This week’s wellness tips are all about food. From simple breakfast upgrades to smarter ways to prepare everyday staples, these small changes can support everything from your gut and heart to your kidneys.
Here are five easy ways to get more out of what you eat and drink.
1. Eat watermelon to support your kidneys 🍉
It’s summertime, and your body’s working hard to keep your fluids balanced. Eating more watermelon can support your kidney health partly because it’s mostly water, which can help you stay hydrated.
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Watermelon also contains L-citrulline, an amino acid linked to lower blood pressure, as well as antioxidants like lycopene and vitamin C that help fight oxidative stress. Reducing oxidative stress may lower heart disease risk and could also support kidney health.
However, if you have kidney disease, be careful with potassium-rich foods like watermelon. Talk to your healthcare provider before changing your fluid intake or diet.
2. Start your day with plain yogurt 🥣
Starting your day with plain yogurt can boost gut health because it’s chock-full of the good bacteria that support the microbiome. It might also support healthy aging. A recent study found that after 12 weeks of eating plain yogurt daily, following specific dietary guidance, and exercising regularly, participants lost weight and showed a slower rate of biological aging.
The study was small and short, so more research is needed to understand whether probiotics can play a role in healthy aging. But adding more probiotic-rich foods to your diet can have broader health benefits. If plain yogurt sounds boring, add fruit, nuts, seeds, or whole grains to make it tastier, more satisfying, and more nutritious.
3. Boil your eggs to preserve antioxidants 🥚
Hard-boiled, scrambled, over-easy, fried—what’s the healthiest way to cook eggs? You can pick whichever you prefer, but hard-boiled eggs have a slight nutritional edge because they don’t require added fat to cook, and boiling preserves more of the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin.
If you prefer scrambled eggs, cook them with an unsaturated oil, such as olive, avocado, or canola oil.
4. Add a pinch of salt to your coffee ☕
One coffee hack that might sound off-putting involves an ingredient you’d probably never think to add to your morning brew: salt.
Adding a pinch of salt to your coffee can reduce bitterness, making it easier to enjoy without creamer, milk, or sugar. That can be helpful if you’re trying to lose weight, reduce your added sugar intake, or improve your metabolic health, since coffee add-ins can contribute extra calories, fat, and sugar. If black coffee isn’t your thing, the salt trick might be worth a try.
If you have high blood pressure or need to limit sodium for health reasons, though, you may want to skip this hack.
5. Stack cholesterol-lowering foods throughout the day 🫘
If managing your cholesterol is one of your health priorities, diet and lifestyle changes can help. “Stacking” foods that help lower cholesterol—especially those rich in fiber, healthy fats, and plant sterols—may give you an extra boost. Eating a portfolio of these foods can help bring your cholesterol levels into a healthy range and support your heart health over time.
Try adding more walnuts, soy, whole grains, and veggies to your meals throughout the week. Focus on foods you enjoy and can consistently make part of your diet
Verywellhealth.com