Author: News Room

4 min readKey PointsA recent review of available research concluded that people with an ADHD diagnosis have 48% increased odds of experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms.This adds to a growing body of research linking gastrointestinal issues to mental and psychiatric disorders.Experts have a few theories about what might be behind this correlation.Our brain and our gut might be more closely related than they’d appear at first glance. Depression has been linked to an increased risk of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), ulcers, and more; people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are more likely to suffer from psychiatric disorders; and researchers…

5 min readAs a dietitian, I get asked about supplements constantly. Most of the time, my honest answer is that you probably don’t need them. But psyllium fiber is one of the few I bring up again and again, because the science behind it is quite solid, and the benefits of psyllium fiber stretch well beyond keeping you regular.If you’ve walked past a tub of psyllium at the store and wondered whether it’s worth it, here’s what the research actually shows.What is psyllium fiber?Psyllium comes from the husk of Plantago ovata seeds. What makes it special isn’t just that it’s…

4 min readKey PointsA new study links xanthelasma—fatty, yellowish lesions that appear near the corner of the eye—to an increased risk of heart disease.The substance that makes up xanthelasma lesions is similar to the cholesterol that can clog your arteries.Doctors don’t want you to panic about xanthelasma, but you should check in with your doctor to see if they recommend further testing. Heart disease can be sneaky: Some contributing factors, like high cholesterol, aren’t really apparent unless you get a blood test. However, according to a new study, your body may provide a surprising, visible warning sign of the condition—and…

3 min readIf you’re interested in nutrition, you likely put a lot of thought into what you eat—choosing whole grains over refined carbohydrates, getting plenty of fruits and veggies, prioritizing lean protein. But there’s still a crucial piece of the puzzle you may be missing, and it has to do with how you eat your healthful, well-balanced dishes.Meal sequencing, also known as food sequencing or carbohydrate-last eating, is a glucose-management strategy that calls for different food groups to be eaten in a certain order. (Yes, you read that right: It matters what order you eat your meal in.)“When sitting down…

8 min readI’ve spent the last few years trying to find ways to improve my sleep quality. This has involved everything from tracking my sleep with an Oura Ring to various sleep aids to forcing sleep schedules to improve my sleep hygiene. But as a very budget-conscious freelancer, I was always reluctant to spend money on a nicer, more expensive mattress. So when I got the opportunity to try the vegan alternative to Avocado’s famous Organic Green Mattress, the Avocado Vegan Mattress, I was hopeful that upgrading to a premium mattress would finally be the thing to help improve my…

6 min readLet’s just say it: Sometimes it can be really difficult to poop. You may sit on the toilet forever, squeezing and grunting and begging what’s inside to come out, with no luck. You can be constipated for a variety of reasons, and sometimes it, um, just works itself out. But according to the National Library of Medicine, up to 20% of U.S. adults deal with chronic constipation. Yet less than half ever seek help for it: Another study showed that three out of five adults with the condition have never talked to their health care provider about solutions.We…

4 min readAs someone who struggles with foot pain from collapsing arches and random bouts of plantar fasciitis, I rarely go barefoot—even inside my home. Wearing comfortable house shoes provides the all-day support that I need to keep the pain at bay.“The plantar fascia is a thick band of tissue that runs across the bottom of the foot, attaching the heel into the toes,” E. Charisse Dunn, D.P.M., a podiatrist and owner of PGA Foot & Ankle, previously told Prevention. “When it becomes inflamed, it causes tenderness when the heel is placed flat on the ground,” Dunn says.Despite wearing my…

11 min readAs a music journalist, Erica, a 39-year-old in Queens, New York, is constantly surrounded by alcohol. She says it flows freely at concerts, over drinks with publicists, and on the flights to and from the festivals she covers.“In the rock ’n’ roll culture that I work in, it becomes very normalized to drink a lot,” she says. “And when that was combined with situations that make me anxious, like interviewing people and traveling alone, I would often ‘pregame’ by having a drink before an event just to feel less nervous,” Erica explains.While she never got to the point…

5 min readFiber is one of the less flashy nutrients. It doesn’t get the glamour of building big muscles like protein or supporting brain function like healthy fats. But don’t let its understated reputation fool you. This quiet, hard-working nutrient maintains the upkeep of crucial digestive and bodily processes. And, if you’re not getting enough, your body will let you know. A deficient diet will quickly result in noticeable signs you’re not getting enough fiber.Meet the experts: Samantha Peterson, R.D., founder and CEO of Simply Wellness; Erin Barrett, Ph.D., director of product innovation and scientific affairs at Shaklee; Amy Davis,…

6 min readA can of chickpeas is one of those things you pretty much always have in your pantry. Whether it ever makes it into a meal? Well, that depends on if you know how to use it.Folks stock up on the legume with the best of intentions—and for good reason. Chickpeas are a nutritional stalwart as far as canned foods go, offering both nine grams of protein and eight grams of fiber per one-half cup serving. Not to mention, they’re packed with the kind of nutrients that are typically hard to come by in plant-based proteins, like iron and…