Healthy Support

How Bacteria in Yogurt May Help Reduce Your Risk of Depression

A woman eating a bowl of yogurt.Share on Pinterest
New research suggests that a bacteria found in fermented foods and yogurt may help your body better manage stress and reduce the risk of depression and anxiety. Fly View Productions/Getty Images
  • A new study in mice has found that the bacterium Lactobacillus helps the body manage stress, potentially preventing the onset of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.
  • The results could pave the way for new therapies to treat anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.
  • Experts say these findings support a growing body of evidence on the relationship between the gut and brain, and the impact diet has on our mental health.
  • However Lactobacillus should not be considered a substitute for mental health treatment.

Mental health is complex, but new research suggests that a bacteria found in fermented foods and yogurt may help prevent depression and anxiety.

Researchers at the University of Virginia School of

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Healthy Support

Pro Tips for Drinking Well Through the Holiday

An insiders’ guide on how to survive a season of drinking indulgences

The holiday season is also the season of indulging—not only in gifts, but food, drinks and sweets. Many experts offer up tips for healthy eating during the holidays—UC Davis Health has a list of eight; Harvard Health offers a dozen and the Centers for Disease Control, curiously, offers only five. Of these, only Harvard included a couple related to alcohol.

So, I asked the experts—industry insiders who know well the pitfalls of keeping up with the season’s festivities. With so many responses, the topic merits two stories, assuming you’ll be invited to a party or two. This installment focuses on resetting your mind and body, and prepping yourself to get through the season in good health. Part two will include practical

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Healthy Support

Try These 23 Healthy Snacks for Weight Loss

For anyone trying to lose weight, snacking can feel like a guilty pleasure. But it doesn’t have to be. Eating periodic, healthy snacks can be good for you.

“Including snacks in a healthy diet can offer several advantages,” Christina Barth, assistant teaching professor and registered dietician nutritionist (RDN) at Arizona State University, told Newsweek. “They have the potential to boost nutrient intake, maintain consistent energy levels, aid in post-exercise recovery and provide a variety of healthy choices.”

Newsweek asked Barth and other nutrition experts about their favorite snacks for weight loss. Here are their picks:

1. Apple Slices With Peanut Butter

Apples are a great source of fiber and Vitamin C. Combined with peanut butter, which has healthy fats and protein, this snack gives you immediate energy and plenty of healthy nutrients to keep going throughout your day.

To make this snack, just slice an apple and

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Healthy Support

Chicken fajita stuffed peppers, tuna macaroni salad and more

Welcome to Start TODAY. Sign up for our Start TODAY newsletter to join the 31-day challenge and receive daily inspiration sent to your inbox.

You asked, we answered! Hundreds of Start TODAY members told us they wanted more healthy, balanced meal ideas to help them reach their health goals. This dietitian-designed meal plan gives you the flexibility to enjoy summer while learning the building blocks of healthy eating.

These days, we’re all too busy. Easy meal prep will help free you up for the things at the top of your to-do list. Meal planning isn’t as daunting as it sounds. Spend just 10 or 15 minutes mapping out your meals, jot down what you need and head to the store. That’s it. Since you’re busy enough this season and don’t need another thing on your to-do list, we’ve also got suggestions for streamlining meal prep — and, best of all,

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Healthy Support

How One Company Is Addressing Health Inequities in Eating Disorder Treatment

There is a common stereotype that eating disorders only affect thin, young White girls. But Kristina Saffran, CEO and co-founder of virtual eating disorder care company Equip, will be among the first to say that this is not true, despite fitting the stereotype.

“Eating disorders affect everybody. They affect people of all different ages, races, genders, ethnicities, sexual orientations, body shapes and sizes. These do not discriminate,” Saffran said during an interview last week at the Behavioral Health Tech 2023 conference in Phoenix.

“I am someone who fits the mold to a tee. … I was diagnosed with anorexia at 10, relapsed at 13, went into my pediatrician having lost 10 pounds and my pediatrician didn’t bat an eyelash. If I’m not getting identified, who is?” she continued.

San Diego, California-based Equip is trying to solve this issue through its virtual platform. The company connects patients with a care team,

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Healthy Support

Help with healthy eating habits

By Kelcey Norris

Mahoning Matters

Dr. Benjamin Biteman shared some advice he gives ahead of the holidays to patients in the Weight Loss Center working on portion control and healthy eating habits.

Dr. Benjamin Biteman shared some advice he gives ahead of the holidays to patients in the Weight Loss Center working on portion control and healthy eating habits.

FILE

Ohio is among the top ten states in the U.S. for adults with obesity.

Dr. Benjamin Biteman has worked in the Mercy Health St. Joseph Surgical Weight Loss Center for seven years.

Dr. Biteman is a general and bariatric surgeon at St. Joe’s Weight Loss Center.

He shared some advice he gives ahead of the holidays to patients in the Weight Loss Center working on portion control and healthy eating habits.

“One of the most important things to remember for Thanksgiving dinner is portion control,” he said. “You don’t want to skip meals in anticipation of the Thanksgiving dinner.”

Dr. Biteman said to focus on filling your plate with

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Healthy Support

14 Healthy Eating Tips To Help Your Teenager Thrive

Build Strong Bones 

“Both calcium and vitamin D are crucial for strong, healthy bones. Inadequate calcium intake can lead to weakened bones, setting the stage for future issues like osteoporosis. Both boys and girls need sufficient calcium, but girls should be cautious due to their higher risk. Vitamin D also builds strong bones, although teens may struggle to get enough sunlight or eat the right foods, putting them at risk of a deficiency. Dairy – milk and cheese – is the best source of calcium, but kidney beans, chickpeas, tahini, kale and cavolo nero are also good sources. If your child doesn’t drink dairy, make sure their alternative milk is fortified with calcium. Most are, and many contain added vitamin D and B12 too.”

Don’t Skip Breakfast 

“In the teenage years, consuming breakfast is very important, so skipping it or any other occasional fasting is a bad idea.

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Healthy Support

App and Peer Group Built to Support Police Officer Health

Police officers and police department staff have long suffered emotionally from the horrors of the job and traditionally have kept to themselves, compounding the issue. So police departments are addressing the emotional trauma officers face to try to foster emotional health.

The Frederick, Md., Police Department is taking a more holistic approach to health with the underlying belief that resiliency is a cultural issue for everyone within the department — sworn and not sworn — and that resiliency not only means emotional health, but physical health as well.

That’s the ambition of the Resiliency and Wellness Group (RWG), a group of seven Frederick Police Department employees — half sworn, half professional staff — that works with a professional leadership coach to develop resiliency within the department.


The RGW has implemented a Peer Ambassador Program and is developing a corresponding app for all police personnel to use anonymously for resources

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Healthy Support

Practicing mindfulness can help people make heart-healthy eating choices, new study shows

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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Practicing mindfulness focused on healthy eating can be good for the heart, a new study shows, because it improves self-awareness and helps people stick to a heart-healthy diet.

When people who had elevated blood pressure participated in an eight-week mindfulness-based blood pressure reduction program for the study, they significantly improved their scores on measures of self-awareness and adherence to a heart-healthy diet compared to a control group. The results were published in JAMA Network Open.

“Participants in the program showed significant improvement in adherence to a heart-healthy diet, which is one of the biggest drivers of blood pressure, as well as significant improvements in self-awareness, which appears to influence healthy eating habits,” said lead study author Eric B. Loucks, an associate professor of epidemiology, behavioral and social sciences, and director of the Mindfulness Center at Brown University.

Loucks said the study helps

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Healthy Support

Healthy Eating During The Holidays Improves Wellness And Productivity And Lengthens Life

During the holiday season, we are presented with a myriad of tempting foods, much of which is unhealthy and can deplete us of energy. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that good nutrition, along with ample sleep and good exercise, provide fuel that promotes your health, mood and mindful productivity at work. We have known for years that there is a direct link between diet and our physical health. Scientists, for example, have discovered that the Mediterranean diet reduces risks of cardiovascular disease. Research also shows that there is a direct relationship between our dietary patterns and mental health. The study’s authors state, “The results of this trial suggest that improving one’s diet according

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