Healthy

For many people, drinking a cup of coffee in the morning is an essential part of their day. And while the occasional cup of coffee may boost your energy level, focus, or even your mood, you can definitely have too much of a good thing when it comes to your coffee intake. While the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) says that most healthy adults can safely consume up to 400 milligrams of caffeine each day—the amount you'd get in approximately four to five cups of coffee—individual tolerance can vary greatly based on…

Want healthier lungs? Then consider boosting your gut health with probiotics, according to a recent study presented at the Digestive Disease Week conference. Researchers looked at detailed food and supplement diaries of 220 people who had participated in an earlier study on probiotics and weight loss—research that itself has some intriguing results—and assessed whether probiotic use had an effect on the prevalence of upper respiratory infection. Turns out, their suspicions were correct. Those in the earlier research who were…

Sugar is one of those ingredients that you know you should practice more discipline with… except it adds such a treat to your day. If you've been pondering kicking your sugar habit to trim down and level out your blood sugar levels, the move could help you more than you think. A Cleveland Clinic preventive cardiology dietitian explains four significant ways that wiping out sugar can be a huge boost to your heart health. The Cleveland Clinic, which U.S. News & World Report rates as the top heart hospital in the country,…

We've probably all been washing our hands a little extra this past year, but unfortunately not always when it's most necessary. That's according to an advisory this week from the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, who are pointing to one single source as the cause of a massive, nationwide outbreak of Salmonella. This is super important information going into the season of farmers markets and shopping for fresh groceries. If you've been following us, you understand that food poisoning can come from some of the least…

There's no doubt about it: figuring out how to lose belly fat is hard. If you're hitting the gym, eating right, and getting those Zzz's what else could you possibly do to reach those weight-loss goals? One answer: ditch these foods that slow down your metabolism. Metabolism, a naturally-occurring biochemical process whereby your body converts food and drinks into energy, is a key factor when it comes to achieving that number on the scale. The more efficient your body is at burning calories and transforming them into energy,…

Whether you're following a diet or not, you're probably hyperaware of the importance of eating more protein, having heard about the macronutrient's ability to promote weight loss while maintaining muscle mass. Protein satisfies hunger longer than carbs do; it's the key building block of strong muscles, and who doesn't want a leaner body? The makers of protein shakes and powders capitalize on all that to market protein supplements, a product category that shows no signs of softening. Projections suggest the global market for…

If lowering your blood pressure is at the top of your priority list, health-wise, you're not alone. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 1.13 billion people struggle with elevated blood pressure worldwide. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention reports that nearly half of Americans have hypertension, and only about 1 in 4 have their condition under control. High blood pressure increases your risk for heart disease and stroke—both leading causes of death in the U.S.—but health experts say…

Most of us don't have a lot of extra time to check every health claim listed on every product label in the grocery store. And even if we did, we probably wouldn't have access to, say, a bioinformatics lab to help us fact-check. In general, all we can do is trust the label and hope no one's lying to us, right? Unfortunately, that's not always the case. Bad news for kefir drinkers—new research suggests that most brands of the drink seriously overstate the beverage's gut health benefits. A study from researchers at the…

There are so many reasons to incorporate blueberries into your diet. Not only are they delicious, but they're also healthy for both your heart and brain health. Now, an increasing body of research is looking at how blueberries may even help manage your blood sugar. After you eat a meal or snack, your digestive system breaks carbohydrates down into sugar (glucose), and a hormone called insulin works to regulate the glucose in your blood. "Insulin allows for glucose to enter into cells where it can be utilized for energy,"…

Though it can be difficult to target fat loss to one specific area of your body, certain habits, foods, and exercises have been shown to help people shrink their waistlines, reduce visceral belly fat, flatten their stomachs, debloat, and tone their abs. These 50 belly-shrinking tips are backed by research, experts, and science. Start following them today to boost your confidence, improve your overall health, and slim down your midsection. And while you're at…