Nutrition Corner

Bananas - Benefits, Nutrition, and Risks: Discover the many health benefits of bananas and learn about their nutritional significance and how to incorporate them into your diet.

Here’s a simple, effective guide to rewire your diet post holidays: Bid farewell to the post-celebration slump and embrace a nourishing, gut-friendly approach to usher in a vibrant and healthier you in the coming year.

Recipe for The Day

Corn Salsa Recipe: Corn Salsa is a fresh corn salad with tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, jalapeno, and cilantro. Add a squeeze of lime and you're done!

Lifestyle & Fitness Focus

3 Health Benefits of Mangoes

• Improve your gut health: Mangoes are good sources of both types of fiber, both soluble and insoluble. Fiber is a carbohydrate in plant foods that you can’t digest. Insoluble fiber doesn’t break down in your digestive tract.

• Support your healthy weight goals: Fiber isn’t just good for your gut. It could benefit your waistline, too. One study found that mangoes may help control hunger, which could help you stick to your healthy eating goals.

• Boost hair and skin health: Vitamins A, C and E are antioxidants that are necessary for healthy hair and skin. These vitamins help fight off the damage your skin sustains each day from the environment. Applying these vitamins directly to your skin can be beneficial, which is why many skin care products contain them.

4 Leafy Green Vegetables to Eat for Good Health

• Swiss Chard: Swiss chard is especially rich in vitamin K, an important nutrient involved in blood clotting and bone health.

• Turnip Greens: Turnip greens are particularly popular in Soul food cuisine, noted Mussatto, adding that they offer calcium, an important nutrient for bone and dental health.

• Kale: One cup of raw kale provides 80 mcg of vitamin K and (66% of the DV) and 19 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C (21% of the DV).39 Kale also offers 8% of the daily value of manganese, a mineral involved in several bodily functions including energy production, bone health, and reproduction.

• Collard Greens: Collard greens are a Southern nutritional packed staple, prized for their hearty flavor. Commonly eaten cooked to mellow their bitterness and soften their texture.

3 Yoga Breathing Exercises For Anxiety and Stress

• Deep belly breathing: Deep belly breathing utilizes the diaphragm to maximize lung expansion. The movement of the diaphragm naturally controls the airflow through your body, forcing the air to move deeply into your belly. Start in a comfortable position either lying on the floor or sitting in a chair. Place one hand on your chest while placing the other just below the rib cage so that you can feel the movement of your diaphragm. Slowly breathe in through your nose for a count of five. Feel the air move in your body as your stomach rises. Then exhale the air through your mouth for a count of five, feeling your stomach relax inward.

• Box breathing: Create a box with your counts during your breathing! This is great for slowing down the mind and quieting racing thoughts by practicing being present in the moment, which helps reduce anxiety. Breathe in as you count to four in your head. Then, hold your breath for four counts. Next, exhale for four counts. I like to use the mental picture of drawing the four sides of a box with each count of my breath. Finally, hold at the bottom for four counts. Repeat this four times and feel your body relax and the tension release from your muscles.

• Alternate nostril breathing: Alternate nostril breathing is a little less common than deep belly breathing, but it can be a great way to practice controlled breathing. Plus, this exercise is the perfect addition to any sort of meditation practice. Sit in a comfortable position with your legs crossed. Once you finish exhaling, place your right thumb over your right nostril. Inhale for a count of five through your left nostril. Then, cover your left nostril and uncover your right nostril before exhaling for a count of five. Now, inhale through the right nostril, keeping your thumb on the left nostril. Then, cover your right nostril and exhale through the left. Continue alternating between the nostrils for a few minutes.

4 relaxation techniques to reduce stress

• Breath focus: In this simple, powerful technique, you take long, slow, deep breaths (also known as abdominal or belly breathing). As you breathe, you gently disengage your mind from distracting thoughts and sensations. Breath focus can be especially helpful for people with eating disorders to help them focus on their bodies in a more positive way. However, this technique may not be appropriate for those with health problems that make breathing difficult, such as respiratory ailments or heart failure.

• Body scan: This technique blends breath focus with progressive muscle relaxation. After a few minutes of deep breathing, you focus on one part of the body or group of muscles at a time and mentally releasing any physical tension you feel there. A body scan can help boost your awareness of the mind-body connection. If you have had a recent surgery that affects your body image or other difficulties with body image, this technique may be less helpful for you.

• Guided imagery: For this technique, you conjure up soothing scenes, places, or experiences in your mind to help you relax and focus. You can find free apps and online recordings of calming scenes—just make sure to choose imagery you find soothing and that has personal significance. Guided imagery may help you reinforce a positive vision of yourself, but it can be difficult for those who have intrusive thoughts or find it hard to conjure up mental images.

• Mindfulness meditation: This practice involves sitting comfortably, focusing on your breathing, and bringing your mind's attention to the present moment without drifting into concerns about the past or the future. This form of meditation has enjoyed increasing popularity in recent years. Research suggests it may be helpful for people with anxiety, depression, and pain.

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