Saving the meals you cook at home or order out for leftovers is, generally speaking, a pretty prudent choice. Why waste?! But if you’re not careful, refrigerating and re-heating the wrong kinds of food can make you pretty sick. The good news is, there’s a pretty solid rule of thumb you can use to keep yourself healthy. Find it here in our roundup of the 6 foods you shouldn’t save as leftovers.
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Nutrition
Is There Such a Thing as a Healthy Hot Dog?
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Speaking Frankly: Hot dog season is practically synonymous with summer, whether you’re grilling in the backyard or grabbing one at a ballgame. But traditional hot dogs are high in fat since they’re made from beef and pork trimmings; they also rely on sodium nitrite as a preservative, which can convert into cancer-linked compounds in the body. Rest assured, though, there are ways to partake in the summer festivities without derailing your health.
How to Do It: Hunting for a “healthier” hot dog can be a bit of a fool’s errand. Many chicken and turkey dogs still have plenty of sodium and saturated fat. And “uncured” or “no nitrites added” claims aren’t automatically better, since most rely on celery juice or powder, which converts into those same cancer-linked compounds. A better approach is to save hot dogs for special occasions rather than eating them all summer long.
The Benefits: You don’t have to give up old-fashioned hot dogs completely to protect your health. In fact, cutting out a food you enjoy can backfire and make your relationship with eating more complicated. So enjoying one at a cookout now and then, alongside foods like fruit or a salad, is a totally reasonable way to get through summer.
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Sleep
Why Do We Sleep Worse in the Summer?
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You Should Know: Summer may feel like a time to rest and recharge, but when days stay lighter for hours longer and sweltering nights make it hard to get comfortable, our sleep often suffers.
Going Deeper: We may sleep less in the summer because of vacations or extra socializing, and bedtimes and wake times get later when days are longer and warmer. The extra summer sunlight affects our circadian rhythm, which regulates the sleep/wake cycle. Darkness and a drop in body temperature helps trigger melatonin production and induce sleep — both of which can be hard to come by in summertime.
Takeaway: You might need to do a little more in the summer to sleep better. Keep blinds or curtains open to get as much sunlight as possible during the day, and dim the lights an hour or two before bed to signal to your body that it’s time to sleep. Keep your bedroom cool and take a warm bath or shower before bed to help trigger the needed drop in core body temperature. A consistent sleep schedule, even on weekends and on vacation, can also help you sleep more soundly during the summer months.
Bottom Line: Simple steps you take during the day can improve your sleep on summer nights.
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Cognitive Health
Scientists Found a Protein That Helps Explain Brain Aging
Midjourney
Brain Game: As we age, our risk of memory loss, mood changes, and cognitive decline increases. Scientists are working to uncover the biological changes behind these shifts in hopes of finding new ways to keep the brain healthier for longer. They may have uncovered one piece of that puzzle. A new study highlights a protein called KLF4, which helps maintain healthy blood vessels in the brain.
The Study: Researchers investigated KLF4 in mice and found that removing it from the cells lining blood vessels caused middle-aged animals to develop signs of accelerated brain aging, including nerve cell loss, memory problems, and anxiety-like behaviors. The findings suggest that declining KLF4 may contribute to age-related brain changes by disrupting the brain’s vascular system.
Bottom Line: The study adds to growing evidence that healthy brain aging depends on healthy blood vessels. Many of the same habits that protect your heart — regular exercise, managing blood pressure, eating a balanced diet, and getting enough sleep — also support long-term brain health.
Keep in Mind: This was a mouse study, so it’s too early to know whether boosting KLF4 would have the same effect in people. Researchers also removed KLF4 from blood vessel cells throughout the body, meaning some of the observed effects may not have originated solely in the brain.
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Quick Picks
Toss It — These 6 foods don’t work well as leftovers.
This classic Cobb salad is filling, satisfying, and comes together in just 15 minutes. Tender chicken breast and smoky bacon are tossed with finely chopped romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, creamy avocado, hard-boiled eggs, and crumbled blue cheese. Everything is coated in a fresh, light vinaigrette, creating a protein-packed salad that’s hearty and healthy while still feeling rich, creamy, and satisfying.
By clicking, you are agreeing to receive a daily recipe from Better Plates.
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This, Not That
The Better Desk Drink
THIS
NOT THAT
Yosuke Ota/Unsplash, Curated Lifestyle/Unsplash
This: Sparkling Water in a Glass Not That: Endless Diet Soda
Diet sodas can become an all-day reflex. Pouring sparkling water into an actual glass creates a similar ritual — cold, fizzy, satisfying — without turning artificial sweetness into your baseline flavor profile.
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HEALTHY HABIT
Eat Without the Second Screen
You don’t have to make every meal sacred. But once a day, try eating without your phone, laptop, or TV. It can help you slow down, notice when you’re full, and actually taste the food you took the time to make or buy.
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Final Thought
Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know.”
