Small changes in diet make a big difference to your overall health over time. The great part is that you can start making these adjustments to your eating habits right now. Here are five nutrition news updates for July 2022 involving ways you can adjust your eating habits.
Another reason to enjoy avocados.
An avocado a week can keep heart disease at bay, Harvard researchers say. Their to study, which included more than 110,000 participants and spanned more than 30 years, found that people who ate one avocado a week had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease. Even better, using avocado instead of other fats, like butter and cheese, lowered the risk of events related to heart diseasesuch as stroke and heart attack. Avocados are packed with fiber and other healthy nutrients that are associated with a healthy heart.
Delicious way to prevent diabetes.
The Nordic diet, which emphasizes local produce, whole grains, fish and low-fat dairy products, keeps blood sugar balanced, say researchers at University of Copenhagen in Denmark. They found that people at risk of diabetes who followed the diet had lower blood sugar after six months than people who didn’t follow the plan. The researchers suspect that the lack of processed foods, excess sugars and saturated fats in the diet keep blood sugar steady, while its healthy plant compounds and nutrients improve insulin sensitivity.
Plant-based diet relieves arthritis pain.
So say the researchers in the American journal of lifestyle medicine. They found that subjects with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who followed a plant-based diet relieved pain by 36%, reduced swelling by 58%, and lost an average of 14 pounds during the 16-week study. The reason? RA occurs when the immune system It attacks the lining of the joints, but the absence of immune-stimulating proteins in meat and dairy products quells the attack to prevent pain and swelling.
Simple solution for better sleep.
Omega-3s are known to improve heart health, and researchers from Canada report in sleep health found another benefit: better sleep. People in his study who had higher levels of omega-3 in their blood slept longer and fell asleep faster than those with lower levels. Scientists suspect that an omega-3 deficiency slows the release of the sleep hormone melatonin. RDA: Two 3-ounce servings of fatty fish, such as salmon, weekly or 500 mg. of EPA plus DHA per day.
Sweet spot of coffee that keeps shocks at bay.
Coffee is brimming with polyphenols, compounds that reduce brain inflammation that causes strokes and improve blood flow, but drinking too much can raise your blood pressure and increase your risk of stroke. Now, research in European Journal of Preventive Cardiology reveals the heart-healthy dose: In a study of more than 460,000 people, they found that those who drank between 1⁄2 cup and 3 cups of coffee a day had a markedly lower risk.
This article originally appeared in our print magazine, first for women.
