Research increasingly demonstrates that healthy nutrition improves mental health, and an entirely new subspecialty has formed to support this. Nutritional psychiatry is expanding rapidly, with research growing 15-fold from 2000 to 2024, reflecting the increasing acceptance of diet's role in mental health.
I just make protein a priority. I try to get it in every meal and every snack. Research suggests these amounts are best for staying full and supporting muscle health.
The baseline use of plant-based milk prior to instituting oat milk as the default was 16.6%. That jumped to 51.9% when baristas informed guests oat milk was the default option.
These tiny packages pack a nutritional punch-so much so that the advisory committee for the 2025 U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommended upping the daily serving size of legumes and promoting them as a protein source over meat and seafood. Navy beans, for example, are especially fiber-dense, and lentils are protein powerhouses.
I grew up in a Mexican household where food was our love language - but there was also stigma and very little guidance around diabetes. When my aunt, and later my mom, were diagnosed, it took time to understand what healthy eating could look like for them. That's why this partnership means so much to me. Our culture and our food are not the problem - they're part of the solution.
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans aim to translate the most up-to-date nutrition science into practical advice for the public as well as to guide federal policy for programs such as school lunches. But the newest version of the guidelines, released on Jan. 7, 2026, seems to be spurring more confusion than clarity about what people should be eating. The latest dietary guidelines, published on Jan. 7, 2026, have received mixed reviews from nutrition experts.
A sandwich might sound like a "boring" meal, but these vegetarian sandwiches are anything but uninspired! I've spent years testing different combinations of veggie sandwich fillings in my kitchen, and over the years I've collected my favorite ideas for making meatless lunches and dinners. These vegetarian sandwiches have become my go-to's for quick weeknight dinners and healthy lunches that actually make me look forward to the meal.
Rachel Swanson, a registered dietitian at LifeSpan Medicine and author of "Trying!: A Science-Backed Plan to Optimize Your Fertility," splits her time between New York City and Miami, spending about half the year in each. She also takes small-group workout classes three times a week, focusing on strength training. She says eating enough nutrients, especially protein for muscle-building, is crucial for her. She generally aims for around 0.7 grams of protein per pound of body weight, the protein intake usually recommended for physically active people.
We compared how participants fared while eating their habitual diets with how they responded to the two diets that were low in ultraprocessed foods. During the periods when participants ate fewer ultraprocessed foods, they naturally consumed fewer calories and lost weight, including total and abdominal body fat. Beyond weight loss, they also showed meaningful improvements in insulin sensitivity, healthier cholesterol levels, fewer signs of inflammation, and favorable changes in hormones that help regulate appetite and metabolism.
Sometimes all you need is to curl up on the couch with a big bowl of pasta, wearing an old sweatshirt that can handle a little tomato-sauce splatter. After all, it's comfort food with a heavy emphasis on the comfort - all carbs and sauce and warm, full feelings. But what if you could get that same satisfaction with the added benefit of a little protein boost with just one easy swap? All you have to do is reach for a box of edamame pasta.
Soaked and blended, cashews become a stand-in for heavy cream, keeping stuffed shells, soups, pasta sauces, and desserts luxuriously dairy-free. Toasted and roughly chopped, they add crunch to salads, curries, stir-fries, and more. There are so many reasons to love cooking with these seeds-that's right, "cashew nut" is technically a misnomer, since they grow outside the fruit rather than inside a hard shell like true nuts.
