Bringing wholesome healthy tips
It seems like everywhere you go, someone is coughing or sneezing, spreading germs that your body might not be ready to handle. Fortunately, there’s a way to strengthen your protection against respiratory infections. It may also keep you from landing in the hospital if you do get sick. All you need is a little sunshine in the form of a vitamin. Let’s look at what the latest research says about…
Your gut does a whole lot more than digest the food you eat. It can affect your overall health. With age, however, the gut microbiome — the trillions of microbes that live primarily in the large intestine — changes. Emerging research suggests these shifts may influence how well the intestine repairs and renews itself. That begs the question: Could maintaining a more “youthful” microbiome support intestinal regeneration and healthier aging?…
Every cell in your body depends on energy. At the center of that energy production are tiny structures called mitochondria. When mitochondrial function is strong, cells perform at their best. When it declines, the body can suffer a cellular energy crisis, impacting cells directly involved in vital functions throughout the body, including metabolism, inflammation, immune responses, aging and more. So, supporting our mitochondria so they can keep our cells and…
Longevity is the capacity to live significantly longer than the typical life expectancy. For example, American-born men and women may expect to live to 75 and 81, respectively. Exceeding 85 to 90 is increasingly viewed as achieving longevity, with 100+ being the milestone for centenarians. How to live that long is a question that often leads to discussions about diet, including whether to eat meat. Decades of research have sought to answer…
Physical performance encompasses the ability to efficiently perform physical tasks, from daily activities like walking to athletic feats, and relies on factors such as strength, endurance, speed, flexibility and coordination. If I asked you when a person’s physical performance begins to decline, you’d likely say it happens somewhere in their 60s. But you’d be off by about 30 years, as the results of a 47-year study have revealed. Researchers found…
Thyme is a Mediterranean aromatic herb widely used in cooking. Beyond culinary use, thyme is a potent antioxidant, containing high levels of phenolic compounds, including thymol, carvacrol and lutein, which combat oxidative stress. Thyme also possesses anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Although in small amounts, thyme contains vitamins C and A, as well as potassium, iron, calcium, and magnesium, which support the immune system and overall health. That means while most…
I’ve been a fan of smoothies before there was even a name for them. That’s how “old school” I am. But after all these years, and numerous smoothie variations, a raw cacao powder and banana smoothie is still my favorite. Every time I have one, I feel supercharged. It’s not all that surprising, considering cacao has 40 times the antioxidants of blueberries. (However, blueberries and their brain-boosting benefits are nothing…
Microplastics are now everywhere — in our food, water and even the air we breathe. Frighteningly, studies have confirmed that not only do these microplastic ‘magnets’ deliver poisons to your bloodstream, but they’ve also been linked to heart failure and found to build up in both blood clots and artery-clogging plaques. Up until now, scientists considered them an equal opportunity threat. However, that’s all changing. A biomedical team at the University of California has revealed research that…
As we age, our skin changes in ways that can have a direct impact on our health. The skin produces less collagen and elastin, and its cells reproduce more slowly and less efficiently. This results in skin that’s thin, fragile and prone to injury. As the epidermis (skin’s outer layer) thins, skin barrier function is greatly reduced. That doesn’t just mean loss of moisture. We lose the ability to heal,…
The kidneys are vital organs, and unfortunately, two of the most common modern-day scourges, diabetes and high blood pressure, are putting a lot of Americans at risk for kidney failure. When the kidneys begin to fail, the body does not properly filter waste products from the blood and excrete them in urine. Over time, this build-up of waste can cause permanent damage to the kidneys, reducing their effectiveness. Once the…