This savory oatmeal recipe is inspired by Avial, a traditional South Indian dish. It features fresh coconut and veggies, creamy yogurt and turmeric, a spice that will delight your taste buds and add some color to the dish.
Active time: 15 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes
Oats Avial
Ingredients
4 tbsp quick-cook or instant oats
1 plantain, cut into 1-inch strips
1 small potato or sweet potato, cut into 1-inch strips
1 small carrot, cut into 1-inch strips
4 green beans, cut into 1-inch strips
2 c
This savory oatmeal recipe is inspired by Avial, a traditional South Indian dish. It features fresh coconut and veggies, creamy yogurt and turmeric, a spice that will delight your taste buds and add some color to the dish.
Active time: 15 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes
Oats Avial
Ingredients
4 tbsp quick-cook or instant oats
1 plantain, cut into 1-inch strips
1 small potato or sweet potato, cut into 1-inch strips
1 small carrot, cut into 1-inch strips
4 green beans, cut into 1-inch strips
2 celery sticks, cut into 1-inch strips
¼ tsp turmeric
¼ cup fresh grated coconut
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp salt
2–4 green chilies
¾ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt, at room temperature
½ cup water
1 tsp coconut oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
8–10 fresh or frozen curry leaves
2 dry red chilies
Directions
In a small dry pan, toast the oats over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 2–3 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove from the heat, let cool completely, then transfer to a blender or spice grinder and grind into a fine powder. Set aside.
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the plantain and potato first and cook for 2–3 minutes, then add the carrot, green beans, and celery. Add the turmeric. Continue cooking for 2 minutes more, or until all the vegetables are just tender but still holding their shape. Drain and set aside.
Add the ground oats, coconut, cumin seeds, salt and green chilies to a blender. Add the yogurt — make sure it is at room temperature to prevent curdling — and blend until completely smooth. Transfer the mixture to a medium saucepan and stir in ½ cup water. Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat, stirring continuously to prevent the yogurt from separating. Add the cooked vegetables and simmer for 1 minute more. Remove from the heat and set aside.
In a small saucepan, heat 1 tsp coconut oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover the pan, and cook until they begin to pop, about 30–60 seconds. Remove the lid, add the curry leaves and dry red chilies, and cook for about 30 seconds until the chilies darken slightly — stand back as the curry leaves may splatter. Pour the tempering immediately over the avial and stir gently to combine.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Monday that numerous medical school accrediting organizations and assessors have agreed to increase nutrition requirements for U.S. medical education. HHS said in a release that eight medical school organizations had agreed to "increase nutrition requirements at every level of U.S. medical education, competency-evaluation, training, and residency."...
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Monday that numerous medical school accrediting organizations and assessors have agreed to increase nutrition requirements for U.S. medical education. HHS said in a release that eight medical school organizations had agreed to "increase nutrition requirements at every level of U.S. medical education, competency-evaluation, training, and residency."...
This recipe is a great source of fiber and gives you about 40% of your Vitamin A for the day. Vitamin A is important for immune system function, proper vision and growth and development (1).
Poblano chilies are a glossy dark green, with a grassy flavor and meaty texture that makes this chili especially complex. Look for them where other hot peppers are sold. Substitute with 2 light green Anaheim peppers if you can’t find poblanos.
Active time: 20 minutes | Total time: 45 minutes
Pressure Cooker
This recipe is a great source of fiber and gives you about 40% of your Vitamin A for the day. Vitamin A is important for immune system function, proper vision and growth and development (1).
Poblano chilies are a glossy dark green, with a grassy flavor and meaty texture that makes this chili especially complex. Look for them where other hot peppers are sold. Substitute with 2 light green Anaheim peppers if you can’t find poblanos.
Active time: 20 minutes | Total time: 45 minutes
Pressure Cooker White Bean Chili
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp Mexican oregano
3 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 15-oz. cans no salt added cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt, for garnish
Directions:
Select the sauté function on the Instant Pot and heat the olive oil. Add the onion and poblano chili and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is softened. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, and oregano and cook for about 45 seconds, or until fragrant. Press cancel.
Add the butternut squash, broth, corn, beans, salt, and black pepper to the pot and stir to combine. Lock the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.
When the cooking time is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 5–10 minutes, then carefully quick-release any remaining pressure. Stir in the cilantro.
Serve hot with lime wedges and Greek yogurt on top.
This creamy smoothie tastes like a nutritious milkshake that is totally acceptable for breakfast or, better yet, after a workout. Ground flaxseeds up your fiber intake without sacrificing taste (making it great for kids or picky eaters). For this recipe you’ll want unsweetened and unsalted natural almond butter to control the amount of added sugar sugar and sodium in the smoothie. We also like to use an almond butter made with roasted almonds for a more toasty, nutty flavor.
This is a great pos
This creamy smoothie tastes like a nutritious milkshake that is totally acceptable for breakfast or, better yet, after a workout. Ground flaxseeds up your fiber intake without sacrificing taste (making it great for kids or picky eaters). For this recipe you’ll want unsweetened and unsalted natural almond butter to control the amount of added sugar sugar and sodium in the smoothie. We also like to use an almond butter made with roasted almonds for a more toasty, nutty flavor.
This is a great post-workout meal as it has more than 20g of protein — the recommended minimum for a post-workout snack (1).
Active time: 5 minutes | Total time: 5 minutes
Creamy Almond Butter and Banana Smoothie
Ingredients
1 cup (244g) unsweetened almond milk
1 cup ice
2 medium bananas, chopped and frozen
2 tbsp (32g) unsalted almond butter
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tbsp honey
2 scoops protein powder
Directions
Add all of the ingredients to a blender and process until smooth. Pour into two glasses and serve right away.
Most men have heard the message: protein matters for building and maintaining muscle. But knowing it’s important isn’t the same as knowing how to use it effectively, especially when it comes to how much you actually need to support muscle mass as you age.
That’s where this guide comes in. We’ll break down how much protein men really need, how the types of protein stack up, and which sources are worth prioritizing for long-term strength and healthy aging.
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MyFitn
Most men have heard the message: protein matters for building and maintaining muscle. But knowing it’s important isn’t the same as knowing how to use it effectively, especially when it comes to how much you actually need to support muscle mass as you age.
That’s where this guide comes in. We’ll break down how much protein men really need, how the types of protein stack up, and which sources are worth prioritizing for long-term strength and healthy aging.
Protein plays a foundational role in keeping your body running at its best. It’s essential for repairing and building cells, supporting growth across the lifespan, and driving countless processes throughout the body (1). But, protein variety matters, especially since proteins themselves are made from amino acids, tiny but mighty building blocks that hold a variety of functions in the body. This means getting a variety of protein sources is essential to ensure you’re covering all your amino acid needs (2).
For men, protein often takes center stage for good reason. It supports the development and maintenance of lean muscle mass and can play a role in weight management over time (3,4). If your routine includes resistance training, protein becomes even more important to help repair and rebuild muscle tissue after workouts (3).
The Daily Recommended Protein Intake for Men
Protein needs for men vary based on several factors, including age, body weight, activity level, and personal health history. Individual goals also play a major role, whether that’s building muscle, maintaining strength, or supporting healthy weight management, as protein and overall macronutrient needs can differ significantly from person to person.
With that in mind, it’s helpful to use general protein guidelines as a starting point, while recognizing they’re not one-size-fits-all.
For a more tailored approach, you can use the MyFitnessPal Protein Calculator to get a personalized estimate based on your own body and goals.
No single protein source stands above the rest, it’s more about how different types fit into your overall diet. Remember amino acids? Animal-based proteins contain all nine essential amino acids, making them “complete” proteins that your body relies on from food (2). However, they typically don’t provide fiber, a key nutrient for long-term health and aging well (4).
Plant-based proteins, on the other hand, may require a mix of sources to cover all essential amino acids, but they also bring added benefits like fiber and other protective nutrients (2, 4). With a thoughtful approach, they can absolutely support muscle maintenance and growth just as effectively (10).
The real focus should be on choosing protein sources that align with your individual health profile, preferences, and goals. For example, a more plant-forward approach is often linked to better heart health, which may be especially important if you have a history of cardiovascular concerns (11). Alternatively, if you include animal proteins, being mindful of options lower in saturated fat can help support those same goals (12).
Here are some standout protein options from both animal and plant-based sources to help meet your daily needs.
Protein supplements, like bars and powders, are convenient products to boost protein intakes when you’re tight on time and convenient options are needed. But, more isn’t always better, meaning you don’t need to rely on ultra-processed, protein-fortified products to meet your goals.
In fact, research shows your body can only utilize so much protein at once, meaning it’s best to spread your protein intakes throughout the day versus loading up at just one meal (7). For example, your body can only metabolize about 0.4 to 0.55 grams per kilogram (or 0.18 to .25 grams per pound) per meal, which is about 33 to 45 grams of protein max for a male who weighs 180-pounds.
MyFitnessPal dietitian Brookell White shares, “Focusing on balanced intake from quality, whole-food sources and aligning it with your individual needs is what really makes the difference.”
Let’s be realistic … life doesn’t always go according to plan, and that can include missing your protein targets. That’s why a little preparation goes a long way. Keeping your protein goals in mind when planning and prepping meals for the week can help you stay on track, even when your schedule shifts.
Use these simple strategies to make your protein intake more consistent and effective:
Build your meals around a protein source first. Legumes work great on top of a salad, or tossed into a chili or soup for added protein.
Aim to spread protein intake evenly across the day (about 20–40g per meal depending on your personal needs.)
Keep convenient, high-protein staples on hand like eggs, canned fish, canned beans, frozen edamame, and dairy choices, like cottage cheese or Greek yogurt.
Choose leaner cuts of meat and lower-fat dairy to keep saturated fat intake in check.
Focus on whole food sources before relying on supplements (use these as a safety net).
Keep track of your intakes to spot gaps and better understand your needs. Tools like MyFitnessPal can help you monitor protein, saturated fat, and set targets based on your goals, age, and weight.
Protein plays an important role in supporting muscle maintenance, weight management, and total health as men age, but it’s not just about eating more of it. The quality, distribution, and consistency of protein intake matters just as much as the total amount. By focusing on balanced, whole-food sources and aligning protein intakes with individual needs and goals, protein can become a powerful tool for long-term health and performance.
Think outside the box and try a new recipe this week to help meet your protein needs, like our MyFitnessPal user favorite Air-Fryer Pretzel Chicken Schnitzel that packs a whopping 26 grams! Not sure how this stacks up with what you need? Let MyFitnessPal help you by calculating your personal protein needs.
This isn’t your average strawberry salad. Fresh yuzu juice — a floral, sweet-tart Japanese citrus — gets whisked with white miso and ripe strawberries into a vinaigrette that does all the heavy lifting. Piled over baby spinach with creamy goat cheese and Marcona almonds, it delivers both fruits and vegetables in one bowl. Look for yuzu in small bottles near Asian ingredients, or use equal parts lime and orange juice as an easy swap.
Active time: 10 minutes | Total time: 10 minutes
Strawberry Sal
This isn’t your average strawberry salad. Fresh yuzu juice — a floral, sweet-tart Japanese citrus — gets whisked with white miso and ripe strawberries into a vinaigrette that does all the heavy lifting. Piled over baby spinach with creamy goat cheese and Marcona almonds, it delivers both fruits and vegetables in one bowl. Look for yuzu in small bottles near Asian ingredients, or use equal parts lime and orange juice as an easy swap.
Active time: 10 minutes | Total time: 10 minutes
Strawberry Salad With Yuzu Strawberry Vinaigrette
Ingredients
1 pint (300g) strawberries, hulled and thinly sliced, divided
1 1/2 tsp unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp yuzu juice (or equal parts fresh lime and orange juice)
1 1/2 tsp honey
1/2 tsp white miso
2 tbsp olive oil
8 cups loosely packed baby spinach
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup soft goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup roasted Marcona almonds, finely chopped (or regular almonds)
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine 2 of the sliced strawberries (or about ¼ cup sliced) with the vinegar, yuzu juice, honey, and miso. Mash the berries and whisk the mixture until combined. Gradually whisk in the oil and set aside.
In a large serving bowl, toss the remaining strawberries, greens, and dressing until evenly coated. Season with black pepper. Top with the goat cheese and almonds on top and serve immediately.
Let your slow cooker do the heavy lifting with this vibrant, plant-based sweet potato curry. Tender sweet potatoes and hearty chickpeas cook down in a coconut milk and curry broth that fills your kitchen with incredible aroma. Come dinnertime, all that’s left to do is stir in fresh basil and lime, spoon it over rice, and serve.
Active time: 10 minutes | Total time: 4 hours, 10 minutes
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Curry
Ingredients
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
2 large sweet
Let your slow cooker do the heavy lifting with this vibrant, plant-based sweet potato curry. Tender sweet potatoes and hearty chickpeas cook down in a coconut milk and curry broth that fills your kitchen with incredible aroma. Come dinnertime, all that’s left to do is stir in fresh basil and lime, spoon it over rice, and serve.
Active time: 10 minutes | Total time: 4 hours, 10 minutes
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Curry
Ingredients
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp lime zest
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 15-oz. can low sodium chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 cups cooked jasmine or basmati rice
4 tbsp plain nonfat Greek yogurt
Directions
Combine the onion, bell pepper, sweet potatoes, garlic, and ginger in a 4-quart slow cooker.
In a small bowl, stir together the vegetable broth, coconut milk, curry powder, and salt, then pour over the vegetables. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours, until the sweet potatoes are tender. Stir in the basil, lime zest, lime juice and chickpeas.
Serve the curry over hot cooked rice. Top each serving with 1 tbsp yogurt and garnish with basil, if desired.
Serves: 4 | Serving Size: 2 cups curry with 3/4 cup rice + 1 tbsp yogurt
Whether your teens are natural-born runners or happened upon it later, there’s no denying that interest in running sports, such as cross country and track, has increased. With an uptick in participation comes additional injuries, and parents naturally wonder why they happen and how they can prevent them. Some factors put teens more at-risk for
The post 3 Factors That Put Teens At Higher Risk for Running Injuries appeared first on Cincinnati Children's Blog.
Whether your teens are natural-born runners or happened upon it later, there’s no denying that interest in running sports, such as cross country and track, has increased. With an uptick in participation comes additional injuries, and parents naturally wonder why they happen and how they can prevent them. Some factors put teens more at-risk for
The opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) has a weird double life. The plant’s seeds give a tasty, nutty flavor to bagels, breads, and cakes in bakeries around the world. But the plant’s seed pods also give the class A drug heroin its numbing and euphoric effects.
That’s because the seed pods exude a milky substance called latex, which is rich in natural chemicals called opiates, such as morphine. Dried-out poppy latex is called opium, and the chemicals it contains can be used as medical-grade pa
The opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) has a weird double life. The plant’s seeds give a tasty, nutty flavor to bagels, breads, and cakes in bakeries around the world. But the plant’s seed pods also give the class A drug heroin its numbing and euphoric effects.
That’s because the seed pods exude a milky substance called latex, which is rich in natural chemicals called opiates, such as morphine. Dried-out poppy latex is called opium, and the chemicals it contains can be used as medical-grade painkillers or processed to make street drugs like heroin.
This doesn’t mean that your next deli bagel is going to send you into a stupor, because processed poppy seeds are carefully washed of any residual latex. But the washing process isn’t so thorough as to remove all traces of opiates from your body. Here’s why anyone in a job that requires random drug tests should try their next bowl of porridge without adding any black little poppy seeds.
Processing a poppy plant
The round structure that sits on top of a poppy plant’s stem is called a capsule. This is a pod that contains hundreds of tiny poppy seeds. The plant produces opiates, like morphine, codeine, and thebaine, within the capsule to help it grow. These are contained in the milky latex, which will drip from the pod if it’s broken or cut.
A single poppy pod typically holds hundreds of tiny poppy seeds. Video: Poppy Seed Harvest!, @Freedom_Flare
During harvesting, poppies that have died and dried out are mechanically harvested, removing the above-ground portion of the plant. Crushing, sieving, or other cleaning techniques separate the seeds from the seed capsules. The seeds that later end up on our bagels and breads are washed seeds, meaning they are carefully cleaned after being separated from their seed capsules to remove any opiate-containing latex.
Urbah Viqar, a doctor at Central and Northwest London NHS Foundation Trust, says that if you eat “one to two teaspoons” of poppy seeds, then you could return a positive opiate result. Given that some poppy seed bagel recipes recommend sprinkling a teaspoon of seeds on a single bagel, these breakfast treats should be treated with caution if you might be tested for drugs.
But this isn’t the whole story. If you eat unwashed poppy seeds, the effects are radically different.
Yes, you get high off unwashed poppy seeds
In 2023, Viqar heard reports that men were reporting to their family doctors complaining of constipation. These patients, mainly from the local Indian Punjabi community, weren’t blocked up by a lack of fiber. Instead, their symptoms were a consequence of their unwashed poppy seed addiction.
Viqar explains that in some communities, unwashed poppy seeds have been a traditional remedy for generations. Without washing, the seeds retain the opiate-rich latex released during harvesting. As a result, consuming them can make you feel sleepy and relaxed.
But opiates are, of course, highly addictive. Viqar and her colleague Noah Stanton, who is also a doctor at Central and Northwest London NHS Foundation Trust, wrote a review summarizing the cases of 16 men, nearly all from the Indian Punjabi community, who had become addicted to unwashed poppy seeds.
“They start with a very small amount, maybe they’re just taking half a teaspoon,” explains Viqar. Many of the men would grind the seeds and consume them as a dry powder, or mixed with water, or brew them as tea.
The effects of the unwashed seeds are milder than a powerful opioid like heroin, but that made the patients’ addiction more “insidious,” says Stanton. “It took place over a much more gradual time period,” he adds. The unwashed seeds produce a drowsy, sedative effect.
But by the time Viqar and Stanton saw them, some of the men had seriously ramped up their poppy habit. Two men, who had each been consuming unwashed poppy seeds for over 15 years, were taking 20 tablespoons of seeds every single day. That dose would contain enough opiates to make someone without a strong tolerance overdose, said Viqar.
An opiate overdose would likely slow breathing until the heart stopped. Viqar wasn’t able to point to any cases she was aware of where people had died from unwashed poppy seeds, but said that there was little research into what a safe limit might be.
“You don’t know how much is a safe amount, how much is a lethal amount,” she explained. Long-term addiction could also impact a patient’s social life and relationships, said Stanton. Several of the men in the study worked with heavy machinery, which tends not to play well with opiate-related drowsiness.
Both Viqar and Stanton said that better regulation was badly needed. Unwashed poppy seeds can be purchased in bulk in the United Kingdom and the United States at low prices. Awareness among clinicians would also help, they added. Drug screening questionnaires regularly ask about alcohol and drug consumption. A new question to add to the list, Viqar says, is “Have you ever used poppy seeds?”
In Ask Us Anything, Popular Science answers your most outlandish, mind-burning questions, from the everyday things you’ve always wondered to the bizarre things you never thought to ask. Have something you’ve always wanted to know? Ask us.
Astronaut food has come a long way from the freeze dried packets aboard the Apollo missions. During their historic lunar fly-by in April, the Artemis II crew dined on beef brisket, mac and cheese, quiche, and a lot of tortillas. The same can be said for the hungry inhabitants of the International Space Station (ISS). With regularly scheduled restocks, the astronauts don’t have to worry as much about issues like shelf life. That means that even when nearly 250 miles above Earth, ISS residents can
Astronaut food has come a long way from the freeze dried packets aboard the Apollo missions. During their historic lunar fly-by in April, the Artemis II crew dined on beef brisket, mac and cheese, quiche, and a lot of tortillas. The same can be said for the hungry inhabitants of the International Space Station (ISS). With regularly scheduled restocks, the astronauts don’t have to worry as much about issues like shelf life. That means that even when nearly 250 miles above Earth, ISS residents can still snack on fresh fruit and vegetables.
NASA highlighted one such astronaut grocery delivery in a photo released on May 14. Taken on April 19, astronauts Jack Hathaway, Jessica Meir, Chris Williams, and Sophie Adenot are seen in microgravity alongside what are presumably upcoming snacks like oranges, apples, peppers, and one conspicuous onion.
Food wasn’t the only precious cargo on the Cygnus XL spacecraft visit that month, however. In addition to the colorful produce, the ISS also received over 2,300 pounds of research hardware and science equipment. These materials encompass the tools the crew needs for their research on blood stem cells for cancer treatments and ways to strengthen astronaut gut health. The ISS is now also home to a new exercise machine, courtesy of the European Space Agency, as well as replacement nitrogen and oxygen tanks for spacesuits.
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