appears to reactivate the biological pathway responsible for vesicle release. The Takeaway: Staying active as you age may help maintain a biological defense system your body already has, one that goes well beyond what happens at the gym. Keep in Mind: The research was conducted in animal models. Scientists plan to validate these findings in human samples before drawing clinical conclusions.

How To Improve Your Agility

Power Up: Cardio keeps your heart healthy. Strength training builds muscle. But there’s another piece of the fitness puzzle that often gets passed over: agility, or your ability to move quickly, react fast, and stay balanced. How to Do It: Experts recommend adding one explosive power workout each week, focusing on moving with speed. Beginners can try fast sit-to-stands from a chair or elevated plyo push-ups, standing up or pushing away as quickly as possible before lowering slowly. If you already strength train regularly, add exercises like squat jumps, jumping jacks, kettlebell swings, or medicine ball slams. To improve your coordination, you can’t go wrong with ladder and cone drills. And if you really want to have some fun while improving your agility, join a local beer league! Soccer, flag football, ultimate frisbee, and kickball will challenge your skills — and you might make a new friend. The Benefits: Power-based exercises engage fast-twitch muscle fibers, which naturally decline with age. Training them can improve balance, increase speed, help prevent falls, boost sports performance, and make everyday movements — from catching yourself after a stumble to playing with your kids in the yard — feel easier.

Dating Apps Are Getting a Fitness Upgrade

The Trend: Run clubs walked so gym-dating apps could sprint. A new crop of platforms is betting that shared training plans make better icebreakers than “What are you looking for?” SURF, now HYROX’s official North American dating-app partner, lets users filter for fellow racers and trainees. ATEAM is an invite-only wellness dating app for people who prioritize fitness, recovery, and routine. Other newcomers, including Leg Day and Lunge, are built around workout meetups and fitness community events. What People Are Saying: The appeal is obvious: if 7 a.m. runs and alcohol-free weekends are central to your life, it may be nice to skip the compatibility briefing. These apps promise more intentional, real-world connection — and less dead-end swiping. But there’s a catch: “fitness” can become shorthand for a very narrow version of health. Critics point out that screening for wellness may amplify the same appearance-driven biases that already exist in dating culture. What to Know: These apps are a sign that dating is becoming more lifestyle-first: people are looking for partners who fit into the rhythms they already value, from early workouts to race weekends. That may make finding common ground easier, but remember that true chemistry requires more than […]

6 Dangerous Smells in the House You Shouldn’t Ignore

Not every odd household smell is harmless. Here are six dangerous smells in the house that can flag a gas leak or hidden mold — and what to do the moment you notice one.

a bowl of dates which makes people wonder are dates good for you

Are Dates Good for You? What to Know About the Sweet Fruit

Dates went from "too sugary to bother with" to the internet's favorite natural sweetener. A dietitian explains what's actually in them — fiber, potassium, magnesium, and antioxidants — why they earn the hype, and the simple pairing trick that keeps the sugar in check.

Canned Cocktails Are Getting More Popular (And More Potent)

6 Simple Ways to Make High-Protein Popcorn

Popcorn is a whole grain that's high in fiber and low in calories, but a plain bowl has just 3 grams of protein, which is why you're hungry again an hour later. These 6 easy toppings, from Parmesan to pumpkin seeds, turn it into high-protein popcorn that actually keeps you full.

There’s a Sleep Hack Sitting on Your Bookshelf

Bedtime Stories: You may think reading on your phone isn’t that different from reading on paper, and you’d be right for the most part, except when it comes to your sleep. Screens keep your brain alert late into the night, and research on reading before sleep suggests that trading a screen for a physical book is a small change that can really help. How to Do It: Keep a book on your nightstand and make it the final step of your night, after putting your phone away and turning down the lights. It’s best to pick something calming instead of a thriller, since intense plots can keep your brain running even after you put the book down. The Benefits: A study comparing people reading on an iPad vs. a printed book found that those using screens felt less sleepy in the evening and showed changes in brain activity tied to rest, even though both groups fell asleep in about the same amount of time. Another study found that older adults who read a book drifted off faster than those who kept their normal routine, and adults who read stories with a positive mood slept longer than the rest.

Can Eating a Banana Before Bed Help You Sleep?

You Should Know: Before you hit the medicine cabinet for a sleep aid, should you visit your fruit bowl instead? You may have heard that eating a banana before bed can help you sleep — and there may be some truth to it. Bananas contain several nutrients linked to better sleep that could help you drift off a little easier. Going Deeper: Bananas are good sources of magnesium and potassium, which both support muscle function and relaxation. Magnesium is also linked to healthy nervous system function and better sleep quality, while potassium may reduce nighttime muscle cramping for some people. Bananas also contain vitamin B6 and tryptophan, nutrients involved in the body’s melatonin production. The complex carbs in bananas also improve the availability of tryptophan in the brain. Takeaway: There’s not a ton of research into bananas and sleep, though the nutrients they contain have been widely studied. Eating a banana one to two hours before bed may be helpful to some people, though it won’t replace good sleep habits. Bottom Line: Bananas alone likely won’t be able to fix more serious sleep disorders, like chronic insomnia, but they could be a healthy addition to your sleep routine.

Hot Summer Night? Try Frozen Socks for Better Sleep

You Should Know: Extremely hot days are not only uncomfortable, but they can also be potentially dangerous. Plus, trying to sleep in a too-hot bedroom is nearly impossible. Socks might be the last thing you want to wear to bed on sweltering nights, but sticking them in the fridge or freezer to chill out first can bring you fast relief so you can sleep. Going Deeper: Hands and feet both radiate heat when it’s hot and insulate heat when it’s cold. Their ability to thermoregulate is due to the wide, flat surface area, lack of fat, and amount of blood vessels in the palms and soles. When the blood in our hands or feet cool down, the rest of the body follows suit. Takeaway: Your body’s core temperature needs to drop to induce sleep, and cooling your feet in hot weather helps to do this. Short of wrapping your feet in ice packs, wearing cold socks is the best way to keep feet cool for long enough for that temp drop to happen. Bottom Line: Cooling socks in the fridge or freezer before bed (or any time you’re super-hot) is an easy, cost-effective method that’s even recommended by the Red […]

Counting Sheep? A Weighted Blanket Might Help

You Should Know: Weighted blankets sure are cozy, and they provide benefits beyond just snuggling up: they may help you settle down for sleep. The gentle pressure is thought to mimic the calming sensation of a hug, activating the body’s “rest and digest” (parasympathetic) response. Research suggests they can be especially helpful for people with autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, or insomnia, though anyone who finds the pressure soothing may benefit. Going Deeper: The evidence is promising, but not conclusive. A trial of 120 adults with insomnia and psychiatric diagnoses, including generalized anxiety disorder and ADHD, found that weighted blankets produced meaningful improvements in insomnia severity compared with a lighter control blanket. A 2024 review of studies found a small but positive effect on anxiety and possible benefits for insomnia among people with mental disorders, while emphasizing that the evidence base remains small and heterogeneous. Takeaway: Weighted blankets probably won’t cure insomnia, but their deep-pressure comfort may make it easier to relax — and that can be a first step toward better sleep. Bottom Line: Even though clinical evidence is limited, using a weighted blanket is a “won’t hurt, might help” situation. If you’re struggling to sleep, give it a go. […]