Your breath is a powerful healing tool that can help you balance stress in any situation. Read on and get your free audio practice inside!

BRING YOUR AWARENESS TO YOUR BREATH Without doing anything to change the breath, simply find a comfortable seat and either close your eyes or divert them downward. From that place notice the breath. Pay attention to its rhythm, the sensations of the breath against your nostrils, and any other experiences you may encounter by bringing your awareness fully to the breath. Does the breath make a sound or create a feeling? Does it have a particular quality? Is the inhale or exhale naturally more easeful? Take a minute or so to breathe, noticing these sensations, and a minute to journal about what you experience. You may choose to journal a little after each modification to the breath to notice how these practices impact your inner state. Just noticing may help you to feel more present, easeful in the moment, and less stressed.

"Treating people through nutrition is not a new idea, but it's making inroads as more medical professionals make meals a formal part of care, rather than relying solely on medications."

 Nadeau is part of a small revolution brewing across California. The food-as-medicine movement has been around for decades, but it's making inroads as physicians and medical institutions make food a formal part of treatment, rather than relying solely on medications. By prescribing nutritional changes or launching programs such as "Shop with Your Doc," they're trying to prevent, limit or even reverse disease by changing what patients eat.

The ketogenic diet (keto) is a low-carb, high-fat diet that causes weight loss and provides numerous health benefits. This is a detailed beginner's guide.

The ketogenic diet is a low-carb, high-fat diet that offers many health benefits. Over 20 studies show that this type of diet can help you lose weight and improve health (1). Ketogenic diets may even have benefits against diabetes, cancer, epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease (2, 3, 4, 5). This article is a detailed beginner’s guide to the ketogenic diet. It contains everything you need to know.

Learn the secrets to carbohydrate intake and timing for better performance and increased energy with these Bulletproof carb hacks.

Low-carb, high-fat diets have a number of known benefits for your body and mind. They keep you lean, support your hormones and brain, regulate your blood sugar, stop food cravings, keep you full for hours, and give you license to put bacon on everything. For the vast majority, a low-carb, high-fat diet is miles ahead of a low-calorie, low-fat one. But within the realm of low-carb, there is no one-size-fits-all. Instead, it’s important you find your body’s sweet spot for carb intake and timing.

Eating dirt may sound gross, but getting your daily dose could do wonders for your health, including easing symptoms associated with leaky gut.

Is eating dirt part of your diet? Before you get a bad taste in your mouth, consider this: If you were to take away the water in our bodies, you’d be left with mostly dirt. It’s true.

We’re made of 60 of the most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust, an amalgam of its elements, including oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus, with traces of potassium, sulfur, sodium, iron and magnesium. All of these elements come together to make a living, breathing human being.

Now, when I say “eat dirt,” I’m not ordering you to actually scoop up a handful of soil and eat it. (Well, not exactly.) True, ensuring you get daily micro-exposures to soil-based organisms in dirt and other plant life is important for your health. But I urge you to embrace the idea of “eating dirt” as a broader philosophy, an overarching principle I teach my patients when I talk to them about how to heal leaky gut syndrome and feel better again.

For the first time, scientists compared the neurological impacts of different types of exercise in rats: running, weight training and high-intensity interval training.

Some forms of exercise may be much more effective than others at bulking up the brain, according to a remarkable new study in rats. For the first time, scientists compared head-to-head the neurological impacts of different types of exercise: running, weight training and high-intensity interval training. The surprising results suggest that going hard may not be the best option for long-term brain health.

As I have often written, exercise changes the structure and function of the brain. Studies in animals and people have shown that physical activity generally increases brain volume and can reduce the number and size of age-related holes in the brain’s white and gray matter.

"Wim Hof says his breathing technique—which involves a series of deep, rhythmic inhales and exhales, followed by breath holding—can strengthen the body."

Hof credits much of his success to his breathing exercises, a practice he began five years ago. And he says his technique—which involves a series of deep, rhythmic inhales and exhales, followed by breath holding—can strengthen the body, improve the immune system and circulation, prevent disease, and help with focus, confidence, and mindfulness. Surprisingly, research backs up many of those brash assertions.

The sea is filled with beautiful animal and plant life, some of of which can also be incredibly nutritious for humans. One such creature is spirulina.

What’s fresh and colorful and lives under the sea? A lot of really good-for-you food sources. For years, nutritionists have touted the health benefits of eating iodine-rich seaweed and consuming the brain-boosting omega-3 fatty acids found in high concentrations in fish oils. But spirulina is the latest one that’s grabbing people’s attention. This dark bluish green algae is common in freshwater ponds and other large bodies of water; in particular, it flourishes in warm climates with alkaline water, such as Asia, South America, and Africa. It’s considered by many researchers to be a true superfood, defined as “a nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being.”

"If you're not sure which healthy fats to keep on hand, this helpful guide will make selection a snap."

To enjoy the healthiest results, choose organic, unrefined fats. Think about the flavor you want, and choose the appropriate fat for the cooking heat. Experiment with our experts’ favorites, listed here by cooking-heat recommendations — or keep things simple and stick with extra-virgin olive oil, butter or ghee, and coconut oil.