D4 Intentional Health

15/02/2026

Love is good for the heart and soul ♥️

Love—Just What the Doctor Ordered

Love comes in many shapes and sizes. No matter where you stand on the subject, one thing is becoming clearer. Strong relationships and love are good for your health.

Here are a few of the possible health benefits of love:

• Less frequent trips to the doctor: Studies have linked marriage to fewer doctor visits and shorter hospital stays. It’s thought that people in good relationships are more likely to take better care of themselves.

• Reduced risk of depression and substance abuse: Although it shouldn’t be surprising, people in good marriages have lower rates of depression, drinking, and drug abuse.

• Less anxiety: According to a study using MRI brain scans, strongly connected couples in long-term relationships have more activation in the areas of the brain associated with bonding and less in the area that produces anxiety.1

• Healthier blood pressure: A good relationship can be good for your blood pressure. A study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine showed that happily married people had better blood pressure than singles. The worst were unhappily married people.2

• Better stress management: Research has shown a link between good social support and relationships and improved ability to cope with stress.

• Healthier immune system: People in healthy relationships are less likely to get sick after exposure to cold or flu viruses. This may be partly due to reduced stress and depression resulting in enhanced immune response.3

• Longer lifespan: Many research studies have linked happy marriages to longer life. The feeling of love and connection helps protect against loneliness and isolation, which are tied to increased mortality risk.

• Happier life: One of the greatest benefits of love is joy.

According to research in the Journal of Family Psychology, happiness depends more on the quality of family relationships than on the level of income.4

You don’t have to be married or in love to have good health and live a long life. But reduced stress, lower levels of anxiety, and strong social connections are key ingredients in a recipe for a longer, healthier life.

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3277362/
2.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18347896
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17101814
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18540776

https://aspe.hhs.gov/.../effects-marriage-health...

10/02/2026

The life of a red blood cell.

Red Blood Cells Carry a Heavy Load

Maintaining a healthy heart and circulatory system requires healthy red blood cells. These hard-working, unique cells deserve some attention. So, here are a few interesting facts that will earn your respect:

• The average red blood cell lives for 120 days. Once mature, red blood cells contain no nucleus or DNA, so they can no longer replicate or repair themselves.
• There are approximately 2.5 trillion red blood cells in your body at any given time. To maintain this number, the body has to produce about 2.5 million red blood cells per second in the bone marrow. That is over 200 billion new red blood cells per day.
• About 5.6 liters of blood circulate through the body three times every minute. That means a red blood cell can circumnavigate your body in less than 20 seconds.
• The largest artery in the body, the aorta, is about the diameter of a garden hose.
• Capillaries, on the other hand, are only 1/10th the diameter of a human hair.
• The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps to sq**rt blood over 10 meters (30 feet).

Everything you eat and breathe is circulated and delivered to tissues and cells throughout the body. Keep your cells running longer and stronger by providing them all the right fuel, fluids, and nutrients they need

03/02/2026

As with most things it’s not just an all or nothing solution… it’s complex!

Myth: Raw Vegetables Are Always Better For You than Cooked Ones

The truth about raw vs. cooked vegetables is complicated. It depends on the specific vegetable, the nutrient in question, and your method of cooking.

Nutrients like beta-carotene are more bioavailable from cooked carrots, spinach, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage, and peppers than from the raw vegetables. But, it is also true that cooking destroys much of the vitamin C and polyphenol content.

Another important carotenoid, lycopene, is also more bioavailable when the food source (i.e. tomato) is cooked. Broccoli is a vegetable that provides more of some healthy nutrients when cooked, and more of different healthy compounds when raw.

So, the answer to whether vegetables are healthier when raw is yes, no, and maybe. And, the best way to ensure you get all the health benefits is to eat the recommended servings of fruits and veggies no matter how they’re prepared. The more ways you make them delicious and inviting to you, the more likely you are to eat them.

https://askthescientists.com/food-preparation/

15/01/2026

Purity and potency.

15/01/2026

A discussion on the new ‘inverted pyramid’

Meat and full-fat dairy are in. Ultra-processed foods are out. And there’s a new, inverted food pyramid.

👉 Read the full story: https://theconversation.com/prioritising-protein-what-the-new-us-dietary-guidelines-get-right-and-wrong-according-to-2-nutrition-experts-273112

09/01/2026

At last, change is afoot! US gov guidance that provides against highly processed foods and places greater emphasis on whole foods.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025–2030 were unveiled on January 7 alongside a new, inverted food pyramid that elevates the importance of protein and dairy, and an “eat real food” messaging campaign that denounces “highly processed food.”

03/01/2026

You don’t need a treadmill at your desk, but…
Even small increases in physical activity might improve your health.

Yes, there is evidence changing your desk set up can help with fat loss, improving cholesterol, blood pressure and metabolism. But try this before you buy.

02/01/2026

A simple reminder for this time of year… “you can’t outrun your fork!”

You Can’t Outrun Your Fork

Exercise has a huge upside for overall health. Regular exercise supports cardiovascular and circulatory health, and can improve blood glucose control, mood, and much more. Unfortunately, that tremendous positive doesn’t always apply to weight loss.

If weight loss is your goal, exercise is great. And you should exercise regularly. But reducing food (calorie) intake is far more effective, especially in the short-term. You should continue to exercise, but if you aren’t making the weight-loss progress you want, you may need to look closer at your diet.

On the other hand, regular exercise and physical activity is essential to long-term weight maintenance for most people. You may not be able to lose all your weight through exercise, but maintaining a healthy weight is extremely difficult without regular exercise. The habit of exercise will provide you huge benefits and will likely extend your health span. Just don’t depend on it entirely for weight loss

27/12/2025

The power of a gentle walk…

22/12/2025

Enjoy your food over the festive season…

A Healthy Brain Relies on Good Nutrition

Your brain processes an incredible amount of information to keep your body running smoothly. And, as the body’s command center, your brain requires a lot of energy and quality nutritional support.

Understand which nutrients support a healthy brain, how they work, and where to get them in your diet.

https://askthescientists.com/nutrients-brain-health/

20/12/2025

May you find friendship, joy and laughter in even the little things 🫶🏽