Fight Age With These Foods
Gwendoline Oslager
"Some of the foods that have been associated with an increased risk for chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease are also associated with excess inflammation," Dr. Hu says. "It's not surprising, since inflammation is an important underlying mechanism for the development of these diseases."
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WHY IT MATTERS: Literally all the reasons! Bananas boost serotonin. Blueberries are bursting with antioxidants and vitamin C, which reduce cortisol levels and make them easy stress busters. Spinach, Swiss chard, pumpkin seeds, edamame, avocado, and potatoes are all good sources of magnesium, which reduces cortisol and promotes good sleeping patterns (which contributes to better mental health). Potassium-rich foods, such as oranges, cantaloupe, broccoli, sweet potatoes, peas, and cucumbers stabilize our blood pressure levels. And many veggies, like celery and carrots, provide the added bonus of making you feel satisfied without filling up on junk.
TRY IT: Try mixing things up by combining different foods into flavor combos, Planells says, like apple slices slathered with peanut butter or veggie sticks with a side of hummus. Walker also suggests combining colors or arranging foods in visually inviting ways to keep things interesting.
As winter settles in and it seems like every has some sort of bug or another, exercising safely can feel overwhelming. Feeling unmotivated or not knowing socially distant options might be preventing a more active lifestyle. But regular activity helps your body fight disease, along with a bunch of other benefits to your emotional and mental health.
The new survey finds that 55% of Americans believe organically grown produce is healthier than conventionally grown varieties, while 41% say there is no difference between organic and conventionally grown produce and 3% say that conventionally grown produce is better. Four-in-ten Americans (40%) say that most (6%) or some (34%) of the foods they eat are organic. Fully three-quarters of these Americans (75%) are convinced that organic foods are healthier than conventionally grown foods.
The divides over food do not fall along familiar political fault lines. Nor do they strongly tie to other common divisions such as education, income, geography or having minor children. Rather, they tie to individual concerns and philosophies about the relationship between food and well-being. One indicator of such philosophies is the degree of concern people have about the issue of GM foods. The minority of U.S. adults who care deeply about the issue of GM foods (16%) are much more likely than those with less concern about this issue to consider GM foods worse for health (75% vs. 17% of those with no or not too much concern about GM foods); they are also much more likely to consider organic produce healthier: 81% compared with 35% of those with no or not too much concern about GM foods.
The second indicator is how focused people are on eating healthy foods. The 18% of Americans who are particularly focused on healthy and nutritious eating are especially likely to consider organic produce healthier than conventionally grown produce. They follow news about GM foods more closely, though their views about the health effects of GM foods are similar to those with less focus on eating healthy and nutritious foods.
The people in both of these groups eat and shop differently than other Americans; they pay attention to food-related matters in varying ways; they have different views about food-health issues; and noteworthy shares have food allergies or other health problems with certain foods. Their views of scientists and science research findings are often in sync with others, but people with a deep concern about the issue of GM foods are particularly skeptical of information from food industry leaders about the health effects of GM foods and see more industry influence on science research findings than do other Americans.
Interestingly, those who are concerned about the issue of GM foods and those who are nutrition focused are largely different groups of Americans: Just 6% of adults both care a great deal about GM food issues and say their own eating style is focused on being healthy and nutritious. But their eating habits, their views about organic foods, their views about GM foods and the importance of foods in health are often at odds with those of other Americans.
Women are more likely than men to care deeply about the issue of GM foods (20% vs. 12%). But people with deep personal concern about the issue of GM foods are diverse in their races, ethnicities, ages, education and family incomes. There are some modest differences by age, education and income with more of those ages 65 and older, those with lower family incomes (under $30,000 annually) and those with less education (high school degrees or less) saying they do not care at all or not too much about the issue of GM foods. Some 16% of Republicans and the same share of Democrats (16%) say they care a great deal about this issue.
A sizable minority of U.S. adults (37%) say that hosts should always ask guests ahead of time about food restrictions, however. This view is more common among those with deep concern about the issue of GM foods (49% say hosts should always do this compared with 32% among those with little concern about the GM foods issue.)
Fully 54% of Americans say that compared with 20 years ago, people in the U.S. pay more attention to eating healthy foods today. Smaller shares say people pay less attention (26%) or about the same amount of attention (19%) to eating healthy today.
Some 3% of Americans say they follow a strict vegan or vegetarian diet and another 6% say they are mostly vegan or vegetarian. The share of people eating at least mostly vegan/vegetarian diets is considerably higher among those focused on eating healthy and nutritious foods (22% compared with 3% among those not at all or not too focused on this). Similarly, 21% of those who care a great deal about the issue of GM foods follow diets that are at least mostly vegan or vegetarian, compared with 6% of those who do not care about this issue at all or not too much.
Fully two-thirds (66%) of the public says they hear or read news stories about the health effects of what people eat and drink every day (23%) or a few times a week (43%). And many Americans perceive such studies as contradicting prior news reports at least some of the time. Most Americans say they hear or read news stories about the health effects of foods which conflict with earlier studies some of the time (51%) or all the time (21%).
When morning sickness strikes during the early weeks of your pregnancy, you want fast relief from nausea and vomiting. Fortunately, there are many tips to help calm your upset stomach, including foods that fight nausea during pregnancy.
Experts have found that protein-rich foods can help with nausea during pregnancy. Proteins like chicken, peanut butter, and beans can calm the waves of nausea by increasing a hormone called gastrin, which aids digestion.
The effectiveness data to support the EUA include an analysis of 36,523 participants in the ongoing randomized, placebo-controlled international study, the majority of whom are U.S. participants, who did not have evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection through seven days after the second dose. Among these participants, 18,198 received the vaccine and 18,325 received placebo. The vaccine was 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease among these clinical trial participants with eight COVID-19 cases in the vaccine group and 162 in the placebo group. Of these 170 COVID-19 cases, one in the vaccine group and three in the placebo group were classified as severe. At this time, data are not available to make a determination about how long the vaccine will provide protection, nor is there evidence that the vaccine prevents transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from person to person.
Your body uses and absorbs nutrients more efficiently when they come from whole food sources like fruits and vegetables, rather than processed foods or supplements. Getting a variety of these foods and nutrients in your diet is essential compared to focusing on just one or two in large quantities. The more colorful your plate is with a variety of choices from the list below, the better.
Consuming foods high in vitamin C such as grapefruits, oranges, tangerines, sweet red pepper, broccoli, strawberries, kale, and kiwifruit are thought to increase white blood cell production, which is key to fighting infection.
Beta-carotene converts into vitamin A, which is an anti-inflammatory vitamin that can help your antibodies respond to toxins, such as a virus. Carrots, spinach, kale, apricots, sweet potato, squash, and cantaloupe are all great sources of beta-carotene. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, so consuming foods with healthy fats will aid in its absorption. A great immune-boosting combination would be carrots with traditional hummus or a spinach salad with avocado or olive oil in the dressing.
Green tea is packed with antioxidants that have been shown to enhance immune system function. It also contains amino acids that may aid in the production of germ-fighting compounds in your T-cells, which reduces inflammation in the body and helps fight infection. Green tea can be consumed hot, cold or as matcha powder.
Water helps produce lymph which carries white blood cells and other immune system cells through the body. There are many foods with high water content such as cucumbers, watermelon, and celery. If you have a hard time drinking plain water, try a cup of green tea with lemon, watermelon, cucumber or mint-infused water for an immune system powerhouse beverage. Think of proper hydration as a way to make it easier for immune-boosting nutrients to get to where they need to go (cells) in your body.
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