NEWS NUGGETS, TIDBITS, AND FRESH FINDINGS FOR YOUR WELLBEING

super foods

Sometimes it’s just easier to eat healthy when you know exactly which foods to choose. WebMD (webmd.com) published a list of six super foods for women to try: lowfat yogurt, fatty fish (like salmon), beans, tomatoes, lowfat milk or orange juice fortified with vitamin D, and berries. Don’t worry: you don’t have to fit them all into one meal!
down time?
If you’re pregnant and think you might be suffering from depression, don’t suffer in silence. Research from the American Journal of Psychiatry shows that women who went untreated during pregnancy were more likely to deliver their babies prematurely than women who took selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants during pregnancy. Talk to your physician about possible treatment—for your baby’s sake and yours.

burn notice
The American Council for Fitness & Nutrition says staying in shape can be as simple as working some calorie-burning activities into your everyday life. And summer’s the perfect time to burn those calories while enjoying the great outdoors. For instance, you can burn as many as 150 calories in a half-hour of mowing the lawn or gardening—and maybe a few more chasing the bunnies away from your tomato plants.

back attack

It might sound counterintuitive, but cutting out the exercise for more than a day or so after you’ve experienced back pain can actually undermine the healing. According to Spine-Health (spine-health.com), a comprehensive exercise program that involves daily stretching will help you stay flexible and keep your back healthy. The most important muscles to target are the hamstrings, piriformis, psoas major, and the gluteus muscles of the buttocks.

bright eyes

Want to keep your eyes healthy and preserve your vision, too? Start taking your B vitamins. The Archives of Internal Medicine published a study showing that a combination of vitamins B6 and B12, and folic acid, seems to reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration in women. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of vision loss in older people. As if you needed another reason to avoid smoking, it also contributes to AMD.