Nutrition Corner

20 Low-Calorie, High-Protein Foods To Add to Your Diet: Fueling your body with nutrient-rich foods sets the foundation for health.

12 high-fat foods you should avoid and 12 you should eat regularly: Looking at nutrition labels can be confusing, as foods with high amounts of total fat won't necessarily make you fat.

Recipe for The Day

Sticky Vegan Coca-Cola Cauliflower Wings: Add these saucy cauliflower bites from the Orchids + Sweet Tea blog to a salad or tacos, use as a topping on pizza, serve over quinoa or rice, or eat on their own alongside a creamy vegan ranch dipping sauce.

Lifestyle & Fitness Focus

Health benefits of bell peppers

• Eye health: Lutein and zeaxanthin— carotenoids found in relatively high amounts in bell peppers — may improve eye health when consumed in adequate amounts. In fact, they protect your retina — the light-sensitive inner wall of your eye — from oxidative damage. A number of studies indicate that regular consumption of foods rich in these carotenoids may cut the risk of both cataracts and macular degeneration.

• Anemia prevention: Not only are red bell peppers a decent source of iron, they are also exceptionally rich in vitamin C, which increases the absorption of iron from your gut. In fact, one medium-sized red bell pepper may contain 169% of the RDI for vitamin C. Dietary iron absorption increases significantly when you consume fruits or vegetables high in vitamin C. For this reason, eating raw bell peppers alongside iron-rich foods — such as meat or spinach — may help increase your body’s iron stores, cutting your risk of anemia.

• Bell peppers are rich in many vitamins and antioxidants, especially vitamin C and various carotenoids.

How to be happy: Expert-approved tips to become your most optimistic self

• Smile more: People often wonder if smiling makes us happy, and the answer is yes. Being told to smile when you’re feeling low is among the most irritating things, but smiling can actually lift your mood and lower stress. A smile, be it genuine or fake, spurs a chemical reaction in the brain, releasing hormones including dopamine and serotonin. Your brain doesn’t know if it’s genuine, and releases the happy hormones regardless.

• Fake a laugh: Along the same lines, fake laughter can create feelings of happiness. Back in the 90s, Indian doctor Madan Kataria discovered that fake laughter could have the same physiological benefits as genuine giggles - including eased stress and boosted mood. Think about the last time you guffawed with your friends; we bet you felt so much lighter afterwards. For the same effect, try fake laughing - while it might feel strange, forced giggles quickly feel genuine, releasing a cocktail of feel-good emotions into our bodies.

• Revisit the past: While dwelling on the past isn't always good, it is a way to instantly boost your happiness. If you're feeling low, life coach Phil Drinkwater advises tapping into a happy memory. Your brain doesn't know if you're happy in the current moment, or remembering a happier time, so locking onto a joyful memory can give an instant happiness boost. “Try to remember times in your life when you felt abundant, content, or proud,” Phil says. “This can be useful in changing your mood in the moment.”

• Make midweek plans: How often do you catch yourself counting down to the weekend? Most weeks, we'd wager. But making the most of the midweek can seriously improve your happiness, according to positive psychology practitioner Sophie Cliff. "Instead of living for the weekend and counting down the days until Friday, make a pact with yourself to make the most out of your midweek," she says. “The midweek makes up the majority of our lives, so embracing it is a great place to start when it comes to adding more joy to our lives,” she continues.

Does olive oil have health benefits?

• Skin and hair: Applying olive oil topically can potentially aid in wound healing and may protect against skin cancer. Research suggests that olive oil may increase collagen in the skin and combat oxidative stress, contributing to younger-looking skin. However, there’s also evidence that olive oil may allow water to escape from the skin, which could produce itchy, dry and irritated skin. Therefore, it’s a good idea to talk to your dermatologist before applying olive oil topically. Olive oil can be applied to hair to help seal in the cuticle, smoothing hair and reducing frizz. It can also moisturize hair and add shine.

• Heart health: The polyphenols and MUFAs in olive oil play a role in protecting your heart, particularly when you substitute olive oil for less healthy fats. A 2019 study among more than 63,000 women and nearly 30,000 men found that replacing trans fats, carbs or saturated fats with the same amount of calories from plant-based MUFAs (like olive oil) resulted in a 14% to 20% lower risk of dying from heart disease.

• Brain health: Another reason to use olive oil instead of unhealthy fats is because it’s better for your memory and brain. Regularly incorporating olive oil into your diet has been found to protect against cognitive decline and has been associated with a 28% lower risk of fatal dementia. Alzheimer’s disease, which affects about 5.7 million Americans, is a form of fatal dementia. In fact, a study published in JAMA on May 6 found that in U.S. adults, higher olive oil intake is linked to lower risk of dying from dementia, regardless of other aspects of diet. Study authors recommended substituting olive oil for margarine and mayonnaise.

• Cancer: Olive oil has potent antioxidant properties, which may be why it offers protection against cancer. Data analysis from 45 studies found that the people who consumed the most olive oil also had a 31% lower risk of cancer when compared with those who consumed the least — including breast, gastrointestinal and urinary tract cancers.

The best upper body strength exercises, according to experts

• Bench Press: “This is everyone’s favourite, so try to get it right,” says Santons, who stresses the importance of performing the movement with maximum control. “Focus on time under tension and earn the right to progress the weight,” he says. “As a general rule, ensure the bar touches your chest and you fully extend your arms to complete the repetition.”

• Incline Bench Press: A variation on a classic, Telegadas advises the incline press as a great substitute for those struggling with the flat bench. “Common mistakes are the same as in the normal bench press,” he says. Make sure to go deep with each rep, take your time, and remember the incline press should land a little higher up the chest.

• Z-Press: “This is a fantastic vertical push movement that will help develop shoulder and tricep strength while challenging your overhead and core strength and stability,” says Santos. Pick a medium to light weight, sit on the floor with your legs stretched in front of you, keep your chest tall and perform a traditional shoulder press while keeping in position.

• Chin-Ups/Pull-Ups: Both bar exercises have enormous benefits for your core, back and shoulders. And both can be tough to get right. A band can help take your weight to start with. “Errors in the pull-up or chin-up include: not descending (elbows locked out), pulling with one side more than the other, and kicking (kipping) the knees so they can use some momentum to complete a rep,” says Telegadas. In other words: no CrossFit ‘pull ups’ here, please.

• Bent Over Barbell Row: “Rowing is fantastic for building the upper back,” says Telegadas. It also makes for a great superset with press-ups or bench press, helping balance out tight backs. “The main goal is to retract the shoulder tightly and pull the bottom of the plates/dumbbell to the hip. Common are descending too quickly, losing tension in the upper back, and not going through the full range of motion.”

Get In The Inbox of 100K+ American Health Readers

Advertise with American Health to get your brand in front of thousands of Americans who are always looking for their next interesting product.

Why American Health? American Health is your go-to source for all things related to health and wellness. Our newsletter is dedicated to keeping you informed about the latest developments in healthcare, fitness, nutrition, and overall well-being. Whether you're looking for tips on leading a healthier lifestyle, staying up-to-date with healthcare policy changes, or exploring the latest trends in wellness, we've got you covered.

Help Share American Health

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if more people read fact-focused, health news? Take a minute to share this digest with your friends–they’ll thank you for it!

Send us your feedback at [email protected]. We’re ready to listen.