Taste the rainbow 🌈

No, definitely not Skittles. Colorful produce.

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IN a nutshell … aaand we're back! Happy new year, friends. We hope your 2023 is off to a great start so far. Some of us may be stuffed from heavy holiday meals, but we're kicking off our first newsletter of the year with one of our favorite topics –– food. Prepare to dig in. Here's everything we're serving up today: • colorful produce may help keep your brain young • a science-backed digital platform for nutrition guidance • doctors are prescribing meals instead of medicine • more health stories you need Be well, Morgan Mandriota Newsletter Editor, Healthline

Written by Morgan Mandriota January 2, 2023 • 4 min read

what's got us buzzing Taste the rainbow (we're not talking Skittles) Want to keep your brain young? Colorful produce might be your answer. A recent study suggests that eating bright fruits and veggies every day may be the key to slowing cognitive decline and keeping your brain sharper for longer. Why? Flava-flavs. OK, their real name is flavonoids, which are naturally occurring antioxidants in plants. Here are some of the most interesting findings from the study: • People with the best results ate at least half a serving of foods like celery, orange juice, grapefruits, pears, and peppers every day. • More specifically, participants who ate 600 milligrams (mg) of flavonoid-rich foods each day showed a 20% lower risk of cognitive decline compared with those who ate 150 mg of these foods. • Yellow or orange spices, fruits, and veggies offered the strongest protection, with 38% reduced risk, which equates to 3 to 4 years younger in brain age. So, which types of produce are ideal for the ol' noggin? The brighter the color, the better. Think: vibrant reds, rich greens, and bright oranges, such as strawberries, apples, oranges, and peppers. Certain teas, red wine, and dark chocolate are high in flavonoids, too. Basically, any fruit or veggie with a deep, intense color can boost your brain health. tl;dr: Research suggests that bright colored fruits and vegetables can keep your brain young and sharper. Taste the rainbow, friends! Well, rainbow *produce.* Not Skittles — with 45 grams of sugar per pack, that ain't it for everyday snacking.

great finds   Presented by       Noom Speaking of the connection between food and health, have you heard about Noom? It's a science-backed digital health platform driven by a powerful combination of psychology, technology, and human coaching to help you better understand yourself and build healthy habits that stick. Noom Weight puts you back in the driver's seat of your health journey and teaches you how to build healthy nutritional habits, all while maintaining a strong "no foods are off-limits" attitude. You'll get practical meal-prep tips, recipes, and food swap suggestions. Now, Noom Weight offers more personalized coaching services than ever before. For example, you can video chat with a nutrition coach who offers custom guidance based on what you already eat and do everyday. If you're looking to lose weight, Noom Weight's app features include food logging, water tracking, 1:1 coaching, group support, and more, which may help. Start off with a free 2-week trial then keep your membership going for $199/year, and tap into these resources as little or as often as you'd like along your journey. Start now *Free trial refers to an offer to try Noom for 14 days for free. At the end of your free trial, your account will automatically convert into a paying subscription and your payment method on file will be charged. You can cancel at any time during your free trial. If you cancel during your free trial you will not be charged.

Monday Kick Start Meals are the new medicine Some doctors are ditching prescriptions and prescribing healthy meals instead. "Food as medicine" is a growing trend that aims to improve chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease through diet and nutrition. So instead of taking pills, you could be munching on yummy, healthy meals to improve your health and well-being. More research is needed here, but what we know so far is validating. NPR recently reported on a new study that found healthy meals may reduce hefty medical costs *and* improve A1C blood sugar levels among people with diabetes. (They also recently aired an interview with a person who was told food could be a medicine, with free meals paid for by her health plan!) What's more, Kaiser Permanente found that people who received medically tailored meals after a hospital stay showed lower mortality rates and fewer hospitalizations for heart failure. Add this to the list of (growing) evidence that food is medicine and diet plays a key role in overall well-being! If you like this story, learn more about the connection between food and health with these related resources: • the best diet for people with diabetes • 15 incredibly heart-healthy foods • 5 foods that cause inflammation • Healthline's Healthy Eating hub

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Start the new year with a custom weight loss program Noom helps you adopt healthy habits so you can lose weight and keep it off. Just take a quick assessment to find a program customized to your health goals. TAKE YOUR QUIZ

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Thanks for reading! We hope you enjoyed the first Wellness Wire of the new year. As always, we had fun writing it for you. Ginger's up next on Wednesday with fascinating facts about genealogy and epigenetics.

Until next time, Take care of yourself, and we'll see you again soon!     This edition was powered by new beginnings.   View in browser Did a friend send you this email? Subscribe here. To see all newsletters, click here. Privacy    |    Unsubscribe © 2023 Healthline Media 1423 Red Ventures Drive, Fort Mill, SC 29707