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Vitamin D: The "sunshine" vitamin Have you ever noticed that you feel better after spending some time outside? This might be because sunshine can do more than just brighten your day. Our bodies can actually convert sunlight into vitamin D! Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that our bodies need. It has long been known to help the body absorb and retain calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus – studies have shown that it can even reduce cancer cell growth, help control infections, and reduce inflammation. Deficiency in the “sunshine vitamin” can lead to a whole list of health issues, including: cancer bone fractures worsened osteoporosis pain, muscle aches, and weakness cognitive impairment in older adults osteomalacia (the softening [...]

Visions of a healthy future: How the right foods can protect your eyes Envisioning a healthier you? Want to make sure you’ll continue, as you age, to enjoy all the sites there are to see? Eating a healthy diet provides benefits for your eyes! Many of us don’t get the vitamins and minerals we need that could prevent two common vision problems: cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Other common eye problems include glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and dry eye disease. Our risk of developing an eye disease increases as we get older. While we can’t stop the hands of time, there are certain nutrients that can improve eye function, protect us against harmful light, and keep age-related diseases at bay. [...]

The relationship between food and our mental health May is Mental Health Awareness month, so we’d like to share some important information to help you stay mentally healthy. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that nearly one in five U.S. adults live with a mental disorder, but there are things you can do to help yourself if you are one of them! In addition to visiting their website for resources and support information, one thing you can do now to maintain and improve your mental well-being is to start with the foods you eat! Nutritionists say the gut is our second brain. There have been many studies that prove there’s a strong connection between the two. As our diet [...]

How to prevent and manage osteoporosis It’s common to think that once we’ve hit a certain age, it’s too late to prevent or improve certain health conditions. We’re here to tell you it’s never too late! Some conditions, like osteoporosis, can be prevented through exercise and nutrition. And, if you already have osteoporosis, there are ways to prevent it from getting worse. What is osteoporosis? Osteoporosis, which translates to “porous bone,” is a medical condition which causes bones to become brittle and weak. The Mayo Clinic goes on to explain, “Bone is living tissue that is constantly being broken down and replaced. Osteoporosis occurs when the creation of new bone doesn't keep up with the loss of old [...]

Learn about IBS and how our Made Easy Meals can provide relief April is IBS Awareness Month. We’d like to share some information about it along with tips on how to best manage it. About 10% to 15% of people in the United States have symptoms of IBS, or irritable bowel syndrome. IBS is a diagnosis gastroenterologists use to describe a certain set of symptoms associated with digesting food. Also known as “spastic colon,” it’s a chronic condition whose cause is not well understood. It can occur after a bacterial or parasitic infection (giardiasis) of the intestines. There may also be other triggers, including stress. Most people have mild symptoms, but severity ranges from person to person. You [...]

Healthy and delicious can coexist: Meet Andrea Kirkland, the dietitian behind Healthrageous’s Made Easy Meals We’d like to celebrate the new meals on our menu by introducing you to our in-house Registered Dietitian, Andrea Kirkland. Andrea is the mastermind behind the Made Easy Meals that Healthrageous offers. Southern Roots and Culinary Training Born and raised in the south, Andrea was interested in cooking from an early age. “Both my grandmothers were excellent cooks, and my mother made home-cooked meals every night. I learned and fell in love with it by watching them.” While Andrea was an athlete, she still struggled with her weight. “I was never a good dieter because I loved food,” she shared. Over time [...]

Too much choice isn’t always best Have you ever been given so many choices that you feel overwhelmed? You’re not alone. There have even been studies done that indicate sometimes people prefer fewer choices. I’m an avid follower of the author Sheena Iyengar, who wrote The Art of Choosing, an overview of how choice impacts our lives. My favorite example of befuddling choice was the Jam Study. Dr. Iyengar was a professor at Stanford when she ran this study. Near the entrance of a Palo Alto grocery store, she set up a jam tasting bar featuring 24 different selections. Closer to the aisle where jams are normally sold, she set up a tasting bar with just six jams. Of the shoppers [...]

Your how-to guide to staying hydrated Up to 60 percent of the human adult body is water, yet about three-quarters of U.S. adults don’t drink the USDA-recommended 8-10 glasses of water per day according to a 2020 survey. If you’re in that ~80% not drinking enough water, it can take time to make staying hydrated a daily habit. Researchers say it takes about 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic. Here are a few of our top tips to help you get there. Set reminders: It’s human nature to forget: Life gets busy and soon, you’ve sat at your desk for hours without getting up to get a drink of water. Try setting an alarm on your [...]

More yum, less $: Eating healthy on a budget Eating meals that are both tasty and healthy can seem easier said than done, when you’re living on a fixed income. The good news is that delicious and healthy meals don’t have to be expensive! Check out some of our favorite ways to stretch your dollars while eating well. Plan ahead: It seems simple, but this advice is often looked over. Planning your meals well in advance, and then preparing accordingly, can result in major savings. Think about the last time you splurged on an expensive meal out or indulged in a drive-through snack. More than likely, you were looking at a half-empty fridge or a clock that revealed [...]

Five ways to master meal planning “What’s for dinner?” Whether someone is asking you that question or you’re thinking it to yourself, it can be overwhelming. You might wonder what you even have to make at home, and anything you can think of in the moment sounds unappealing. You cave and order carryout…again. If this sounds familiar, meal planning can be a great solution. It’s a little work upfront, but has long-term benefits. And with our simple steps to meal planning to success, it’s much less stressful than trying to calculate what you’ll eat every night on the spot. Block time to plan: OK, this one is inevitable, but we promise it’s not a lot of [...]

Six ways to not get tricked by food labels Ever stand in the middle of a grocery store aisle, staring at the options, and wondering how in the world you’re supposed to know which brand of crackers among the dozens on the shelves is the healthiest? You’re definitely not alone: Food packaging is often misleading to consumers, and knowing the real story requires a little bit of reading beyond face value. Fortunately the FDA has required all prepared foods provide detailed information on nutrition, and we’ve got six ways to digest this information, so you’re not fooled by food labels next time you go to the store. Flip the box: The front of the package [...]