Nutrition Corner

10 reasons why eggs should be a part of daily diet in summer: Among the plethora of food choices available, eggs emerge as a versatile and nutrient-packed option that can provide numerous health benefits.

School lunches in U.S. will limit added sugars, salt under new nutrition guidelines: New nutrition guidelines will soon change how much sugar and salt are in school lunches across the United States in an effort to help children lead healthier lives.

Recipe for The Day

Creamy Spaghetti Carbonara with Peas and Ham: This modern take on a classic Italian pasta dish relies on ham instead of traditional pancetta for a dose of smoky flavor and richness.

Lifestyle & Fitness Focus

3 Reasons You're Sleepy After a Meal

• You drank alcohol with your meal: Your glass of wine could be spurring your post-meal drowsiness. Alcohol is a sedative, meaning it can leave you feeling pretty low energy. Alcohol suppresses our central nervous system, causing us to feel sleepy. This sedative effect does not last long, but drinking alcohol close to your bedtime disrupts the sleep cycle, meaning you will not have a very restful sleep.

• Certain hormones are thrown out of whack: When tryptophan-rich foods are eaten in a large quantity at a meal, particularly with carbohydrate-rich foods, you may find that you feel tired a few hours after eating. Tryptophan is often found in turkey, chicken, milk, bread, chocolate, canned tuna, cheddar cheese, peanuts, oats, and more. The essential amino acid helps your body make the relaxation-inducing hormones serotonin and melatonin. Because of this, it’s even been researched as a treatment for sleep disorders, such as insomnia.

• Your caffeine addiction isn’t doing you any favors: Your morning cup of Joe puts some pep in your step, but not for long. The stimulating effects of caffeine typically have a half-life (the time it takes your body to eliminate half of the caffeine) of three-to-five hours after you chug it down, which means you’ll start to feel your 8 a.m. coffee buzz drop around—you guessed it—lunchtime. So, feeling tired may be less about what you ate for lunch and more about the timing of your first cup of coffee in the morning.

Drinking 100% orange juice is linked to surprising health benefits, study finds

• May Improve Heart Health: Researchers found that orange juice consumption was linked to improvements in blood pressure and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, known as "good" cholesterol. Other risk factors for heart disease, including total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, blood sugar, and C-reactive protein (CRP)—a marker of inflammation—were unchanged.

• Rich in Antioxidants: Fresh squeezed and pasteurized orange juice is rich in antioxidants, particularly carotenoids, flavonoids, and vitamin C. One eight-week study found that drinking 750 milliliters (mL) of orange juice increased the antioxidant capacity of both overweight and normal-weight individuals.

• May Boost Cognitive Health: One large observational study found that higher intakes of flavonoid-rich foods, particularly citrus fruits like orange juice, were associated with decreased odds of self-perceived cognitive decline. Similarly, a randomized control trial found that 240 milliliters of flavonoid-rich orange juice improved cognitive function and alertness more than a placebo drink with the same amount of calories.

• May Support Immune Function: A glass of orange juice provides all the vitamin C you need in a day. It also offers a good amount of folate. Both nutrients are known for supporting the health of many different immune cells. Studies show that a deficiency in vitamin C is linked to impaired immune function and an increased risk of infection. However, further research is needed to assess the direct effect of orange juice on immune function.

4 Light Weight Lifting Benefits For All Goals, From A Trainer

• Everyday activities feel much easier: Working under a low load for a longer duration helps build muscular endurance, research suggests. That's a measure of the muscle’s ability to produce and maintain a particular level of force for a long duration, according to the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). The better endurance you have, the longer you’ll be able to carry anything (toddler or bag of groceries) without feeling winded or like your arms are going to fall off.

• Learn how to train with good form and full range of motion: If you’re a total fitness newbie, starting with light weights in your workouts will ensure you develop proper form and help you get the most out of your chosen exercises. Opt for a too-heavy pair of dumbbells, and you might find yourself performing a small range of motion (a half pulse rather than a full curl) during a round of biceps curls or excessively arching your back to thrust them up during shoulder presses. Range of motion does matter for building muscle. It's more effective to use a lighter weight and full range of motion.

• Activate the right muscles while strength training: By complementing your heavy weight lifting with light weight training, you might discover some of your hidden weaknesses—and learn how to correct them. Sometimes when you do a bigger movement, like a squat or a deadlift, you may not realize that you're pulling more from your low back than your glutes. Then all of a sudden, you do some ‘fine tuning’ work and realize, ‘Wow, I have not been firing my glutes properly.’

• Warm up your body effectively: In addition to activating the right muscles, using light weights can get your heart rate up. If you’re working at a fast tempo (while maintaining good form, of course), you’ll be able to warm up your body and even work up a sweat while continuously squatting, shoulder pressing, or punching, for example. Your speed is naturally limited using heavier weights.

4 Best Leg Exercises for a Leg Day Workout

• Jumping Jacks: Yep, jumping jacks are a strength workout, too. Jumping jacks work your quadriceps, hip flexors, calves and glutes (along with some core and shoulder muscles).

• Dumbbell Walking Lunge: With a dumbbell walking lunge, you'll work all of the most important muscles: quads, glutes, hamstrings and abdominal muscles in this workout. It can be modified to bodyweight only if you don't have weights on hand (or want to use them).

• Bodyweight squats: Sometimes, basic movements are the best, and bodyweight squats are one of those. Bodyweight squats work your quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hips and core.

• Pulse lunge: This movement works your quadriceps, hamstrings, calves and glutes. It will also help improve balance.

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