Doctor’s Advice

Health Tips

Eat four walnuts a day.

An Italian study found that eating just a few walnuts a day may significantly increase your blood levels of essential fatty acids and reduce your risk of stroke. Increasing your intake of walnuts can improve the function of your blood vessels, reduce your LDL (“bad” cholesterol) levels, and relieve systemic inflammation. Be sure to choose raw and unsalted, and try to find organic.

Have a laugh—an intense one.

Researchers at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California have shown that regular intense laughter can affect the body almost like physical exercise, lowering blood pressure, decreasing stress hormones, increasing “good” cholesterol, and decreasing “bad.” Try to get at least an hour of hard-core laughing a week, even it’s just 10 minutes a day of getting tickled by your toddler or partner.

Chew twice as long.

When you chew for twice as long, you’re likely to feel satisfied after eating less and be more apt to get up from the table before overeating. Chewing twice as long is also a gentle reminder that we should slow down and enjoy our food.