Chris Hemsworth’s fasting, 10 diet secrets: 7 top wellness stories of 2023

By wazup on December 24, 2023 Comments Closed / 124 views

The death in January of Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley, aged just 54 – she suffered a heart attack – prompted Anthea Rowan to turn a spotlight on how to maintain a healthy heart and keep cholesterol low.

We also looked at nine ways cardamom, the “queen of spices”, can boost your health, from better sex to fresher breath to weight loss.

We look back at those and other health and wellness stories that struck a chord with Post readers in 2023.

1. Secrets to a long and healthy life

Stuffed squash halves with blueberry wojapi from “The Blue Zones American Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100” cookbook by Dan Buettner.

We looked at 10 diet secrets of people living longest and healthiest – more beans, nuts and sourdough bread, less meat, dairy, eggs and sugar.

People in the world’s five “Blue Zones” live the longest, healthiest lives – frequently to or beyond 100 years, without chronic illnesses.

1 a week: cut down on sugary drinks for a longer, healthier life

2. How to safeguard heart health

Blocked arteries and inflammation play big parts in heart failure; managing cholesterol helps avoid a build-up of plaque, which impedes blood flow to the heart.

Managing cholesterol helps avoid a build-up of plaque, which impedes blood flow to the heart. Photo: Shutterstock

3. How TCM can help with iron deficiency

Iron deficiency can lead to anaemia, with symptoms of fatigue, weakness, dizziness and shortness of breath.

Dried longan, lotus seeds and dates are among the foods that can help restore qi and overcome deficiencies, traditional Chinese medicine practitioners say.

Herman Pontzer is a professor who studied hunter-gatherers. Photo: Harvard University

4. Switch diets to lose weight

How to lose weight the healthy way? More exercise will not cut it, but switching your diet will, says Herman Pontzer, a professor who studied hunter-gatherers.

His studies of African hunter-gatherer societies’ activity and energy expenditure convinced him that exercise is not a weight-loss tool.

The kidneys regulate blood pressure, produce vitamin D and several hormones, and stimulate red blood cell production. Photo: Shutterstock

5. Kidneys: what they do and how to care for them

We looked at the role of the kidneys, how they work and the best ways to take care of them. The kidneys regulate blood pressure, produce vitamin D and several hormones, stimulate red blood cell production, and much more.

Kidney disease has little pain and few symptoms; a healthy diet, with foods low in salt, is one of the best ways to keep them healthy.

Chris Hemsworth in a still from “Limitless”. Photo: Disney+

6. Star shines light on power of fasting

Actor Chris Hemsworth fasted for his Disney+ series Limitless, and it is a practice that may help us live longer. The Thor actor fasted for five days, and tests on mice show periodic and intermittent fasting may help stave off illness and death.