If you’ve ever taken a yoga class, you probably noticed the calming atmosphere the moment you stepped into the studio. The scent of incense in the air, the serene background music playing as you set up your mat, and the heated room make you feel warm and relaxed and help start the 'unwinding' process before you even start moving.  Yoga is a mind-body practice that improves flexibility and builds strength through the combination of physical poses, controlled breathing, and meditation or ...

As the second chapter of our three-part National Heart Health Month series, we're talking about a topic that can sometimes confuse even the best of us: the difference between fat in our diets and fat in our bodies (and the implications of both on our health).

February is National Heart Health Month. So, we thought we'd do our part in spreading awareness by bringing you a three-part heart health blog series. First up? The ever-ominous "total cholesterol." As one of the most ordered lab tests, total cholesterol can provide a high level glance at how your body is handling lipids, or fats. According to the CDC, roughly nine percent of all doctor’s visits include a cholesterol test.1 So, how should you interpret your total cholesterol value? Is the whole ...

The word metabolism is thrown around quite a bit. But if we asked you to explain what it is and how it relates to your overall health, could you? If not, don’t worry; you're not alone. That's why we're sharing the details you need to know about all things metabolism. And with some of our newest recommendations, InsideTracker can help you understand what the word really means, how it ties into your overall wellbeing, and how to optimize it.

This month, we decided to take a look at some of our most popular recommendations. One that stuck out? Increasing your intake of nuts – it’s right up there with eating oatmeal. According to information from the nutrition questionnaire each of our users complete, we've gathered that nuts may be your ticket to improvements in many biomarkers. As you may know, we link each of our recommendations to the scientific literature that supports it. But, we’ve gone one step farther—we can now see how our ...

One of the most common new fitness trends is eating a mysterious blue-green algae called “spirulina.” Trendy fitness magazines and celebrities hail it as a top-secret “superfood” you take as a supplement or powder. However, are any of these claims actually based on real, scientific evidence? Or is spirulina as dubious as a health product shamelessly advertised by the Kardashians on Instagram? Below we sort out the fact and fiction by delving into the high-quality that shows how spirulina might ...

Executive Summary:  Coconut products are growing in popularity and we see a vast amount of food and beverage options touting the power of this tropical drupe (stone fruit). Paleo enthusiasts and fitness buffs are touting the benefits, but does the research support the claims? Looking at the science can be perplexing, due to the mixed results of coconut fat in the research. Coconut fats, in the form of cream, oil, and milk are very unique and may interact with one’s body differently depending on ...

Our team of nutritionists is always investigating the latest research on the overlooked health benefits of food products. Recently, we stumbled upon research documenting the therapeutic value of a common, versatile kitchen staple: vinegar. Read below to learn how five common types of vinegars can help you control your levels of lipids and blood sugar and quick tips on how you can incorporate them into your diet.