Healthy Eating Archive

Yogurt is a popular source for probiotics, the "good" live bacteria a person's diet needs to counterbalance harmful bacteria in the gut. But there are other choices available, such as kefir, kimchi, kombucha, miso, and tempeh.

People often don't realize they are at high risk for falling until after they've taken a tumble. Studies have shown that maintaining optimal core and postural strength, good balance, and flexibility in the calves and hips are the best ways to prevent falls. At-home tests can help highlight weaknesses in these three areas that can then be addressed with a personal trainer or physical therapist.

Natural sugar is found in many nutritious foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains. Refined "bad" sugar is added to many unhealthy food products like sweetened beverages, desserts, breakfast cereals, and fruit-flavored yogurt. Added sugars are also present in soup, tomato sauce, and condiments like ketchup, relish, barbecue sauce, and salad dressing. To curb sugar intake, read food labels carefully, noting the amounts of added sugar, and choose products with less than 10 grams per serving.

Eating high amounts of processed red meat each day may increase the risk for future cognitive decline and dementia. Switching out processed red meat for nuts, legumes, low-fat dairy, chicken, or fish also may lower the risk.

In a 2024 review of 116 randomized, controlled trials including almost 7,000 people (average age 46) who were overweight or obese, as little as 30 minutes of aerobic exercise per week was linked to reduced body weight, waist size, and body fat over eight weeks.

In a 2025 study of 40,000 coffee drinkers followed for a decade, those who drank coffee in the morning were 16% less likely to die during the study period, compared to those who didn't drink coffee. The benefit didn't appear among those who drank coffee throughout the day.

A 2024 study observed that people who eat at least five servings of dark chocolate each week were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

In a large 2024 study, people who ate more plant-based proteins than animal proteins had the lowest risks of developing cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease, compared with those who ate more animal proteins than plant-based proteins.