Nutrition Corner

Grapefruit Risk - Here’s One Reason Why You May Have To Avoid It: Though regular consumption of grapefruit is safe there is one particular reason why you may have to avoid eating it.

Is Bread Bad for You? Thankfully, bread can still be a go-to household staple, and can even help many people reach their nutrient goals.

Recipe for The Day

Air-Fryer Breakfast Bowl: These savory breakfast bowls make excellent use of the air fryer. The tortilla is the perfect vehicle for scooping up the egg, pepper and tomato filling—plus it can soak up the runny egg yolk. Lime juice adds brightness to finish the dish.

Lifestyle & Fitness Focus

4 Health Benefits of Avocados: A Millennial Staple

• They Could Lower Your Risk for Type 2 Diabetes: The monounsaturated fats and fiber in avocado contribute to improved insulin sensitivity, which helps regulate blood sugar while also helping to reduce inflammation, which is a factor associated with insulin resistance. Research corroborates this — one study published in the Journal of Nutrition found an association between avocados and lower fasting blood glucose levels, lower fasting insulin, and a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes.

• Their Unsaturated Fats Are Good for Heart Health: Elevated cholesterol levels are one potential cause of atherosclerosis and thus cardiac events like heart attacks and strokes. Avocados may balance cholesterol by way of their healthy monounsaturated fats, which help reduce the amount of cholesterol and other fats in the blood. One systematic review and meta-analysis, for example, concluded that avocado consumption may reduce total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels for people with high cholesterol.

• An Avocado-Rich Diet Is Linked to a More Active Lifestyle: A study published in the December 2023 American Journal of Preventive Medicine found avocado consumption to be associated with a significant increase in physical activity in Hispanic and Latinx participants. It’s unclear exactly why, and more research is warranted, but researchers wrote that the results may have to do with increased satiety and thus energy levels, thanks to avocados’ nutrient density. There’s also some research on avocados as an effective anti-inflammatory in people with osteoarthritis, so pain management could have contributed to increased movement.

• Avocados Are Great for Your Gut: In a randomized controlled study of adults with overweight or obesity, those who ate avocado at one meal a day had a greater presence of healthful gut microbes compared with a control group. The study was partially funded by the Hass Avocado Board.

3 tips to be more social for your own happiness

• Join a club or group activity: Pursue a hobby, interest, or volunteer activity that allows you to regularly interact with like-minded people in a communal setting. Joining a club or engaging in a group activity gives you a sense of belonging.

• Make conversation with strangers: Practice engaging with people you encounter, like making small talk with someone standing in line. This helps build confidence, but don’t give out personal details.

• Put down devices: Reduce screen time and be fully present to focus on face-to-face connections. This shows you are attentive and interested, says the expert.

Workplace Stress: 4 Ways to Ease the Strain

• Create a strong work-life balance: Career-related job demands tend to follow employees back home, which may disrupt their time to unwind, recharge, and fuel their passions. This creates a negative cycle of stress that continues to grow as time passes. A positive work-life balance includes minimizing work-related stress to create a sustainable professional life while optimizing well-being and health.

• Provide employees with premium benefits: One of the most impactful ways to help reduce stress in the workplace is to take care of employee health. Employers can do that by providing access to premium health benefits alongside other options. Premium benefits with access to health professionals and preventive health and benefits education and resources can help employees combat stress and healthcare costs, which also can be stressful.

• Encourage open communication: Unfortunately, a lot of stressful situations at work come from the top down. When employees don’t feel comfortable communicating with upper-level management, they may feel more stressed and tend to feel more pressure while in the office.

• Offer vacation time off: Many Americans receive fewer vacation time off than other Western countries. However, most of the workforce only uses half of their vacation time, and some don’t use any of it. Job insecurity and worries about career development may deter some employees from using their time off. Many employees also think they have too much to do at work and aren't comfortable leaving the office and unplugging for more than a few days. Or they actually do have too much work to unplug.

4 Deltoid Exercises for a Shoulder Workout to Improve Posture

• Reverse fly: Stand with your feet hips-distance apart and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Reach your arms toward the floor as you hinge forward at the hips, leaning your torso forward on a diagonal. Fly your arms out to the sides as high as the shoulders. Squeeze your shoulder blades together and then release down to the starting position. Repeat for 10 repetitions.

• Alligator mouth flies: Stand with your feet hips-distance apart, holding one dumbbell in each hand. Bend the knees slightly and hinge forward at the hips. Pull your abs in. Dangle your arms down and then reach the right arm straight up in front of you until it is aligned with your right ear. Then, reach the left arm back behind you, engaging the left tricep. Think about forming one straight, diagonal line with both arms. Return to the starting position. Alternate, reaching the left arm forward and the right arm back. Continue to alternate for 10 repetitions on each side.

• Dumbbell shoulder press: Stand with your feet hip-distance apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Raise the dumbbells so that your arms are in a goal-post position at shoulder height with palms facing away from you. This is your starting position. Engaging your core to remain stable through each repetition, push the dumbbells overhead. Slowly return back to the starting position. Repeat for 10 repetitions.

• Front raise: Stand with feet hip-distance apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Engage your core to maintain stability. With palms facing behind you, extend your arms straight up and out in front of you until you reach shoulder height. Slowly return back to the starting position. Repeat for 10 repetitions.

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.