Nutrition Corner

Ugli Fruit Benefits the Heart, Waist and Immune System: It doesn’t seem very nice to name a fruit based on its appearance, but I’m going to let it slide this time with ugli fruit — because this very unattractive fruit is only ugly on the surface.

6 Best Apps for Tracking Calories, According to Dietitians: Dietitians recommend looking into these six apps for tracking calories, helping you achieve your diet and fitness goals.

Recipe for The Day

Jalapeño Hummus Poppers: These scrumptious and spicy vegan poppers are a perfect snack or app. Make ‘em deliciously mild by skipping the cayenne and removing all jalapeño seeds before adding your filling… or turn up the heat by mixing in the cayenne and a few reserved jalapeño seeds into the hummus. Whichever direction your tastebuds take you, I suggest scaling the recipe wayyyy up if you’re serving a hungry crowd!

Lifestyle & Fitness Focus

The health benefits of broccoli

• Reducing the risk of cancer: Cruciferous vegetables contain a range of antioxidants, which may help prevent the type of cell damage that leads to cancer. One of these is sulforaphane, which is a sulfur-containing compound that gives cruciferous vegetables their bitter bite. Some scientists have suggested that cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli may play a role in “green chemoprevention,” in which people use either the whole plant or extracts from it to help prevent cancer.

• Improving bone health: Calcium and collagen work together to make strong bones. Over 99% of the body’s calcium is present in the bones and teeth. The body also needs vitamin C to produce collagen. Both are present in broccoli. Vitamin K has a role in blood coagulation, but some experts have also suggested that it may help prevent or treat osteoporosis.

• Boosting immune health: Vitamin C is an antioxidant that provides a range of benefits. It supports the immune system and may help prevent cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD), cataracts, and anemia. In supplement form, it may also help reduce the symptoms of the common cold and shorten the time a cold lasts.

• Improving skin health: Vitamin C helps the body produce collagen, which is the main support system for body cells and organs, including the skin. As an antioxidant, vitamin C can also help prevent skin damage, including wrinkling due to aging. Studies have shown that vitamin C may play a role in preventing or treating skin conditions such as shingles and skin cancer.

4 Healthy Breakfast Smoothies to Start Your Morning off Right

• Spinach-Avocado Smoothie: This healthy green smoothie gets super creamy from the frozen banana and avocado. Make ahead (up to one day) and store it in the fridge until you need a veggie boost.

• Fruit & Yogurt Smoothie: This easy fruit smoothie recipe calls for just three ingredients: yogurt, fruit juice and frozen fruit. Mix up your fruit combinations from day to day for a healthy breakfast or snack that never gets boring.

• Anti-Inflammatory Lemon-Blueberry Smoothie: The kale, hemp seeds and green tea in this bright, lemony smoothie all contain antioxidants that can help fight inflammation. If you can’t find baby kale, baby spinach will work well in its place. Banana adds natural sweetness. If you want it a little sweeter, just a touch of honey will do the trick.

• Pineapple Green Smoothie: Use ripe bananas for this creamy Greek yogurt, spinach and pineapple smoothie. Chia seeds add healthy omega-3 fats, fiber and a little protein for an extra nutritional boost.

How Fasting Can Benefit Your Health

• Enhancing Cardiovascular Health: A review of seven randomized-controlled trials involving over 250 participants compared cardiovascular outcomes between those who practiced alternate-day fasting and those who did not fast. The meta-analysis research, published in Frontiers in Nutrition, assessed outcomes such as weight, total cholesterol, triglycerides, total caloric intake, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, to name a few. Compared to those who did not fast, those who practiced alternate-day fasting had statistically significant lower values of total cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure.

• Reducing Inflammation: Long-lasting inflammation in the body is known to lead to the development of a number of diseases, including but not limited to heart disease and cancer. Some studies have shown that intermittent fasting can decrease inflammatory markers in the body. As an example, a small study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise that enrolled 20 participants assessed the effect of inflammatory markers between those who ate a normal diet versus those who practiced intermittent fasting. The participants who fasted had significantly decreased inflammatory markers when compared to those who ate a normal diet.

• Augmenting Brain Health: A focus of recent research has examined the increased production of a protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor that is associated with memory, learning and enhanced cognitive function. Animal studies have shown that intermittent fasting can increase levels of BDNF, although more research is needed to confirm if this can be applied to humans. If intermittent fasting results in upregulated levels of BDNF in humans, then that could open the door to improve brain health, particularly in patients with neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.

4 Back Exercises To Add To Your Workout ASAP

• Bent-Over Row: Start standing with hips pushed back so torso is tilted 45 degrees, arms extended toward floor, hands holding weights. Pull both hands up alongside rib cage. Then, lower them back down to start with control. That's 1 rep.

• Front Raise To Lateral Raise: This move is great because it strengthens your entire shoulder and incorporates many muscles. Additionally, it’s important to brace your core to perform this move properly. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms relaxed, and dumbbells resting on quads. Bracing core and keeping arms straight, lift weights straight up to shoulder-height. Lower back down. Then raise weights out to sides and up to shoulder-height. Return to start. That's 1 rep.

• Upright Row: Start standing with feet hip-width apart, arms reaching toward floor, with hands holding weights against thighs and palms facing body. Pull elbows wide and up to slightly above shoulders, so hands reach chest height, then return to start. That’s 1 rep.

• Bodyweight Good Morning: Start standing with feet under hips and arms bent, fingertips resting behind head, elbows wide. Without changing shape of upper body, hinge at hips and lower torso toward floor until chest is parallel to mat. Push through feet, squeeze glutes, and reverse the movement to return to start. That’s 1 rep.

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