The keys to healthier snacking are moderation and choosing your munchies wisely, says the American Heart Association. The AHA recommends: Crunchy foods, such as apples, celery sticks, cucumbers, rice cakes, popcorn and nuts. Low-sugar drinks, such as sparkling water, fat-free milk and veggie juice. Filling foods, such as hummus, low-fat cheese and yogurt. Snacks to…  read on >

For people recovering from surgery or dealing with a painful injury, an expert suggests that there are a number of safer alternatives for managing pain than using potentially addictive opioids. “Today, more than ever before, we have a host of other methods that can effectively lessen pain,” Dr. James Grant, chair of the department of…  read on >

You don’t have to adopt a total vegetarian lifestyle to improve your health. You can get some of its advantages simply by replacing some of the animal proteins in your diet with plant-based ones. This can be an especially important switch for people who have even one risk factor for heart disease, like smoking, excessive…  read on >

Summer is the perfect time to give your stove a rest and kick back with some fast, no-cook meals made with veggies you can grab at your farmers’ market. For a tasty alternative to a ho-hum salad, thinly slice zucchini and toss with extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Add a few dollops of…  read on >

Yogurt is a healthy food, and it may also be a cancer fighter, a new study suggests. Men who had two or more servings of yogurt a week had a 26% lower risk of developing precancerous growths in their colon, a new study reports. Researchers didn’t find the same cancer-fighting benefit for women, however. “These…  read on >

Sweet summer fruits make a luscious ending to a meal, but there’s no reason to limit them to dessert. Here are three fruity no-cook dishes that will please every palate. For a sauce with a special flavor punch, add chopped fresh cherries to your favorite salsa recipe. Cherries are loaded with anthocyanins, an antioxidant with…  read on >

With all the attention that the very high-fat Keto diet is getting, you might be wondering how much fat is healthy and how much your body really needs every day to thrive. First, know that some fat is essential for most people. Your body uses fat for many health functions, including processing fat-soluble vitamins like…  read on >

Having a healthy baby starts before you get pregnant, Penn State doctors say. Nearly half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, said Dr. Andrew Lutzkanin, a physician in the department of family and community medicine. “Fortunately, most women of childbearing age are healthy,” he said. “And most pregnant women are motivated to…  read on >

When eating healthy becomes an around-the-clock obsession, it could be a sign of trouble. An extreme preoccupation with clean eating is an eating order called orthorexia nervosa. Though less well-known than anorexia nervosa or bulimia — and not as well-documented — a new study review says orthorexia can also have serious emotional and physical consequences.…  read on >

About two-thirds of Americans have taken steps to cut back on salt, according to the International Food Information Council Foundation. This often starts with comparing labels and choosing foods — from soups to canned veggies — with less sodium. Here are four more steps that you can take to reduce your salt intake. You know…  read on >