Nutrition Corner

Food trends for better health in the remaining months of 2023: If food is the medicine then health is the compass so, embrace these food trends as they hold the power to transform your life, nourishing both body and soul.

This healthcare company is preventing disease through diet: Making nutritious meals is no easy feat, due to the high costs of groceries and high rates of burnout among workers.

Recipe for The Day

Healthy Israeli cherry salad packs color and flavor: Eating a “rainbow” is a terrific way to get vitamins and fiber into your diet.

Lifestyle & Fitness Focus

These 5 things can happen to your body when you give up dairy

• You can get less headaches: Headaches can come from dairy because of a natural chemical that's often found in cheeses, tyramine. For some people who eat a lot of cheese, this can contribute to the onset of migraines and headaches. If you suffer regularly from these then you may find that cutting dairy foods such as cheese, from your diet, has a positive effect on this.

• You might become less bloated: While you might not currently be officially diagnosed as lactose intolerant, 65% of the world’s population actually has difficulty digesting milk, according to the US National library of Medicine. This is due to the fact that many people lack lactase, the enzyme needed to properly digest cow’s milk. If you cut out dairy, you may find that your digestion improves, perhaps making you feel less bloated.

• Your skin can improve: It's quite widely known that cutting out dairy can improve a person's skin. Cow’s milk often contains hormones, which may react to the hormones in your own body and lead to an increase in the production of sebum in your skin, responsible for clogging your pores. As a result, you may find that cutting dairy out of your diet improves the look and feel of your skin.

• You might have more energy: It’s easy to fall into a habit of regularly eating unhealthy, dairy rich foods such as creamy pasta, cheese and pizza. When you give up dairy, you may find that you begin to think more carefully about the foods you eat.

• Your moods can become more stable: Due to the high number of hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone found in cow's milk, when you consume dairy your body takes in these hormones as a bi-product. These additional hormones, when mixed with your own, may cause mood swings that you might find are alleviated when you cut out dairy from your diet.

3 Best Food and Drinks for Bone Health

• Soy Milk: Those with dairy allergies, lactose intolerance, or other dairy-free diets can rejoice—soy milk that’s fortified with calcium can be a great bone-friendly substitution.

• Yogurt: With calcium hailed as the best nutrient for bones, it’s no surprise that calcium-rich dairy products like yogurt may help build strong bones. A cup of yogurt provides 296 mg of calcium, which is about 23 percent of your daily need, per USDA data.

• Prunes: Heavily associated with gut health, prunes may also help build strong bones—especially in the hips, an area prone to fractures. A 2022 study found that a daily serving of prunes prevented bone mineral loss in the hips and reduced the risk of hip fractures in postmenopausal women.

The 4 Best Seafood Dishes for People With Diabetes

• Salmon for Heart-Healthy Omega-3s: Salmon is a great choice of fish for type 2 diabetes because it’s high in omega-3 fatty acids, the “healthy” fats that can help reduce your risk of common diabetes-related complications like heart disease, heart failure, and stroke.

• Tilapia for Tons of Protein and Little Fat: Tilapia is a low-calorie, high-protein fish that has a very mild flavor. One small fillet that’s been steamed or poached contains 137 calories and 28.5 grams (g) of protein

• Cod for a Versatile, Low-Calorie Meal: Like tilapia, cod is a low-calorie, high-protein white fish (148 calories and 32.6 g protein per small steamed or poached fillet, as the USDA notes). “[Cod] has very little saturated fat and a nice amount of omega-3s.

• Trout for Heart-Healthy Fatty Acids: If you know someone who fishes, hope that you get treated to a fresh trout or bass. Fattier fish like trout contain higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. The AHA backs that up, noting trout is one of many types of fish that offer these heart-healthy omega-3s.

5 Stretches to Reduce Knee Pain

• Calf Stretch: Stand with your feet hip-width apart, facing a wall with hands on the wall and elbows bent. Step the right foot back until your arms are straight, but hands are still on the wall. Bend your left knee. Hold here for 15 to 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

• Ankle Twist With Band: Sit on the floor with your left leg extended out in front of you; keep your right leg bent and right foot flat on the floor. Place a resistance band, scarf, or belt around the ball of your left foot and hold the ends with the left hand. Gently pull your left foot to the left trying not to move or rotate the left leg. Check that the left knee still faces the ceiling as the ankle stretches. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds and repeat on the other side.

• Seated Figure 4 Stretch: Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor so your knees form 90-degree angles. Place your left foot on your right thigh. Pressing the left knee down gently with your left hand, slowly hinge forward from the waist until you feel a stretch in the outer hips. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Release and repeat on the other side.

• Hip Flexor Stretch: Stand in front of a wall or sturdy table with your legs together and place a chair about one foot behind you. Using the wall for balance, place your right foot back behind you on the chair. Bend the left knee until you feel a stretch in the right hip flexor and quad. For a deeper stretch, push the chair farther away from the wall. Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Release and repeat on the other side.

• Reclined Hip Twist: Lie face up on the floor with your legs straight and arms by your sides, palms up. Lift your left leg up to the ceiling and slowly let it fall over and across to the right side of your body, allowing the left foot to drop to the floor (bend the left knee or keep it straight, depending on what's comfortable). Hold for 15 to 30 seconds. Release and repeat on the other side.

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