With its beautiful blooms and milder temperatures, the spring season can be especially uplifting, making it an ideal time to focus on your well-being. This issue of Start Healthy is full of ideas to help you get started, including practical ways to safeguard your cognitive functioning, fascinating health podcasts you can enjoy anytime, light dishes to prepare for family and friends, and essential methods for staying safe online.
Given that your brain is central to how you think and feel, protecting it is one of the most vital tasks you can do when it comes to your health. Inside, you’ll find eight simple steps to keeping your brain functioning optimally both now and well into the future.
These days, you can find podcasts about almost anything, including health, fitness, and nutrition. Check out the ten engaging options explored in this issue to stay abreast of the latest medical news and gain tips for getting fit and boosting your well-being.
The spring season means it's time for fresh produce and flavors that taste as good as they make you feel. To celebrate, enjoy this light yet scrumptious meal-and-dessert combination—hummus wraps filled with crisp vegetables and a key lime parfait made with tangy citrus.
Activities such as browsing the web and connecting with others through social media can open the door to many valuable experiences, but they can also put you at risk for online fraud. Follow the enclosed guide to help you remain safe in the digital realm, whether you're using online search tools, mobile apps, or other platforms.
Here’s hoping you enjoy all that April has to offer! As always, it’s a pleasure to send you this magazine.
The brain is a complex organ that’s responsible for regulating various bodily functions, including cognition, motor skills, emotion, and tactile sensations. It can also be surprisingly delicate, changing over time in response to a variety of factors. Although some of these changes may be beyond your control, there are proactive measures you can take to safeguard and boost your mental acuity.
No one really likes going to the doctor, but staying healthy requires scheduling regular visits with your health-care provider to catch chronic issues such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and high blood pressure, all of which can contribute to memory loss and cognitive decline. Early detection and management of these conditions can help preserve your mental function and general well-being. If you haven’t undergone a baseline blood-work screening, doing so is an excellent starting point. This screening allows your doctor to uncover any existing problems you might be unaware of and identify changes in subsequent tests, which can ultimately enable you to improve your overall health outcomes.
Brain health and blood pressure go hand in hand, especially as you get older; research indicates that individuals between the ages of forty and sixty who have high blood pressure face an increased risk of cognitive decline in their later years. Unfortunately, signs of this issue often go unnoticed, underscoring the importance of monitoring and controlling it should it exceed medically acceptable levels. Adopting positive habits, such as incorporating regular exercise and a nutritious diet into your daily routine, can assist you in maintaining a healthy blood pressure to protect your brain both now and in the future.
An estimated thirty-five million people in the United States have type 2 diabetes, with around 20 percent of them being undiagnosed, and over ninety-seven million are classified as prediabetic—just below the threshold of diagnosis. Such individuals are at an increased risk of cognitive impairment, including conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia, and research indicates that the earlier someone develops diabetes, the greater their chances of experiencing dementia. However, you can mitigate this possibility by detecting diabetes early through regular blood tests and learning the appropriate ways to manage and treat it.
Besides lowering your risk of cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, a diet low in red meat and rich in whole grains, fish, and leafy vegetables can play a role in protecting you from mental decline. Further, recent studies link sugary beverages to decreased cognitive abilities in adults aged sixty and older. Therefore, it’s crucial to minimize your intake of carbonated sodas, sweetened teas, fruit juices, and even energy and sports drinks, which can contain as much added sugar as these other beverages.
Consistent exercise has a profound impact on the hippocampus, the brain region that’s responsible for forming and storing new memories. Engaging in physical activity promotes the creation of new brain connections, a fundamental process for maintaining cognitive health. So if exercise is not yet a part of your daily routine, find ways to begin incorporating it. Start with a simple yet effective activity like walking; any type of movement can be helpful. Consider consulting with your health-care provider first to ensure you take a safe and effective approach.
Insufficient sleep has been associated with cognitive impairment and difficulties in clear thinking. A study published by the National Library of Medicine revealed that adults in their fifties and sixties who consistently slept less than six hours per night were at an increased risk of developing dementia in their later years. To enhance and maintain your memory, critical thinking, and overall mental well-being, always work to get a minimum of seven hours of sleep per night. And if you’re dealing with chronic insomnia, seek guidance from your doctor on how to better manage your sleep habits before they have a lasting impact.
Increasing your social interaction can reduce your likelihood of experiencing isolation, which has been linked to depression, stress, and memory loss. In fact, PLOS Medicine, a nonprofit medical journal, established a connection between the frequency of socialization and dementia, highlighting the positive impact of an active social life on cognitive function. As you age, ensure you stay connected through activities like participating in local community events, engaging with your place of worship, or joining clubs centered on shared interests.
Like your muscles, your brain needs to be worked out for peak efficiency. Whether you enjoy doing crossword or jigsaw puzzles, tackling fun brainteasers, or reading books, magazines, or newspapers, your brain will thank you for keeping it active. Studies also indicate that engaging in new activities, such as playing an instrument, learning a new language, or even increasing your vocabulary, can stimulate your brain, enhancing its overall functionality.
Your brain is your lifelong companion, so prioritize its well-being by cultivating a healthy lifestyle, engaging in mentally stimulating activities, and practicing self-care to better ensure its health far down the road.
Apart from providing entertainment, podcasts give us access to helpful information we can enjoy almost anytime—while on a walk, commuting to work, or eating dinner. Among the seemingly endless array of available topics are ones geared toward health, fitness, and nutrition, offering what’s virtually a one-on-one session with the world’s most influential thinkers, physicians, and scientists. Here are a handful of the best of these podcasts to consider adding to your playlist.
Join British physician and author Dr. Rangan Chatterjee as he explores strategies you can use to improve your life. In his insightful sessions, he converses with experts on themes such as creating beneficial habits, boosting energy, and improving sleep and memory.
Cell biologist Dr. Rhonda Patrick has a knack for explaining in simple terms the meaning behind the world’s latest scientific discoveries. Tune in to get information on matters like micronutrients that can improve aging, how to treat insomnia, and whether there’s a limit to human longevity.
In her 2009 best-selling book The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin chronicled her efforts to find fulfillment over a year’s period. Today, she hosts a weekly podcast that focuses on, you guessed it—happiness. Each episode is packed with joyful tips, such as a positive way to view your empty nest, surprising ideas to lift your mood, and an effective icebreaker question.
Anyone yearning to understand the secrets of the human brain will appreciate this informative series by neuroscientist and Stanford University professor Dr. Andrew Huberman. In his detailed talks, he elaborates on relatable subjects like how to support a healthy gut, the science of making and breaking habits, and methods to prevent and stop headaches.
Consider this broadcast your very own how-to manual for living well. Listen to learn helpful tidbits such as the most nutritious ingredients for a salad, how to protect your hearing, and remedies for easing chronic pain. If you enjoy this series, be sure to check out NPR’s Life Kit segments on other themes, including money and parenting.
Biomechanist and author Katy Bowman provides solutions for a sedentary lifestyle, offering advice for concerns like how to get more movement into your day, improve your grip strength, and prepare your body for an active vacation.
If you have questions about how to best fuel your body, such as ways to add bone-strengthening calcium to your diet, why you should eat resistant starches, and whether soy-rich foods are good for you, listen to this nutritional deep dive by licensed nutritionist Monica Reinagel.
In this podcast, dietitian, nutritionist, and exercise physiologist Dr. Neal Malik finds and unpacks top articles on different wellness and fitness issues, including the risks of eating too much sugar, ways to shed belly fat, and how to get better sleep.
Learn about factors that can influence your health and longevity with host Dr. Shoshana Ungerleider. Enjoy her conversations with various TED speakers on topics such as how to soothe your anxiety, how air pollution affects the body, and why having fun is essential to living a healthier life.
Retired soccer player Abby Wambach is a pro at winning on the field but admits she can sometimes stumble in real life. In this series, she chats with wife Glennon Doyle and sister-in-law Amanda Doyle about how they overcome everyday challenges, occasionally sharing the microphone with guests like singer Dolly Parton and fellow soccer star Megan Rapinoe.
With the world beginning to blossom once more, now is a great time to infuse your recipes with the vibrant flavors of the season. These two recipes form the perfect duo, inviting you to indulge in a symphony of bright and fresh tastes. Whip up a hummus wrap filled with your favorite veggies for a quick lunch, then enjoy a tangy parfait for dessert.
With a delightful medley of colors, textures, and tastes, these wraps are not only a visual feast but also a perfect addition to your lunchtime meal planning.
This guilt-free treat layers creamy Greek yogurt, fresh lime juice, and low-fat cream cheese between crushed vanilla wafers.
Homemade hummus and tons of veggies make this wrap perfect for weekday meal prep.
Serves 4
Creamy, key lime–flavored filling is layered between crushed vanilla wafers and light whipped topping for a tasty treat you’re sure to love.
Serves 4
What’s a good credit card APR? How is my old college classmate doing now? And what the heck is a nutria?
These days, it’s easier than ever to traipse through the internet and find all the answers we seek, whether for work or recreational purposes. But as much power as digital spaces put at our fingertips, there’s another force on the other side of the screen armed to take advantage of our time online: fraudsters.
According to a Statista poll, the average American spends over eight hours per day online, which is ample time to expose yourself to fraud risks. Therefore, it’s essential to safeguard your personal data as you use social media, search engines, and other platforms. Follow these tips to protect your information from threats and explore the internet safely.
Reflect on the sheer amount of data you store in digital spaces, such as in banking apps, online stores, and internet browsers you use to check your health or tax records. Should criminals obtain this data, they can not only view your personal information but also utilize it to access your funds, open lines of credit in your name, or conduct other forms of identity theft.
One of the simplest ways to protect your private data is to update all your passwords, making them more unique. According to the Federal Trade Commission, safe password recommendations have been updated; rather than long, complicated codes such as “2djklasfu84#$$@q,” the most secure ones are easily memorizable phrases that contain at least twelve characters and would make no sense to another person.
For example, if you were voted “Most Likely to Succeed” in high school and your mascot was a parrot, you could create this password for accessing your email: SucceedParrots. It may seem simple, but it would be more difficult for criminals to guess than a common phrase like “LetMeIn.” To make it even more obscure, throw in some symbols: Succ3edP@rro+s. (Just don’t actually use this example.) Phrases such as these are far more complex for cybercriminals to crack.
Then use your imagination to repeat this process for every other account that holds your personal data. Creating and memorizing several different codes may seem like a hassle, but it’s an essential step toward defending your privacy. You should also set up multifactor authentication, which requires extra credentials for signing in, such as a fingerprint scan or an email confirmation code. This will provide an added layer of security against data theft, even if scammers happen to identify your passwords.
From there, ensure that any potential route to your personal data is virtually impregnable. Routinely perform updates on your smart devices’ software as well as on your internet browsers, antivirus programs, and any other apps that may hold your data. These tasks help fix weak points and buggy operations that criminals can exploit. As annoying as update notifications may be, always act on them right away, and consider adjusting your system settings so patches download immediately as they become available.
Many of us save data on the “cloud” without truly understanding what that means or the inherent risks of doing so. This term refers to any digital storage platform, such as Google Drive, that stores your information online rather than directly on your devices. Using such a service means trusting another party with control over your privacy. Because many of these systems are managed by large, highly successful companies, it’s easy to assume they’re secure. But they aren’t immune to data breaches—in fact, they’re major targets. Worse, their internal errors can accidentally reveal an immense amount of personal information. In 2018, for example, Google experienced two separate bugs, the first of which exposed the private details of more than 500,000 users and the second over 52 million users.
To help preserve your privacy in case of such a data breach, never store personal information, including tax forms and medical documents, on any type of cloud service; keep it on a private USB or physical hard drive at home instead. For more details on securing your online files, check out these cloud-safety guidelines from web-hosting service GoDaddy.
Every time you access the internet, a surprising degree of personal information channels from your devices to the websites you visit, such as your log-in credentials and credit card numbers. Cybercriminals frequently scour these pages to hunt down people’s data. Thankfully, encryption features help scramble your information to keep it private, even when you use public Wi-Fi. To ensure you’re browsing safely, look for a lock symbol next to the website’s address, which indicates that it’s secure.
Even still, you should remain vigilant to prevent sophisticated data theft. When signing into public hot spots, always ask an employee for the Wi-Fi network’s name and access code to verify you’re connecting to the proper network, and never retrieve personal data like bank account information. Also avoid purchasing, downloading, or installing anything via public Wi-Fi—false notifications may fool you into clicking on malware, or malicious software.
As for your home Wi-Fi, you should set up a virtual private network (VPN), which will encrypt your internet traffic and provide added security. For a breakdown of this multistep process, refer to this VPN-installation guide from the antivirus experts at Norton.
Phishing refers to any method scammers use to earn your trust and convince you to willingly hand over your data. This is one of the most common and, sadly, effective ways online criminals steal personal information—the FBI reported over 300,000 phishing scam complaints in 2022 alone. To avoid falling victim to these cybercrimes, exercise caution at all times. “Don’t click links in emails or text messages,” say the tech experts at PCMag on its website. “Your trusted source might have been compromised, or the message might be fake. The same goes for links on social media sites, even in posts that seem to be from your friends. If a post seems unlike the style of your social media buddy, it could be a hack.”
There are many other common scams out there that can compromise your confidentiality, including Trojan horses and ransomware. Ultimately, the best widespread protection against these multifaceted methods is enrolling in trusted antivirus software like McAfee or Norton. While there is no such thing as guaranteed protection, such apps can help you utilize convenient, engaging, and productive internet services daily—without compromising your privacy or safety.
