- Start meals with soup:
Soup is a successful dieter’s secret weapon! A 2014 study found that regular soup eaters have smaller waists and weigh less than people who don’t eat soup. Look for those with low-fat milk or low-sodium broth and add your own veggies for slimming fiber. Check out our healthy soup recipes for inspiration!
- And end them with bread:
People with type 2 diabetes had 30 percent higher peak blood sugar when they ate bread before a meal compared with when they ate it after a meal, according to a small study published in Diabetes Care. Related research has shown that a rapid increase in blood sugar causes hormonal and metabolic changes that promote excessive eating in obese individuals. Eating bread after a meal slows the conversion of refined carbohydrates into sugar and may keep food consumption in check, especially in people with weight problems, insulin resistance, or diabetes.
- Green Tea + Lemon:
Benefit: Protect your heart
In a study of more than 40,500 Japanese men and women, those who drank five or more cups of green tea every day had the lowest risk of dying of heart disease and stroke. Researchers attribute the protective effect to catechins, powerful antioxidants. Trouble is, less than 20% of these relatively unstable compounds survive digestion. To get more out of every cup, squeeze in some lemon juice. The vitamin C in lemons helps your body absorb 13 times more catechins than it can obtain from plain tea alone, according to a Purdue University study.
Sip to your heart's content: With the catechin boost from vitamin C, you can help your heart by drinking just one or two cups daily. If lemons make you pucker, squeeze in some orange, lime, or grapefruit juice; they increase antioxidant absorption, too, though to a lesser extent. Just skip the milk—it actually interferes with absorption—and stick to freshly brewed tea, hot or iced. The catechins in ready-to-drink bottles are ineffective. (Follow these 5 steps to make the perfect cup of tea every time.)
- Exercise + Music:
Benefit: Boost brainpower
Twenty-one minutes of exercise is all it took to lift the moods of cardiac rehabilitation patients in an Ohio State University pilot study. But when participants listened to Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons on headphones, they performed significantly better on a verbal fluency test afterward. Researchers believe exercise boosts cognitive performance by stimulating the central nervous system, and the addition of music may help organize thoughts.
Move and groove: Though researchers haven't explored whether these findings can be generalized to apply to healthy adults, it can't hurt to exercise with your MP3 player. Stick to the same routine the study participants followed—gradually increase the slope and speed on your treadmill every 10 minutes until you can speak only in short sentences (walk for a minimum of 21 minutes). And listen to the music of your choice; any genre should work just as effectively as classical. (Check out the playlists fitness pros listen to.)
- Eggs + Orange Juice:
Benefit: Fight fatigue
If you don't eat much meat, you may be feeling sluggish because you're not getting enough iron. Reason: Your body can readily absorb iron from meat (heme iron), but only 2 to 20% of the nonheme iron found in veggies, beans, and eggs makes it into your bloodstream. An effective booster: vitamin C. "It's the most potent promoter of nonheme iron absorption," says Elaine Magee, MPH, RD, author of Food Synergy. Vitamin C keeps the iron up to 6 times more soluble—meaning your body can now use 100% of the nonheme iron you eat and stave off fatigue-causing anemia.
"C" that you get more iron: Wash down your morning omelet with a glass of C-rich orange juice. Or toss iron-rich tofu and C-dense broccoli into your salad. Keep the cooking to a minimum (or at low temperatures) and cut your produce into thick chunks. Vitamin C is easily destroyed by light, heat, and air.
- The Mediterranean Diet + Nuts:
Benefit: Avoid metabolic syndrome
A Mediterranean-style diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, beans, fish, olive oil, and grains, is associated with everything from weight loss to a reduced risk of Parkinson's and heart disease. Now, research shows that people with metabolic syndrome—a condition characterized by high cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar and excess belly fat—can reduce these symptoms by adding an extra serving of mixed nuts to the healthful regimen. In a large study, Spanish researchers instructed people at high risk of heart disease to follow the diet with slight variations. Among the group that added 30 g of nuts, the incidence of metabolic syndrome decreased about 14% within a year (as opposed to, say, a 6.7% decline in those who added a little more olive oil). Researchers believe the fiber, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids in the nuts helped regulate insulin, blood pressure, and inflammation.
Healthy snack attack: Participants in the study ate about five walnuts, five hazelnuts, and five almonds daily. Kathy McManus, RD, director of the department of nutrition at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, recommends eating the same amount (approximately 1 ounce) to take the edge off late-afternoon hunger. Sprinkle the mixture over Mediterranean diet-friendly yogurt, hot oatmeal, or a small salad. (Fire up weight loss with these 17 perfect snacks.)
- Strength Train + Stretch:
Benefit: Build muscle
Weight-training builds strength by causing tiny tears in the muscle, which then quickly repairs itself, ending up bigger and stronger. Fast-track your strength gains by adding static stretching—in which you hold a stretch for 10 to 30 seconds—to your routine. Three studies led by Prevention advisor Wayne L. Westcott, PhD, found that adults who stretched either between or immediately after strength-training exercises developed about 20% more strength than those who only lifted weights.
Lift and reach: Rest at least a minute between sets and use that time to stretch the muscle you've just worked. For instance, if you just did leg extensions, stretch your quadriceps by pulling your right ankle toward your butt while standing on your left leg. Hold each stretch for 20 seconds.
collected: https://www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/11-little-tricks-to-make-your-life-even-healthier