Healthy Living, Simplified

High protein egg salad on toasted bagel halves drizzled with chili oil and topped with green onions on a wooden board

High-Protein Egg Salad Bagel Toast With Chili Oil

This high protein egg salad gets its creaminess from Greek yogurt and its kick from chili oil, all piled onto a crispy toasted bagel. It packs 25 grams of protein and comes together in about 20 minutes.

Recipes

a woman eating a leafy green salad, one of the foods that lower blood pressure, beside fresh fruit

Foods That Lower Blood Pressure, Backed by Research

The best foods that lower blood pressure are rich in potassium, like leafy greens, beets, beans, berries, and fatty fish. Here’s what the research shows about the DASH diet and how to make it a habit that lasts.

a woman on a couch eating a burger and fries, examples of the worst foods for gut health

The 8 Worst Foods for Gut Health & What the Science Says

skipping meals like breakfast is linked to depression so a man is making sure he eats breakfast

Irregular Eating Was Tied to a Higher Depression Risk in a New Study

A large new study found that people with the most irregular eating patterns were 55% more likely to report depressive symptoms, with breakfast skippers facing the highest risk. Here's what the research means for your daily routine.

Overhead view of whole raw almonds filling a white mug, showcasing the healthiest nut you can eat

Why Almonds Might Be the Healthiest Nut You Can Eat

Other nuts still deserve a spot in your diet, but almonds may be one of the healthiest of the bunch.

Fitness

Nutrition

Sleep

How to Become a Better Runner

Runner’s High: Do you want to love running, but find yourself breathing like this camel every time you jog a few strides? Good news: That’s fixable! You, too, can become a better runner with the right tips and tricks. How to Do It: Start slower than you think you should, and don’t jump right in: complete a proper warmup to get blood flowing and loosen up your joints. Alternate jogging with walking, and build your distance and pace gradually. Find a running buddy or join a local group to make showing up more fun (and harder to bail on). And don’t skip strength training: Squats, lunges, and calf raises can build the muscles that help power your stride and minimize risk of injury. The Benefits: Running comes with a seemingly endless list of mental and physical benefits. For one, the elusive runner’s high feels like magic. Regular running also builds cardiovascular fitness and endurance. Strength training can improve running economy and performance, while gradually increasing your workload helps you avoid doing too much too soon. You might not fall in love with every mile, but you can make the next one feel a little easier.

Smiling older couple walking outdoors in a sunny park, showing how regular exercise can lower risk of death, heart disease, and dementia

The Case for Exercise: Lower Your Risk of Death, Heart Disease, and Dementia

You don’t need hours in the gym to see real health benefits. Research shows that about 90 minutes of resistance training and 30 minutes of cardio each week, roughly 1% of your week, can lower your risk of early death, heart disease, and dementia.

Can Cycling Really Damage Your Fertility?

You Should Know: It’s common for cyclists to wonder if all those hours in the saddle could affect their chances of having kids. Given how uncomfortable those saddles are, it’s not an unreasonable question to ask. There’s some science to back it up, too. A 2011 study of about 2,200 men at fertility clinics linked riding five-plus hours a week to lower sperm counts and less-active sperm. But does that mean cyclists are risking their fertility by riding? Going Deeper: Fertility doctors generally aren’t too concerned about cycling, apparently. Men typically produce far more sperm than conception requires, so recreational riding is unlikely to meaningfully affect fertility. Intense, prolonged cycling may lower sperm count a little, particularly in men who already have low sperm count, though the evidence remains limited. For women, only elite-level training combined with inadequate energy intake raises a flag, since very low body fat can disrupt menstrual cycles and ovulation. Takeaway: Recreational riders can keep on pedaling, worry-free. But hardcore riders who are trying to conceive may want to discuss their concerns with a doctor. They can opt for a cut-out saddle and stand up on the pedals periodically to ease pressure (though these adjustments haven’t […]

Here’s What Happens to Your Muscles When You Take a Break From the Gym

You Should Know: Life gets busy, and sometimes the gym habit falls apart for a while. Plenty of people come back convinced their muscles have morphed into fat. The good news? There’s no known process in the body that can make that happen; muscle and fat are entirely different types of cells, so one can’t become the other any more than an orange can become an apple. Going Deeper: Here’s what’s actually going on: Muscle cells shrink without regular training, and fat cells can grow if eating habits stay the same while your energy expenditure drops. A 2020 review found fat tissue may also get better at storing energy once exercise stops, though most of that evidence comes from rats. These changes take time, though, and a few weeks off generally won’t lead to noticeable changes in muscle size. Takeaway: The softer look after a break comes from losing some muscle and possibly gaining some fat at the same time. So if you’re taking a gym break, staying generally active helps, as does keeping protein high while cutting calories a bit. Bottom Line: Muscle can’t become fat, so a break won’t erase all your progress.

A hand adds a teaspoon of pumpkin spice to a mixing bowl of pumpkin purée and milk, the start of o

Pumpkin Spice and Apple: Healthy Fall Desserts Worth Making

Pumpkin and apple add flavor, fiber, and a little real nutrition to dessert. Here are six healthy fall desserts worth making, from muffins to apple crisp.

a smiling woman at a table eating easy healthy breakfast ideas: a fried egg, toast with greens, and a yellow mug of coffee.

Easy Healthy Breakfast Ideas for Busy Mornings

Mornings don’t need to be complicated. Here are eight easy healthy breakfast ideas built on protein and fiber, most ready in five minutes or less.

Do Processed Foods Raise Cancer Risk?

Gut Check: We’ve heard a lot about the potential dangers of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and their link to many serious health conditions, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, and some cancers. UPFs now account for about more than half of the calories consumed by the average American. But one recent study has found no connection to UPFs and colorectal cancer (CRC), complicating some previous research on the topic. The Study: Researchers from the National Cancer Institute reviewed self-reported dietary-intake data from 461,682 U.S. adults aged 50 to 71 who’d enrolled in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study in 1995 through 1996. The median UPF intake was 1,000 calories per day or 43% of daily caloric intake. All participants were cancer-free at the time of their enrollment and were followed through 2018 to determine which of them developed CRC. Researchers determined that UPF intake was not associated with CRC incidence. The Takeaway: Not all UPFs are equal. Whole grains, fiber, dairy, and calcium from UPF sources were inversely tied to CRC incidence, but processed meat was positively associated with CRC incidence, in keeping with current nutrition guidelines. Keep In Mind: The study was observational, so no causation can be drawn from the findings.

Wooden bowl of white crystals on a table, illustrating xylitol and heart attack risk

The Common Sweetener Linked to Heart Attack and Stroke Risk

A new observational study links higher blood levels of xylitol to more heart attacks and strokes. Here’s what the research found and what it can’t tell us yet.

How to Find the Ideal Amount of Sleep for You (It May Not Be 8 Hours)

Sleepy Head: At this point, eight hours is practically synonymous with a good night’s sleep, so constantly falling short can feel like a personal failure. But new research suggests that the standard recommendation isn’t right for everyone. A year-long study of 462 adults found that a personal sleep threshold more accurately predicted how people felt the next day. Finding your sweet spot starts with figuring out your own normal, and it might not be the typical 8 hours. How to Do It: For a couple of weeks, track when you fall asleep and wake up, either by wearing a wearable or a simple log using pen and paper. Also take note of your mood and how you feel. Then find the amount of sleep you get most often (not the number you “should” be getting), and notice how your mood and focus feel the next day. That feedback reveals more than the number on your sleep tracker, and logging your headspace allows you to see patterns develop over time. The Benefits: It’s no secret that good sleep — in both quantity and quality — makes a world of difference in how we feel. But it’s about more than that. Prolonged […]

A Few Drops of This Essential Oil Could Help You Sleep

Burning the Midnight Oil?: Lavender has long been a go-to aroma for relaxation and sleep, but a less-familiar essential oil may present another option. A small study recently found an association between Japanese Hinoki root oil and improved sleep. The Study: Japanese researchers developed a blind crossover study to examine the effects of essential oil distilled from the root of the Hinoki (Japanese cypress) tree. 12 Japanese women ages 35 to 60 spent two weeks smelling Hinoki oil before bed and two weeks sniffing an unscented control. They inhaled three drops of oil in a paper cup for 10 seconds, then placed it 30 centimeters away overnight. Participants wore headbands to record brain waves and wristbands to track sleep, and completed a questionnaire each morning to report how they slept and how they felt upon waking. The Takeaway: Repeated exposure to Hinoki root oil was linked to better morning alertness and less fatigue. The sleep trackers and headbands recorded fewer nighttime awakenings and brain-wave changes associated with smoother sleep progression. Keep in Mind: The findings came from a very small pilot study, so it’s too soon to say whether the oil will meaningfully improve sleep for a broader population. While […]

Can Blue Light Glasses Actually Help With Sleep and Eye Strain?

You Should Know: Blue light is often blamed for everything from tired eyes to headaches and sleepless nights. Blue light–blocking glasses seem like an easy fix, but research has found they may not live up to the hype. Going Deeper: Not all blue light is bad — and not all of it comes from screens. The biggest source of blue light is the sun, and it plays a role in normal vision and helps regulate the body’s internal clock. But when we stare at a screen, we blink less and focus for too long on close-up objects, which dry out the cornea. Experts say these factors, rather than blue light itself, are more likely to explain digital eye strain and screen-related headaches. Takeaway: When it comes to sleep, wearing the glasses before bed may help some people, but the evidence is still mixed. Evening light exposure is what disrupts melatonin production and affects sleep — and blue wavelengths are particularly effective at doing so. However, the brightness, timing, and amount of light exposure also matter. Bottom Line: Taking regular screen breaks, not sitting too close to screens, and dimming them and other lights at night are practical ways to reduce […]

The Military Sleep Method: Does It Actually Work?

The military sleep method is a five-step relaxation technique that promises to help you fall asleep in just two minutes. Learn how it works, what the research says about its building blocks, and whether it’s worth adding to your bedtime routine.

Mindfulness

Beauty

Personal Growth

Women Experience More Pain Than Men, Global Study Finds

Pain Gap: Pain is the biggest contributor to disability worldwide, but it’s very difficult to measure. There’s no objective biomarker for pain, so it’s entirely self-reported and subjective. But a new study of pain data from more than six million people worldwide found that women consistently experience pain more than men. The Study: Researchers “harmonized” self-reported pain data from 902 studies of more than six million people aged 5 to over 100 from 118 countries to determine how pain was distributed globally and across the lifespan. Women’s self-reported pain was higher than men’s at every bodily site that was studied. Women’s pain also rose steeply before age 55, during prime career and reproductive years. The Takeaway: The gender pain gap is real. Research has shown women experience more pain and that their pain is more likely to be dismissed, underdiagnosed, and undertreated — especially in Black women. Experts say being proactive about pain management can help women, but that the medical community also must address its own bias and gaps in education. Keep in Mind: Pain metrics varied across the included studies, but experts say these limitations don’t affect the overall pattern of pain that emerged.

This Simple Mindfulness Trick May Soften Self-Criticism

Your Own Worst Critic: That little voice inside your head that replays every awkward interaction and keeps score of your mistakes can be exhausting. Eventually, those harsh judgments can start to feel like who you really are. However, there’s hope for those of us who are harsh self-critics. A new study tracking the mindfulness of 194 university students for six to eight months suggests a simple mindfulness trick might loosen the grip of what researchers call self-stigma (internalizing negative thoughts about yourself). How To Do It: Next time you start criticizing yourself, stop and instead turn your attention to your breath. There’s no need to change how you’re breathing; the point is just to notice it. Then try naming the harsh thought, so “I messed up” becomes “I’m having the thought that I messed up.” Once you see it as just a thought — not a fact — it’s a lot easier to question whether it’s even true. The Benefits: Students who scored higher on mindfulness had less self-stigma and fewer depressive symptoms months later. They also reported greater well-being, and lower self-stigma helped explain why. Small habits, like paying attention to your breath and naming your thoughts, may help quiet […]

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