Forcing Muscle Growth, Your Best Sleep, and Beer For Gut Health

Nutrition Corner

Beer is great for your gut health and probably better than probiotics: Beer could actually be beneficial to your gut health and, surprisingly, might even be better than probiotics.

What are healthy fats? Here's which types offer you the most benefit: Not all fats are created equal, but dietary fat is crucial to keeping us healthy and energized.

Recipe for The Day

Bircher Muesli: Named after a Swiss physician, Bircher muesli features fresh apple, lemon juice and nuts. We added to this refreshing combo by including chia seeds for a boost of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, and we finish our version with a mix of fresh berries for color and flavor.

Lifestyle & Fitness Focus

The 6 Best Foods to Eat When You're Sick

• Chicken soup: Chicken soup has been a go-to for sickness for generations — and for good reason. It’s an easy-to-eat source of vitamins, minerals, calories, and protein, which are nutrients your body may need in larger quantities while you’re recovering from an illness.

• Coconut water: Coconut water is an ideal beverage to sip on when you’re sick. It’s rich in electrolytes, which need to be replenished along with fluids when you’re vomiting, sweating, having diarrhea, or running a fever.

• Hot tea: Tea is a favorite remedy for many colds and flu symptoms. Just like chicken soup, hot tea acts as a natural decongestant. The tea needs to be hot to help relieve congestion, but it shouldn’t be so hot that it further irritates your throat.

• Honey: Honey has some antibacterial properties. People often use it as an antiseptic wound dressing for cuts or burns. Honey may also stimulate your immune system. Many people use local raw honey to relieve seasonal allergies, but there’s currently limited research to support this.

• Ginger: Ginger is widely used in food, herbal medicine, and home remedies. It’s probably best known for its anti-nausea effects. Studies show it can effectively relieve nausea related to pregnancy and cancer treatment.

• Spicy foods: Spicy foods like chili peppers contain capsaicin, which causes a hot, burning sensation when touched. In high enough concentrations, capsaicin can have a desensitizing effect. Pain-relieving gels and patches often include capsaicin.

Chia Seeds: 5 Health Benefits

• Loaded with antioxidants: Chia seeds are also an excellent source of antioxidants. Antioxidants not only protect the sensitive fats in chia seeds from going rancid but also benefit human health by neutralizing reactive molecules known as free radicals, which can damage cell compounds if they build up in your body.

• May support weight loss: The fiber and protein in chia seeds may benefit those trying to lose weight. One ounce (28 grams) of chia seeds has close to 10 grams of dietary fiber. That means they’re a whopping 35% fiber by weight.

• May lower your risk of heart disease: Given that chia seeds are high in fiber and omega-3s, consuming them may reduce your risk of heart disease. Soluble fiber, the kind primarily found in chia seeds, can help lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol in your blood. In turn, this can reduce your risk of heart disease.

• Contain many important bone nutrients: Chia seeds are high in several nutrients that are important for bone health, including: calcium phosphorus magnesium.

• May reduce blood sugar levels: Consuming chia seeds may help with blood sugar regulation, possibly due to their fiber content and other beneficial compounds.

4 Best Vitamins and Natural Supplements for Your Best Sleep

• Magnesium: This essential nutrient is important for brain and muscle function, the regulation of blood pressure, bone development and more. Additionally, magnesium can help you sleep at night. Studies suggest that magnesium can aid insomnia due to the way the nutrient helps regulate our circadian rhythm. Low levels of magnesium have also been associated with poor sleep.

• Melatonin: Melatonin is one of the better known supplements for sleep. This hormone is already produced naturally in the brain at night, telling the body it's time for bed. Synthetic melatonin mimics this natural hormone and may help you fall asleep faster. It may even aid jet lag and some sleep disorders such as delayed sleep-wake phase disorder.

• Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA): Gamma-aminobutyric acid, also known as GABA, is an amino acid neurotransmitter found naturally in our brain (and even in some foods) that helps to calm the body. By slowing messages from the brain to the central nervous system, GABA may be able to decrease anxiety, stress and increase quality sleep. One study found that 300 mg of GABA a day improved sleep quality in 40 insomnia patients after four weeks.

• L-theanine: This amino acid is found naturally in mushrooms and made into some teas. L-theanine behaves similarly to glutamate -- an amino acid in our brain that helps transmit signals throughout the body. Studies suggest that L-theanine may promote calm and ease anxiety and stress. One review found that L-theanine is a generally safe natural sleep aid that doesn't make you feel groggy.

5 Best Arm Exercises to Force More Muscle Growth

• The barbell bicep curl: This exercise stands out due to its capacity to handle heavy weights and stimulate biceps with both arms engaged.

• The dumbbell spider curl: This exercise, performed on an incline bench, offers an extended range of motion and constant tension for effective bicep engagement.

• The barbell close grip floor press: Limiting motion, creating greater tricep involvement.

• The dumbbell bicep concentration curl: Emphasizing its effectiveness in building bicep mass and rectifying imbalances.

• The dumbbell kickback exercise: Suggesting a modification that enhances tension.