High-Protein Lunch Ideas That Pack 25 Grams or More
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Every day we publish stories that cut through the noise with expert insights, science-backed advice, recipes, and thoughtful tips for living well. These are the ones we think you should read.
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Psilocybin May Protect Your Nerves During Chemo
Health Tech 
Should You Get a DEXA Scan to Check for Osteoporosis?
You Should Know: A DEXA (or DXA) scan uses low-dose X-rays to measure bone mineral density, usually at the hip and spine. The standard recommendation is to screen women at 65, but some doctors are now calling for earlier screening. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force also recommends screening postmenopausal women under 65 who are at increased risk for fractures. Going Deeper: Menopause itself isn’t an automatic prescription for a scan. Instead, doctors consider your overall fracture risk. Factors that can push screening earlier include low body weight, smoking, heavy alcohol use, a familial history of fractures, certain medications such as long-term corticosteroids, and some medical conditions. And while DEXA is useful, bone density is only one piece of fracture risk: age, fall risk, balance, and stability also factor in. Takeaway: Getting tested earlier makes sense if your risk profile warrants it, but not solely because you’ve reached menopause. Bottom Line: 65 remains the routine screening age, and earlier testing is already science-backed for higher-risk postmenopausal women — so there’s no black-and-white rule for when you should get scanned. Your primary care provider can help you decide.
Hormonal Health 
Americans Are Drinking Less. Why Are Alcohol-Cancer Deaths Rising?
The Trend: Americans are drinking less than ever, according to a 2026 Gallup poll. In 2025 and 2026, just 54% said they drink alcohol — the lowest figure since Gallup started surveying people’s drinking habits in 1939. More people (51%) also think drinking one or two drinks a day is bad for your health (compared to just 27% in 2001). But even as drinking has decreased, alcohol-related cancers have increased. A recent study found these deaths more than doubled from 1990 to 2023. If people are drinking less, why are more dying from alcohol-related cancers? What People Are Saying: Alcohol is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, alongside asbestos, processed meat, tobacco, and ultraviolet rays. Several types of cancers are tied to alcohol consumption. This study found deaths from liver and colorectal cancer increased in male drinkers and from breast cancer in female drinkers, compared to non-drinkers. Male adults aged 55 and older were disproportionately affected. What to Know: The risks were larger among heavy drinkers, but there was still an increase among light drinkers. While attitudes towards drinking have changed in recent decades, the health effects of past drinking habits are […]
Personal Growth 
The 8 Worst Foods for Gut Health & What the Science Says
Nutrition 
11 High-Protein Vegetables, Ranked by Grams Per Serving
Vegetables aren't typically protein powerhouses, but a few stand out. Here are 11 high protein vegetables ranked by grams per serving, with simple prep tips for each.
Nutrition 
The Best Breads for Steady Blood Sugar
Told to swear off the bread basket? You probably don't have to. The right loaf barely touches your blood sugar, and here's how to spot it.
Nutrition
Fitness
Nutrition
Sleep
Can’t Hit 10K Steps? A New Study Says to Pick Up the Pace
Some Pep in Your Step: If you struggle to hit 10,000 steps every day, don’t sweat it too much. First of all, the 10K magic number originated from marketing, not science. You can still get significant benefits with fewer steps. On days when you can’t get lots of steps, the secret could be to walk faster instead of longer, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The Study: Researchers analyzed data collected from activity trackers worn by more than 100,000 middle-aged participants in the UK Biobank. The trackers measured both the quantity and intensity of their steps. Participants were grouped into four categories, based on how many steps they took. The Takeaway: Getting fewer than 5,000 steps a day at a cadence of at least 80 steps a minute equaled a much lower risk of death — comparable to those who took 5,000 to 7,500 steps at a 60-steps-per-minute pace. While the lowest risk of death was in those who got 7,500 to 10,000 steps a day, 30 minutes of brisk walking a day may be the “sweet spot” for sedentary people. Keep in Mind: The study was observational, so it didn’t find causation.
Fitness 
Why Yoga’s Having a Rough Stretch in Fitness
The Trend: Trends often follow what’s in, but this one is about what’s out: Yoga. Lots of people are still practicing yoga, but it doesn’t quite have the stranglehold on the wellness and fitness worlds as it once had. So what’s the reason for yoga’s decline in popularity? What People Are Saying: Boutique fitness studios were growing leading up to 2020, but the COVID pandemic was not kind to them. Studios rely on consistently full classes to make money, and many yoga studios never recovered after the lockdown. More recently, there’s been a shift toward team sports and “tougher” workouts, including HYROX, marathon and trail running, and strength training. Pilates has also nibbled away at yoga’s market share, with Pilates participation up by about 11% and yoga’s growth staying flat. In fact, fitness booking sites ClassPass and Mindbody both reported that more yoga studios are adding Pilates classes and reducing yoga classes. What to Know: The fitness landscape is always changing, and yoga simply might not be the hottest workout trend of the moment. But the shift away from yoga may also reflect a growing focus on “fitness-maxxing,” and physical optimization, as “the cultural ideal seems to have shifted from […]
Fitness 
What Foot Training Can Do For Strength and Balance
Foot health plays a bigger role in mobility than most of us realize. Here's how toe spacers and simple strength exercises can help your feet stay strong, stable, and balanced as you age.
Fitness 
Creatine Has Big Benefits — Even If You Don’t Exercise
Big Benefits: The list of creatine benefits keeps growing longer. It’s well-known for its positive impact on strength, power, and overall athletic performance, but those benefits have historically been associated with resistance training exercise. New research challenges the idea that creatine is only for exercisers, showing that supplementation may actually offer similar benefits even if you don’t work out. The Study: This trial examined whether creatine could help adults preserve muscle, improve fitness, and potentially support cognitive function. Researchers enrolled 73 healthy, sedentary adults ages 45 to 65; 64 completed the 12-week study. Participants either remained inactive or followed an exercise and diet program. Within each group, participants received either creatine monohydrate or a placebo. Those taking creatine consumed 10 grams daily. Supplementation increased lean tissue mass, strength, and muscular endurance, including among those who didn’t exercise. When combined with exercise and weight loss, creatine helped participants lose a greater percentage of body fat. The Takeaway: Creatine supplementation offers health benefits without exercise, but exercising appears to increase its efficacy. Creatine may also help preserve lean mass during periods of weight loss. Keep in Mind: This study focused on middle-aged and older adults, so it’s unclear if the same benefits […]
Fitness 
How to Get Electrolytes Without Turning to a Supplement
You don't need a powder or a neon sports drink to hit your electrolyte needs. Everyday foods like bananas, leafy greens, potatoes, and dairy can cover sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, and we'll break down when a supplement actually makes sense.
Nutrition 
The Five-Second Rule: Does It Actually Hold Up?
That childhood rule about five seconds of grace before food hits the floor? It's a myth. Research on bacterial transfer shows contamination can happen almost instantly, so the safest move is simple: if it drops, it goes in the trash.
Nutrition 
8 Filling Low-Calorie Lunch Ideas That Actually Keep You Full
These filling lunch ideas pair lean protein, fiber, and plenty of volume for meals that satisfy.
Nutrition 
Are Frozen and Canned Fruits and Veggies as Healthy as Fresh?
Think canned and frozen produce can't compete with fresh? The research says otherwise. Here's what to know about nutrition, sodium, and getting the most value out of every serving.
Nutrition 
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 […]
Sleep 
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 […]
Sleep 
Could Your Pillow Height Affect Glaucoma? A Small Study Takes a Look
A small 2026 study found that sleeping propped up on two pillows was linked to higher eye pressure than lying flat in people with glaucoma — researchers think jugular vein compression may be the mechanism behind it.
Sleep 
Should You Shower in the Morning or at Night?
Is it better to shower in the morning or at night? It's an even split among Americans — and both camps have science on their side. Here's what each does for your body.
Sleep
Mindfulness
Beauty
Personal Growth
A Flow State Can Boost Focus & Ease Stress. Here’s How to Find Yours
In the Zone: If you’ve ever lost yourself in a project — even lost track of time while doing it— you know how fulfilling a flow state can feel. Writers, artists, and musicians talk about creating in a flow state, but, according to Hungarian-American psychologist (who first introduced the idea) Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, anyone can enter a flow state. He researched intrinsic motivation by studying how artists immerse themselves in a painting for weeks, months, or longer, later shifting his focus to how athletes, chess players, surgeons, and dancers also get into flow states. Reaching a flow state creates the optimal conditions for creation and productivity. The key is that your actions and your awareness unite, resulting in singular focus and concentration, allowing you to let go of fear and self-doubt. How to Do It: You’re more likely to lose yourself in something you enjoy doing, and it should be something that’s just challenging enough to keep it interesting. Start the work with a specific goal to keep you motivated, and focus on just one thing — multitasking is the opposite of flow. And remember to remove or shut off distractions (like your phone). The Benefits: Beyond productivity, studies have found […]
Mindfulness 
Somatic Therapy Is on the Rise. Can It Really Help With Trauma?
The Trend: Nervous system “resets,” TikTok sages, and a “Workout Witch” who teaches movements designed to release “trapped emotions” are bringing somatic practices to the mainstream. The ideas behind somatic therapy aren’t new, but they’ve found new life recently as Americans increasingly seek out care beyond traditional medical institutions. Unlike talk therapy, which focuses on your thinking patterns, behaviors, and experiences, somatic therapy focuses on the body and the physical manifestations of trauma. Workouts like somatic yoga are linked to these principles, using slow movement and focusing on paying attention to physical sensations as they arise. What People Are Saying: Many people were first introduced to somatics from the book The Body Keeps the Score, which explores the idea that trauma is held in the body. Somatic therapy uses a body-first “bottoms up” approach — the goal is to release the emotions from the body, which practitioners say can relieve pain and muscle tension, improve sleep, and generally allow the brain and the body to let go of lingering trauma. What to Know: Somatic therapy hasn’t been as widely researched as other therapy modalities, but it does show promise for helping people with PTSD, anxiety, grief, and depression. Finding an […]
Mindfulness 
How To Use This Neuroscience Principle To Rewire Negative Thoughts
Mindfulness 
What Are Skin Tags — and Should You Worry About Them?
Skin tags are incredibly common and almost always harmless, but it's worth knowing which changes are worth a dermatologist's attention.
Beauty 
What “Ferritin Face” Can (and Can’t) Tell You About Your Iron
The Trend: Ever heard of “ferritin face?” Well, it’s the internet’s new name for that sallow and tired look (complete with dark circles) that people say signals low iron. It’s spreading on TikTok, in particular, where people credit iron infusions or supplements with changing their skin. It seems to be resonating because iron deficiency is the world’s most common nutritional deficiency, and almost one in three US adults has some form of it. What People Are Saying: Many people posting about ferritin face discuss how doctors initially dismissed their symptoms and blamed them on fatigue or stress. But dermatologists warn that dark circles and pale skin aren’t reliable signs on their own, especially because they’re harder to notice on darker skin tones. What to Know: The sudden rise of ferritin face as a social media trend reflects the fact that iron deficiency often goes undiagnosed. That’s partially because standard blood tests check hemoglobin, which can be normal even when your body’s iron stores are low. A ferritin test measures your body’s stored iron and can detect iron deficiency before anemia develops. So there’s no harm in asking your doctor for a ferritin test if the state of your face has […]
Beauty 
Beef Tallow Is Moving From Cooking to Skincare
Beauty 
Night Owls May Have a Harder Time Leaving Work Behind
The Late Shift: Some people can’t help but rerun the day’s work meeting while making dinner, or reply to one more email after the dishes are done. So why do some people seem to have the enviable ability to clock out both physically and mentally? Well, it’s not necessarily because they have a better mindset or are less busy. A new analysis of more than 2,000 working adults in Finland found that night owls have a harder time leaving work behind. The Study: Researchers asked adults ages 20 to 65 to rate themselves from morning person to full night owl, then asked whether work ate into their personal downtime. The more of a night owl someone was, the less likely they were to feel fully recovered before the next workday. Evening types also reported more anxiety and depression. The Takeaway: If you get a second wind after 5 p.m., notice whether it turns into more work instead of an actual break. Keep in Mind: This study can’t prove being a night owl causes anxiety, since it’s observational and based on self-reports. Still, the tie between recovery and overworking held up across all the chronotypes.
Personal Growth 
Meta Bans Beauty Filters for Teens in the Age of “Looksmaxxing”
The Trend: $400 facials. Paying AI to tell you what’s wrong with your face. Bone-breaking surgery. These are just a few things we can arguably (perhaps inarguably) link to the “looksmaxxing” era. As these consequences of our ultra-online world have rolled in, so, too have potential fixes. Meta, for example, is banning beauty filters for teen accounts, while school districts around the country are prioritizing low-tech learning environments and free play, inspired by Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation. What People Are Saying: One psychologist told Allure that more and more young patients are “becoming obsessed with perfection and feeling extremely lonely,” going so far as refusing to leave the house if they have a blemish. While some say Meta’s ban is a step in the right direction, Suzanne Wallach, LMFT, says, “If we want to be serious about teen mental health, we have to look at the entire system of social media.” What to Know: The impact of social media use on teen mental health is well-documented. Conditions like anxiety, depression, ADHD, and body dysmorphic disorder have all risen rapidly over the last few decades, and researchers point to the growing use of social media and technology as a potential […]
Personal Growth 
For Smokers Trying to Quit, Vaping May Work Better Than Patches or Gum
Personal Growth