• Stacy Anderson, a scientist, has studied how centenarians live for over 20 years.
• She believes lifestyle factors such as diet play a big role in how long a person might live.
• She eats plenty of fruits and vegetables and gets eight hours of sleep each night.

A scientist who has studied centenarians for over 20 years shared four things she does to live a long, healthy life.

Stacy Andersen, a behavioral neuroscientist at Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine, is the co-director of the New England Centenarian Study, which examines the lives of people over 100 who are in good health. She has traveled the country visiting centenarians in their homes, meeting their families, and often sitting down with them for breakfast to try to pinpoint why they have lived so long.

"We're not trying to get everyone to live to 100. We're trying to get everyone to live like a centenarian. So really, to have that extended healthspan," Andersen told Business Insider, using the term for how long a person is healthy.

Living to an extreme age, like 105 and over, is likely about 70% down to a person's genetics, Andersen said, but healthy habits appear to be the most important factor for living to our late 80s and early 90s.

There's no one recipe for longevity, Andersen said, but following "the good, healthy behaviors that we know about and that are well tested" is the best approach to healthy aging.

She shared the habits she's implemented into her life based on her research and meeting hundreds of centenarians.

1) Eat five different colors a day

Andersen tries to eat five different colors of fruits and vegetables every day to ensure she gets a range of nutrients. "You're getting a wider variety, and it just feels good to check that box each day," she said.

Prioritizing fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and lean meats is crucial for healthy aging, she said and pointed to the Mediterranean-style diet as an example.

Based on the eating patterns of people in countries like Italy, Greece, and Turkey, the Mediterranean Diet has been ranked the healthiest way to eat for eight years running by US News & World Report.

A large 2023 study found that people who ate a whole-food-rich diet, similar to the Mediterranean Diet, lived up to a decade longer than those who ate a typical Western diet.

2) Exercise daily and mix it up

Anderson aims to get some movement in every day. She mixes up her workouts, sometimes going on long hikes with her dog, and other times running on a treadmill.

A typical centenarian is active, Andersen said. Many live on their own into their 90s, they often drive for an average of 10 years longer than their peers, and work for five years longer, she said.

The most common workout the centenarians she has studied do is walking or stretching, but they also do a lot of informal exercise, such as housekeeping, gardening, and yard work.

The link between longevity and an active lifestyle is well-established. A 2023 study by researchers at the University of Cambridge found a link between exercising for 11 minutes a day and a lower risk of dying from chronic illnesses such as heart disease and cancer.

3) Get good-quality sleep

Andersen prioritizes consistently getting eight hours of high-quality sleep.

Current guidance on sleep tends to emphasize getting seven to nine hours, but some emerging science suggests sticking to a consistent sleep schedule could matter more.

Everyone is different and feeling refreshed when you wake up is more important than the number of hours you sleep, she said.

"It's kind of when you feel like you're waking up ready to start the day," Andersen added.

When we sleep, it's like a "power cleanse for our brain," she said. It helps remove the proteins that are thought to to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

4) Challenge yourself to learn a new skill

Andersen has taken up sailing, which she said challenges her both cognitively and physically. "I tell everyone, 'Whatever you've always wanted to do that's new, go and do that!'" she said. Several centenarians she has met took up painting in their later years, for example.

Doing something that engages your brain and attention strengthens neural pathways and builds new ones, and is the number one thing we can do for brain health, she said. "Just doing crossword puzzles where you're retrieving information is probably not going to be that beneficial," she said.

A 2021 study published in the journal PLOS One by researchers at the University of Edinburgh, found that after just one week of intensive language learning, a group of 33 participants, aged between 18 and 78, had improved their ability to focus and switch between tasks. A control group of 34 participants who did an intensive course that didn't involve language learning also experienced cognitive benefits, but they weren't quite as significant, the authors said.

• People pleasers put their needs last and base their decisions on others.
• They learn these behaviors in childhood, which often leads to problems in adult life.
• Therapists told Business Insider the common issues people pleasers bring to therapy include analysis paralysis.

People-pleasing, or putting other's needs before your own, may seem like a positive trait.

But people pleasers don't recognize their emotional needs and, deep down, don't think they are important, Israa Nasir, a therapist based in New York, told Business Insider.

People pleasers don't simply want to make others happy, but fear them feeling uncomfortable or upset, Summer Forlenza, a trauma therapist based in California, told BI. It feels threatening and jolts them into the "fawn response," which is when someone reacts to a threat by suppressing their feelings to appease someone else.

It's typically a behavior we learn in childhood if we feel the need to take care of a parent or other significant person in order for our needs to be met, Melissa Stanger, a psychotherapist based in New York, told BI.

"You need to minimize your own needs in favor of theirs, either to make them the available caretaker that you need or because they don't have room for your needs at all," she said.

The people pleaser is often not consciously aware that they're doing it, and this common but misunderstood pattern of behavior often leads to challenges in adult life.

Nasir, Forlenza, and Stanger told BI the common issues their people-pleasing clients bring to therapy.

1) Relationship problems

People pleasers often seek therapy because of conflict and resentment in their relationships, Stanger said. But they won't necessarily realize that these issues are a result of their people-pleasing behavior.

"A lot of people will say, 'I'm having this conflict with a partner, and I don't know how to address it.' And usually, they do know how to address it. They just don't want to address it," she said. That's because they're afraid of jeopardizing the relationship.

"The people pleaser self-abandons again and again by prioritizing the relational threat over themself," Nasir said.

Not being honest about their feelings can create resentment over time, which will likely be communicated in other ways.

"A lot of times, people pleasers will tolerate a lot of pain before saying something, and usually they'll say it in a very passive-aggressive or a breakdown type of way," Nasir said.

For example, instead of communicating what she could realistically afford, one of Nasir's clients spent above her means and became resentful toward a friend who made more money than her and suggested expensive activities.

"She had made the assumption that her friend wouldn't understand and started to dislike her friend based on that," Nasir said. "This happens often with people pleasers who don't communicate their needs."

2) Difficulty making decisions

Nasir says her people pleaser clients often experience "analysis paralysis," finding it hard to make decisions, particularly in relation to their job, living situation, relationship, or other personal circumstances.

One client stayed in an unfulfilling job for a long time rather than applying for a promotion or another role at the company because she was so worried about making the wrong choice.

Forlenza said the stress of wanting to "keep everybody happy" adds to this indecision.

"I feel a lot of anxiety and fear at the possibility of people being upset with me for making this choice," she said of people pleasers.

3) Emotional and workplace burnout

This can happen if a people pleaser is scared to tell their manager they've been given too much work, for example. Forlenza said her clients can also have a hard time taking their PTO because they worry it'll make their co-workers' lives harder.

"It's just a total recipe for burnout and exhaustion," she said.

Nasir had a client who struggled to take time off from his job in healthcare and fainted from exhaustion during a double shift.

Emotional exhaustion or "relational burnout" is also common among people pleasers, as they may feel they are always taking care of others but nobody takes care of them, she said.

People pleasers will often know how to check the emotional temperature of a room and anticipate other people's needs very quickly, Nasir said, "so it's a lot of cognitive workload."

Practice speaking your mind to reduce the urge to people-please.

The first step toward changing these patterns of behavior to prioritize your own needs is improving emotional literacy, Nasir said. She gives clients a language to describe their emotions, often starting by using a feelings wheel, which maps out the primary emotions we experience. This helps clients learn to recognize what the emotions feel like physically.

The next step is learning to tolerate uncomfortable emotions. "They don't know how to tolerate if somebody is disappointed because they always act to avoid it. So they don't have a lot of experience in being confronted with it," Nasir said.

It's about being able to sit there and watch somebody be angry or disappointed with you and allow the other person to have their emotion without "fixing it," she said.

Finally, people pleasers need to practice direct communication, which means expressing thoughts and feelings clearly and explicitly.

Stanger recommended finding a trusted friend or relative who you can role-play those kinds of conversations with. This can help you feel more confident expressing your feelings in real-life scenarios.

• Fiber is crucial for gut health, but most Americans don't eat enough.
• Those who follow the Mediterranean Diet, packed with veggies and beans, eat twice as much fiber.
• Christina Soteriou's tips for adding fiber to dishes include using blended beans.

Eating a diet packed with fiber is second nature to Christina Soteriou, a plant-based chef who spent most of her childhood in Cyprus.

Fiber, found in plants such as vegetables, beans, and nuts, is crucial for our digestive health. It feeds "good" bacteria in the gut microbiome, or the microbes that line the colon. A diverse gut microbiome is associated with better overall health and a lower risk of chronic diseases, including colon cancer.

In the US, where the Western diet is common, over 90% of women and 97% of men don't eat the recommended 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories each day, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans state. People who follow a Mediterranean-style diet, however, eat double the amount of fiber each day, according to a 2021 literature review published in the journal Nutrients.

Soteriou, the author of "Big Veg Energy," told Business Insider it's easy to add fiber to meals without compromising flavor, using the whole foods that are a staple of the Mediterranean diet.

Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a dietitian and the author of "How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed," said Soteriou's tips are an excellent way to consume more fiber to support digestion, gut health, and energy levels.

1) Add blended beans to sauce to make it creamier

Soteriou likes to think about what she can add to a meal versus what to restrict.

One of her favorite high-fiber additions is blended beans, as they also add a creamy flavor to a dish. "Instead of somewhere you might put cream in, you can blend beans," she told Business Insider.

She often mixes blended lima beans into pasta sauces.

"The flavors could be something like harissa and roasted red peppers, or you could just literally throw some pesto into the blender with some beans, and that makes a creamy sauce," she said.

Another favorite is fresh herbs, spinach, half a can of beans, lemon juice, and a tablespoon of tahini.

"If you love pasta, you're eating pasta, but also getting all of these yummy nutrients and protein and fiber," she said.

2) Sprinkle mixed seeds on meals

Seeds are high in both fiber and healthy fats and contain plant-based protein. They're also easy to add to any meal or snack, Soteriou said.

She buys packs of mixed seeds to help her reach her goal of eating 30 plants a week, a number experts believe helps promote gut microbiome diversity.

"If you have a seed mix that has 10 different seeds in it, that's 10 points already," she said.

She sprinkles them over oats, salads, and roasted vegetables.

3) Try different whole grains

Whole grains such as brown rice, quinoa, and bulgar wheat are an essential part of the Mediterranean diet, and they tend to be high in fiber.

To eat more fiber, Soteriou changes the whole grains she uses and tries new ones.

"If you think, 'Okay, I've had rice, what other grain can I eat with this thing?' There's so many different grains," she said. "Experiment with different grains where you can."

You could try using pearl barely instead of Arborio rice in a risotto, for example, or millet instead of couscous, she said.

4) Top dishes with fermented foods

Dashing some fermented vegetables, such as pickles, kimchi, and sauerkraut, into a grain bowl or on top of a salad is quick and easy and will up the fiber content and flavor profile, Soteriou said.

These foods also introduce live bacteria into the gut, which research suggests boosts gut health.

Fermented foods tend to last for ages, so you don't have to worry about them going bad like fresh vegetables, she said.

• Jason Smith didn't exercise for years and got fit when he was 49.
• Smith is now a personal trainer who regularly strength trains and runs.
• He started by committing to an hour of daily movement and going slow.

A man who got fit at 49 and ran his first marathon at 52 shared the three things that helped him get in shape.

Jason Smith, 55, a personal trainer based in the UK, strength trains five times a week, and goes on four runs. Six years ago, his life looked very different. He worked a corporate job, did little to no exercise, and mainly ate ultra-processed microwave meals — and his health suffered.

In his 40s, Smith started to feel more lethargic and had less energy, he told Business Insider.

"I was overweight to the point of obesity, unwell, and in a pretty bad way physically and mentally," he said.

In January 2019, a friend posted online about "an adventure" he was going on, which included cycling up hills and running through fields.

Smith thought: "That's how I want to feel. That's how I want to live." It "flicked a switch" in his brain and he committed to changing his lifestyle then and there.

"I started to do a lot more research into nutrition. I decided I wasn't going to drink alcohol anymore, and I also decided that I was going to get fit and that I would take that seriously," he said.

After two weeks of moving more and eating a more nutritious diet he noticed a difference in himself, and he kept progressing.

"I felt so liberated, so different. I was enjoying it and I was loving life. It was a massive mental shift in me as well as a physical shift in me," he said.

Two years later, he decided he wanted to help others feel the same way. For his 50th birthday in January 2019, Smith's family bought him a personal training qualification course, and by the end of 2020, he was working with his first clients.

Smith shared how he approached getting fit at 49.

1) Have a clear goal

In the past, there were several instances where Smith had started working out, stuck to it for a week or so, and stopped when life got in the way. Having a clear goal helped make exercising regularly a sustainable goal.

Before hitting the gym or loading up his plate with veggies, Smith visualized his ideal self and wrote two lists: one detailed the things his future self would do, and the other the things he would stop doing. "The first thing that I did was get my mind in the right place," he said.

This helped him create a plan and motivated him to follow it. "Having that vision in my head and almost this plan of what I would and wouldn't do really, really helped," he said.

Visualization is a technique that successful people including Steve Jobs and Michael Phelps have used, and has been linked to improved decision-making and emotional regulation.

2) Find something you enjoy

Finding a form of exercise you enjoy is key to making being active a habit, Smith said.

"You're not going to do anything that you don't enjoy," he said.

He recommended thinking back to what you loved doing as a child. "I used to enjoy running through the woods, so funnily enough I went running through the woods and that made it a lot easier," he said.

Because Smith enjoyed what he was doing, he looked forward to his runs and in April 2022 he ran his first marathon in three hours and 55 minutes.

3) Start slow and build up

When he first decided to get into fitness, Smith committed to doing an hour of movement everyday, but he started slow.

"Certainly, for the first couple of weeks or more, running was really walking with an occasional running spurt in between," he said.

He joined his local gym and started with simple movements like lunges and squats, adding more as his fitness improved. He also had an introductory session with a personal trainer who showed him the correct form to avoid injury, which he said was helpful.

"It's not how hard you work in the hour or the 45 minutes that you might be doing a workout that really counts. It's how many times you do that," he said.

• Protein is beneficial because it helps us feel full and build and maintain muscle mass.
• A chef who grew up on the Mediterranean diet shared how she adds protein to her meals.
• Christina Soteriou's tricks include sprinkling nutritional yeast on dishes.

As a vegan of 13 years, Christina Soteriou, a chef and recipe developer based in London, has learned how to add plant-based protein to her meals in quick, simple ways.

The 32-year-old grew up in Cyprus following a Mediterranean diet, which has been linked to many health benefits, including a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and better gut health. It emphasizes plant-based sources of protein that are cheap and nutrient-dense, such as legumes, beans, and lentils

Protein in all its forms has become buzzy in recent years amid growing awareness that it can help with building and keeping muscle mass, as well as maintaining a healthy weight because it's filling and prevents overeating.

The US government recommends people eat 0.36 g of protein per pound of body weight, or at least 46 grams for women and 56g for men. For building lean muscle mass, research suggests 0.7 grams per pound a day is ideal.

The global protein market is estimated to grow from $26 billion in 2021 to over $47.4 billion by 2032, according to Statista, as grocery stores stock more protein-enhanced foods, from pasta to soda.

But Soteriou, who taught herself to cook vegan food growing up, knows you don't need to spend much or take supplements to get enough protein.

Each day, Soteriou, the author of the "Big Veg Energy" recipe book, makes sure she eats at least one substantial source of protein each day, such as tofu or beans, and tops up with other foods throughout the day.

"Little sprinkles of seeds here and there, or a drizzle of tahini even has protein in it," she said.

Soteriou shared three other hacks for eating more plant-based protein without sacrificing flavor.

Nichola Ludlam-Raine, a dietitian and the author of "How Not to Eat Ultra-Processed," said these are well-balanced suggestions for eating more protein, which also provide fiber and essential micronutrients.

Have pre-cooked legumes on hand

Legumes such as chickpeas, lima beans, and lentils, are good sources of protein and high in fiber. They all contain at least 8g of protein per 100g.

Soteriou finds it helpful to keep pre-cooked packs of legumes in her store cupboard, which she adds to dishes to bulk up the protein content.

"If you're eating a soup, let's say, can you throw some beans in? Or if you're having a salad, will some chickpeas go in there?" she said.

Tofu, many ways

Tofu has a reputation for being tasteless unless you spend hours marinating it, Soteriou said, but she disagrees.

"It can be so versatile. As it's quite plain, it can really lend itself to different things. So you can bake it, you can stir fry it, you can air fry it," she said.

Silken tofu, which is the softest type, can be blended into a cream and used in a sauce, a salad dressing, or seasoned and drizzled over roasted vegetables.

Firmer tofu can be crumbled into small pieces, covered with lots of salt and lemon juice, and sprinkled over a salad like feta.

"It's just a fun way to add more protein," she said.

Sprinkle nutritional yeast on dishes

Nutritional yeast is an inactive version of the yeast used to make bread or beer. It has a savory, umami flavor and is often used as a plant-based alternative to cheese.

It comes in powder or flake form and is a complete protein. One teaspoon contains around three grams of protein.

Soteriou always has some in her kitchen and likes to sprinkle it over dishes for extra protein.

"You can even sprinkle it onto your pasta," she said.

• Dr. Eric Verdin studies the biology of aging and how to get and stay healthy.
• He believes lifestyle factors play the biggest role in how long we live, and supplements could help too.
• Verdin explained why he takes vitamin D, vitamin B12, creatine, and omega3 fatty acids.

A doctor who researches longevity shared the four supplements he takes daily for healthy aging.

Dr. Eric Verdin, the CEO and president of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging near San Francisco, told Business Insider it studies how to extend "healthspan," or quality of life, by maintaining faculties that tend to decline with age, such as cognitive ability and mobility.

Verdin said while genes play a role, he believes diet, physical activity, sleep, stress management, and social relationships are the five pillars of longevity and what will determine if we live to 65 to or 85.

If a person has those under control and wants to take their health from good to great, evidence suggests certain supplements could help, he said.

Vitamin D

Verdin takes vitamin D and believes most people should too.

About 35% of US adults have vitamin D deficiency, according to the Cleveland Clinic, so Verdin recommends people get a blood test to see if they're getting enough.

Vitamin D is both a nutrient that we eat and a hormone the body produces. It's important for bone health as it helps the body absorb their building blocks: calcium and phosphorus. Studying the possible role of vitamin D in disease prevention is a large research area, but there's not enough consistent evidence to prove any link.

Some foods contain vitamin D, but sunlight is the primary natural source, which is why many people who live in colder climates have insufficient levels.

"Supplementing this is very cheap, it's very safe, and in my opinion is important," Verdin said.

The UK government recommends everyone to take a daily vitamin D supplement during the autumn and winter. Those who have darker skin may also struggle to get enough vitamin D from sunlight.

Vitamin B12

Verdin takes vitamin B12 and advises people to have their levels measured as it's common to be deficient, particularly if you're older.

Around 3.6% of all adults over 19 are deficient, according to an analysis of data collected by the CDC between 2007 to 2018.

Vitamin B12 is found in animal sources like dairy, meat, and eggs. It's needed to form red blood cells and DNA and is also key for the functioning and development of brain and nerve cells.

It's crucial for many cellular processes including repair and generating energy, Verdin said. Evidence shows that deficiency leads to problems such as fatigue, nerve damage, and memory loss.

Omega three fatty acids

Verdin takes an omega three fatty acids supplement for his heart and brain health.

Omega three fatty acids are found in fatty fish such as salmon and anchovies, walnuts, and chia and flax seeds. "Some countries have very high levels of omega acids such as Japan where they eat a lot of fish. But for most of us in the Western world, we don't have enough," Verdin said.

Studies suggest that these healthy fats reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by helping the heart beat at a steady rate, lowering blood pressure and heart rate, and improving blood vessel function, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health's The Nutrition Score.

However, it's unclear if supplementing omega three fatty acids is as beneficial as eating fish.

Creatine

Creatine, a compound the body naturally makes and we also get from protein-rich food, is popular among athletes and gym goers who want to build muscle. But, there's some evidence that it supports cognitive function too, Verdin said.

He takes creatine supplements because the compound plays a critical role in cell functioning and energy, he said.

Sports nutritionists generally consider creatine safe and effective as there's a lot of research behind the cognitive and physical performance-enhancing benefits.

• Eating a variety of fiber-filled foods is linked to better gut health.
• Christina Soteriou, a Cypriot chef, uses a wide range of plants in her recipes for gut health.
• She shared three plant-based recipes that will help you eat more veggies, fruits, and legumes.

For Christina Soteriou, a plant-based chef who grew up in the Mediterranean, healthy eating habits like loading her plate with leafy greens and lentils are second nature. But as she's learned more about gut health in recent years, getting a variety of plants into her diet has become a priority too.

Before moving to London at the age of 18, Soteriou spent most of her childhood in Cyprus, where she became accustomed to following the Mediterranean diet, recently ranked the healthiest way to eat for the eighth year in a row by the US News and World Report.

The eating plan emphasizes a whole-food diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, and healthy fats such as extra virgin olive oil and fish, which leaves less space for ultra-processed foods, refined sugar, and red meat.

Research has linked the Mediterranean diet to many health benefits, including a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and maybe even a longer life. Emerging evidence has also found a link between the diet and gut health.

The gut microbiome, the trillions of microbes that live in the gut lining and are thought to impact our overall health in myriad ways, feeds on the dietary fiber we get from eating plants. Experts believe that the more plants we eat, the healthier our microbiome is.

"I've really tried to focus on gut health and varying my nutrients," Soteriou told Business Insider.

She shared three high-fiber recipes from her new cookbook "Big Veg Energy."

Whipped pea, artichoke, and Za'atar with new potatoes

Serves two to four

30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 700g new potatoes
• 150g asparagus spears
• 100g Jarred marinated artichokes
• 35g arugula
• 100g frozen peas, defrosted
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Juice of 1⁄2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons Za'atar
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (optional)
• 8—12 mint leaves
• 100g vegan feta or tofu
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the whipped pea and artichoke purée:

• 300g frozen peas, defrosted
• 100g Jarred marinated artichokes, plus 2—3 tablespoons of their oil
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Method:

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the potatoes and boil for around 15 minutes or until just cooked through. Take care not to overcook; they should be firm but just soft enough to poke your fork through without resistance.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, add the asparagus spears to the saucepan for two minutes, then remove them with tongs and place them in a colander. Rinse under cold running water to stop them cooking, then set aside.

3. When the potatoes are done, drain them and set them aside in a colander to steam dry.

4. To make the whipped pea and artichoke purée, blend all the ingredients in a small food processor (which will give you a chunky texture) or a blender (for a smooth texture). Season to taste with plenty of salt and pepper.

5. Cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Cut the asparagus spears into 3cm pieces. Thinly slice the artichoke pieces.

6. Combine the potatoes, asparagus, artichokes, rocket, and peas in a large bowl. Add the Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and olive oil. Toss to combine, and season well to taste.

7. To assemble, spoon plenty of the whipped pea mixture onto a plate. Top with the potatoes and vegetables, then drizzle with a little more olive oil, and sprinkle over the za'atar and sesame seeds, if using. Tear over the mint leaves and crumble on the vegan feta or tofu, then serve.

Lemony sunflower seed dip

Serves two

30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 200g sunflower seeds, plus extra to serve
• 200g plain vegan yoghurt
• 80ml lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 4 teaspoons nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt

For the toppings:

• Olive oil
• Pinch of sumac or paprika
• 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon mint leaves, finely chopped

Method:

1. Tip the sunflower seeds into a bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Leave to soak for at least 25 minutes (soak for at least two hours or overnight if your blender is not a high-speed one).

2. Drain the soaked sunflower seeds and add them to a blender, along with the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, nutritional yeast, and salt. Blend until smooth. You may have to keep scraping down the sides of the blender to make sure everything is combined. Add a little more yogurt if your blender still can't get it smooth.

3. Taste and season again if needed, adding more lemon or nutritional yeast according to your preference.

4. To serve, spread the dip over a shallow bowl or plate and pour over a generous drizzle of olive oil. Top with a sprinkle of sumac, followed by the sunflower seeds and mint.

5. This will keep for three to four days in a sealed container in the fridge.

Crushed spiced squash with hazelnut gremolata

Serves two as a min, four as a side

45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 small butternut squash (about 750g)
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 400g can of chickpeas
• 200g giant couscous (or use brown rice or another whole grain)
• 100g plain vegan yogurt (or soy or oat)
• 1⁄4 tablespoon chile flakes (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the hazelnut gremolata:

• 30g hazelnuts
• 1 big garlic clove
• 40g flat-leaf parsley
• 1 lemon
• 75ml olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. Peel and halve the squash, and remove the seeds. Cut the flesh into 2cm cubes and spread over a large roasting tray.

3. Combine the fennel, coriander, and cumin seeds in a mortar with the ginger and paprika, and grind into a rough crumb. Sprinkle this over the squash, then add two tablespoons of the olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper and toss to combine.

4. Roast the squash for 15 minutes, then drain the chickpeas and add them to the roasting tray, along with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Mix well and roast for another 15 minutes until the squash is soft and starting to char in places.

5. Meanwhile, cook your couscous in a saucepan of boiling water for eight minutes. Drain and rinse quickly to prevent it sticking.

6. To make the gremolata, lightly toast the hazelnuts in a dry frying pan. Mince the garlic and roughly chop the parsley. Zest and juice the lemon, reserving the zest for later.

   Add the lemon juice, garlic, parsley, hazelnuts and 30ml of the olive oil to a small food processor and blitz until you have a chunky paste. Pour this into a bowl and add the remaining 45ml of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The mixture should be bright, zesty, and crunchy.

7. Once the squash is cooked, use a fork or a potato masher to mash about half to three-quarters of the squash and chickpeas in the pan you cooked them in.

8. Pour the couscous into a large bowl or platter and mix through the crushed squash mixture. Add the gremolata and a few dollops of yogurt. Finish with the reserved lemon zest and a sprinkle of chile flakes, and a final drizzle of olive oil, if you like.

• Lily Cheng struggled to motivate herself during weekends and college breaks.
• Implementing a point system into her daily life helped her create new, healthier habits.
• She earned points by doing tasks she didn't want to do, which she could "spend" on fun activities.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lily Cheng, 21, a game design student and YouTuber who lives in New York. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

For the past year, I've been using a point system to motivate myself to get things done. It's helped me stick to healthy habits and allow myself to rest without guilt.

I have a busy schedule and there's a lot I want to fit in. I'm a college student who interns and works a part-time job. I also make fan art that I sell at conventions, I'm designing an indie video game, and I make lifestyle content on YouTube and Instagram.

My routine varies a lot, and I find that when I have the structure of a work shift or class, I'm productive. But on school breaks and at weekends, I find it difficult to get myself to do anything.

During winter break in 2023, I was feeling really unmotivated. It was hard for me to get even the most simple things done, like cooking or getting out of bed. I was stuck in a negative cycle where I never properly relaxed or treated myself to nice things because I felt guilty about being unproductive, which meant I stayed unmotivated.

I could get myself to do things if it led to a reward

One day, as I was scrolling through social media, I came across a video that was titled something like: "How to make your life like a video game." I didn't even watch it, but it sparked an idea: I could motivate myself to do the simple things I was struggling with, like getting out of bed, if it meant that in the future, I might reward myself with something.

I designed and implemented a system for my daily life where I get points for doing things I don't want to do. I then get to use those points to do things I enjoy that cost money. For example, at the start when I was really unmotivated, I'd give myself 50 points for taking a shower and cleaning my room. I'd then "spend" those points on going to a café, which might cost 30 points, or thrifting, which might cost 100.

My recording system is just updating a number on a document. It's simple, so it's easy to maintain.

The system gave me the motivation to create new habits

The point system has helped me create and stick to healthy habits too.

It gave me the motivation to change my lifestyle, which led to new habits over time. After a while, I no longer needed the points as motivation to cook instead of eating out, or wake up early.

Points are based on how motivated I feel to do something in the moment. If I'm feeling particularly in the mood to clean my apartment one day, I won't get any points for doing it. But if I've been lying in bed all day on my phone, I might give myself 30 points for getting up and having a shower.

One habit I really wanted to build was going to the gym regularly. There was a period in my life when I went twice a day, but I had pretty much stopped going by January 2023. I was struggling to get back into it because I didn't have as much time or energy to spend on hitting my muscle-building and weight goals, and it made me feel discouraged.

The point system rewarded me for simply showing up to the gym, which not only helped me rebuild the habit, but also to develop a healthier mindset around exercise. It helped me see that going to do something active is worthwhile regardless of the result.

Tracking what I do in a day has helped me achieve a better work-life balance

Using the point system has helped me achieve a better work-life balance. Tracking the sometimes-mundane tasks I do made me realize that I tend to do more than I think I do.

In the past, I often unknowingly overworked but couldn't fully enjoy moments of rest or reward like eating out with friends or going shopping. I didn't feel like I had earned them.

Now that I track my work more closely, I feel guilt-free about spending money or time on non-work-related activities because I know it helps me stay motivated to get my work done.

• Celia Duff, 70, started doing intense fitness competitions three years ago.
• She works out five to six days a week and does a combination of strength training and cardio.
• Duff's advice includes committing to being active three times a week.

Celia Duff has never exercised more or had more energy than she does now at the age of 70.

The retired doctor, who is based in the UK, had been a casual exerciser for most of her life. Then, at the age of 68, she found Hyrox, an indoor fitness competition that combines functional exercises such as pushing sleds and sandbag lunges with running eight kilometers.

Duff entered her first race at her daughter's suggestion in the summer of 2022 and started training for the gameday in October of that year.

"I started to look up what was really involved and realized that I'd have to take it quite seriously if I was going to survive and finish, let alone do any kind of time," Duff told Business Insider.

And finish she did, beating the world record for women in the age 65 to 69 category, before going on to break another world record in March 2024 for the 70 to 75 age group. Both records have since been broken, but Duff says she's pleased to see more older people competing in the sport.

Now, she works out five to six times a week to be able to compete in Hyrox competitions and "future-proof" her body. Each week Duff does a pilates class and a yoga class for flexibility and core strength, plus an Olympic weightlifting class and two strength and conditioning classes for building and maintaining muscle. She also runs three times a week, varying the length and intensity of the runs each time to build up her cardiovascular endurance.

She retired in 2017, but said her newfound love of fitness helped her gain more strength, resilience, and energy than ever.

Here are Duff's three tips for remaining healthy and active at 70 and beyond.

Do something active three times a week

Whether it's swimming, walking, cycling, or any other type of exercise, commit to doing something active that gets you a little out of breath three times a week, Duff said. "Don't leave it until it becomes really difficult to start exercising."

This will help build strength and fitness that will make daily tasks and activities easier. "Whether that's working in your garden, whether it's your housework, whether it's playing with your grandchildren, you'll have more energy," she said.

Spending just 3% of your day exercising — which is about 30 minutes out of a 16-hour day — can have huge longevity benefits, including preventing diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cancer, Nathan K. LeBrasseur, the director of the Robert and Arlene Kogod Center on Aging at the Mayo Clinic, previously told BI.

"I'm building my body, both my cardiovascular system and my muscles, so that I'm balanced, so that I don't fall over, and can live well for longer," Duff said.

Be part of a community

Through training for and competing in Hyrox races, Duff has made lots of new connections and feels she is part of a community. "My mental health is better because of the community and the friendship," she said.

Rose Anne Kenny, a professor of aging and the lead researcher on the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing at Trinity College Dublin, said having strong friendships is just as important for longevity as a healthy diet and getting enough exercise, BI previously reported.

Have something to work toward

Having a goal and a plan in place to reach it motivates Duff and fills her with energy.

She enjoys the structure and routine of her weekly workouts and likes to map out a game plan that she knows will help her achieve her goal. "It's about understanding what makes each of us individually tick. And for me it's about having a structure and a focus and a plan for that.

"Having something to work towards, it's fun. It's a challenge. Can I do this a little bit better? Can I do it a bit faster?" Duff said.

In Okinawa, Japan, where people have a 40% higher chance of reaching 100 than the rest of the country, it's common for centenarians to remind themselves of their ikigai, or life purpose, each morning.

• Ultra-processed foods have been linked to health problems, including type 2 diabetes and cancer.
• The nutritionist Rob Hobson tries to eat as few UPFs as possible without making life hard.
• Hobson shared his quick and simple recipes for bread and cereal.

A busy nutritionist said making his own bread and breakfast cereal from scratch makes it easier to cut down on ultra-processed foods.

Rob Hobson, who is based in the UK, decided to eliminate UPFs from his diet as much as possible after learning about their links to diseases such as type two diabetes and cancer.

While there is no agreed definition of UPFs, they typically contain five or more ingredients, many of which you wouldn't find in a regular kitchen, Hobson told Business Insider.

They are typically highly marketed, have a long shelf life, and are designed to be ultra-palatable and, therefore, easy to overeat. Treats like candy, soda, and potato chips are obvious culprits, but even some nutritious foods, like wholemeal bread or fruit yogurts, are considered ultra-processed.

For a year, Hobson tried to cook everything he ate from scratch, but it was too time-consuming. Now takes what he sees as a "realistic" approach to eating fewer UPFs: cooking some dietary staples from scratch, but leaning on healthier UPFs like pasta sauce when he's busy or tired.

Hobson's advice for those who want to cut down on UPFs: "If you want to do this, you're better off making lots of small changes and doing the things that make life easier."

That includes making habits, such as buying a smaller bag of chips than you usually would, which are easy to stick to.

For Hobson, that includes baking his own bread and cereal.

Homemade granola

Instead of relying on store-bought breakfast cereals, which often contain additives and syrups, Hobson makes his own.

Ultra-processed cereals were recently highlighted as harmful to children in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s plan to Make America Healthy Again. Kennedy is President-elect Donald Trump's new pick for secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.

To make his granola, Hobson mixes together oats, pecans, seeds, dried coconut, cinnamon, extra virgin olive oil, smooth almond butter, and honey before placing the mixture on an oven tray to bake for 30 minutes at 302 degrees Fahrenheit, "so it's all toasted and lovely," he said.

He usually pairs it with Greek yogurt and some fruit.

Enough bread for a week

Wholemeal bread is a dietary staple that contains fiber, a nutrient most of us are lacking in, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. However, many store-bought versions also contain additives or preservatives, making them ultra-processed.

Hobson often eats bread, so making a loaf or two each week helps him eat fewer UPFs overall. He slices it up and puts it in the freezer so it lasts longer, but if he runs out of homemade bread, he'll happily buy a packaged loaf from the store.

"I still buy whole-meal packaged bread, and even though it has a few additives, you have to keep it quite real," he said.

This is Hobson's recipe for wholemeal and rye seeded bread:

Makes one loaf (12 slices)

Ingredients:

• 400g strong wholemeal bread flour, plus extra for dusting
• 100g rye flour
• 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
• 1 tsp finely ground sea salt
• 1 tbsp honey
• 250ml tepid water
• Extra virgin olive oil, for greasing
• 5 tbsp mixed pumpkin and sunflower seeds
• 1 egg yolk, beaten

Method:

1. Combine the flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. In a jug, mix the honey with the tepid water. Gradually stir the liquid into the flour mixture to form a slightly sticky dough. Add more water, a tablespoon at a time, if needed.

2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes by hand (or use a stand mixer with a dough hook for five to seven minutes) until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a bowl with a paper towel, place the dough inside, and turn it to coat in oil. Cover with Saran wrap and leave in a warm spot for one hour, or until the dough doubles in size. Lightly oil a 900g loaf tin.

3. Once risen, knead the dough for another three to five minutes, incorporating three tablespoons of the seeds as you knead.

4. Shape the dough to fit the loaf tin and place it inside. Cover with Saran wrap and leave to prove for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size again. Preheat the oven to 392°F/356°F fan.

5. Test if the dough is ready by pressing a finger into it. If the dough springs back immediately, it needs more time; if the indentation remains, it's ready to bake. Brush the top with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle over the remaining seeds. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until golden brown and hollow-sounding when tapped underneath.

6. Remove the loaf from the tin and cool on a wire rack before slicing.

• Alex Ruani used to overeat snacks that weren't nutritious.
• A few changes transformed her relationship with snacking.
• She started eating her meals at the same time each day and getting more sleep.

A nutrition scientist who was hooked on snacks like cookies and potato chips shared how she transformed her relationship with snacking.

Alex Ruani, a diet misinformation researcher at University College London, used to reach for high-fat, high-sugar foods like white chocolate and sugary iced coffees throughout the day.

Once she started, she struggled to stop eating. "Those of us who have this tendency to snack, we cannot stop until the entire pack is empty," she told Business Insider.

Now, Ruani said her relationship with snacks is healthier. She rarely snacks anymore, but when she does feel hungry between meals, she chooses something nutritious.

"It's a great opportunity for you to include more nutrients in your diet, more polyphenols, more fiber," she said.

"Snacking is not a bad thing, just keep an eye on what those snacks are," she said.

Ruani shared the three changes she made that helped.

Redesign your food environment

The first thing Ruani did was remove foods she wanted to stop snacking on. That way, she didn't have to rely on just willpower to resist the temptation.

"Redesign your food environments so they serve you, and they're not against you," she said.

In practice, this meant not buying chocolates and chips, removing them from the suggested items on her online grocery order, and avoiding the tempting aisle at the grocery store.

"I cannot be trusted near those things, so I just let my environment make those decisions for me," Ruani said.

Instead, she kept nutritious snacks such as fruit and nuts in her fridge or on her desk at work.

You're much more likely to eat what's immediately accessible to you, she said.

In a 2015 study published in the journal Society for Public Health Education, 710 households were asked which foods, if any, were displayed on their kitchen counters and what the occupants' heights and weights were. Researchers found that having fruit on display was associated with a lower BMI. While counters that displayed candy, cereal, or soft drinks were associated with higher BMIs.

Eat your meals around the same time every day

In the early part of her career, Ruani would eat at random times. "Some days at 8 p.m., some days at seven, some days at midnight, it was a disaster," she said. Once she started eating at more consistent times, she found that her cravings started to naturally subside.

Whether you stick to three meals a day or another setup, eating them at the same time each day can help regulate your hunger hormones, Ruani said. This, in turn, means you are less likely to crave food between meals.

There's a sector of nutrition science that studies how the circadian rhythm, which is our sleep and awake cycles, appetite signals, and food consumption are all correlated, she said. The body loves routine and predictability, she said, so when these elements are synchronized, it can run more efficiently.

"Let's say your dinner on Monday is at 9 p.m., then on Tuesday at 8 p.m., and then on Wednesday at 10:30 p.m. Your body is a little bit more confused, and that can also influence your hunger hormones, their production, and how they signal satiation to the brain," she said.

Get enough sleep

Going to sleep and waking up around the same time every day also helped Ruani to stop overeating.

"Consistent sleeping hours across the week have been associated with better hunger regulation," she said.

Research suggests that getting poor quality or not enough sleep leads people to consume more calories, mainly from snacking, especially in foods rich in fat and carbs, according to a 2022 review published in Nutrients.

A 2022 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine found that when a group of overweight adults slept 8.5 hours a night instead of their usual 6.5 hours, they ate an average of 270 fewer calories a day than a control group.

• Consuming diet and false nutrition content online is part of what led Rachel Evans to develop an eating disorder.
• She became an advocate of "clean eating," a trend she now criticizes for being restrictive.
• Now an ED psychologist, she advises clients to view online health content through a critical lens.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Rachel Evans, 34, a chartered psychologist who lives in the UK. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

There's often no single reason why a person develops an eating disorder, but viewing misleading nutrition information on social media contributed to mine.

Through my recovery and training to become an eating disorder recovery psychologist, I learned ways to navigate the treacherous online health space and free myself from restrictive eating.

Growing up in the 90s, I read about celebrity diets and workouts in magazines and thought I should copy what they were doing.

It got worse when social media became a part of my life. In 2012, when I was studying psychology at university, Instagram was becoming popular, and the "clean eating" trend was everywhere.

Some clean-eating influencers would promote certain types of food as "good" and "bad," and make extreme claims like saying you should eat foods in a certain order.

Some of the messages had a kernel of truth to them, and the more I started to believe those, the more I started to believe the farfetched ones, too. The more I became obsessed with being healthy, the less critical I got.

I started to develop some health problems. My digestion was messed up, my hair was falling out, and I stopped having periods.

A number of other factors also contributed to my developing an eating disorder. By 2013, I was finishing my master's in health psychology, and I didn't know what I was going to do next. I based a lot of my self-worth on how well I did in my studies, and I was about to lose that stream of validation, so eating perfectly became a hobby I could get really good at.

I became a 'clean-eating' blogger

In 2014, I was living abroad in Singapore and working as a research assistant. At the time, I was maintaining a restrictive diet I had found on YouTube. My preoccupation with food was interfering with my life.

I went into therapy, which helped a bit as I managed to introduce more foods into my diet.

The "clean eating" trend was going strong at the time, and I started posting photos of what I ate on Instagram and created a blog. I amassed thousands of readers, had partnerships with popular brands, and I promoted protein powders and nut butters.

At the time, I thought I had recovered because I was better than I was at my worst, but looking back, I had once again set myself strict rules to follow. Behind the scenes, I was struggling with cycles of binge eating and purging.

Once I decided I wanted to help other people, I knew I had to help myself first

In 2017, with the help of a coach, I decided that I wanted to become an eating disorder recovery psychologist. That was ultimately helpful to my recovery. Once I decided I wanted to help other people, I knew I had to help myself first.

I already had a strong foundation in this area, as I have a Ph.D. in the psychology of eating, habits, self-control, and behavior change from the University of Sheffield, UK. On top of that, I studied to become a master practitioner in eating disorders at the National Centre for Eating Disorders in 2018.

As I learned how to treat people with eating disorders, my relationship with food slowly got more flexible. I deleted the blog in 2020 because it no longer aligned with my views. Now, I post educational content on my Instagram with a more nuanced perspective.

When I was recovering, I spent less time on Instagram and unfollowed accounts that promoted the lifestyle I was trying to move away from.

Food no longer takes up much of my headspace. I try to cook from scratch when I can and eat enough fruits and vegetables every day, but I don't stress if it doesn't happen.

When I speak to my clients about navigating nutrition and diet content online, I tell them just because someone online presents something as a fact, that doesn't mean it's true, or true for you. They don't know you and your body better than you.

I remind my clients to take "what I eat in a day" videos with skepticism and that even if they eat and exercise like someone else, they still might not look like them because their genetics are different.

I also tell my clients to try to scroll less "mindlessly" and make sure they're thinking critically about what they see online.

• Snacking can be an easy way to eat more fiber and boost gut health.
• Fiber helps fuel the "good" microbes in the gut, which influence overall health.
• Emily Leeming, a gut health scientist and chef, snacks on dark chocolate and fruit.

Snacking can be a great way to eat more fiber and look after your gut health, Emily Leeming, a dietitian and gut microbiome researcher at King's College London, told Business Insider.

The gut microbiome is the name given to the trillions of microbes that live in the colon lining, which studies have linked to our overall health — from the immune system to the brain.

Fiber, found in foods such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, and beans, fuels the "good" microbes in the gut. And studies suggest that it helps create a more diverse microbiome, an indicator of a healthy gut. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults eat 22 to 34 grams of fiber each day.

Snacks make up around 20% of the average person's energy intake, Leeming said, so choosing more nutritious foods can be a "great strategy to making big inroads for our health."

"When you're feeling hungry, you can think, 'Okay, can I get at least five grams of fiber in a snack?'" Leeming, a trained chef and the author of "Genius Gut: The Life-Changing Science of Eating for your Second Brain," said.

Leeming shared her four go-to snacks that boost her gut health.

Fresh or dried fruit

Fresh or dried fruit is a delicious snack, a great source of fiber, and easy to eat on the go, Leeming said: "I love fruit, I eat a lot of it."

Berries, in particular, are high in fiber, and can be sprinkled on top of a sweet breakfast such as oatmeal or Greek yogurt in seconds, she said.

Dried apricots, which contain seven grams of fiber per 100 grams, are another of her favorites.

Nuts

As well as containing heart-healthy fats and plant protein, nuts are high in fiber.

They contain around seven to nine grams of fiber per 100 grams and typically require no prep, making them the perfect quick, gut-friendly snack.

Leeming keeps a jar of mixed nuts by the kettle in her kitchen, so she can eat them while she waits for it to boil.

"The things that I want to eat more of, I keep in my line of sight. That just visually prompts you to go for them as a first step," she said.

Crudités and dip

Leeming likes to keep plant-based dips such as hummus or guacamole, and some chopped-up veggies in the fridge so she can grab them when she's feeling peckish.

"Just having some snacks that are more healthy and easily available really helps," she said."I really focus on things that are easy and simple that you just don't have to do lots of mental logistics to kind of make happen."

Vegetables contain fiber, as well as the chickpeas in hummus, and the avocado in guacamole.

Dark chocolate

85% strength dark chocolate is surprisingly high in fiber, Leeming said: "It's about 11 grams of fiber per 100 grams."

She loves to have two squares paired with some fruit as a snack. "That's making a significant contribution toward that 30 grams of fiber a day that we need," she said.

Dark chocolate, which contains antioxidants, also has other health benefits. A recent study based on around 110,000 nurses, published in the BMJ, found that those who consumed at least five servings of dark chocolate a week had a 21% lower risk of type two diabetes from the baseline than those who had none or rarely ate chocolate.

The authors said this could be because dark chocolate is high in epicatechin, a polyphenol that research suggests could help prevent metabolic disease.

• The amount of calcium in a glass of milk could lower the risk of colorectal cancer, a study on women found.
• Many foods, including seeds, canned sardines, and figs, are high in calcium.
• The studies comes as cases of colorectal cancer in people under 50 rise in the US.

Consuming the amount of calcium found in a glass of milk could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, according to a new study involving women.

That was regardless of whether the calcium came from dairy or non-dairy sources. Foods such as figs, leafy greens, and tofu are among the non-dairy sources of calcium.

In the study published on Wednesday in Nature Communications, the authors said this suggests calcium itself, rather than milk, was the main factor responsible for cutting the risk.

Using dietary and health data provided by more than 542,000 women with an average age of 59 over for around 16 years, researchers from Oxford University studied whether 97 foods affected colorectal cancer risk. They found that consuming an extra 300mg of calcium a day was associated with a 17% lower colorectal risk from the baseline. In the US, the lifetime risk of developing the disease is approximately 4.4% for men and 4.1% for women.

Calcium is commonly known as a mineral the body needs to build and maintain strong bones. But calcium may have a protective effect against colorectal cancer because it binds to bile acids and free fatty acids in the colon, which helps reduce their cancer-causing potential, the study said.

Colorectal cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer-related death in US men and the forth-leading cause in US women, according to The American Cancer Society. The rate of people being diagnosed with the condition has fallen since the mid-1980s, but in people under 55, rates have been increasing by 1% to 2% a year since the mid-1990s.

The link between colorectal cancer risk and diet is well-established, and experts recommending people cut down on ultra-processed foods and red meat, and instead eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. But the new findings could help provide even more targeted dietary guidance.

The study was observational, meaning the researchers didn't intervene in any way, and more research is needed to confirm a link between calcium intake and cancer risk.

"It is difficult to separate the effects of individual nutrients from an effect of milk per se," Tom Sanders, professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King's College London, said.

"We already know that around half of all bowel cancers could be prevented by having a healthier lifestyle, and this new research supports this, with a particular focus on dairy," Lisa Wilde, director of research and external affairs at the charity Bowel Cancer UK, said. If you don't drink dairy milk, there are other ways you can get calcium and still reduce your bowel cancer risk, she added.

Americans should consume around 1,000mg of calcium a day, according to the Office for Dietary Supplements.

Here are six foods that are high in calcium, including some that might surprise you.

Seeds

Some seeds pack a punch when it comes to calcium content.

One tablespoon of sesame seeds, for example, contains 100mg of calcium, while one tablespoon of poppy seeds contains 127mg or around 10% of the daily recommended amount.

They are also high in other nutrients such as fiber and healthy fats.

Whey protein

As well as being high in protein and helping to promote muscle growth, whey protein powder is very high in calcium.

A 1.2-ounce scoop of whey protein powder isolate contains about 160 mg or 12% of the daily recommended amount.

Leafy greens

Leafy greens are rich in many nutrients, including calcium.

One cup of cooked collard greens has 268 mg of calcium, or about 21% of the amount the average person needs in a day. And kale has around 250 mg of calcium per 100g, which is more than the 110mg in 100g of whole milk.

Spinach and chard contain lots of calcium, but they also contain a group of molecules called oxalates that bind to calcium and make it unavailable to our bodies.

Tofu

Whether it's firm, soft, or silken, tofu is also a good source of calcium. 120g of the plant-based protein steamed or fried contains 200mg of calcium.

Edamame beans, which are young soybeans, also contain the mineral.

Canned fish

Canned fish is higher in calcium than fresh fish because it contains bones that have become soft through cooking and can be eaten.

Canned sardines and salmon are particularly rich in calcium, with 60g of canned sardines in oil containing 240 mg, while 85 grams of canned salmon with bones contains 19% of the daily recommended amount.

Figs

Dried figs contain more calcium than any other dried fruit. Just two figs have 100 mg or 10% of the calcium we need each day.

They are also high in fiber, copper, potassium, manganese, magnesium, and vitamin K.

• Hanna Kim tried to lose weight by cutting out what she viewed as unhealthy foods, but it wasn't sustainable.
• She educated herself on fat loss and instead tried to cultivate healthy habits.
• Tracking her calories helped her make more intentional choices.

Before losing 22 pounds in a sustainable way, Hanna Kim tried many diets but ended up putting the weight back on because she hated the process.

"My perception of weight loss was just so negative," Kim, a 24-year-old YouTuber based in Sydney, told Business Insider. In the past, she would cut out all the foods she considered "bad" and force herself to do workouts she didn't enjoy.

As a teenager, Kim, who is Korean, was also heavily influenced by K-pop — whose stars are often put on strict diets and exercise regimes — and the Korean principle of "ppali ppali," or doing everything as quickly as possible.

Kim wanted to lose fat, and fast. When she didn't, she felt deflated and quit. "It was just a cycle of trying weight loss and then failing at it. Then hating the journey and really being negative on myself. Then wanting to try again and just this endless negative loop," she said.

Things shifted in 2021 when Kim looked into the science behind losing fat safely, and realized it couldn't be achieved quickly but should be part of a bigger goal of developing healthier habits.

"That gave me a lot of, I guess, courage to be more patient with the journey and to realize it's not a short sprint, it's a marathon," she said.

She started to make small changes to her lifestyle and lost 22 pounds in a year. She has kept the weight off for three years and now finds it easy to maintain.

Here are the two simple changes Kim made.

Going on 10-minute walks

In the past, Kim had joined a gym three times but quit after six months because her motivation to look a certain while would eventually wane.

When she started thinking of weight loss as a long-term investment in 2021, she was leading a fairly sedentary lifestyle: eating whatever she felt like, often including takeout, and didn't exercise regularly.

She knew that even a small change would ultimately make a difference, so she started by going on a walk. "I realized, 'OK, if I choose today to go outside for a 10-minute walk, that's still a win in my book,'" she said.

She set herself the goal of moving every day and found workouts online that aligned with her non-perfectionist approach and matched her mood, which helped her develop a love for exercise.

"If I was in a mood to just dance for a bit, I'd search up dance workout," she said.

Sticking to her daily calorie budget

Before 2021, Kim ate a lot of ultra-processed foods, including chocolate and cake, Korean fried chicken, and fast food. At the time, she had no idea how many calories they contained or that to lose weight, a person needs to be in a calorie deficit, meaning they burn more calories than they consume.

When she started her weight loss journey, she tracked her calories with an app to calculate her daily budget, or how many calories she needed to eat to lose weight. The "eye-opening" process enabled her to make more intentional choices.

"If I had 100 calories left, what's going to make me feel good? What's going to give me more energy?" she said.

At the start, she gave herself a leeway of around 120 calories but she mainly stuck to her budget. She also made sure to not demonize or cut out any foods, but tried to opt for lower-calorie versions of her favorite, less nutritious foods.

"It was definitely enjoyable. I wasn't just cutting things out straight away," she said.

Over time, she naturally started to focus not just on how many calories she consumed but the nutritional value of food. She reframed whole foods and fresh produce as treats because of how they made her feel.

"Now that I know the whys behind, 'why do you have to exercise?' 'Why do you have to eat well?' And it's ultimately so that your body can function the best it can," Kim said.

• Human metapneumovirus is spreading in China, but health experts say it's not a repeat of COVID-19.
• Unlike COVID-19, HMPV has been around for decades, so we know how it spreads and how to treat it.
• But China must still monitor the situation to keep it under control.

Five years after COVID-19 began spreading in the Chinese city of Wuhan, cases of human metapneumovirus, which also causes respiratory infections, have risen in the country, particularly among children.

Between December 23 and 29, cases of HMPV rose from the week before, particularly in northern China and in children under 14, the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. Cases of influenza, rhinovirus, and mycoplasma pneumoniae also increased, it said.

Online videos of crowded hospitals in China are reminiscent of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Google searches in the US related to HMPV and the likelihood of a coming pandemic and lockdowns have spiked in recent days.

But HMPV doesn't pose a similar threat to COVID-19 because it's not a new virus, meaning we understand how it affects humans and most people already have some immunity against it.

HMPV causes coldlike symptoms that don't typically require treatment

HMPV usually causes coldlike symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, a runny nose, and a sore throat, that clear on their own in three to six days. But it can lead to more serious conditions, such as bronchitis or pneumonia, particularly in young children, adults over 65, and people who are immunocompromised. Infections are most common in colder seasons.

Most people get HMPV before they turn 5, so symptoms tend to be more severe in children as they haven't yet built up immunity against it. A person gains some immunity to the virus when they first catch it, so symptoms are typically mild if they're reinfected.

It spreads through coughing and sneezing, direct contact with an infected person, or touching surfaces contaminated with the virus, such as phones.

There are no antiviral medications for HMPV, but if a patient becomes seriously ill, doctors may use oxygen therapy to help them breathe or antibiotics to treat secondary infections. There isn't a vaccine, but there are some in development.

Unlike COVID-19, HMPV is not a new virus

HMPV was first identified in the Netherlands in 2001 but is believed to have been infecting humans for decades.

"This is very different to the COVID-19 pandemic," Jill Carr, a virologist at the College of Medicine and Public Health at Flinders University in Australia, said.

"The virus was completely new in humans and arose from a spillover from animals and spread to pandemic levels because there was no prior exposure or protective immunity in the community," Carr said of COVID-19.

There's a broad understanding of how HMPV spreads and affects humans, as well as diagnostic tests to identify it.

"HMPV can certainly make people very sick, and high case numbers are a threat to effective hospital services, but the current situation in China with high HMPV cases is very different to the threats initially posed by SARS-CoV-2 resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic," Carr said.

The World Health Organization does not view HMPV in China as an emergency

A spokesperson for the World Health Organization told Business Insider via email that higher levels of respiratory illnesses, including HMPV, are expected at this time of year, adding that the rate of "influenza activity" was lower than in the same period last year.

On Thursday, the Chinese CDC advised people to take health precautions, such as maintaining good hygiene, covering their mouths and noses with a tissue or elbow when coughing or sneezing, washing their hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and wearing masks in crowded spaces.

But in a press conference on Friday, the Chinese government appeared to push back against online speculation that the situation could overwhelm hospitals and lead to a new pandemic, The Guardian reported.

"Respiratory infections tend to peak during the winter season," Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, said Friday. "The diseases appear to be less severe and spread with a smaller scale compared to the previous year."

China needs to share its data on the virus to lower the risk of a public health crisis

Vasso Apostolopoulos, a professor of immunology at the School of Health and Biomedical Sciences at RMIT University in Australia, said that the growing number of cases and pressure on healthcare systems in densely populated areas like China highlighted the need for enhanced surveillance strategies.

"Ensuring effective monitoring and timely responses will be key to mitigating the public health risks of this outbreak," she said.

• The US Surgeon General issued a report warning alcohol is associated with cancer.
• He cited 4 recent studies to make his case that alcohol should have warning labels like cigarettes.
• Some scientists disagree: Another major report, published in December, found alcohol has benefits.

Dr. Vivek Murthy, the U.S. Surgeon General, said Americans need to know there's a link between alcohol and cancer, citing four recent studies.

Murthy said all alcoholic beverages should have cancer warning labels on them, a measure Congress would have to design and approve.

In a new report, published January 3, Murthy outlined the research that persuaded him — and other medical professionals — that alcohol is a serious and under-appreciated health concern.

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Here's the data that backs up Murthy's advisory, with some caveats:

How alcohol causes cancer

There are four ways alcohol causes cancer, Murthy said, citing a 2021 Nutrients study.

The first two are widely accepted, he wrote. Most physicians agree that when alcohol breaks down in the body it can bind to DNA, damaging cells and fueling tumors. There is also robust evidence that alcohol can drive inflammation, which is linked to cancer.

The study points to newer research that suggests alcohol may influence hormones like estrogen, paving the way to breast cancer, though it's not exactly clear how.

Another emerging idea is that alcohol seems to provide a literal melting pot for other toxins. Tobacco, for example, dissolves in alcohol, which could make it easier for the body to ingest, the study says.

3 studies linking alcohol to cancer

To back up his argument for warning labels, Murthy pointed to a 2015 meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Cancer, which found "a significant relationship" between alcohol consumption and seven cancers.

The team of researchers from Italy, the US, France, Sweden, and Iran examined data from 572 studies, featuring 486,538 cancer cases. They compared the cancer risk of heavy drinkers with occasional drinkers and nondrinkers.

They found heavy drinking was linked to cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, colorectum, liver, larynx, and breast.

Murthy also referenced a 2020 study, published in Nature, that specifically looked at alcohol as a risk factor for head and neck cancer.

The research on around 40,000 people in 26 studies found higher-intensity drinking — consuming more drinks per day, and drinking more years in a lifetime — was correlated with higher risk of head and neck cancers.

The third significant study that Murthy highlighted was a 2018 global systematic analysis looking at alcohol-related deaths in 195 countries over the course of 26 years. That report, published in The Lancet, concluded that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption when it comes to cancer.

Each report has caveats. For example, the 2015 meta-analysis used varying measurements of alcohol and the 2018 study did not differentiate between drinking patterns, such as binge-drinking or moderate drinking.

Still, the studies are comprehensive, significant, and have informed many of the physicians who say that alcohol is a serious health concern.

Some scientists disagree

Murthy said he was motivated to publish this report because surveys suggest more than half of Americans do not recognize a link between alcohol and cancer.

The science on alcohol is not cut-and-dry, though.

Some of the healthiest people in the world — in the Mediterranean and so-called Blue Zones — drink wine daily. Researchers believe the social aspect of alcohol may have strong benefits for longevity.

Plus, Murthy's report clashes with a major report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which was published in December.

The paper, which will be used to inform the new 2025 Dietary Guidelines, found that moderate drinkers have a lower risk of premature death from heart attack and stroke than people who don't drink at all. It also found an increased risk in breast cancer.

The Department of Health and Human Services is due to publish its own analysis of the latest science on alcohol in the coming weeks.

• Dr. Vivek Murthy, the US Surgeon General, has released a report warning that alcohol causes cancer.
• It is the third leading cause of preventable cancer in the US, after smoking and obesity, he said.
• The report follows a growing number of studies showing the potential harms of drinking alcohol.

The US Surgeon General wants to see cancer warnings on wine, beer, and spirits.

Alcohol is a leading cause of cancer, but less than half of Americans recognize it as a risk factor, Dr. Vivek Murthy said in an advisory published Friday.

This is in contrast to the 89% of Americans who are aware of the links between smoking cigarettes and cancer, according to a 2019 survey of US adults aged 18 and older carried out by the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer in the US, after tobacco and obesity.

Research has found that drinking alcohol leads to an increased risk of seven cancers, including breast, colorectal, esophageal, liver, mouth, and throat and larynx, the advisory said.

The risk increases the more a person drinks, and for certain cancers like breast, mouth, and throat, the risk can start to rise at one or fewer drinks a day, according to the advisory.

Warning labels on alcoholic drinks haven't changed since the '80s

Murthy recommended updating warnings on packaging to raise awareness of alcohol's link to cancer.

"Health warning labels are well-established and effective approaches to increasing awareness of health hazards and fostering behavior change," the advisory said.

Currently, health warning labels on alcoholic beverages mention general "health risks," as well as instructing pregnant women and those about to drive or operate machinery not to drink.

They have not been changed since 1988, The New York Times reported.

Ian Hamilton, an associate professor at the University of York's Department of Health Sciences, who researches drug use, policy, treatment, and prevalence, told Business Insider that there is a general lack of understanding of the role alcohol plays in several types of cancer.

"Many people aren't aware of this, so having this clearly laid out and explained is a welcome development," he said.

Richard de Visser, a professor of health psychology at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, UK, who researches alcohol use and behavior change, told BI that warning labels could be useful for raising awareness but should be part of a comprehensive approach to alcohol harm reduction.

"We also need to develop individuals' motivation and skills, and also provide opportunities for healthier behavior," he said.

• Many people associate losing weight with restrictive dieting, but that is unsustainable for most.
• Three people who met their weight loss goals sustainably shared how they did it.
• They learned it's not necessary to cut out entire food groups or eat tiny portions to lose weight.

Three people who lost weight sustainably after years of yo-yo dieting shared the most valuable lessons they learned about fat loss.

Weight loss and restrictive diet culture are almost synonymous in our culture, meaning most people who want to lose fat start by cutting out the foods they enjoy. But research shows that this rarely works long-term, and eating too few calories can have unintended health consequences, such as malnutrition, disordered eating, and fertility problems.

Experts who have spoken to Business Insider in the past agree that to lose weight you need to be in a calorie deficit, burning more calories than you consume — but that shouldn't mean going hungry, cutting out entire food groups, or spending hours doing exercise that you dread.

Three people who learned this through experience shared what helped them lose fat in a healthy way.

Prioritize health over appearance

"You can't shame yourself into weight loss," Alaias Bertrand, a 25-year-old content creator and marketer in Florida who lost 75 pounds in three years, previously told BI.

Bertrand said she previously tried "everything under the sun" to lose weight, including diets like keto and intermittent fasting. But they didn't work because she was too focused on the end result, and she was hungry all the time, she said.

It was only when she started making lifestyle changes for her health and wellbeing that she lost weight naturally.

"My adjustments became less about 'I need to look a certain way' and more so 'I want to feel a certain way. I want to feel good in my body,'" she said.

You can eat foods that you enjoy and lose weight

Benji Xavier, a 28-year-old content creator, lost 100 pounds in just over a year, and has kept it off for two years, by making healthier versions of his favorite foods at home.

Xavier, who is based in New Jersey, previously lost 100 pounds in high school by "falling victim to toxic diet culture" and heavily limiting what he ate. But it left him obsessed with food and miserable, and he regained the weight a few years later.

In August 2021, he tried to lose weight again but was determined not to restrict himself.

"I was just sick of it. I'm like, 'no, I can't do this. I can't torture myself anymore. I'm just going to try to eat healthier.' And it worked," he said. "You can still have foods that you enjoy and lose weight."

Find activities you actually enjoy

Mae Suzuki, a content creator based in New York, lost 40 pounds after being stuck in a cycle of restrictive dieting and bingeing for years.

She used to force herself to do boot camp-style workouts that she hated and eat food that she didn't like. When she didn't see the scale shift after a few weeks, she would give up because she wasn't enjoying the process, she previously told BI.

Suzuki realized that she needed to make the process fun, so she joined a gym and tried all the different classes until she found what she actually enjoyed. She learned that she loved weightlifting but wasn't so keen on cardio.

"Once I stopped focusing on the things that I didn't like in order to lose weight, that's when I saw gradual but consistent weight loss," she said.

Find someone to come on the journey with you

Bertrand said she found adding a social element, whether that's a friend, coach, or team, can help with motivation when losing weight.

"When you tell someone that you respect and admire a goal of yours, you are more likely to accomplish it," she said.

For her, being a member of her high school and college track and field team was a catalyst for learning how to fuel her body, stay active, and be held accountable.

Focus on little milestones

Xavier said that focusing on little milestones helped him stay motivated. "If I were to sit here and think 'I need to lose 100 pounds,' that's a lot. You don't want to do that," he said.

Fixating on his end goal made him feel overwhelmed and discouraged when life got in the way and he didn't achieve his goal as quickly as he had planned.

"It takes time to achieve your goals, and you get there step by step, not all at once."

He added: "Just take it day by day, week by week."

• Evidence suggests that fermented foods such as kimchi can boost gut health.
• A diverse microbiome is linked to overall good health.
• The gut-health researcher Emily Leeming uses tricks such as adding kefir to salad dressing.

Fermented foods such as kimchi and pickles are great for supporting the gut microbiome, the trillions of microbes that help shape our health.

Made when live bacteria or yeast are added to ingredients such as tea, milk, or vegetables, fermented foods contain probiotics, the "good" bacteria in our guts. The microbiome contains "good" and "bad" bacteria. Eating a diverse range of fiber-packed plant foods feeds the good ones, while ferments are thought to introduce new "good" elements to the microbiome.

Emily Leeming, a microbiome researcher at King's College London, dietitian, and former private chef, told Business Insider that she tries to eat fermented foods every day.

Emerging research suggests that fermented foods increase the diversity of the gut microbiome, a key marker of a healthy gut, and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, according to a 2022 review in the journal Nutrients.

"We are really understanding more and more that this collection of a hundred trillion microorganisms are influencing every aspect of our health," said Leeming, the author of "Genius Gut: The Life-Changing Science of Eating for your Second Brain." And what we eat has a major influence.

Leeming shared four ways she adds fermented foods to her daily diet.

Using kefir instead of yogurt

Kefir is a fermented milk drink similar to yogurt but thinner in consistency and with more live microbes.

For this reason, Leeming tends to opt for kefir anytime a recipe calls for yogurt. She might put it in a smoothie or in overnight oats, for example.

"Kefir I find really easy to incorporate in different things," she said.

Keeping fermented veggies in the fridge

Leeming keeps fermented veggies such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and jars of fermented beetroot and carrots in her fridge and adds them to a dish whenever she thinks it'll enhance the flavor.

"I like to have a mix of different ones in the fridge as they last a long time and it means there's more flavourful variety rather than eating the same ones all the time," she said.

She likes to mix kimchi into rice-based dishes, for example, or sprinkle some fermented veggies on top of avocado toast or eggs.

"Nobody wants to eat kimchi on its own. You want to think how it fits into your dish," she said.

David Zilber, the former director of fermentation at the celebrated restaurant Noma, previously told BI that he always keeps pickled jalapeños, sauerkraut, and kimchi in his fridge.

Changing up salad dressings

As a chef, Leeming considers the taste of a meal to be equally as important as its nutritional value. One of her hacks for making any vegetable delicious is making a flavorful salad dressing.

For this, she always has a good quality extra-virgin olive oil in her store cupboard. EVOO is high in polyphenols, a compound responsible for the pigment in lots of plants that research suggests gut microbes break down into beneficial molecules, she said.

And to make it even more gut-friendly, she often adds kefir.

Using miso as a soup base

Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans. Leeming suggested using it as a base for soups for "that umami, fermented kick."

Marika Mancino, a dietitian, previously told BI that miso is also a great lower-sodium swap for stock.