Hi, I am Dollie Gary, from Rochelle Park. I am a housewife as well as a nutrition specialist by profession. I love to spend free time reading articles about health and fitness.
Breakfast is the first opportunity of your day to fuel up your energy levels and have a positive impact on your nutrition. Commonly served for breakfast in Southeast Asia, this spin on black rice porridge will leave you feeling satisfied till lunch, while also packing an impressive punch of antioxidants from the black rice, pomegranates, and pears.
The dark pigment of black rice comes from anthocyanins, a group of powerful antioxidants found in many red and purple-colored foods like berries, apples, and acai. Along with protecting your cells from harmful free radicals, anthocyanins have anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral properties, and may help lower cholesterol.
This belly-warming porridge is perfect for chilly mornings, and provides plenty immunity-strengthening properties that’ll protect your health through the flu season. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup (7 oz/220 g) black rice
1¾ cup (14 fl oz/420 ml) unsweetened soy milk or other favorite milk
Salt
2 medium pears
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup water
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
½ cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
Seeds from 1 pomegranate
¼ cup (3/4 oz/20 g) coconut flakes, unsweetened
2 tablespoon pure maple syrup or honey
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine rice, soy milk, and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 25 to 35 minutes, or until tender and rice absorbs all the liquid. Adding a splash more liquid, if needed.
While the rice is cooking, slice your pears into quarters, core them, and toss with lemon juice and ½ tsp of the cinnamon. Arrange pear slices cut side up in a baking pan and add the water to the bottom of the pan. Roast for 25 minutes, tossing occasionally.
Once the rice is tender with liquid absorbed, remove from heat and stir in ginger, vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes to steam.
Remove pears from the oven.
Divide rice between four bowls and top each bowl with a dollop of yogurt, cooked pear, a handful of pomegranate seeds, a sprinkling of coconut flakes, a dash of cinnamon, and a light drizzle of maple syrup, if using.
Holiday season is fast approaching and it’s no secret that festivities this year will be looking a little different, which is why for many, the act of heartfelt gifting is all the more invaluable. Here at Fitbit, we agree—so to help get you in the holiday spirit we’ve got you covered with gift ideas that are sure to bring light and delight to all your loved ones.
From the self care devotee to the outdoor enthusiast in your life, keep reading to find a carefully curated selection of gifts for everyone on your list (plus, some exciting Black Friday deals)!
For Her
For the woman who always cares for you:Sense+Premium. Give her the gift of mindfulness this holiday season with a Fitbit Sense plus a 6 months free Premium membership*. With the world’s first electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor, the Fitbit Sense will help your giftee not only track her body’s response to stress, but it’s paired with an in-app stress management experience including mindfulness and meditation sessions to help her build a relaxation routine. Sense comes with 6 months free Premium, so she can get deeper insights about her stress management score, as well as a variety of workout and meditation content.
The best part? Our Black Friday sale is in full swing. Get Sense for $279.95 now.
For your favorite mom and youngster duo:Inspire 2andAce 2. Mom is guaranteed to appreciate Inspire 2’s easy-to-use fitness and wellness features like 24/7 heart rate, Active Zone Minutes, activity and sleep tracking, 10 days of battery life, and more. And Ace 2 is the perfect match for her kiddo featuring fun incentives to get moving, bedtime reminders, and up to 5 days of battery life.
Deals that will look great on both of you? Count us in—these two are available for $69.95 and $49.95 respectively.
For your fashion forward bestie:Versa 3+Victor Glemaud band. Want to spoil your favorite confidant? Look no further than the Versa 3, our motivational health and fitness smartwatch featuring built-in GPS, Active Zone Minutes, and motivating music experiences. It also has on-wrist convenience features such as Google Assistant and Alexa built-in to make sticking to her routine easier. Then, tie it all together with a band from the Victor Glemaud for Fitbit collection. With three sleek yet playful bands made from REPREVE® recycled plastic fibers, she’s bound to love sporting the Versa 3 no matter her style.
Need more incentive? You can get Versa 3 for $199.95 today.
For Him
For the guy who’s organizing flag football for the whole family:Charge 4. The Charge 4 is a health & fitness tracker made for any type of fitness activity with auto-exercise tracking, reminders to move, and 7 day battery life. If he’s a biker or runner, the built-in GPS for pace and distance is the perfect assist for when he’s not rallying the troops. Then after his workout, he can head to the Fitbit app to see a workout intensity map showing his route and effort.
Everyone’s favorite tracker for $99.95—it’s a no-brainer.
For the dad who wants to put his heart health first:Sense. The Fitbit Sense offers on-wrist electrocardiogram (ECG) technology, which assesses your heart rhythm for atrial fibrillation (AFib), a heart rhythm irregularity, using the compatible ECG app. Also with high and low heart rate notifications, Sense will help him keep his health front and center.
For the outdoor enthusiast:Versa 3+Pendleton band. Featuring built-in GPS, Active Zone Minutes, and curated music experiences, the Versa 3 is made to keep up with the one who’s always on the go. Then pair with the band that brings the great outdoors right to their wrist from the Pendleton collection for Fitbit. These heritage-inspired woven bands are made with REPREVE® recycled plastic fibers for thoughtful, sustainable style so they can bring nature’s energy everywhere they go.
And again, Versa 3 for $199.95? Yes please.
For Kids
For the ones who keep us on our toes:Ace 2. Make health and wellness a family affair with the Ace 2. Snug fitting, swim proof, and featuring fun clock faces, this activity tracker is sure to have all the kids jumping for joy.
A tracker they’ll love for prices you can’t beat—the Ace 2 is available for $49.95.
Gifts Under $100
For the one who’s ready to dive into their health and wellness journey:Inspire 2. As in, the tracker that comes with a free 1-year Fitbit Premium trial for new Premium users. Yes, you heard that right—Inspire 2 comes with Premium, so you can gift that special someone access to personalized guidance, exclusive insights, and sleep tools, all in one.
Don’t miss out on your chance to score Inspire 2 for $69.95.
For the one who loves to accessorize: bands. Gift stylish accessories for trackers and smartwatches to give their Fitbit a fresh look. From sports band to leather to stainless steel, Fitbit has a band for every type of giftee.
Save up to 40% on select accessories now**. Excited yet? Us too.
*New Premium users only. Free trial may only be activated with device activation. Valid payment method required. Free trial must be activated within 60 days of device activation. Cancel before free trial ends to avoid subscription fees. Content and features may vary by language and are subject to change.
**Sale applies to select Fitbit products and accessories on Fitbit.com while supplies last. Offer ends December 23, 2020 at 11:59pm PST. Purchase is limited to ten (10) Fitbit products. Exclusions apply. Cannot be combined with other discounts or applied after the order has been placed. Terms of offer are subject to change. Void where prohibited.
Loving your Fitbit Sense and Versa 3? Good news, we’ve got more in store for you with our latest FitbitOS update. From Google Assistant* and Bluetooth calls right from your wrist when your phone is nearby, to new SpO2 clock faces** and more, there’s a lot to get excited about.
Ready to learn more? Dive in to discover everything this exciting release has to offer below.
Get a little help throughout the day with Google Assistant
With the latest release of FitbitOS you now have access to Google Assistant on your Fitbit Versa 3 or Sense in the U.S..* Excited? Us, too.
Ask Google to help manage daily tasks, plan your day, or get answers, all while on the go. Use your voice to check the weather, set an alarm, get your sleep duration, or even start an exercise on your Fitbit smartwatch.
Google Assistant offers live transcription of your query to indicate that Google Assistant is receiving your question. Once your query is received, it will also provide suggested follow up questions to help you dive deeper into what you’re inquiring about. For example, ask Google “what’s the weather today?” and see the response plus additional suggestions for what you can ask next, such as, “what about this weekend?” or “what about tomorrow?”
Hear audible replies from Alexa
Alexa is also getting an update on Fitbit smartwatches. Now, the built-in microphone and speaker enables the option for audible replies. Ask Alexa a question, and she not only answers via text on your watch, but also with an audio response.* You can choose to turn off the audio replies by going to Amazon Alexa in the voice assistant tile in the Fitbit mobile app.
Staying connected just got easier
Ready to take calls right from your wrist? The built-in microphone and speaker enable Bluetooth calling on Sense and Versa 3, making it even easier to stay connected while on the go.
When you receive a call, Sense and Versa 3 alert you of the incoming call, let you answer it on device or send the call to voicemail. Phone must be nearby. This feature requires more frequent charging.
Elevate your SpO2 experience
New to SpO2? Also called oxygen saturation, SpO2 refers to the level of oxygen in your blood. With Fitbit’s SpO2 on-wrist app and clock faces, your watch will track your average SpO2 levels while you’re sleeping, then, with Fitbit Premium, you can use the Health Metrics dashboard in the Fitbit app to track your trends over time and see when there may be indications of important changes in your fitness and wellness. **+
With this new software release, we’ve expanded our SpO2 clock face assortment, so you can customize your clock face with a variety of new options to match your style and still receive the SpO2 stats on-wrist. The clock faces are available for Fitbit Sense, Versa family, and Ionic smartwatches (note that you’ll need Fitbit Premium to track SpO2 trends in your Health Metrics dashboard).
If you’re a Sense or Versa 3 user, you can now track your SpO2, regardless of which clockface you are using, by using the new SpO2 app. Like the SpO2 clock face, the SpO2 app enables backend night-time monitoring so you can see your SpO2 levels in your Health Metrics dashboard in your mobile app.
Note that using the SpO2 feature affects battery life.
Here at Fitbit, we’re always striving to bring you quality experiences that will help you reach your health and wellness goals. So, don’t wait! Discover all this new OS update has to offer today.
* Voice assistant availability and features may vary, see fitbit.com/voice. Google Assistant is coming to Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom in late 2020 in English only; Belgium, Canada (French), Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland available early 2021. Google is a trademark of Google LLC.
** Not available in all markets. The SpO2 feature is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition or for any other medical purpose. It is intended to help you manage your well-being and keep track of your information. This feature requires more frequent charging.
+ The Health Metrics dashboard and the metrics displayed in the dashboard are not available in all countries and may require a Premium subscription. Not intended for medical purposes. This feature is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition and should not be relied on for any medical purposes. It is intended to provide information that can help you manage your well-being.
Who hasn’t heard “fresh is best” about a hundred times? Of course, fresh foods are healthy and delicious. But if you’ve ever tossed a crisper full of wilted produce or raced to get dinner on the table in minutes, you probably already know that fresh doesn’t always cut it.
That’s why so many nutritionists are frozen food enthusiasts. “I’m all about convenience and shortcuts in the kitchen, so the freezer aisle is a must when I shop for food,” says Liz Weiss, MS, RDN, host of Liz’s Healthy Table podcast. “Sure, you’ll find ice cream, pepperoni pizzas, and breakfast sausage, but there are loads of healthy items that make getting nutrition-packed meals on the table a lot easier.”
Which frozen foods do nutritionists lean on in a pinch? Here, their must-haves:
Falafel. “I always have easy-to-cook or pre-cooked proteins like falafel in my freezer so I can quickly assemble a meal,” says Marjorie Nolan Cohn, MS, RDN, owner of MNC Nutrition, LLC. “Since falafel is made with chickpeas, it’s rich in plant protein and fiber, which are key for heart health and help keep blood pressure stable.” For a speedy lunch or dinner, try it tossed into a salad. Look for brands that list chickpeas as the first ingredient and rely on heart-friendly unsaturated fats like canola oil.
Riced Cauliflower. “Having a bag of frozen cauliflower rice on hand to toss into fried rice or other grain dishes is a great way to boost vegetables and lighten things up at the same time,” says Katie Sullivan Morford, MS, RD, author of PREP: The Essential College Cookbook. “I also love cauliflower crust pizza, so having riced cauliflower handy makes it easy to whip up a crust.” If homemade crust sounds too ambitious, frozen cauliflower crust will get the job done too.
Crushed garlic and ginger. “Even though I’m a big fan of family meals, cooking dinner for the family night after night takes time, which is why I’m also a fan of ingredient shortcuts,” says Weiss. “When a recipe calls for crushed fresh garlic or ginger, or both, I just pop a frozen cube from the tray instead of taking the time to chop. They’re super convenient and taste just as good as fresh.”
Bacon. Some of the most freezer-friendly foods don’t start out in the freezer. “Bacon might not seem like the healthiest option, but a little bit adds a magical, smokey flavor to healthy foods like pasta sauce, veggie sautees, and salads,” says Morford. “I like to keep it in the freezer so I can pull off a slice or two without cooking up a whole pound.” To avoid nitrates, look for brands labeled “uncured.”
Potatoes. With more than 60 different disease-preventing phytonutrients and vitamins, spuds are woefully underrated. “Whether it’s sweet potato fries, shredded potatoes, or tater tots, I always have some sort of frozen potato on hand,” says Cohn. “They’re super versatile as a side dish, cooked into a quiche, or as the base for an appetizer.” If you really want to up your tater game look for roasted sweet potato “toasts”. A single slice can deliver nearly an entire day’s vitamin A. They’re especially delicious topped with a schmear of peanut butter or ricotta.
Quinoa. “Quinoa takes about 15 minutes to cook, but sometimes I don’t have 15 minutes, which is why I often turn to frozen quinoa,” says Weiss. “It’s ready in three to four minutes and it’s perfect for quick weeknight Buddha bowls or a simple gluten-free side dish.” Unlike sodium-spiked ready-to-serve quinoa, frozen quinoa often contains one simple ingredient: quinoa. Compare labels to know for sure.
If you’ve been avoiding the freezer aisle, it might be time to embrace it. With the right strategy, it could upgrade your diet and make your life a whole lot easier in the process.
Who hasn’t heard “fresh is best” about a hundred times? Of course, fresh foods are healthy and delicious. But if you’ve ever tossed a crisper full of wilted produce or raced to get dinner on the table in minutes, you probably already know that fresh doesn’t always cut it.
That’s why so many nutritionists are frozen food enthusiasts. “I’m all about convenience and shortcuts in the kitchen, so the freezer aisle is a must when I shop for food,” says Liz Weiss, MS, RDN, host of Liz’s Healthy Table podcast. “Sure, you’ll find ice cream, pepperoni pizzas, and breakfast sausage, but there are loads of healthy items that make getting nutrition-packed meals on the table a lot easier.”
Which frozen foods do nutritionists lean on in a pinch? Here, their must-haves:
Falafel. “I always have easy-to-cook or pre-cooked proteins like falafel in my freezer so I can quickly assemble a meal,” says Marjorie Nolan Cohn, MS, RDN, owner of MNC Nutrition, LLC. “Since falafel is made with chickpeas, it’s rich in plant protein and fiber, which are key for heart health and help keep blood pressure stable.” For a speedy lunch or dinner, try it tossed into a salad. Look for brands that list chickpeas as the first ingredient and rely on heart-friendly unsaturated fats like canola oil.
Riced Cauliflower. “Having a bag of frozen cauliflower rice on hand to toss into fried rice or other grain dishes is a great way to boost vegetables and lighten things up at the same time,” says Katie Sullivan Morford, MS, RD, author of PREP: The Essential College Cookbook. “I also love cauliflower crust pizza, so having riced cauliflower handy makes it easy to whip up a crust.” If homemade crust sounds too ambitious, frozen cauliflower crust will get the job done too.
Crushed garlic and ginger. “Even though I’m a big fan of family meals, cooking dinner for the family night after night takes time, which is why I’m also a fan of ingredient shortcuts,” says Weiss. “When a recipe calls for crushed fresh garlic or ginger, or both, I just pop a frozen cube from the tray instead of taking the time to chop. They’re super convenient and taste just as good as fresh.”
Bacon. Some of the most freezer-friendly foods don’t start out in the freezer. “Bacon might not seem like the healthiest option, but a little bit adds a magical, smokey flavor to healthy foods like pasta sauce, veggie sautees, and salads,” says Morford. “I like to keep it in the freezer so I can pull off a slice or two without cooking up a whole pound.” To avoid nitrates, look for brands labeled “uncured.”
Potatoes. With more than 60 different disease-preventing phytonutrients and vitamins, spuds are woefully underrated. “Whether it’s sweet potato fries, shredded potatoes, or tater tots, I always have some sort of frozen potato on hand,” says Cohn. “They’re super versatile as a side dish, cooked into a quiche, or as the base for an appetizer.” If you really want to up your tater game look for roasted sweet potato “toasts”. A single slice can deliver nearly an entire day’s vitamin A. They’re especially delicious topped with a schmear of peanut butter or ricotta.
Quinoa. “Quinoa takes about 15 minutes to cook, but sometimes I don’t have 15 minutes, which is why I often turn to frozen quinoa,” says Weiss. “It’s ready in three to four minutes and it’s perfect for quick weeknight Buddha bowls or a simple gluten-free side dish.” Unlike sodium-spiked ready-to-serve quinoa, frozen quinoa often contains one simple ingredient: quinoa. Compare labels to know for sure.
If you’ve been avoiding the freezer aisle, it might be time to embrace it. With the right strategy, it could upgrade your diet and make your life a whole lot easier in the process.
During cold and flu season, when your throat feels scratchy, your nose is stuffy and you’re achy and tired, your first instinct may be to reach for a bowl of chicken soup. Many people rely on chicken soup when they’re sick, not just for its familiar, pleasing flavor but for its soothing, healing qualities. (In fact, some kosher delis describe chicken soup on their menus as “Jewish penicillin.”) But is the soup actually good for you, or are reports about its benefits merely old wives’ tales?
“Chicken soup has specific medicinal qualities, and if you doubt it, ask your grandmother,” says Murray Grossan, MD, an otolaryngologist in Los Angeles. “It’s an old remedy, of course.”
Some research confirms the commonly held notion that chicken soup may help you feel better when you have an upper respiratory infection. One study, which studied the effects of homemade chicken soup on neutrophils (white blood cells that fight infection in the body) in a laboratory setting, suggests that chicken soup may have anti-inflammatory properties, which may help to ease cold and flu symptoms.
“Chicken soup, in the lab, can block some of the cells that are present in inflammation,” says study author Stephen Rennard, MD, professor in the internal medicine division of pulmonary, critical care, and sleep at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Medicine in Omaha. “If this happened when people eat the soup, it is possible there could be less inflammation and fewer symptoms.”
Rennard’s study also examined the properties of individual components of the soup—the chicken itself and various vegetables—and found that they all had some anti-inflammatory properties, although the researchers weren’t able to single out a specific ingredient which could be considered the sole active ingredient. “There appear to be many,” Rennard says.
His research also found that several varieties of canned chicken soup possess some of the same beneficial qualities as homemade soup, suggesting that canned soup may be effective against upper respiratory infections. This is good news when you’re under weather and don’t feel like making soup from scratch. (When buying canned soup, look for low-sodium varieties.)
Eating chicken soup when you’ve got cold or flu-like symptoms may also have these positive effects on your health:
Clearing your nasal passages
Some research has shown that inhaling the steamy vapor from chicken soup helps to clear the nasal passages more effectively than vapor inhaled from a cup of hot water. Within the study, both chicken soup and hot water were found to be more effective at clearing the nasal passages than cold water.
“Hot chicken soup, either through the aroma sensed at the posterior nares [within the nose] or through a mechanism related to taste, appears to possess an additional substance for increasing nasal mucus velocity,” the study authors wrote within their paper.
Helping you stay hydrated
You may not feel like drinking when your throat feels sore, so you may cut back on your usual beverage intake to avoid swallowing. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people who are sick—whether with a cold, the flu, or mild COVID-19—should stay well-hydrated.
“During illness, you actually need an increase in fluid, since fluids are depleted through the extra mucus loss,” says Leslie Urbas, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist in Jacksonville, Florida. “Soup helps to maintain adequate hydration.”
Hot soup may be easier to tolerate than cold beverages, since it soothes your throat when it goes down. And chicken soup may keep you hydrated for longer than your usual drinks do. “The sodium in the soup can help increase your body’s ability to hold onto water, which is needed at this time,” Urbas says.
Providing emotional comfort
If you don’t feel well, eating the same sick-day foods that your mom served you when you were a kid may help to lift your spirits. Some research has shown that comfort foods, including chicken soup, are associated with interpersonal relationships, and consuming soup (or other comfort foods) may make you feel less lonely.
“Chicken soup can be comforting and help improve mood during illness, which, in turn, will increase your body’s ability to fight off the illness,” Urbas says. “I would imagine that if you are sick with COVID-19, flu, or a common cold, the emotional connection to the chicken soup will still help to improve the mental conditions of the patient.”
Sometimes when you’re sick, you may be lucky enough to have an empathetic loved one prepare or serve you chicken soup, which may lift your spirits. “Getting the positive social support that often accompanies chicken soup is not a placebo and has recognized benefits,” Rennard says. “Having support when sick is a good thing with clear benefits, whether the soup is medicine or not.”
Being an adult can be so serious. There’s work that never ends, bills to pay, houses or apartments to maintain, and oftentimes kids to take care of. Roller skating, building with Legos, or simply goofing around may not be a priority. But adding more play into your life—however that may look—can help combat stress and even make you more creative and productive.
In a study published in the journal Leisure Sciences, researchers found college students who scored higher on a questionnaire measuring playfulness experienced lower levels of perceived stress. They also more frequently used adaptive coping strategies, facing their stressors head-on rather than avoiding them. (And many of us know first-hand that avoiding things can often only make the situation worse.)
Proyer has found that playfulness also has the potential to help us see more avenues to solve problems, in turn filling up our toolbox of skills and resources. Additionally, “playful actions that involve one or more other people help us manage social relationships and may, in turn, help build long-term relationships and foster the development of networks for social support,” he says.
If the stress-slashing isn’t enough reason to amp up your play factor, other research found that when work groups participated in improvisation training, they not only became more playful, they also became more creative compared to workers who didn’t get any training. And that could help you advance career-wise since creativity is linked with intrinsic motivation, which is our internal drive to do something (rather than doing it for external reasons, such as pressure from others).
But you don’t need to sign up with your local stand-up group to experience the many benefits of being playful. In a study published in August, Proyer found other ways that adults can learn to be more playful.
He split 533 adults into four groups. For a week, each tried a different playfulness intervention for 15 minutes before going to bed:
The first recorded three playful things that happened that day. They noted who was involved and how they felt during those times. Maybe you surprised your partner with a flirtatious text during work or randomly joined a pick-up soccer game for a minute during a run.
The second wrote down how they used playfulness in new ways during the day. For example, did you playfully tease a coworker, when you normally are very business-like at the office? Or perhaps you vividly shared a story about your eccentric uncle, mimicking his voice and wild hand gestures. This group also jotted down who was involved and how they felt.
The third group reflected on playful experiences they had over the day, tallying this number. These experiences could be any of those already mentioned or others. “What is playful to one person may not necessarily be playful to another person,” Proyer notes.
The last group was the placebo group. They wrote about early childhood memories.
After examining the participants’ playfulness, facets of playfulness, well‐being, and depression right before and after the week-long intervention as well as two, four, and 12 weeks later, the researchers found that the second strategy—using playfulness in a new way—appeared to have the most effect.
“This [strategy] combines different modalities,” Proyer explains. “Cognitive, or thinking about what to do; behavioral, or doing it; and affective, or experiencing emotions while using playfulness in a new way. This combination may make it particularly engaging.” To try it, “think about how you usually express playfulness in your daily life and try using it in different situations, contexts, or environments,” he suggests. For example, if you are very playful in your romantic relationships or when dealing with your children, why not allow for some play and playfulness at the workplace when interacting with your colleagues?
But if that intervention doesn’t seem appealing, the “three playful things intervention” may also help, Proyer says, because it’s easy. It doesn’t matter if you acted playfully, thought about something playful, or observed something playful—each of those counts. Maybe you teased your partner or caught a particularly whimsical act from a street performer.
Lastly, counting playfulness is also easy and could help you see more playfulness in your life, Proyer says. “We typically see an increase in the number of observations [as days go by]. Hence, people may be more open to experiencing playfulness in their lives or be better in identifying playfulness” when they count, he explains.
However you might decide to boost the play in your life, it’s possible and worthwhile. “Playfulness as a personality trait means being able to frame or reframe almost any situation in life in a way that it can be experienced as entertaining, interesting, or intellectually stimulating,” Proyer says. “Engaging more in playful activities may even—in the short term—contribute to greater well-being. And it’s fun!”
If you have diabetes, there’s no doubt you have encountered your share of conflicting information. From family members and friends to well-meaning healthcare professionals, it can seem like everyone has an opinion on what you should do to manage your blood sugar. All of these mixed messages can lead to confusion and it can be hard to weed out the facts from the myths, but doing so is essential.
The concern here is twofold: First, if you were to listen to every myth and misconception out there on diabetes, you might feel afraid to eat practically any food, leading to a needlessly restrictive diet that falls short on meeting your nutritional needs. In addition, you may be guilted into thinking your diagnosis was somehow your fault, a fallacy that can have a deeply negative impact on your emotional wellbeing.
To break through the noise and get to the facts, we reached out to the experts to debunk some of the most common diabetes myths.
Myth #1: Your Type 2 diabetes diagnosis is your fault
“Because lifestyle factors can play a role in type 2 diabetes, people tend to assume they got diabetes because they did something wrong,” explains Mary Ellen Phipps, RDN, author of The Easy Diabetes Cookbook. However, this is often far from the truth. “In some cases, a type 2 diabetes diagnosis can come from poor lifestyle choices; however, most of the time it is a combination of factors, some of which may be out of your control,” adds Phillips.
Family history, genetics, stress, and even underlying health conditions and certain medications can all increase the risk of developing diabetes. A diagnosis of the disease should never come with self-judgement.
Myth #2: People with diabetes can’t eat carbs
You’d be hard-pressed to find a person with diabetes who has not been asked at least once, “Are you really going to eat that?” The myth that individuals with diabetes need to avoid all foods containing carbohydrates is unfounded, and often leads to excessively restrictive diets that can be almost impossible to maintain.
“People often assume managing carb intake means eliminating them, but people with diabetes, just like people without diabetes, need carbs to survive,” explains Phillips. Instead of avoiding carbohydrates all together, Phillips advocates for going “smart carb” rather than “low carb”, by focusing on eating carbohydrates from choices that have less of an impact on blood glucose and may offer health benefits.
Myth #3: Only children develop type 1 diabetes and only adults develop type 2 diabetes
Understanding the type of diabetes you have is critical to receiving the best treatment, yet this common myth can often lead to an incorrect diagnosis. “Adults can develop type 1 diabetes, yet many adults are misdiagnosed with type 2 diabetes simply based on their age, delaying proper treatment for type 1 diabetes,” explains Susan Weiner, RDN, CDCES, and author of Diabetes: 365 Tips for Living Well.
She points out that healthcare professionals need to be careful when diagnosing diabetes and should not prejudge an individual based on body weight and age. Just as older individuals can develop type 1 diabetes, children and young adults can also develop type 2 diabetes. Working with a healthcare professional specialized in diabetes can help to ensure a correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment options.
When it comes to managing diabetes, breaking through the myths and getting to the facts is key. Always do your homework and check the source to determine if the information is credible. When in doubt, discuss any information or advice with your diabetes management team to determine the best steps to take for your individual treatment plan.
Every moment of the day and night, your body is working hard to maintain an ideal internal temperature. It’s a remarkable ability given the various environments and activities we put our bodies through. We are frequently in and out of hot and cold places with different layers of clothing. We can jump into a freezing lake or poach ourselves in a sauna and our ever-vigilant nervous system will adjust our internal thermostat.
Because heat regulation (aka thermal homeostasis) is so critical to your daily health, Fitbit has introduced a new sensor on Fitbit Sense to track your skin temperature as you sleep.* A dedicated tile on your Fitbit Today dashboard will help you track your skin temperature variation from the previous night’s sleep or see when your average skin temperature variation is higher or lower than your baseline. The tile will also allow you to manually log your core temperature. The temperature tracker is one of several new features Fitbit has launched to help users better understand their bodies and achieve well-being.
What Can Temperature Tell Us?
While the average human core temperature is 98.6 degrees, it is normal for the body to fluctuate a couple of degrees. A healthy body’s internal temperature will change by about 2 degrees in sync with your 24 circadian rhythms. It is normal to run a bit cooler when we go to bed and warm up when we become active. Changes in hormones over a monthly menstrual cycle, as well as exercise and eating habits, can also change your internal temperature.
The largest organ in your body—your skin—takes a central role in regulating heat. When your nervous system senses that our internal temperature is rising, the blood capillaries near the skin dilate to take advantage of the sweat evaporating off the skin surface. When body temperature drops, our nervous system restricts blood flow near the skin and moves it into the body’s more insulated core.
Because the skin is more exposed to the environment, skin temperature fluctuates more widely than core temperature. Skin will cool due to sweat and evaporation, for instance, as the body works to bring down your internal temperature. For this reason, skin temperature shouldn’t be used as a substitute for a thermometer that measures core temperature. It can, however, function as a warning sign that something has changed.
Once you’ve established your nightly baseline, it is easy to see when your data varies from your baseline. These changes can be an important signal of disequilibrium, including the onset of fever due to illness.
Both eating and exercise can increase the body’s temperature and make it more challenging to get to sleep. Unusual spikes or drops in your nighttime skin temperature may also prompt users to experiment with different room temperatures or types of sheets and blankets.
“I think temperature comfort during sleep is important and something that individuals might learn about through the skin temperature sensors,” said Lindsey Sunden, Director of Physiological Sensing at Fitbit. “If you see peaks in your skin temperature during the night, it could be a sign that overheating is disrupting your sleep.”
Future Discoveries
Currently, the skin temperature sensor is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition. Instead, it is part of a suite of new metrics that include oxygen saturation, breathing rate, and heart rate variability sensors designed, in concert, to give users new insights into their well-being.
“Through our millions of users we are collecting data on billions of nights of sleep,” said Sarah Solso Abruscato, a Product Marketing Manager at Fitbit. “Understanding what that data reveals will be critical to our mission, which has always been to make the world healthier.”
*Not available in all markets. Significant changes in ambient temperature may negatively impact skin temperature tracking.
When many Americans think of drinking tea, a tall glass of iced sweet tea might come to mind, or, you might think it’s a hot beverage often sipped by the senior set. But if you’re one of the 159 million Americans drinking tea on any given day, you already know how delicious this good-for-you beverage can be. About 75 to 80 percent of tea consumed in America is iced, and we’re going to guess that a lot of those beverages are sweetened.
But if there’s ever been a time to start a low-to-no-calorie healthy habit that can improve your health from head to toe—and yes, even help you feel less stressed—this is it.
Tea is chock-full of flavonoids, which are naturally-occurring compounds with antioxidant properties that can protect cells against free radicals. Consuming a diet rich in antioxidants might help reduce your chances of developing diseases, like heart disease and cancer, according to MayoClinic.
Here, discover some of the wonderful reasons to start drinking tea. Keep in mind that if you’re caffeine-sensitive or have trouble falling asleep at night, you’ll want to switch to decaf teas or herbal teas in the afternoon and evening. When starting a new healthy tea habit, try to enjoy tea without sugar or honey so you’re not taking in unwanted calories.
It may help you break unhealthy eating habits. If you want to end an evening (or afternoon) mindless snacking habit, consider pouring yourself a steaming mug of herbal tea in a special mug to create a new ritual.
“I think drinking tea can be a good substitute for snacking if you’re snacking when you’re not actually hungry,” says NYC-based dietitian, Natalie Rizzo, MS, RD. “Snacking at night isn’t a bad thing if you actually feel your stomach rumbling, but if not, eating at night may cause sleep disturbances and weight gain from taking in too many calories. Oftentimes, your body is just looking for something to do to cope with boredom or stress, and drinking tea is a great distraction.”
It can help you unwind and feel less anxious. While tea has a host of good-for-you benefits, one of the top reasons you might want to start this healthy habit is that it might help you feel more relaxed—something we could all use more of this year.
One randomized controlled trial found that subjects drinking black tea for six weeks showed lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels after completing challenging behavioral tasks. “Scientists believe that consuming l-theanine (an amino acid) in tea in conjunction with caffeine is the cause of the reduction in cortisol,” says Rizzo. A recent rodent study found that drinking Japanese Matcha tea helped reduce anxiety, likely due to the tea activating feel-good brain receptors, dopamine, and serotonin.
“I drink herbal tea at night during the winter,” says Rizzo. “Something about the warm drink at night is really relaxing. Research shows that just holding a hot drink may make you feel relaxed.”
It might give your workout a boost. Whether you decide to sip a mug of black or green tea before your morning run, or chug a cup of iced tea at lunch to help you power through your afternoon workout, tea and exercise pair well together. “Caffeine has been shown to boost athletic performance, so I tell athletes to include it in their pre-workout meal plans.”
It could help with blood sugar control. One small study of normal and prediabetic subjects found that drinking black tea can decrease post-meal blood glucose levels. “Blood sugar spikes occur when you eat a food that is rich in refined carbs, like sweets or chips,” says Rizzo. “Those spikes are usually followed by an energy crash. It seems that drinking black tea with a meal may prevent a blood sugar spike.”
It can benefit your heart. Drinking tea has long been linked to heart health benefits, and a new study Advances in Nutrition spans 30 years of evidence from 37 epidemiological studies. The researchers found that with each cup of unsweetened green or black tea consumed daily, there may be an average of 4 percent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease and 2 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality, Rizzo says. People who drink two to three cups (8 oz each) of unsweetened tea per day may lower their risk of death from heart disease by about 8 to 12 percent, compared to nondrinkers.
It has brain health benefits. Want to feel calm, alert, and improve your mood? Pour yourself a mug of tea! Some studies suggest that drinking tea has a positive effect on cognitive function and mood. One study of a healthy Korean population found that those who drank three or more cups of green tea a week had a 21 percent lower prevalence of depression than those who didn’t drink green tea.
Fall brings the most amazing cold-weather produce, perfect for nutritious and bountiful salads bursting with fresh fall flavors. Pair dark leafy greens with hearty and festive additions like butternut squash, brussels sprouts, figs, apples, or cranberries and voilà ! You have a seasonal salad that warms the soul and delights the taste buds better than any soup or casserole. Fall is the new salad season—here’s why.
Salad is a wholesome powerhouse. These salads are packed full of nutrient-rich ingredients including healthy fats, protein, leafy greens, and colorful fruits and veggies that will help keep you satisfied, energized, and power you through your day.
Salad is exciting. Yes, you heard that right—salad can be exciting! If you’re tired of the same ol’ lunch-time sandwich or leftovers from the night before, these salads are sure to shock and amaze your taste buds. The contrasting textures and temperatures of warm roasted squash or yams, crunchy apples, seeds or nuts, sweet figs or dried cranberries, and cool crunchy greens are anything BUT boring.
It’s simple to toss together. The ingredients are fresh and easy to throw into a bowl—perfect for any busy schedule. Prep your ingredients ahead of time and whip up lunch or dinner in a jiff.
Now that we know why fall is the new salad season, here’s how you can build the perfect seasonal salad in six simple steps:
Select a base. You can try arugula, spinach, kale, collards, or romaine.
Give it some crunch. Sprinkle some seeds, nuts, sliced apples, croutons, or roasted chickpeas.
Mix in something soft. Add in sweet potatoes, roasted squash, avocado slices, cheese (we love feta!), or quinoa.
Add something unexpected. We love throwing in some dried fruit, pancetta, pickled veggies, or Brussels sprouts for a delicious surprise.
Power up with protein. Go for chicken, steak, fish, beans, cheese, or eggs.
You have the why and the how. So, what is in season now?
Arugula
Apples
Beets
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Butternut squash
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Chicory
Cranberries
Eggplant
Figs
Garlic
Grapes
Kale
Mushrooms
Onions
Parsnips
Pears
Persimmons
Potatoes
Shallots
Spinach
Sweet potatoes
Turnips
Keep reading for five seasonal salad combos we are loving right now.
Autumn Cobb with Pumpkin Vinaigrette
INGREDIENTS:
For the salad:
4 cups butternut squash cubes
1½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
14 oz (400g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 slices bacon
2 large eggs
4 cups mixed greens
1 red apple, thinly sliced
1 green apple, thinly sliced
1⁄3 cup dried cherries
1⁄3 cup white cheddar cheese, cubed
For the dressing:
1⁄4 cup pumpkin puree
1⁄4 extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Pinch salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Toss the squash in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper then place onto a greased baking sheet. Roast for 40 to 45 minutes.
Place dressing ingredients into a blender and pulse 4 to 5 times until well mixed. Set aside.
While the squash is baking, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the chicken breast with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add chicken to the hot pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side until cooked and no longer pink at the center. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook until crispy, chop, and set aside.
Place eggs in a saucepan and add enough water to cover the eggs by an inch (2.5 cm) or so. Bring to a boil, remove from heat, and let rest for 10 minutes. Drain the water and peel under cool water. Slice and set aside.
Divide the greens between bowls and assemble remaining ingredients over top. Drizzle the pumpkin vinaigrette over top each salad and enjoy! Store remaining dressing in the fridge.
Makes four servings.
NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING):
Calories 530
Protein 32 g
Total fat 26 g
Saturated fat 7 g
Cholesterol 185 mg
Carbs 42 g
Fiber 6 g
Total sugars 22 g
Added sugars 7 g
Sodium 310 mg
Gorgonzola Crusted Steak Salad with Fig Balsamic Dressing
INGREDIENTS:
For the dressing:
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
5 dried figs
1 tablespoon shallot, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Water, to your liking, to thin out the dressing
For the salad:
1⁄4 cup pancetta, diced
1 lb (500 g) sirloin steaks, fat removed or trimmed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1⁄4 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbles
8 cups arugula
8 figs, halved or chopped
1 small red onion, peeled and julienne
1⁄4 cup walnuts
INSTRUCTIONS:
Add the dressing ingredients to a blender and pulse until well combined. Add water to thin out the dressing to your liking.
Cook diced pancetta until crunchy in a skillet over medium-high heat. Remove and set aside.
Heat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Season steaks with salt and pepper then cook, turning once, until medium rare or done to your liking. Once steaks are cool enough to touch, add the gorgonzola crumbles on top of the steaks and then place them under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Let rest and then slice thinly.
Divide remaining salad ingredients between bowls, add the gorgonzola crusted steak, and drizzle with fig balsamic dressing. Store remaining dressing in the fridge.
Makes four servings.
NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING):
Calories 430
Protein 32 g
Total fat 23 g
Saturated fat 5 g
Cholesterol 90 mg
Carbs 29 g
Fiber 5 g
Total sugars 22 g
Added sugars 0 g
Sodium 230 mg
Warm Brussels Sprout & Yam Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing
INGREDIENTS:
For the salad:
2 yams
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb (500 g) Brussels sprouts
1 bunch of kale, stemmed and chopped
2 bacon slices
1⁄2 cup dried cranberries
1⁄2 cup pecans
For the dressing:
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly grease two separate baking sheets. Peel and chop the yams into even cubes, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place them onto one of the baking sheets.
Stem and chop the Brussels sprouts while also removing any loose leaves. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place them on the other baking sheet. Place both baking sheets into the oven to roast for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender.
Blanch kale in boiling water until tender, about 1 minute. Drain and shock in an ice bath, and then massage leaves for 1 minute. Remove from ice and pat dry.
Cook bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crispy, chop, and set aside.
Add the dressing ingredients to a blender and pulse 4 to 5 times until well combined.
Place all cooked ingredients along with cranberries and pecans into a large mixing bowl and drizzle with maple balsamic dressing, tossing to coat all ingredients evenly. Divide between bowls and enjoy!
Makes four servings.
NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING):
Calories 510
Protein 9 g
Total fat 36 g
Saturated fat 6 g
Cholesterol 10 mg
Carbs 44 g
Fiber 9 g
Total sugars 21 g
Added sugars 11 g
Sodium 200 mg
Kale, Chicken, & Apple Salad with Cinnamon Apple Cider Vinaigrette
INGREDIENTS:
For the dressing:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon For the salad:
1 lb (500 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 bunch of kale, stemmed and chopped
1 medium apple, thinly sliced
1 pomegranate, seeded
1⁄4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1⁄4 cup pepitas
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place the dressing ingredients into a blender and pulse 4 to 5 times until well combined, set aside.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Brush the chicken breast with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add chicken to the hot pan and cook for 5 to 6 minutes per side until cooked and no longer pink at the center. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
Divide the remaining salad ingredients between bowls, top with sliced chicken breast, and drizzle with dressing.
Makes four servings.
NUTRITION FACTS (PER SERVING):
Calories 520
Protein 32 g
Total fat 31 g
Saturated fat 6 g
Cholesterol 90 mg
Carbs 32 g
Fiber 6 g
Total sugars 24 g
Added sugars 9 g
Sodium 130 mg
Beet & Citrus Salad with Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette
INGREDIENTS:
For the dressing:
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 large orange (about ⅓ cup)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey For the salad:
8 medium cooked beets, diced
2 oranges or mandarin oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
8 cups arugula, rinsed
1⁄4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
1⁄4 cup shelled pistachios
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place dressing ingredients into a blender and pulse 4 to 5 times until well combined. Set aside. Divide all the salad ingredients between bowls and drizzle with dressing.
Whether you’re one of those people who seems to catch everything, or you just want to fend off a cold or the flu, your diet can make a big difference. Every day, your body relies on key nutrients to fortify its immune soldiers so they can quickly pounce on illness-causing intruders.
But in the real world, it can sometimes be tricky to get all the powerhouse nutrients we need to stay strong. If you’d like to (fingers crossed) stay off the couch and out of the doctor’s office, try whipping up these immune-enhancing drinks. They’re loaded with protective nutrition to bolster your defenses. And they take just minutes to make!
Maple Sweet Potato Smoothie
Your gut is a huge immune organ, charged with filtering out viruses, bacteria, fungi, and more. Keep yours in top shape with this smoothie. Each glass delivers a cocktail of gut-fortifying nutrients. In addition to plenty of probiotics from kefir, you’ll also get a double dose of prebiotics from sweet potato and maple syrup. As a bonus, you’ll net more than a day’s worth of vitamin A, which is essential for healthy skin and cells lining your airways and gut, which are the body’s first line of defense against infection.
Make it. In a blender, blend ½ cup unsweetened kefir, ¼ cup low fat milk, ½ cup mashed sweet potato, ½ diced, cored apple, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, 2 ice cubes, and a dash of cinnamon until smooth.
Per serving: 280 calories, 2 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 10 mg cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, 58 g carbs, 6 g fiber, 34 g total sugars, 4 g added sugars, 9 g protein
Lemony Ginger Turmeric Tea
Each year, upper respiratory tract infections (or URTIs) like the cold, flu, and viruses send 10 million Americans to the doctor. Now, a growing body of research finds that simple ingredients in this tea, like turmeric and ginger, might keep you from getting infected in the first place. And while honey won’t prevent a URTI, a new British Medical Journalstudy finds it’s more effective for cough relief than cough medicine, antihistamines, or painkillers.
Make it. In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup water, ¼-inch sliced ginger root, ¼-inch sliced turmeric root, and ¼ diced lemon. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and pour liquid through a strainer, discarding ginger, turmeric, and lemon. Stir in 2 teaspoons honey and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
Per serving: 45 calories, 0 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 13 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 12 g total sugars, 11 g added sugars, 0 g protein
Orange Kiwi Green Juice
You could love this elixir for its cold-busting vitamin C (nearly twice your daily dose). But that’s not the only reason to drink up. Each serving packs a full cup of spinach, which is chock full of antioxidants that keep immune cells strong and healthy. Leafy green spinach is so powerful that its extract has been shown to protect against harmful bacteria like E. coli and S. aureus.
Make it. In a blender, puree 1 peeled kiwi, ¼ English cucumber (it’s less bitter than traditional cukes), 1 cup baby spinach, ¼ cup parsley sprigs, ½ cup 100 percent orange juice, and 1 pinch cayenne pepper until liquified. Serve as is (you’ll rack up 4 grams of filling fiber). Or, if you prefer pulp-free juice, pour through a strainer or cheesecloth.
Per serving (including pulp): 120 calories, 1 g total fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 30 mg sodium, 26 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 18 g total sugars, 0 g added sugars, 3 g protein
When you meditate, you’re taking the time to stop, breathe, and ground yourself in the present moment—which can have serious health benefits, including for your immune system.
“Meditation is a mindful practice that allows us to be in the present. When we focus too much on the past, we are more susceptible to depressive experiences—and when we focus too much on the future, anxious feelings are likely to arise,” says Dr. Catherine Jackson, licensed clinical psychologist and board-certified neurotherapist at Optimal Neuroholistic Services. “Meditation allows us to train our brains to focus more and more on the present—and, by doing so, reduce stressors that negatively impact the immune system.”
But how, exactly, does meditation help support healthy immune function?
Meditation helps reduce levels of cortisol—also known as the “stress hormone”
One of the biggest ways meditation can help boost your immune system is by lowering cortisol—also known as the stress hormone.
“Too much stress leads to the body producing too much cortisol—and when the body experiences stress for too long it becomes chronic, leading to an overactive production of cortisol which results in inflammation,” says Jackson.
“When people are chronically stressed, their cortisol levels are high and this can put their immune functioning at risk,” says Nicole Avena, PhD, Assistant Professor of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Visiting Professor of Health Psychology at Princeton University. “Meditation can help people to relax and reduce anxiety, which can reduce cortisol levels…[and] can help to improve our immune response.”
Meditation can help your body move from “fight or flight” to “rest and digest”
Meditation can also help shift the body from the sympathetic nervous system—also known as “fight or flight” mode—to the parasympathetic nervous system. “Meditation induces the parasympathetic system, which is the ‘rest and digest’ system,” says physician and lifestyle medicine coach Kathy Tsapos Parmele, MD. “It induces a wide variety of biochemical changes by decreasing the gene expression of proteins related to inflammation and improving the expression of genes related to immune response.”
When your body is in rest or digest mode, you’ll also feel more calm—which, in turn, can help reduce stress and provide additional benefits to your immune system.
“Physiologic changes include decreases in oxygen consumption, blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate,” says Tsapos Parmele. “These salutary effects impact the entire organism in that they reduce the inflammatory stress cascade that leads to immune dysfunction.”
Meditation has been shown to positively affect gut health—which supports healthy immune function
The digestive system plays a large role in immunity. The ways meditation impacts the body (for example, by lowering stress hormones) can help support a healthy gut—which, in turn, can support a healthy immune system.
“Decreased stress responses improve gut function through the GI-neuronal axis. A large part of our immune system lives in the gut as part of GALT (gut-associated lymphoid tissue),” says Tsapos Parmele. “Meditation decreases sympathetic nervous system activation, which in turn reduces cortisol and norepinephrine release, decreases intestinal permeability—[also known as] leaky gut—and reduces inappropriate activation of the immune system that otherwise leads to autoimmune disorders.”
How often do you have to meditate to experience the immune-strengthening effects?
Clearly, carving out time to meditate can have a huge impact on your body’s immune response. But how often do you have to meditate in order to enjoy those immune-boosting effects? “The key is to reduce stress, and just one meditation session can have a ripple effect of calming you, which can help reduce your current state of stress,” says Avena.
While one session can be all it takes to start driving immunity-boosting effects from your meditation practice, “the more you meditate, the better the response,” says Tsapos Parmele. “In our central nervous system, practicing any new activity results in neuroplasticity—growth of new neural connections that tie together and become more robust the more often you practice. In the same way, the more you meditate, the more those neural connections tie together and are able to more quickly achieve a parasympathetic state, leading to improved immune function and decreased inflammation.”
Just make sure not to get carried away; the important thing is that you actually start meditating—not that you meditate every day or create a “perfect” practice. “Many of us get really excited to start and take on too much too fast. Or we get overwhelmed or intimidated at the thought of meditating, especially if it’s new,” says Jackson. “Start with what’s comfortable for you and ditch the need to feel like you have to do it perfectly. Should your mind wander, gently bring your attention back to the focus of your meditation when you notice you’ve drifted off. The more you practice this, the better you will become with it and the more benefits you will reap.”
With cold and flu season looming, and with COVID-19 still a threat, you may be placing more of an emphasis than usual on staying healthy this fall and winter. Fortunately, there are a number of things which you can do to help boost your immune system naturally, which may help your body fight off harmful pathogens.
Try adding any, or all, of these lifestyle changes to your daily routine:
Eating a more plant-based diet. A diet that’s rich in whole foods—including fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes—will provide you with more vitamins and nutrients than one filled with processed foods.
“A plant-based diet can help with reducing inflammatory state in the body and, thus, can help strengthen the immune system,” says Natasha Fuksina, MD, a board-certified internal medicine specialist based in Newark, New Jersey. “Green, leafy vegetables provide antioxidants, which help fight inflammation. Eating a sufficient amount of fruits and vegetables will provide the body with carotenoids, which protect against oxidative damage and help T cells—part of the immune system—as well as flavonoids, which have antiviral properties and stimulate T-cells.” This doesn’t mean you have to go entirely plant-based, but adding more fruits and veggies into your diet certainly won’t go amiss.
Keeping your gut healthy. In recent years, researchers have realized that intestinal health influences immune function. You may change the composition of your gut bacteria by consuming probiotics. “Taking probiotics with high amounts of various species of good bacteria can help boost immune function by populating healthy bacteria in the gut,” Fuksina says. “Good bacteria help promote the strengthening of the intestinal barrier, which protects the body against harmful microbes.”
Fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and pickles may be rich in probiotics, as well as cultured or fermented dairy products like yogurt, buttermilk, and kefir. Look for “Lactobacillus acidophilus” or “Bifidobacterium bifidum” on food labels.
Lowering your stress levels.Research shows that experiencing too much stress may make you susceptible to illness. Reducing the amount of stress in your life may have a positive impact on your immune system. “Try finding a few ways to focus your mind, or do an activity that helps to relieve stress when you notice the stress level is increasing,” says Caryn Campanelli, a certified personal trainer based in Berlin, New Jersey. “Reducing stress can be through a variety of self-care activities, from physical exercise, yoga, massage, mindfulness exercises—such as breathing exercises and meditation—and identifying sources of stress and ways to reduce the sources [or] ways to change one’s personal reaction to the source.”
Spending time in nature. Spending time in green spaces has been shown to strengthen immunity. “Letting our kids play in nature strengthens their immune system,” says Karina Krepp, a New York City-based certified personal trainer.
Some people go one step further when they’re in nature, going barefoot to feel the earth beneath their feet. This practice, called grounding, has been shown to help reduce inflammation, which may keep the immune system functioning optimally. The practice may also help you reduce your stress levels. “Walking on the earth with your shoes off is an easy way to reduce our experience of pain and anxiety, improving our mood,” Krepp says.
Staying hydrated. Some research shows that dehydration may cause oxidative stress, which triggers inflammation, causing the immune system to respond. Drinking enough water throughout the day may counteract this process. Staying well-hydrated also helps your body rid itself of bacteria, toxins, and other waste while transporting nutrients through the bloodstream.
“If you are dehydrated, your bloodstream slows… so it is harder to transport nutrients where they need to go,” says Kristin Foust, a nutrition coach and certified personal trainer based in Denver. “The more toxins and bacteria in your body that can’t be flushed out, the weaker your immune system is, because it’s fighting so many things at once.”
To stay well-hydrated, drink “half your body weight, in pounds, in ounces of water a day,” Foust says. “Drinks like tea and sparkling water count towards this.”
Exercising outside. Getting regular physical activity has been shown to strengthen your immune system and lower your risk of illness and chronic disease. “Those that perform regular exercise have a lower risk for many pathologies—that is, heart disease, diabetes, some cancers,” says Rick Richey, a New York City-based certified personal trainer. “It can also bolster your immune system, making exercisers more resilient against the symptoms of seasonal sicknesses.”
Taking your workout outdoors may strengthen your immune system further, because exposing yourself to sunlight helps your skin make vitamin D. “Adequate amounts of vitamin D is extremely important in the proper function of the immune system,” Fuksina says. “Several recent studies demonstrated a link between low vitamin D levels and poor responses to SARS-CoV-2 [the virus that causes COVID-19].”
Getting enough rest. Sleep helps your body recharge. Research shows that when you don’t get enough rest, your immune system isn’t as effective at fighting illness. “[Get] adequate sleep—at least 7 ½ hours per night,” Fuksina says.
If you get into bed at a reasonable hour and still have trouble falling asleep, blue light exposure may be the culprit. The blue light that smartphones, tablets, and laptops emit prevents you from producing melatonin, a hormone which makes you sleepy as bedtime nears. If you typically look at your devices all evening, stop an hour or two before bedtime; you may notice a difference.
Washing your hands regularly. Viruses and bacteria often enter your system when you touch your eyes, nose, or mouth with dirty hands. Give your immune system fewer bugs to fight off by cleaning your hands often. Wash with soap and water before and after eating or preparing food, before and after using the bathroom, after blowing your nose, when you’ve touched shared surfaces and whenever your hands appear soiled.
