27 Health and Nutrition Tips That Are Evidence-Based

It’s easy to get confused when it comes to health and nutrition. Even qualified experts often seem to hold opposing opinions, which can make it difficult to figure out what you should actually be doing to optimize your health.

Yet, despite all the disagreements, a number of wellness tips are well supported by research.

Here are 27 health and nutrition tips that are based on scientific evidence

1. Limit sugary drinks

Sugary drinks like sodas, fruit juices, and sweetened teas are the primary source of added sugar in the American diet.

Unfortunately, findings from several studies point to sugar-sweetened beverages increasing risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, even in people who are not carrying excess body fat.

Sugar-sweetened beverages are also uniquely harmful for children, as they can contribute not only to obesity in children but also to conditions that usually do not develop until adulthood, like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Healthier alternatives include:

• water

• unsweetened teas

• sparkling water

• coffee

2. Eat nuts and seeds

Some people avoid nuts because they are high in fat. However, nuts and seeds are incredibly nutritious. They are packed with protein, fiber, and a variety of vitamins and minerals.

Nuts may help you lose weight and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Additionally, one large observational study noted that a low intake of nuts and seeds was potentially linked to an increased risk of death from heart disease, stroke, or type 2 diabetes.

3. Avoid ultra-processed foods

Ultra-processed foods are foods containing ingredients that are significantly modified from their original form. They often contain additives like added sugar, highly refined oil, salt, preservatives, artificial sweeteners, colors, and flavors as well.

Examples include:

• snack cakes

• fast food

• frozen meals

• canned foods

• chips

Ultra-processed foods are highly palatable, meaning they are easily overeaten, and activate reward-related regions in the brain, which can lead to excess calorie consumption and weight gain. Studies show that diets high in ultra-processed food can contribute to obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions.

In addition to low quality ingredients like inflammatory fats, added sugar, and refined grains, they’re usually low in fiber, protein, and micronutrients. Thus, they provide mostly empty calories.

4. Don’t fear coffee

Despite some controversy over it, coffee is loaded with health benefits.

It’s rich in antioxidants, and some studies have linked coffee intake to longevity and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, and numerous other illnesses.

The most beneficial intake amount appears to be 3–4 cups per day, although pregnant people should limit or avoid it completely because it has been linked to low birth weight.

However, it’s best to consume coffee and any caffeine-based items in moderation. Excessive caffeine intake may lead to health issues like insomnia and heart palpitations. To enjoy coffee in a safe and healthy way, keep your intake to less than 4 cups per day and avoid high-calorie, high-sugar additives like sweetened creamer.

5. Eat fatty fish

Fish is a great source of high-quality protein and healthy fat. This is particularly true of fatty fish, such as salmon, which is loaded with anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids and various other nutrients.

Studies show that people who eat fish regularly have a lower risk for several conditions, including heart disease, dementia, and inflammatory bowel disease.

6. Get enough sleep

The importance of getting enough quality sleep cannot be overstated.

Poor sleep can drive insulin resistance, can disrupt your appetite hormones, and reduce your physical and mental performance.

What’s more, poor sleep is one of the strongest individual risk factors for weight gain and obesity. People who do not get enough sleep tend to make food choices that are higher in fat, sugar, and calories, potentially leading to unwanted weight gain.

7. Feed your gut bacteria

The bacteria in your gut, collectively called the gut microbiota, are incredibly important for overall health.

A disruption in gut bacteria is linked to some chronic diseases, including obesity and a myriad of digestive problems.

Good ways to improve gut health include eating probiotic foods like yogurt and sauerkraut, taking probiotic supplements — when indicated — and eating plenty of fiber. Notably, fiber serves as a prebiotic, or a food source for your gut bacteria.

8. Stay hydrated

Hydration is an important and often overlooked marker of health. Staying hydrated helps ensure that your body is functioning optimally and that your blood volume is sufficient.

Drinking water is the best way to stay hydrated, as it’s free of calories, sugar, and additives.

Although there’s no set amount that everyone needs per day, aim to drink enough so that your thirst is adequately quenched.

9. Don’t eat heavily charred meats

Meat can be a nutritious and healthy part of your diet. It’s very high in protein and a rich source of nutrients.

However, problems occur when meat is charred or burnt. This charring can lead to the formation of harmful compounds that may increase your risk for certain cancers.

When you cook meat, try not to char or burn it. Additionally limit your consumption of red and processed meats like lunch meats and bacon as these are linked to overall cancer risk and colon cancer risk.

10. Avoid bright lights before sleep

When you’re exposed to bright lights — which contain blue light wavelengths — in the evening, it may disrupt your production of the sleep hormone melatonin.

Some ways to help reduce your blue light exposure is to wear blue light blocking glasses — especially if you use a computer or other digital screen for long periods of time — and to avoid digital screens for 30 minutes to an hour before going to bed.

This can help your body better produce melatonin naturally as evening progresses, helping you sleep better.

11. Take vitamin D if you’re deficient

Most people do not get enough vitamin D. While these widespread vitamin D inadequacies are not imminently harmful, maintaining adequate vitamin D levels can help to optimize your health by improving bone strength, reducing symptoms of depression, strengthening your immune system, and lowering your risk for cancer.

If you do not spend a lot of time in the sunlight, your vitamin D levels may be low.

If you have access, it’s a great idea to have your levels tested, so that you can correct your levels through vitamin D supplementation if necessary.

12. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables

Vegetables and fruits are loaded with prebiotic fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, many of which have potent health effects.

Studies show that people who eat more vegetables and fruits tend to live longer and have a lower risk for heart disease, obesity, and other illnesses.

13. Eat adequate protein

Eating enough protein is vital for optimal health, as it provides the raw materials your body needs to create new cells and tissues.

What’s more, this nutrient is particularly important for maintenance of a moderate body weight.

High protein intake may boost your metabolic rate — or calorie burn — while making you feel full. It may also reduce cravings and your desire to snack late at night.

14. Get moving

Doing aerobic exercise, or cardio, is one of the best things you can do for your mental and physical health.

It’s particularly effective at reducing belly fat, the harmful type of fat that builds up around your organs. Reduced belly fat may lead to major improvements in your metabolic health.

According to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, we should strive for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity each week.

15. Don’t smoke, and only drink in moderation

Smoking, and alcohol abuse can all seriously negatively affect your health.

If you do any of these actions, consider cutting back or quitting to help reduce your risk for chronic diseases.

There are resources available online — and likely in your local community, as well — to help with this. Talk with your doctor to learn more about accessing resources.

16. Use extra virgin olive oil

Extra virgin olive oil is one of the healthiest vegetable oils you can use. It’s loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and powerful antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory properties.

Extra virgin olive oil may benefit heart health, as people who consume it have a lower risk for dying from heart attacks and strokes according to some evidence.

17. Minimize your sugar intake

Added sugar is extremely prevalent in modern food and drinks. A high intake is linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend keeping added sugar intake below 10% of your daily calorie intake, while the World Health Organization recommends slashing added sugars to 5% or less of your daily calories for optimal health.

18. Limit refined carbs

Not all carbs are created equal.

Refined carbs have been highly processed to remove their fiber. They’re relatively low in nutrients and may harm your health when eaten in excess. Most ultra-processed foods are made from refined carbs, like processed corn, white flour, and added sugars.

Studies show that a diet high in refined carbs may be linked to overeating, weight gain, and chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

19. Lift heavy weights

Strength and resistance training are some of the best forms of exercises you can do to strengthen your muscles and improve your body composition.

It may also lead to important improvements in metabolic health, including improved insulin sensitivity — meaning your blood sugar levels are easier to manage — and increases in your metabolic rate, or how many calories you burn at rest.

If you do not have weights, you can use your own bodyweight or resistance bands to create resistance and get a comparable workout with many of the same benefits.

The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends resistance training twice per week.

20. Avoid artificial trans fats

Artificial trans fats are harmful, man-made fats that are strongly linked to inflammation and heart disease.

Avoiding them should be much easier now that they have been completely banned in the United States and many other countries. Note that you may still encounter some foods that contain small amounts of naturally occurring trans fats, but these are not associated with the same negative effects as artificial trans fats.

21. Use plenty of herbs and spices

There is a variety of herbs and spices at our disposal these days, more so than ever. They not only provide flavor but also may offer several health benefits as well.

For example, ginger and turmeric both have potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, which may help improve your overall health.

Due to their powerful potential health benefits, you should aim to include a wide variety of herbs and spices in your diet.

22. Nurture your social relationships

Social relationships — with friends, family, and loved ones you care about — are important not only for your mental well-being but also your physical health.

Studies show that people who have close friends and family are healthier and live much longer than those who do not.

23. Occasionally track your food intake

The only way to know exactly how many calories you eat is to weigh your food and use a nutrition tracker, as estimating your portion sizes and calorie intake is not unreliable.

Tracking can also provide insights into your protein, fiber, and micronutrient intake.

Though some studies have found a link between tracking calories and disordered eating tendencies, there is some evidence that suggests that people who track their food intake tend to be more successful at losing weight and maintaining their weight loss.

24. Get rid of excess belly fat

Excessive abdominal fat, or visceral fat, is a uniquely harmful type of fat distribution that is linked to an increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

For this reason, your waist size and waist-to-hip ratio may be much stronger markers of health than your weight.

Cutting refined carbs, eating more protein and fiber, and reducing stress (which can reduce cortisol, a stress hormone that triggers abdominal fat deposition) are all strategies that may help you get rid of belly fat.

25. Avoid restrictive diets

Diets are generally ineffective and rarely work well long term. In fact, past dieting is one of the strongest predictors for future weight gain.

This is because overly restrictive diets actually lower your metabolic rate, or the amount of calories you burn, making it more difficult to lose weight. At the same time, they also cause alterations to your hunger and satiety hormones, which make you hungrier and may cause strong food cravings for foods high in fat, calories, and sugar.

All of this is a recipe for rebound weight gain, or “yoyo” dieting.

Instead of dieting, try adopting a healthier lifestyle. Focus on nourishing your body instead of depriving it.

Weight loss should follow as you transition to whole, nutritious foods — which are naturally more filling while containing fewer calories than processed foods.

26. Eat whole eggs

Despite the constant back and forth about eggs and health, it’s a myth that eggs are bad for you because of their cholesterol content. Studies show that they have minimal effect on blood cholesterol in the majority of people, and they’re a great source of protein and nutrients.

Additionally, a review involving 263,938 people found that egg intake had no association with heart disease risk.

27. Meditate

Stress has a negative effect on your health. It can affect your blood sugar levels, food choices, susceptibility to sickness, weight, fat distribution, and more. For this reason, it’s important to find healthy ways to manage your stress.

Meditation is one such way, and it has some scientific evidence to support its use for stress management and improving health.

In one study involving 48 people with high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or both, researchers found that meditation helped lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and inflammation compared with the control group. Additionally, the participants in the meditation group reported improved mental and physical wellness.

The bottom line

A few simple steps can go a long way toward improving your eating patterns and wellness.

Still, if you’re trying to live a healthier life, do not just focus on the foods you eat. Exercise, sleep, and social relationships are also important.

With the evidence-based tips above, it’s easy to introduce small changes that can have a big impact on your overall health.

Just one thing

Try this today: There are lots of suggestions on this list that can help you improve your health, but it’s best to put just one or two into practice at a time so you do not get burned out. As more of these healthy actions become habits, you can add more into your routine.

9 Ways Healthy Eating Affects Physical, Mental, and Social Health

When we talk about getting healthy, our diet is one aspect that affects all the others. Your physical, mental and social health are connected to your diet, and to one another. Improving one part of the equation can positively affect the others.

In fact, just the act of choosing to eat well can help you feel more alert and energized, according to The Cleveland Clinic.

We want to share all the benefits of eating a healthy, balanced diet, and why you should ditch the processed stuff for whole foods. But first, let's define it.

What is 'Healthy' Eating?

With such an abundance of nutrition advice out there, maybe you're wondering what it even means to eat healthily.

One thing is for sure: There's no single diet plan or food that will magically make you healthy. Instead, a "healthy" diet can be defined as one that is well-balanced, giving you all the nutrients your body needs to function from a variety of different foods — preferably in their unprocessed, whole-food form.

And unless your doctor says otherwise, there's no need to completely ban certain foods that you love on a healthy eating plan. Moderation is key and practicing it can help you develop an eating style that supports your health ​and​ makes you happy.

Here, we share some of the ways eating a nutritious diet supports all aspects of your health.

1. Your Heart Health Improves

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates over one-third of deaths worldwide are caused by heart disease — and most of those deaths are preventable with lifestyle modifications, especially a well-balanced diet.

You see, a diet high in saturated fats, refined carbs, and added sugar leads to the factors that put you at risk for CVD, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. Heart disease is not a disease that sneaks up on your body — it takes years to develop, and you just have to pay attention to signs.

One of the first signs is blood pressure which slowly creeps up. A healthy blood pressure reading is defined as one that's under 120/80, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). While genetics and age definitely play a role in your blood pressure, you aren't destined to have high levels.

A well-balanced diet is naturally low in salt. (Most of the sodium in an unhealthy diet comes from highly processed foods, like hot dogs, deli meat, chicken nuggets, and french fries.) In fact, over a period of five years, researchers found that people with a higher intake of ultra-processed foods had a higher risk of developing heart disease, according to a May 2019 study in ​​The BMJ.​​

When you eat healthier foods, those risk factors naturally decrease. For example, adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet naturally gives you more potassium. Potassium pulls sodium out of your body, which helps lower your blood pressure.

There are other ways healthy eating benefits your heart. Taking in less saturated fat, for example, can significantly lower your risk of heart disease, according to the American Heart Association.

Limit saturated fat to 10 percent or less of your total daily calories (this amounts to about 22 grams per 2,000 calories), per the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

As far as fat is concerned, you'll want to steer clear of trans fats. They are officially banned in the U.S., but that doesn't mean you still won't find them in your foods. Anything that says "hydrogenated" or "partially hydrogenated" in the ingredient list means it contains trans fat.

Even if 2 percent of your diet is made up of trans fat, your risk for heart disease can jump 23 percent, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

Tip

Lower your sodium, limit saturated fats, steer clear of trans fats, and you'll be on your way to a healthier heart.

Cutting down your salt intake can help reduce your BP. Keeping your sodium below 2,300 milligrams per day, even if you don't yet have high blood pressure, is a good practice. If you have elevated blood pressure, the AHA recommends reducing it to 1,500 milligrams per day.

2. Your Gut Flourishes

If thinking about the bacteria in your gut creeps you out, just imagine them as little helpers working to keep you healthy. Gut health has been implicated in conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes, as well as your immune health.

When it comes to the gut, a diverse array of bacteria, as these bacteria play different roles in supporting your health. There are many factors that can reduce diversity in your gut (such as the use of antibiotics and laxatives, or smoking), but one way you can support it is through your diet.

Some foods that decrease the diversity in your gut include sugar-sweetened beverages, bread, and savory snacks, according to July 2019 research in ​​Nutrients.​​ Foods that increase beneficial bacteria in your gut include prebiotics and dietary fiber.

Prebiotics are fermented by the bacteria in the gut, which helps them grow and diversify. Examples of prebiotic foods are green bananas, onions, garlic, and apples. These are all sources of fiber as well, and increasing the fiber in your diet is good for your gut.

One noticeable change to your gut health after you add healthy foods is a decrease in bloating. If your current diet is filled with salty, processed foods, you may be carrying around a little extra water, which can cause your belly to distend.

Replacing those salty foods with fresh, whole foods may help flush that salt out of your body and banish the bloat.

Related Reading

Fiber Can Help You Poop, but Its Benefits Go Beyond the Bathroom

3. Your Skin May Improve

The link between diet and skin health is still not completely understood. But what we do know is that changes in nutrition can affect the structure and function of skin, according to the Linus Pauling Institute.

Collagen is a protein that gives skin elasticity, and collagen formation decreases as you age, according to August 2017 research in ​​Nutrients​​. Vitamin C helps with collagen formation, and some studies have shown that increasing vitamin C in the diet boosts skin elasticity, so that's good news.

Sun damage is also bad for the skin and vitamin C helps protect the skin against UV exposure. Another clearly established role of vitamin C in skin health is that it aids wound healing.

All of these benefits make a good case for eating more foods high in vitamin C. Getting the recommended daily amount of five servings of fruits and vegetables per day will do it.

Just one-half cup of red bell pepper will give you over 100 percent of the daily value of vitamin C, per the USDA. More vitamin C powerhouses are kiwi, strawberries, oranges, and broccoli.

4. You Might Lose Weight

One of the most (if not ​the​ most) important factors in weight management is diet. If you have overweight or obesity, adopting a nutritious eating pattern can help.

But it's not all about reducing calories: Changing your diet so that you're prioritizing foods that provide adequate macronutrients (carbs, fat, and protein) may be more beneficial for weight loss and maintenance, according to June 2017 research in ​​Perspectives on Psychological Science​​.

Eating more fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy has been linked to weight loss as well as weight maintenance, per a December 2011 review in the ​​Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics​.

When you make healthier choices in your diet, your weight will most likely be the first thing you notice dropping. There are many types of diets you could follow, but one of the best ones is the Mediterranean diet — it has been ranked number one by the U.S. News and World Report for four years in a row.

Mediterranean diet recipes focus on plant-based foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and nuts — all key components of weight loss and maintenance.

Those who follow this diet pattern eat more lean poultry and fish than red meat and also use olive oil as their fat of choice. Making these changes may help you lose weight by focusing on healthier food choices.

5. You Could Get Stronger

After a certain age, your body doesn't repair and build muscle mass the same way that it used to. This can make your muscles weaker, which puts you at a higher risk of injury, and can also zap your energy levels.

Eating enough protein, especially if you're over 30, can help you prevent the muscle loss that naturally occurs with aging, according to Harvard Health Publishing. Including lean proteins at every meal supports your body in repairing and growing muscle tissue, which in time, may help you feel stronger and more energized.

Both animal sources — poultry, beef, fish, dairy, and eggs — as well as plant sources, such as beans, nuts, lentils, and soy, are great ways to incorporate more protein into your diet.

6. Your Mental Health May Improve

It may come as no surprise, but your food affects your mood in a pretty significant way.​ These days, nutrition therapy is often used in combination with other modalities to help with depression.

In fact, low levels of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B12, folate (vitamin B9), and vitamin D were all linked with higher incidences of depression, per a September 2019 review in ​​Antioxidants.​

These nutrients, and others such as iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, and zinc, were found to have antidepressant properties, per a September 2018 study in the ​World Journal of Psychiatry​.

According to the Mental Health Foundation, making the following diet changes can stabilize your energy levels, support your brain health and help regulate your mood.

• Eating regularly to prevent blood sugar drops

• Staying hydrated

• Focusing on whole grains, fruits, and vegetables

• Eating protein at every meal

• Minding your gut health

• Reducing caffeine

Nutrients That May Affect Your Mood (and Where to Get Them)

• ​Vitamin A: ​Green leafy vegetables, broccoli, pumpkin, carrots

• ​Vitamin C:​ Red bell peppers, orange, strawberries, cauliflower

• ​Vitamin B12:​ Beef, dairy foods, chicken, pork

• ​Vitamin D:​ Salmon, fortified foods, eggs, salmon

• ​Zinc: ​Oysters, lobster, crab, almonds

• ​Folate:​ Spinach, avocado, oranges, beans

• ​Iron: ​Oysters, lentils, spinach, dark chocolate

• ​Omega-3s:​ Salmon, tuna, walnuts, flaxseed

7. Your Brain Fog May Subside

The way you eat has a huge influence on your ability to think clearly and remember things (and not just where you put your car keys).

The Mediterranean diet and the DASH (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) diet, two widely-studied diets for their positive effects on brain health, are both full of healthy plant-based foods and low in animal fats.

And diets high in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fat and salt, specifically, have been linked to improved cognitive function, according to May 2019 research in ​​Nutrients​​.

If brain fog has you walking around in the clouds and unable to focus, you might be deficient in vitamin B12. This nutrient is important for nerve function, which could affect the connections made between nerves and the brain, per Harvard Health Publishing.

You get B12 from foods like meat, eggs, fish, and dairy products. As you age, your body doesn't absorb as much B12 from foods, so it's important to get your levels checked. Plus, people on a vegan diet are at greater risk for B12 deficiency.

If your brain fog is caused by a nutrient deficiency, you could see improvements as soon as your body has a healthy amount available. For memory and cognition, the changes may come slower, but the long-term effects of healthy eating on your brain are worth it.

8. You'll Have Balanced Blood Sugar Levels

Reducing added sugars, increasing fiber, and eating protein at every meal are just a few of the many ways to help keep your blood sugar under control.

Eating nutritious foods helps with weight control, and that's key to preventing or controlling type 2 diabetes. If you have overweight, losing only 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can help control your blood sugar if you already have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes.

If you have pre-diabetes, losing that small percentage of weight is linked to cutting your risk of getting type 2 diabetes by 58 percent, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. That's a huge incentive to start improving your diet to prevent a chronic illness.

9. Your Social Life May Flourish

Think about it: When you feel better physically, you're more likely to seek out and enjoy social activities. When you're lacking energy or feeling unwell, the opposite may be true, making it harder to develop social relationships in your community.

There's some interesting research on the relationship between healthy eating and social health. For example, eating a nutritious diet was associated with better social behavior and development in children in an April 2017 study in ​Maternal and Child Nutrition​. Kids who ate healthier diets showed more friendliness and social play than kids who didn't.

Our relationships, with others and with ourselves, are both affected by the foods we eat. Eating a nutritious diet can lead to weight loss, increased energy, and improved mental health.

Feeling good on the inside can give you more self-confidence or a more positive self-image. Higher self-esteem can make you more confident socially, strengthening your desire to forge new friendships and romantic connections.

Eating well can be a social activity. Creating recipes in the kitchen with your family or sitting down for nutritious, home-cooked meals can serve as bonding rituals that connect you with those you love.

14 Benefits of Yoga and Why You Should Be Doing it More Regularly

It's one of the most holistic forms of exercise

The benefits of yoga extend well beyond being able to smugly tell people you do yoga regularly (although it is nice). In fact, as a form of exercise, it's hard to beat for accessibility or ease – you need little to no equipment and it can be done anywhere you have enough room to move in.

That little space by the side of your bed? Yes, yoga can happen there! Your living room floor? 100%. Wherever you can fit your yoga mat, you're GTG (good to go).

Plus, no matter what Instagram culture tells us – rooted in India’s spiritual practices, yoga is less about doing headstands and much more about building mental and physical strength and cementing healthy habits for life. So, scroll on for 14 benefits of yoga

From research labs and the mouths of experts, here are 14 science-backed reasons to do more yoga.

1. Builds full-body strength

Building strength doesn't have to be done solely through gym workouts or strength training sessions. In fact, using your own body weight as resistance is a form of resistance training and can be a great (and free) way to build strength across your entire body.

For example, Chaturanga (a key flowing transition in Yoga) builds strength in your upper body and core whilst Warrior poses works your lower body (hamstrings, quads and glutes).

Pick stronger styles like Vinyasa, Hatha, Power and Rocket to build muscular endurance and strength – just make sure to skew it to your level. Most teachers will give modification advice to make the poses easier, so listen out.

2. Helps to reduce stress and build stress resilience

We get it. It’s hard not to feel more than slightly wired (read: stressed out) with emails and social updates erupting out of your inbox. That’s where yoga comes in. Shown by Coventry University to “reverse” the DNA reactions that cause stress, yoga also lowers levels of inflammatory compounds (cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the blood.

'Stress makes us tense physically and mentally. Our flight or fight response activates, we get adrenaline rushes and our body releases cortisol which increases our heart rate and sends the blood to the muscles,' describes MoreYoga instructor Anna de Sousa. 'Yoga helps us tune in with our rest and digest nervous system response, instead. Our body starts its recovery, restore and repair functions.'

3. Can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression

With instances of anxiety and depression on the rise, one of the main benefits of Yoga is its ability to combat both. In fact, the Boston University Medical Centre found that yoga is actually superior to all forms of exercise when it comes to improving mood – linked to increased GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid), low levels of which are associated with anxiety and depression), and decreased anxiety.

To reap the rewards, twice-weekly practice is the sweet spot, according to experts.

And the best bit? The benefits of yoga for anxiety and depression accumulate over time, according to research published in Psychological Medicine.

'Practising breath and breath with movement will soothe your nervous system. We all seem to be in a state of hyperarousal, so, to function at our optimal, we need to balance the active state with rest – yoga will help you to do that,' yoga teacher and founder of The Human Method, Nahid de Belgeonne, explains.

4. Regulates your nervous system response

Did you know there are two parts to your nervous system? Us neither. Dr Nitasha Buldeo, yoga instructor and founder of Organic Apoteke and I-Yogaa, explains how Yoga works with both of them:

'Yoga helps balance the autonomic nervous system. This system controls our heart, breath and, in fact, all functions that keep us alive and healthy. Yoga is found to help regulate the two parts of this system: the sympathetic (which helps energise the body) and parasympathetic (which helps heal the body).'

5. There are different types for different times of day

Unless you're a hardcore night owl, we doubt you want a super energising class to do before bed. Fortunately, yoga is able to be adapted to whatever time of day/type of flow you want – again, working with our nervous systems.

'In classical Indian Yoga morning classes are designed to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system which keeps us energised for the day and evening classes stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system – which helps us relax and enables the body to heal as we sleep,' explains Dr Buldeo.

For early birds, get your heart rate up with Vinyasa classes and sun salutations, then at bedtime pick a soothing restorative or Yin Yoga class.

6. Can be made suitable for all skill levels

One of the big upsides of yoga is the fact it can be scaled for different skill levels. Whether you're looking for yoga for beginners or something more advanced, there's something for everyone.

Leah Kim, Nike master trainer and yoga instructor, suggests starting with sun salutations as they're beginner-friendly and stimulate your cardiovascular system for a full-body workout. 'Sun Salutations are cycles of flowing postures, and you can increase the intensity and number of cycles to increase the physical challenge. Just make sure you’re breathing as you’re moving,' she advised WH.

7. Beginners can start with breathing

If you're not ready to jump into the physical poses (called 'asanas'), breathing is an important part of any yoga practice to get to grips with, too.

'Deep breathing (learning to use the diaphragm – our primary inhalation muscle), to its full capacity, is one of the best yoga exercises for beginners,' says Indaba yoga instructor, Sabina Ahmadov.

'You learn how to avoid using accessory muscles to breathe i.e. neck, upper chest and jaw muscles. Learning how to breathe properly before delving into the physical practice is extremely important because it creates a healthy foundation to build a physical practice that is grounding and nourishing.'

How to breathe during yoga

1. Sit in a position that feels comfortable for you (if you can, cross-legged) and place your hands in your side ribs.

2. Take 10 deep breaths feeling the ribcage expand into your hands and feeling the breath fill the belly at the same time.

3. Exhale gently, hugging the belly in, keeping the awareness on the core.

8. Can help with weight loss

Yoga for weight loss can sound like a funny idea, especially if you've always thought of it as something to do mostly for mental clarity. However, the practice does and can help with weight loss and losing body fat, as well.

To lose weight safely, you should be in a calorie deficit that's appropriate for your age, height, weight and lifestyle as well as exercising to maintain muscle mass. A calorie deficit is when you consume fewer calories than you're expending – forcing your body to use fat for fuel, instead. You can achieve a calorie deficit through nutrition or exercise, like yoga.

Fi Clarke, head of yoga at FLY LDN suggests practising three to five times a week if your goal is to lose weight well – in combination with a balanced, nutrient-dense diet and adequate stress management.

9. It can help cultivate mindfulness

Ah, the 'M' word. More than a buzzword, mindfulness is a really important aspect of yoga, something Gabriella Espinosa, a Movement for Modern Life yoga teacher is keen to impress.

'Yoga is much more than a physical practice although practising regularly does engage your muscles, building strength and burning calories,' she says. 'Most importantly, yoga is a practice that cultivates awareness of your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual state and this can improve your mood and how you feel in your body putting you in a better frame of mind to make healthier choices.'

Not only that but it can also help to remind us to stay grateful and adopt a "gratitude attitude" when it comes to daily life.

'Yoga encourages us to live a more mindful life, to stay grounded and present and to find gratitude in all the good things in our lives,' explains de Sousa.

10. Easy to do on the go

So long as you've got your yoga mat (and even if you haven't, tbh) it's possible to get a flow going. Whether you prefer to tune into a class – one of Yoga with Adriene's, perhaps – or move to your own beat, it's the perfect travel-friendly home workout to keep you fit, strong and mobile on the move.

11. Can alleviate sleep issues

You've got your sunrise alarm clock, weighted blanket and calming bedtime rituals but good, consistent sleep still evades you. Why? Well, it could be because you're not actually calming your nervous system down with IG scrolling or passive Netflix watching. The thing that could help you? Yoga, shockingly.

Research by the Harvard Medical School found that a sustained yoga practice improved both the duration and quality of sleep. Similarly, a study presented at the Associated Professional Sleep Society's annual meeting in 2015, revealed that people who practise yoga regularly are more likely to get 7-8 hours of sleep per night.

We'd recommend a calming Yin Yoga sequence or short, calming flow (like this one) to help make bedtime as calm as possible.

12. Able to be done (with doctor's permission) during pregnancy

A lot of things change during pregnancy, including how to exercise safely. One of the things you can (usually) still do during pregnancy is yoga. So long as you have the sign off from your doctor/midwife, getting down to your mat is still A-OK after the first trimester.

In fact, pregnancy yoga has a range of benefits from strengthening your pelvic floor (very important) to helping you learn calming breathing sequences. The key is to make sure you're doing it safely with your body and your pregnancy in mind.

13. Improves balance

As we age our centre of gravity can shift, this can make it harder to maintain balance. This is due to the liquid that lubricates our joints (synovial fluid) declining as we get older. Add into the mix that our ligaments also tend to lose moisture and elasticity and we have an issue of rigidity and stiffness on our hands.

Exercise stimulates the production of synovial fluid, which is why it's so important to stay moving as we get older. Experts suggest working against resistance to build strength and improve balance simultaneously, something yoga is brilliant for.

14. You can do it in your pants

Ok, this one might be slightly less science-based but if the only way you're going to do more yoga is by sliding out of bed and straight into a sun salutation, so be it. Besides a sports bra, you don't need to tog up in any special gear to get going. A major benefit.

What happens if I do yoga every day?

Loads of great things. You'll get stronger, fitter and improve your posture, bone health and skill. You might also find your sleep, stress management and mood improve, too.

If you're struggling to cement a daily yoga practice, here are some tips from yoga teacher Chatty Dobson, founder of Flex Chelsea.

1. Try different forms of yoga, stick with what you enjoy

'The same goes for teachers – try a number, and find what you like. You’ll never form a routine if it’s a chore, but when it’s something you enjoy you’ll make time for it.'

2. Take it slow

'Don’t put pressure on yourself by looking at the other people in the room, virtual or otherwise, judging yourself for not being as "good" as them. Everyone starts somewhere. Try to remember that everyone’s concentrating on their own practice, so if you can’t do something, no one will notice, they’re focused on themselves.'

How Long Does It Take to See Results From Eating a More Nutritious Diet?

Eating nutritious foods can help you feel your best physically and mentally, which is why you may notice a difference if you start eating more whole foods in place of processed snacks. But how long does it take to see results from eating healthy?

First things first, here's what we mean by eating healthy: It's a diet that includes a variety of nutritious whole foods that you enjoy, rather than a style of eating that restricts foods labeled as "bad."

In fact, there's no such thing as "good" or "bad" food. Assigning a moral value to what you eat can make you feel guilty or wrong for having certain foods, and shaming yourself over your diet can harm your emotional wellbeing.

Instead, craft a diet full of foods that you find delicious. Per the Mayo Clinic, here are some categories to include:

• Vegetables

• Fruits

• Whole grains like whole-wheat bread and oats

• Lean sources of protein like poultry, fish, and nuts

• Beneficial sources of fat like olive oil, nuts, and avocado

With that said, here's how long it takes to see results from eating healthy and what changes to expect over time.

Tip

Working with your doctor or dietitian can help you develop an eating plan that best supports you and your health needs, according to the Mayo Clinic.

What Happens When You Start Eating Healthy?

As you incorporate more nutritious foods into your diet on a regular basis, you may start to notice changes rather quickly within the first days and weeks, all while progressing toward bigger changes long term.

Here's a quick overview of when to expect certain benefits of eating healthy:

• Within the first few days, you may feel more energized, alert, and less bloated.

• After the first full week or two, you may experience changes in body composition, skin complexion, and mood.

• After a month and onward, you may have dropped some extra weight, lowered cholesterol levels, and decreased high blood pressure.

The Immediate Changes

Here's how long after eating healthy you'll see results: When you begin munching on more nutritious foods, you may feel certain changes immediately.

Replacing some high-calorie, fat-laden, or extra-salty foods with whole foods can make you feel less bloated after a meal, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Opting for more plant-based meals and eating smaller portions may also help you experience fewer incidences of indigestion, per Harvard Health Publishing.

Choosing whole grains over refined carbs (like those in baked goods) will help keep your blood sugar steady throughout the day, so you may experience higher and more consistent energy levels, according to Harvard Health Publishing.

Indeed, by feeding your body usable nutrients instead of empty calories (like those in processed foods such as candy or chips), you may notice an overall increase in energy and alertness.

21 Reasons to Eat a whole Food diet

Real food is food that is as close to its natural state as possible.

It is primarily:

• unprocessed

• free of chemical additives

• rich in nutrients

However, since processed foods became popular in the 20th century, the Western diet has shifted more toward ready-to-eat meals.

While processed foods are convenient, they can also potentially affect your health. So following a diet based on real food may be one of the most important things you can do to help maintain good health.

Here are 21 reasons to eat real food.

1. Loaded with important nutrients

Unprocessed animal and plant foods can help provide vitamins and minerals you need for optimal health.

For instance, 1 cup (149 grams) of red bell peppers, kiwi (180mg) or orange slices (165 grams) contains more than 100% of the RDI for vitamin C .

Eggs and liver are especially high in choline, a nutrient essential for proper brain function .

And a single Brazil nut provides all the selenium you need for an entire day .

In fact, most whole foods are good sources of vitamins, minerals, and other beneficial nutrients.

2. Low in sugar

Some research suggests that eating sugary foods can increase your risk for obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and heart disease.

Generally speaking, real foods tend to be lower in added sugar than many processed foods.

Even though fruit contains sugar, it’s also high in water and fiber, making it much healthier option than having soda and processed foods.

3. Heart healthy

Real food is packed with antioxidants and nutrients that support heart health, including magnesium and healthy fats.

Eating a diet rich in nutritious, unprocessed foods may also help reduce inflammation, which is considered one of the major drivers of heart disease

4. Better for the environment

The world population is steadily growing, and with this growth comes increased demand for food.

However, producing food for billions of people can take a toll on the environment.

This is partly due to the destruction of rainforests for agricultural land, increased fuel needs, pesticide use, greenhouse gases, and packaging that ends up in landfills.

Developing sustainable agriculture based on real food may help improve the health of the planet by reducing energy needs and decreasing the amount of nonbiodegradable waste that humans produce.

5. High in fiber

Fiber provides many health benefits, including boosting digestive function, metabolic health, and feelings of fullness.

Foods like avocados, chia seeds, flaxseeds, and blackberries are particularly high in healthy fiber, alongside beans and legumes.

Consuming fiber through whole foods is better than taking a supplement as it keeps you feeling fuller longer, and you also get the added nutrients from the fruit or vegetable.

6. Helps manage blood sugar

According to the International Diabetes Federation, more than 450 million people live with diabetes worldwide.

That number is expected to rise to 700 million by 2045.

Eating a diet high in fibrous plants and unprocessed animal foods may help reduce blood sugar levels in people who have or are at risk for diabetes.

In one 12-week study, people with diabetes or prediabetes followed a paleolithic diet combining fresh meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, eggs, and nuts. They experienced a 26% reduction in blood sugar levels.

7. Good for your skin

In addition to promoting better overall health, real food can help nourish and protect your skin.

For instance, dark chocolate and avocados have been shown to protect skin against sun damage.

Studies suggest that eating more vegetables, fish, beans, and olive oil may help reduce wrinkling, loss of elasticity, and other age-related skin changes.

What’s more, switching from a Western diet high in processed foods to one based on real food may help prevent or reduce acne.

8. Helps lower triglycerides

Blood triglyceride levels are strongly influenced by food intake.

Since your triglyceride levels may increase when you consume sugar and refined carbs, it’s best to minimize these foods.

In addition, including unprocessed foods like fatty fish, lean meats, vegetables, and nuts has been shown to significantly reduce triglyceride levels

9. Provides variety

To keep your diet interesting, you can include diverse foods, such as trying vegetables that you have never had.

Hundreds of different real food options exist, including a wide variety of meat, fish, dairy, vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, whole grains, and seeds.

Make a point of regularly trying new foods. Some unique options include chayote squash, chia seeds, organ meats, kefir, and quinoa.

10. Costs less in the long run

It’s said that real food is more expensive than processed food.

In an analysis of 27 studies from 10 countries, it was found that eating healthier food costs about $1.56 more than processed food per 2,000 calories.

However, this difference can be minimal when compared to the cost of managing chronic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity.

For instance, one study noted that people with diabetes spend 2.3 times more on medical supplies and other healthcare costs than those who do not have this condition.

Thus, real food costs less in the long run because it’s more likely to help keep you healthy, minimizing your medical costs.

11. High in healthy fats

Unlike the trans and processed fats found in vegetable oils and some spreads, most naturally occurring fats are better to have.

For example, extra virgin olive oil is a great source of oleic acid, a monounsaturated fat that promotes heart health.

Seeds are a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids help fight inflammation and protect heart health and fatty fish, such as salmon, herring, and sardines, are also excellent sources.

Other real foods that are high in healthy fats include avocados, and nuts.

12. May reduce disease risk

Making real food part of your lifestyle may help reduce your risk for disease.

Eating patterns — like the Mediterranean diet — based on whole, unprocessed foods have been shown to reduce your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

In addition, several large observational studies link a balanced diet heavy in fruits and vegetables to a decreased risk of cancer and heart disease

13. Contains antioxidants

Antioxidants are compounds that help fight free radicals, which are unstable molecules that can damage your body’s cells.

They are found in all real foods, especially plant foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, and legumes. Fresh, unprocessed animal foods also contain antioxidants — though in much lower levels.

For instance, egg yolks offer lutein and zeaxanthin, which can help to protect against eye diseases like cataracts and macular degeneration.

14. Good for your gut

Eating real food may be beneficial for your gut microbiome, which refers to the microorganisms that live in your digestive tract.

Indeed, many real foods function as prebiotics — food that your gut bacteria ferment into short-chain fatty acids. In addition to promoting gut health, these fatty acids may improve blood sugar management.

Real food sources of prebiotics include garlic, asparagus, and cocoa.

15. May help prevent overeating

According to research, a high intake of processed and fast foods has been linked to a higher rate of overeating, particularly in those who are overweight compared to those who are not at a higher weight.

By contrast, real food doesn’t harbor the sugars and flavorings that load down processed foods and may drive overeating.

16. Promotes dental health

Healthy teeth may be another benefit of real foods.

The sugar and refined carbs in the Western diet can promote dental decay by feeding the plaque-causing bacteria that live in your mouth. The combination of sugar and acid in soda is especially likely to cause decay.

Additionally, cheese seems to help prevent cavities by increasing pH and hardening tooth enamel. One study found that eating cheese dramatically improved enamel strength in people with limited saliva production.

Green tea has also been shown to protect tooth enamel. One study found rinsing with green tea significantly reduced the amount of erosion that occurred when people drank soda and brushed their teeth vigorously.

17. May help reduce sugar cravings

A diet based on real food may also help reduce cravings for sweets like cakes, cookies, and candy.

Once your body adjusts to eating whole, unprocessed foods, cravings for sugary foods could become infrequent.

18. Sets a good example

In addition to improving your own health and well-being, eating real food can help the people you care about stay healthy.

Leading by example could encourage your friends and family to adopt a nutrient-dense eating pattern. It’s also a good way to help your kids learn about good nutrition.

19. Gets the focus off dieting

A dieting mentality may be harmful because it limits your focus to your weight.

In fact, good nutrition is about much more than losing weight. It’s also about having enough energy and feeling healthy.

Focusing on eating balanced meals rich in fruits and vegetable instead of dieting can be a much more sustainable and enjoyable way to live. Instead of having weight loss be the focus, let weight loss come as a natural side effect of a nutrient-dense diet and improved metabolic health.

20. Helps support local farmers

Purchasing produce, meat, and dairy from farmers markets supports the people who grow food in your community.

In addition, local farms often provide fresher and less processed food than supermarkets.

21. Delicious

On top of everything else, real food tastes delicious.

The amazing flavor of fresh, unprocessed food is undeniable.

Once your taste buds have adjusted to real food, processed junk food simply can’t compare.

The bottom line

Real food is just one component of a healthy lifestyle.

It’s also important to:

• exercise as often as possible

• lower your stress levels

• maintain proper nutrition

But there’s no doubt that eating more real food will go a long way toward improving your health.

10 Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep

Getting enough sleep has a lot of proven health benefits. Scientists have learned more and more as they've gained a better understanding of the role of sleep.

You know it doesn't feel good when you don't get enough sleep. But you may not realize how far-reaching the impact can be.

This article lists 10 ways sleep is good for your health.

How Much Sleep is Enough?

• Most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep per day.

• Getting less than six or seven hours of sleep for just one night can affect you the next day.

• Chronically missing out on sleep increases your risk of disease.

  1 - Sleep and Heart Health

  During sleep, your body releases hormones. Some of them keep your heart and blood vessels healthy.

  Lack of sleep deprives you of these hormones. That's associated with:1

  • High blood pressure

  • Worse heart function

  • Over time, heart disease

  This is an even bigger problem if you already have a heart condition.

  2 - Sleep and Blood Sugar Regulation

  Sleep helps regulate your metabolism. That's the way your body converts food to energy.

  Sleep deprivation can cause many problems with metabolism, including fluctuating blood sugar levels.

  This can be a problem if you have diabetes. It also raises your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

  Blood sugar extremes also affect your:

  • Mood

  • Energy levels

  • Mental function

    3 - Sleep and Stress

    Sleep helps your mind and body relax and recover from your day. When you're sleep deprived, your body releases stress hormones.

    Stress can make you react in ways that aren't productive. You may act out of fear or make rash decisions. Or you may be irritable.

    A poor night's sleep can make you feel anxious. This may last until you finally get some much-needed rest.

    Improving Sleep

    Practicing relaxation techniques can help you fall asleep faster.

    4 - Sleep and Inflammation

    Sleep regulates your immune system. When you don't get enough, irregular immune system activity can cause inflammation.

    You may not notice excess inflammation. But it can have an effect on your body.

    Chronic inflammation damages structures and increases your risk of many health conditions. A few examples include:

    • Ulcers

    • Dementia

    • Heart disease

      5 - Sleep and Weight Loss

      Research suggests that people who sleep less are more likely to be overweight or obese.

      Poor sleep appears to disrupt the balance of ghrelin and leptin. Those are hormones that control appetite.5

      If you want to lose or maintain weight, don't forget that good sleep is part of the equation.

      Recap

      Adequate sleep helps with hormonal balance. That keeps your heart healthy, reduces stress, and helps keep blood sugar consistent.

      It also reduces stress, prevents inflammation, and helps control weight.

      6 - Sleep and Balance

      Sleep helps you maintain your physical abilities. Studies show sleep deprivation leads to short-term balance problems.

      That's called postural instability. It can lead to injuries and falls. Even mild instability can cause problems during sports or exercise.

      A Look at What Causes Balance Problems and Treatment Options

      7 - Sleep and Alertness

      A good night's sleep makes you feel energized and alert. This helps you focus and get things done.

      It's easier to exercise when you're energetic and alert. So that's an indirect benefit of getting enough sleep.

      Being engaged and active throughout your day feels good. And being more active all day makes another good night's sleep more likely.

      8 - Sleep and Memory

      Sleep appears to play a big role in what's called memory consolidation.

      During sleep, your brain makes connections. It links events, feelings, and sensory input to form memories.

      Deep sleep is important for this. So more quality sleep can improve your memory.

      9 - Sleep and Executive Function

      Executive function involves complex thinking. That includes things like problem-solving, planning, and making decisions. It can also affect your alertness and memory.

      Executive function helps you with work, school, social interactions, and more. One night of sleep deprivation can impair executive function the next day.

      10 - Sleep and Repairs

      While you sleep, your body works hard to repair damage. The damage can be from stress, ultraviolet rays, and other harmful things you're exposed to.

      Your cells produce certain proteins while you sleep. They form the building blocks of cells. That lets cells repair the day's damage and keep you healthy.

      Recap

      Sleep is important for memory formation, clear thinking, balance, and repairing damage.

      Summary

      While you sleep, your body is hard at work. It restores hormonal balance, repairs itself, and keeps the circulatory and immune systems functioning properly. Your brain forms and stores memories.

      Quality sleep allows you to be energetic and alert. It allows you to lose weight, exercise, work, learn, socialize, and do all the things you enjoy.

10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting.

There are many different types of intermittent fasting, such as the 16/8 and 5:2 methods.

Numerous studies show that it can have powerful benefits for your body and brain.

Here are 10 evidence-based health benefits of intermittent fasting.

1. Changes the function of hormones, cells, and genes

When you don’t eat for a while, several things happen in your body.

For example, your body changes hormone levels to make stored body fat more accessible and initiates important cellular repair processes.

Here are some of the changes that occur in your body during fasting:

• Insulin levels. Blood levels of insulin drop significantly, which facilitates fat burning.

• Human growth hormone (HGH) levels. The blood levels of human growth hormone (HGH) may increase dramatically. Higher levels of this hormone facilitate fat burning and muscle gain, and have numerous other benefits.

• Cellular repair. The body induces important cellular repair processes, such as removing waste material from cells.

• Gene expression. There are beneficial changes in several genes and molecules related to longevity and protection against disease.

Many of the benefits of intermittent fasting are related to these changes in hormones, the function of cells, and gene expression.

SUMMARY

When you fast, insulin levels drop and human growth hormone (HGH) increases. Your cells also initiate important cellular repair processes and change which genes they express.

2. Can help you lose weight and visceral fat

Many of those who try intermittent fasting are doing it to lose weight.

Generally speaking, intermittent fasting will make you eat fewer meals.

Unless you compensate by eating much more during the other meals, you’ll end up taking in fewer calories.

Additionally, intermittent fasting enhances hormone function to facilitate weight loss.

Lower insulin levels, higher HGH levels, and increased amounts of norepinephrine (noradrenaline) all increase the breakdown of body fat and facilitate its use for energy.

For this reason, short-term fasting actually increases your metabolic rate, helping you burn even more calories.

In other words, intermittent fasting works on both sides of the calorie equation. It boosts your metabolic rate (increases calories out) and reduces the amount of food you eat (reduces calories in).

According to a 2014 review of the scientific literature, intermittent fasting can cause weight loss of 3–8% over 3–24 weeks. This is a huge amount.

The study participants also lost 4–7% of their waist circumference over 6–24 weeks, which indicates that they lost lots of visceral fat. Visceral fat is the harmful fat in the abdominal cavity that causes disease.

One 2011 review also showed that intermittent fasting caused less muscle loss than continuous calorie restriction.

However, a 2020 randomized trial looked at people who followed the 16/8 method. In this diet, you fast for 16 hours a day and have an 8-hour window to eat.

The people who fasted didn’t lose significantly more weight than the people who ate three meals a day. After testing a subset of the participants in person, the researchers also found that the people who fasted lost a significant amount of lean mass. This included lean muscle.

More studies are needed on the effect of fasting on muscle loss. All things considered, intermittent fasting has the potential to be an incredibly powerful weight loss tool.

SUMMARY

Intermittent fasting helps you eat fewer calories while boosting metabolism slightly. It’s a very effective tool to lose weight and visceral fat.

3. Can reduce insulin resistance, lowering your risk for type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes has become a very common diagnosis in recent decades.

Its main feature is high blood sugar levels in the context of insulin resistance.

Anything that reduces insulin resistance should help lower blood sugar levels and protect against type 2 diabetes.

Interestingly, intermittent fasting has been shown to have major benefits for insulin resistance and to lead to an impressive reduction in blood sugar levels.

In human studies on intermittent fasting, fasting blood sugar has been reduced by 3–6% over the course of 8–12 weeks in people with prediabetes. Fasting insulin has been reduced by 20–31%.

One study in mice with diabetes also showed that intermittent fasting improved survival rates and protected against diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is a complication that can lead to blindness.

What this implies is that intermittent fasting may be highly protective for people who are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

However, there may be some differences between the sexes. One 2005 study in women showed that blood sugar management actually worsened after a 22-day long intermittent fasting protocol.

SUMMARY

Intermittent fasting can reduce insulin resistance and lower blood sugar levels, at least in men.

4. Can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body

Oxidative stress is one of the steps toward aging and many chronic diseases.

It involves unstable molecules called free radicals. Free radicals react with other important molecules, such as protein and DNA, and damage them.

Several studies show that intermittent fasting may enhance the body’s resistance to oxidative stress.

Additionally, studies show that intermittent fasting can help fight inflammation, another key driver of many common diseases.

SUMMARY

Studies show that intermittent fasting can reduce oxidative damage and inflammation in the body. This should have benefits against aging and development of numerous diseases.

5. May be beneficial for heart health

Heart disease is currently the world’s biggest killer.

It’s known that various health markers (so-called “risk factors”) are associated with either an increased or decreased risk of heart disease.

Intermittent fasting has been shown to improve numerous different risk factors, including:

• blood sugar levels

• blood pressure

• blood triglycerides

• total and LDL (bad) cholesterol

• inflammatory markers

However, much of this is based on animal studies.

The effects of fasting on heart health need to be studied more in-depth in humans before recommendations can be made.

SUMMARY

Studies show that intermittent fasting can improve numerous risk factors for heart disease, such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and inflammatory markers.

6. Induces various cellular repair processes

When we fast, the cells in the body initiate a cellular “waste removal” process called autophagy.

This involves the cells breaking down and metabolizing broken and dysfunctional proteins that build up inside cells over time.

Increased autophagy may provide protection against several diseases, including cancer and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.

SUMMARY

Fasting triggers a metabolic pathway called autophagy, which removes waste material from cells.

7. May help prevent cancer

Cancer is characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells.

Fasting has been shown to have several beneficial effects on metabolism that may lead to reduced risk of cancer.

Promising evidence from animal studies indicates that intermittent fasting or diets that mimic fasting may help prevent cancer. Research in humans has led to similar findings, although more studies are needed.

There’s also some evidence showing that fasting reduced various side effects of chemotherapy in humans.

SUMMARY

Intermittent fasting has been shown to help prevent cancer in animal studies and some human studies. Research in humans showed that it can help reduce side effects caused by chemotherapy.

8. Has benefits for your brain

What’s good for the body is often good for the brain as well.

Intermittent fasting improves various metabolic features known to be important for brain health.

Intermittent fasting helps reduce:

• oxidative stress

• inflammation

• blood sugar levels

• insulin resistance

Several studies in mice and rats have shown that intermittent fasting may increase the growth of new nerve cells, which should have benefits for brain function.

Fasting also increases levels of a brain hormone called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). A BDNF deficiency has been implicated in depression and various other brain problems.

Animal studies have also shown that intermittent fasting protects against brain damage due to strokes.

SUMMARY

Intermittent fasting may have important benefits for brain health. It may increase growth of new neurons and protect the brain from damage.

9. May help prevent Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is the world’s most common neurodegenerative disease.

There’s no cure currently available for Alzheimer’s, so preventing it from showing up in the first place is critical.

Studies in rats and mice show that intermittent fasting may delay the onset of Alzheimer’s or reduce its severity.

In a series of case reports, a lifestyle intervention that included daily short-term fasts was able to significantly improve Alzheimer’s symptoms in 9 out of 10 people.

Animal studies also suggest that fasting may protect against other neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease.

However, more research in humans is needed.

SUMMARY

Studies in animals suggest that intermittent fasting may be protective against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.

10. May extend your lifespan, helping you live longer

One of the most exciting applications of intermittent fasting may be its ability to extend lifespan.

Studies in rodents have shown that intermittent fasting extends lifespan in a similar way as continuous calorie restriction.

Intermittent fasting has also been shown to increase the lifespans of fruit flies.

In some of these studies, the effects were quite dramatic. In an older study, rats that were fasted every other day lived 83% longer than rats who weren’t fasted.

In a 2017 study, mice that were fasted every other day saw their lifespans increase by around 13%.

Daily fasting was also shown to improve the overall health of male mice. It helped delay the onset of conditions such as fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma, which are both common in aging mice.

Although this is far from being determined in humans, intermittent fasting has become very popular among the anti-aging crowd.

Given the known benefits for metabolism and all sorts of health markers, it makes sense that intermittent fasting could help you live a longer and healthier life.

SUMMARY

Intermittent fasting may help you live longer, according to studies in animals.

The bottom line

Intermittent fasting is a very popular weight-loss method, but its benefits extend beyond that. It can help you live a longer and all-around healthier life too, according to studies involving animals and humans.

There are many ways to practice intermittent fasting. Some methods involve fasting during certain hours each day. Other methods only require you to fast on certain days of the week. Approaches — and results — vary.

If you’re interested in starting intermittent fasting, consider speaking with your doctor or a nutrition expert today. They can help you determine whether it’s safe for you.

The Top 10 Benefits of Regular Exercise

Exercise is defined as any movement that makes your muscles work and requires your body to burn calories.

There are many types of physical activity, including swimming, running, jogging, walking, and dancing, to name a few.

Being active has been shown to have many health benefits, both physically and mentally. It may even help you live longer.

Here are the top 10 ways regular exercise benefits your body and brain.

1. Exercise can make you feel happier

Exercise has been shown to improve your mood and decrease feelings of depression, anxiety, and stress.

It produces changes in the parts of the brain that regulate stress and anxiety. It can also increase brain sensitivity to the hormones serotonin and norepinephrine, which relieve feelings of depression.

Additionally, exercise can increase the production of endorphins, which are known to help produce positive feelings and reduce the perception of pain.

Interestingly, it doesn’t matter how intense your workout is. It seems that exercise can benefit your mood no matter the intensity of the physical activity.

In fact, in a study in 24 women diagnosed with depression, exercise of any intensity significantly decreased feelings of depression.

The effects of exercise on mood are so powerful that choosing to exercise (or not) even makes a difference over short periods of time.

One review of 19 studies found that active people who stopped exercising regularly experienced significant increases in symptoms of depression and anxiety, even after only a few weeks.

SUMMARY

Exercising regularly can improve your mood and reduce feelings of anxiety and depression.

2. Exercise can help with weight loss

Some studies have shown that inactivity is a major factor in weight gain and obesity.

To understand the effect of exercise on weight reduction, it is important to understand the relationship between exercise and energy expenditure (spending).

Your body spends energy in three ways:

• digesting food

• exercising

• maintaining body functions, like your heartbeat and breathing

While dieting, a reduced calorie intake will lower your metabolic rate, which can temporarily delay weight loss. On the contrary, regular exercise has been shown to increase your metabolic rate, which can burn more calories to help you lose weight.

Additionally, studies have shown that combining aerobic exercise with resistance training can maximize fat loss and muscle mass maintenance, which is essential for keeping the weight off and maintaining lean muscle mass.

SUMMARY

Exercise is crucial to supporting a healthy metabolism and burning more calories per day. It also helps you maintain your muscle mass and weight loss.

3. Exercise is good for your muscles and bones

Exercise plays a vital role in building and maintaining strong muscles and bones.

Activities like weightlifting can stimulate muscle building when paired with adequate protein intake.

This is because exercise helps release hormones that promote your muscles’ ability to absorb amino acids. This helps them grow and reduces their breakdown.

As people age, they tend to lose muscle mass and function, which can lead to an increased risk of injury. Practicing regular physical activity is essential to reducing muscle loss and maintaining strength as you age.

Exercise also helps build bone density when you’re younger, in addition to helping prevent osteoporosis later in life.

Some research suggests that high impact exercise (such as gymnastics or running) or odd impact sports (such as soccer and basketball) may help promote a higher bone density than no impact sports like swimming and cycling.

SUMMARY

Physical activity helps you build muscles and strong bones. It may also help prevent osteoporosis.

4. Exercise can increase your energy levels

Exercise can be a real energy booster for many people, including those with various medical conditions.

One older study found that 6 weeks of regular exercise reduced feelings of fatigue for 36 people who had reported persistent fatigue.

And let’s not forget the fantastic heart and lung health benefits of exercise. Aerobic exercise boosts the cardiovascular system and improves lung health, which can significantly help with energy levels.

As you move more, your heart pumps more blood, delivering more oxygen to your working muscles. With regular exercise, your heart becomes more efficient and adept at moving oxygen into your blood, making your muscles more efficient.

Over time, this aerobic training results in less demand on your lungs, and it requires less energy to perform the same activities — one of the reasons you’re less likely to get short of breath during vigorous activity.

Additionally, exercise has been shown to increase energy levels in people with other conditions, such as cancer.

SUMMARY

Engaging in regular physical activity can increase your energy levels.

5. Exercise can reduce your risk of chronic disease

Lack of regular physical activity is a primary cause of chronic disease.

Regular exercise has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity, heart health, and body composition. It can also decrease blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

More specifically, exercise can help reduce or prevent the following chronic health conditions.

• Type 2 diabetes. Regular aerobic exercise may delay or prevent type 2 diabetes. It also has considerable health benefits for people with type 1 diabetes. Resistance training for type 2 diabetes includes improvements in fat mass, blood pressure, lean body mass, insulin resistance, and glycemic control.

• Heart disease. Exercise reduces cardiovascular risk factors and is also a therapeutic treatment for people with cardiovascular disease.

• Many types of cancer. Exercise can help reduce the risk of several cancers, including breast, colorectal, endometrial, gallbladder, kidney, lung, liver, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, thyroid, gastric, and esophageal cancer.

• High cholesterol. Regular moderate intensity physical activity can increase HDL (good) cholesterol while maintaining or offsetting increases in LDL (bad) cholesterol. Research supports the theory that high intensity aerobic activity is needed to lower LDL levels.

• Hypertension: Participating in regular aerobic exercise can lower resting systolic BP 5–7 mmHG among people with hypertension.

In contrast, a lack of regular exercise — even in the short term — can lead to significant increases in belly fat, which may increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

That’s why regular physical activity is recommended to reduce belly fat and decrease the risk of developing these conditions.

SUMMARY

Daily physical activity is essential to maintaining a healthy weight and reducing the risk of chronic disease.

6. Exercise can help skin health

Your skin can be affected by the amount of oxidative stress in your body.

Oxidative stress occurs when the body’s antioxidant defenses cannot completely repair the cell damage caused by compounds known as free radicals. This can damage the structure of the cells and negatively impact your skin.

Even though intense and exhaustive physical activity can contribute to oxidative damage, regular moderate exercise can actually increase your body’s production of natural antioxidants, which help protect cells.

In the same way, exercise can stimulate blood flow and induce skin cell adaptations that can help delay the appearance of skin aging.

SUMMARY

Moderate exercise can provide antioxidant protection and promote blood flow, which can protect your skin and delay signs of aging.

7. Exercise can help your brain health and memory

Exercise can improve brain function and protect memory and thinking skills.

To begin with, it increases your heart rate, which promotes the flow of blood and oxygen to your brain. It can also stimulate the production of hormones that enhance the growth of brain cells.

Plus, the ability of exercise to prevent chronic disease can translate into benefits for your brain, since its function can be affected by these conditions.

Regular physical activity is especially important in older adults since aging — combined with oxidative stress and inflammation — promotes changes in brain structure and function.

Exercise has been shown to cause the hippocampus, a part of the brain that’s vital for memory and learning, to grow in size, which may help improve mental function in older adults.

Lastly, exercise has been shown to reduce changes in the brain that can contribute to conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

SUMMARY

Regular exercise improves blood flow to the brain and helps brain health and memory. Among older adults, it can help protect mental function.

8. Exercise can help with relaxation and sleep quality

Regular exercise can help you relax and sleep better.

With regard to sleep quality, the energy depletion (loss) that occurs during exercise stimulates restorative processes during sleep.

Moreover, the increase in body temperature that occurs during exercise is thought to improve sleep quality by helping body temperature drop during sleep.

Many studies on the effects of exercise on sleep have reached similar conclusions.

One review of six studies found that participating in an exercise training program helped improve self-reported sleep quality and reduced sleep latency, which is the amount of time it takes to fall asleep.

One study conducted over 4 months found that both stretching and resistance exercise led to improvements in sleep for people with chronic insomnia.

Getting back to sleep after waking, sleep duration, and sleep quality improved after both stretching and resistance exercise. Anxiety was also reduced in the stretching group.

What’s more, engaging in regular exercise seems to benefit older adults, who are often affected by sleep disorders.

You can be flexible with the kind of exercise you choose. It appears that either aerobic exercise alone or aerobic exercise combined with resistance training can both improve sleep quality.

SUMMARY

Regular physical activity, regardless of whether it is aerobic or a combination of aerobic and resistance training, can help you sleep better and feel more energized during the day.

9. Exercise can reduce pain

Although chronic pain can be debilitating, exercise can actually help reduce it.

In fact, for many years, the recommendation for treating chronic pain was rest and inactivity. However, recent studies show that exercise helps relieve chronic pain.

In fact, one review of several studies found that exercise can help those with chronic pain reduce their pain and improve their quality of life.

Several studies also show that exercise can help control pain associated with various health conditions, including chronic low back pain, fibromyalgia, and chronic soft tissue shoulder disorder, to name a few.

Additionally, physical activity can also raise pain tolerance and decrease pain perception.

SUMMARY

Exercise has favorable effects on the pain associated with various conditions. It can also increase pain tolerance.

10. Exercise can promote a better sex life

Exercise has been proven to boost sex drive.

Engaging in regular exercise can strengthen the heart, improve blood circulation, tone muscles, and enhance flexibility, all of which can improve your sex life.

Physical activity can also improve sexual performance and sexual pleasure while increasing the frequency of sexual activity.

Interestingly enough, one study showed that regular exercise was associated with increased sexual function and desire in 405 postmenopausal women.

A review of 10 studies also found that exercising for at least 160 minutes per week over a 6-month period could help significantly improve erectile function in men.

What’s more, another study found that a simple routine of a 6-minute walk around the house helped 41 men reduce their erectile dysfunction symptoms by 71%.

Yet another study demonstrated that women with polycystic ovary syndrome, which can reduce sex drive, increased their sex drive with regular resistance training for 16 weeks.

SUMMARY

Exercise can help improve sexual desire, function, and performance in men and women. It can also help decrease the risk of erectile dysfunction in men.

The bottom line

Exercise offers incredible benefits that can improve nearly every aspect of your health. Regular physical activity can increase the production of hormones that make you feel happier and help you sleep better.

It can also:

• improve your skin’s appearance

• help you lose weight and keep it off

• reduce the risk of chronic disease

• improve your sex life

And it doesn’t take much movement to make a big difference in your health.

If you aim for 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic activity each week or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity spread throughout the week, you’ll meet the Department of Health and Human Services’ activity guidelines for adults.

Moderate intensity aerobic activity is anything that gets your heart beating faster, like walking, cycling, or swimming. Activities like running or participating in a strenuous fitness class count for vigorous intensity.

Throw in at least 2 days of muscle-strengthening activities involving all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms), and you’ll exceed the recommendations.

You can use weights, resistance bands, or your bodyweight to perform muscle-strengthening exercises. These include squats, push-ups, shoulder press, chest, press, and planks.

Whether you practice a specific sport or follow the guideline of 150 minutes of activity per week, you can inevitably improve your health in many ways.