Nutrition Corner

Using Food to Stay Hydrated: Staying hydrated can be challenging beyond just drinking water; factors like aging, concerns about bathroom trips, or forgetting to drink regularly can affect intake. Fortunately, consuming water-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, soups, and dairy products can contribute significantly to your daily hydration needs.

Should We Eat Polished Rice? Polished rice, widely adopted in the 1970s, involves removing the husk, bran, germ, and many nutrients, resulting in a starch-rich grain with a softer texture and milder taste. In contrast, unpolished rice, like brown rice, retains the bran and germ, offering more nutrients and fiber, albeit with a tougher texture and stronger flavor.

Recipe for The Day

Chicken Arugula Provolone Panini with Chipotle: This grilled chicken panini features melted provolone, arugula, and chipotle mayonnaise on Ciabatta bread, making it a flavorful choice for using leftover chicken cutlets. It's easy to prepare using a panini press or alternatives like a George Foreman grill or grill pan with a weighted skillet.

Lifestyle & Fitness Focus

Strong Legs Help Power Summer Activities: Hiking, Biking, Swimming, and More

As summer approaches, outdoor activities like swimming, running, and cycling become prime choices for staying active. Physical therapist Vijay Daryanani emphasizes the importance of strong legs, which support performance, reduce injury risk, and enhance endurance.

Key leg muscles include the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves, each essential for various movements such as walking, running, and climbing. Strengthening these muscles improves power and endurance, while flexibility aids in injury prevention.

For beginners, Daryanani recommends starting with daily activities like walking or stair climbing to gradually build leg endurance. Incorporating targeted exercises such as dumbbell squats, reverse lunges, and calf raises helps strengthen these muscles effectively, promoting overall leg fitness for summer activities.

5 Way Anger Affects Your Health

Experiencing anger isn't just uncomfortable—it can significantly impact your health if it persists over time. While anger can initially serve to alert us to potential threats and spur action, prolonged or intense episodes can lead to detrimental effects on both physical and mental well-being, as noted by clinical psychologist Raymond Chip Tafrate from Central Connecticut State University.

Research underscores several specific health risks associated with anger.

• Stress on the Heart: Anger triggers the release of stress hormones, which can lead to increased blood pressure and strain on the heart, potentially contributing to conditions like heart disease and heart attacks.

• Increased Risk of Heart Attacks: Research indicates a significant association between intense anger episodes and a heightened risk of heart attacks shortly thereafter, particularly in individuals with existing cardiovascular conditions.

• Disruption of Digestion: Anger can disturb the function of the autonomic nervous system, impacting digestion and potentially leading to gastrointestinal issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

• Impact on Mental Health: Anger is correlated with emotional disorders such as anxiety and depression, exacerbating symptoms and potentially reducing the effectiveness of treatment.

• Sleep Disturbances: Individuals prone to anger may experience difficulties with sleep initiation and maintenance, as anger increases psychological arousal and disrupts mental calmness needed for restful sleep.

Understanding these health risks highlights the importance of managing anger effectively to protect both physical and mental health. Techniques such as mindfulness, therapy, and stress management strategies can help individuals mitigate the impact of anger on their overall well-being.

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