Healthy Support

Practicing mindfulness can help people make heart-healthy eating choices

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — 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

How Olive Oil Fits into a Nutrient-Rich Diet

The Mediterranean diet
The role of olive oil
Nutrients in olive oil
Heart-healthy benefits
Fighting inflammation
Using olive oil in cooking
Embracing the Mediterranean diet
Resources 
Further reading

The Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet stands as a renowned model of healthy eating, citing numerous health benefits. An abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds characterizes the diet. It also includes moderate fish and poultry consumption and low to average intake of dairy products.

A central part of a Mediterranean diet is olive oil, the consumption of which has been recognized for its health benefits for many years. The golden oil contains antioxidants and monounsaturated fats, particularly heart-healthy oleic acid and polyphenols, associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases.

Its use in cooking, dressings, and even drizzled-over finished dishes helps explain the low rates of heart disease and extended lifespans observed in Mediterranean regions.

​​​​​​​Image Credit: Foxys Forest Manufacture/Shutterstock.com​​​​​​​Image Credit: Foxys

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Healthy Support

Healthy eating for seniors focus of free presentation

Even minor changes in eating habits can help with healthier living.

“As we age, healthy eating can make a difference in our health, help improve how we feel, and encourage a sense of well-being,” according to Karen Ring, director of the Healthy Living Program at Pima Council on Aging in Tucson.

“Even making slight changes in eating routines can help you live longer and better. Generally, one can support their physical health by staying active, eating healthy, sleeping well, and going to the doctor regularly,” Ring said.

“Eating habits change throughout the life span,” Ring added. To help provide updated information and resources for older adults, PCOA decided to host an interactive discussion led by nutrition and medical professionals during a free presentation on Monday, Oct. 30. Learn the impact that the foods and drinks a person chooses each day can help meet

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Healthy Support

9 heart-healthy foods to lower cholesterol and blood pressure

Food can start you on a path to heart disease — the leading cause of death in the U.S. — or help prevent high cholesterol, clogged arteries and heart attacks.

Diet can have a huge impact on heart health, says Dr. Sean Heffron, a cardiologist in the Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease at NYU Langone Health in New York.

“What we eat can influence our blood pressure, our blood sugar, our cholesterol levels, certainly our body weight,” Heffron tells TODAY.com.

“All of those things have a direct impact on the vasculature of the blood vessels of the body and can drive atherosclerotic heart disease. So what we eat is very important.”

The first step in the right direction is eliminating processed foods, which are high in salt and fat, and eat more whole fresh foods like fruits and vegetables, says Dr. Nieca Goldberg, a cardiologist, clinical

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Healthy Support

NYC’s food policy will help you and the environment

The way we eat impacts everything — our physical health, our mental health, our way of life. And it impacts our planet, too. For too long, food has been left out of the conversation around combating climate change, even though it is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Today, Oct. 16, on World Food Day, we are highlighting how New York City is charting a path forward to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by changing the way we eat.

The Adams administration took the bold step to center food in our climate plan, PlaNYC: Getting Sustainability Done. Through the plan, Mayor Adams committed to cutting down food-based emissions by 33% by 2030 and challenged our private sector partners to cut their food emissions by 25%. And for the first time in the city’s history, New York also launched an Integrated Citywide Greenhouse Gas Inventory, giving us comprehensive

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Eat Healthy for Life With This 30-Minute Mediterranean Meal Plan

good housekeeping 28day mediterranean diet

Eat Healthy for Life With Our 30-Minute Meal PlanGood Housekeeping

Want to boost your health and celebrate eating good food? You’ve come to the right place.

Good Housekeeping‘s ultimate meal plan will help you fight inflammation, lower the risk of heart disease, ward off type 2 diabetes, improve brain function and so much more! If you join our one-of-a-kind membership program GH+, you’ll get exclusive access to fast and simple recipes (that make cooking a breeze), a 7-day meal plan and $5 off our new book, Quick and Easy 28-Day Mediterranean Diet.

<p><a href="https://shop.goodhousekeeping.com/good-housekeeping-s-quick-and-easy-28-day-mediterranean-diet.html" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Shop Now;elm:context_link;itc:0" class="link rapid-noclick-resp">Shop Now</a></p><p>Good Housekeeping's Quick and Easy 28-Day Mediterranean Diet</p><p>goodhousekeeping.com</p><p>$26.95</p><span class="copyright">Good Housekeeping</span>

Created by our food and nutrition experts, this follow-up to our best-selling book, 28-Day Mediterranean Diet, is an all-in-one guide packed with 75 incredible meals that burst with flavor and vibrancy — but also make

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Healthy Support

How to cook pumpkin for the most health benefits

The next time you’re at the grocery store, make sure to grab an entire pumpkin or two on the way out. Like the changing leaves and weather, this is the perfect opportunity to add some variety to your diet. And what’s more in season now than pumpkins?

“Seasonal eating is really powerful in that the earth controls the type of foods our bodies need at specific seasons of the year,” says Melanie Murphy Richter, a registered dietitian nutritionist and nutrition physiology instructor at the University of California, Irvine. “Pumpkin is one of the top foods with essential minerals and nutrients to support our mental health and immune system as we shift from summer to fall.”

Not only does pumpkin spice up your diet, but the vibrant flavors can turn a bland meal into a festive one for you and the family. But it all depends on how you’re using

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Exercise, eat well, avoid excess: how healthy habits in your 30s help in later life | Making health click into place

For anyone who has recently blown out the 3-0 candles on a birthday cake, it can feel as if your whole life is still ahead of you. An exciting whirlwind of weddings, travel, job promotions and new house keys awaits. So, the last thing you are likely to be thinking about in terms of health – beyond finding the energy to fulfil a packed diary – is your long-term physical wellbeing.

Yet, there’s plenty of scientific health” data-link-name=”in body link”research to show that developing healthy habits during your 30s, rather than waiting for your body to stop functioning as it should, will not only leave you feeling better right now but also set you up well for the future. “Our lifestyle habits impact on our risks of various diseases – the longer we smoke, for example, the greater our risk of suffering from heart disease and multiple cancers,”

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Healthy Support

Eating Disorder Support Groups & Treatment Options

A 2020 report from Harvard STRIPED, the Academy for Eating Disorders, and Deloitte found that 9 percent of the U.S. population—28.8 million Americans—will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. Yet data shows that only 23 percent of people diagnosed with an eating disorder will ever get treatment for it. This is particularly concerning, considering that eating disorders are the second deadliest mental health condition in the U.S.

One of the biggest hurdles people face: stigma. Many people seeking treatment report being perceived as “responsible” for their eating disorder, and that others reacted negatively or distanced themselves after learning about the person’s eating disorder.

Eating disorder treatment has too many barriers to entry

Weight bias—the negative attitudes our society has towards fat people—also makes it harder for people who have an eating disorder to get diagnosed and treated, says Christine Byrne, RD, MPH, an anti-diet dietitian based

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New program helps toddlers develop self-control and healthy eating habits

Two of the best predictors of life-long health and well-being are early childhood self-control skills and healthy eating habits. A new program that teaches parents how to cook with their 2-year-olds is helping toddlers excel on both fronts. Doing things like stirring ingredients together without spilling and singing a song while something is in the microwave helps toddlers learn multiple important self-control skills, like paying attention, controlling their bodies, waiting patiently, and cooperating with their parents. Toddlers also get excited about being involved in the “grown-up” activity and are more likely to try the new foods they help make. Previous research has shown that self-control in preschool predicts adult outcomes like higher incomes and fewer health problems. Similarly, healthy eating habits in preschool predict how often adults eat their fruits and vegetables.

The Recipe 4 Success program was co-developed and rigorously tested by a team of researchers from

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