What if one of the best ways to feel healthy and confident in our bodies is to shift eating habits in a way that betters the world around us? In 2019, a global group of experts formed the EAT-Lancet Commission and released the planetary health diet as a science-based, accessible solution to the growing population in a struggling environment. For three years, an international team of 37 scientists studied and researched practices around the world and developed a well-rounded ...

Americans consume far too much sugar, and overdoing it on the sweet stuff puts you at greater risk for chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. No bueno! Experts emphasize that there’s nothing wrong with foods in which sugar occurs naturally (think, fruits and milk) but getting too much added sugar (that would be in sodas and other drinks, cookies, and cakes, and even random places like ketchup and salad dressing) is what has Americans taking in more than...

At last count, 121.5 million adults in the United States have cardiovascular disease. That's very nearly half of the population. Eating a heart-healthy diet can make a significant impact on those numbers, though. People who ate mostly fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and legumes and less red or processed meat and sugar-sweetened beverages had up to 20% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, per a 2020 study. In fact, consistent research backs the benefit...

Eating disorders are incredibly prevalent. More than 28 million Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetime, which means it's very likely that you'll know someone at some point in your life who's struggling. Fortunately, there are ways you can help. Compassionate, knowledgeable friends and loved ones can play a significant role in a person's recovery from an eating disorder. POPSUGAR spoke with two psychologists to find out how you can better support a friend who's...

Just like your mouthwash can work without that burning sensation, your muscles shaking during strength workouts isn't a prereq for getting stronger. Technically, your arms or legs feeling like Jell-O is a sign of exhaustion but that doesn't directly correlate to increasing muscle mass or upping your one-rep max. In truth, that quaking feeling can actually be an indicator that you're not giving yourself enough time to adequately recover in between rounds. "When you feel really fatigued quickly, a...

Having a strong core is essential to all movement. A strong core helps stabilize your lumbar spine and pelvis, allows you to perform movements like twisting and bending, and can even improve your athletic performance. There are a plethora of ab exercises you can do to strengthen your core, and planking is one of the most popular. But while planks appear in countless workouts, it can be easy to do them with improper form. One of the most common errors people make when starting a plank i...

You might think of stress as good or bad. Planning a wedding? Good stress, right? Losing your job? Bad stress. But that’s not exactly the right way to look at it. “Stress is just our body’s natural way of responding to demanding circumstances. It’s a programmed neurobiological response,” Vaile Wright, Ph.D., senior director for health care innovation at the American Psychological Association, told TODAY Health. You can feel stress about positive events or negative events. “What the...

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a uniquely vulnerable time for many people struggling with eating difficulties. Add to that the regular seasonal toxic messaging—the post-holiday diet talk, or the pressure to “get in shape” for spring and summer—and you have a perfect storm for disordered thoughts and eating behaviors. Facing a gamut of triggers and unable to rely on their usual support mechanisms, many individuals may find themselves grappling with a sense of feeling out of control aro...

There are a ton of things that could make your exercising life a little easier, but finally discovering once and for all how to work out in the morning is definitely a big one for many people. It’s an age-old question many exercisers—myself included—have tried to effectively answer so they too can cross their workout off their to-do list first thing. Protein, the macronutient that helps build muscle and repair tissues, is often touted as the backbone of a healthy diet or exercise routine. But ...

Deciding on the healthiest cooking oil to use in your dish isn't always quite as simple as it seems, because you've actually got a good number of options. Despite the ubiquity of ever-popular olive oil, there are plenty of other nutrient-rich cooking oils that deserve a spot in your pantry. While most cooking oils have pretty similar nutritional profiles in terms of calorie and total fat content, they do differ considerably when it comes to flavor, odor, and cooking properties. S...