Healthy Eating Archive

About one in three Americans engages in gardening, and the activity became even more popular during the COVID pandemic. Research suggests gardening provides many physical and mental health benefits. It can boost movement, improve diet, fight illness, smooth mood, sharpen brain function, and strengthen social bonds. Gardeners should wear a hat and apply sunscreen to protect against sun exposure. They should also wear gloves to create a barrier against skin allergens on plants and bacteria or fungi in potting soil mixes.

Two studies found that managing stress and eating a plant-based diet with at least seven servings of leafy green vegetables per week can help improve cognitive function and protect against Alzheimer's disease, respectively.

People can adapt the basic guidelines of the Mediterranean diet to any cuisine they like by choosing mostly plant-based foods and healthy fats. Latin America includes Mexico and more than 30 other countries in the Caribbean and Central and South America. Healthy choices include beans, corn tortillas, plantains, avocados and tropical fruits, as well as small amounts of fish, seafood, and queso blanco (a mild, white cheese).

A 2023 study involving 300 people suggested that people who kept a garden for one year ate about two more grams of fiber per day, had less stress and anxiety, and did more moderate-to-vigorous exercise per day than people who didn't do any gardening.

Diets high in free sugar—which includes sugar added to processed foods and drinks as well as the sugar in syrups, fruit juice, and honey—are linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.

The carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity considers the biological mechanisms that trigger the body to store too much fat. Eating fast-digesting carbs causes the body to release large amounts of insulin, which causes excess calories to be stored as fat. When fat cells suck up too many calories, there are too few calories for the rest of the body, which causes hunger and overeating. Cutting back on carbohydrates may shift metabolism in ways that promote weight loss without causing excess hunger, while also improving common risk factors for heart disease. The amount of carbohydrate reduction people might consider depends on their specific health parameters.

The gallbladder stores bile from the liver and squeezes it into the small intestine to help digest fats. About 15% of American adults have gallbladder disease, most commonly gallstones. Women are more prone to gallstones because estrogen slows the gallbladder's ability to empty. Serious complications can result from gallbladder disease, including inflammation, infection, and blockages. People can reduce their risk for gallbladder problems by eating more fruits and vegetables, favoring lean proteins, and maintaining a healthy weight.

Prehabilitation, or prehab, involves a wide range of steps to take before surgery to maximize recovery afterward. Prehab components include nutritional support, strength and fitness, blood sugar control, medication management, smoking cessation, pain management, and delirium prevention. Research suggests prehab can increase the odds people will heal faster, experience fewer complications, and recover more smoothly over all.

Fatty liver disease is a condition caused by irritation to the liver, and one specific type is triggered by metabolic risk factors. Following a healthy diet can prevent or possibly even reverse it.

A 2022 study of 11,000 dementia-free people found that middle-aged participants who ate the most junk food had a faster rate (up to 28%) of cognitive decline, compared with those who ate the least junk food.