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Sweet summer fruits make a luscious ending to a meal, but there’s no reason to limit them to dessert. Here are three fruity no-cook dishes that will please every palate. For a sauce with a special flavor punch, add chopped fresh cherries to your favorite salsa recipe. Cherries are loaded with anthocyanins, an antioxidant with a deep red color, and their sweetness gives salsa an added layer of flavor. Try it with grilled chicken or shrimp for a sweet and spicy kick. Love cantaloupe? Pair it with thinly sliced prosciutto, fresh mozzarella and mint. The melon’s sweetness is a great way to balance the saltiness of prosciutto for a filling low-cal appetizer or lunch dish. Is juicy watermelon more to your liking? It’s high in vitamins A and C and the antioxidant lycopene. The deeper the melon’s red hue, the more nutrients it has. Its flavor really pops when paired with tangy feta cheese, a good source of calcium. Watermelon Salad 4 cups baby spinach 4 cups watermelon chunks 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Salt and black pepper to taste Arrange spinach on a platter and top with the watermelon. Sprinkle on feta, jalapeno and basil. Drizzle with the oil, and season with salt and pepper as desired. Yield:… read on >

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an exercise technique done by alternating short bursts of all-out effort in an aerobic activity with periods done at a very slow pace. HIIT has many benefits, not the least of which is being able to get the results of a regular 30-minute workout with less heavy exertion and making exercise more enjoyable. Mayo Clinic researchers found an even greater plus. There’s nothing like HIIT to stave off the aging process, thanks to changes it creates at the cell level, effects that can’t be achieved with any kind of medicine. What’s more, as positive as the changes were for younger people studied, they were even greater among people over 65. Gauging the level of intensity needed for the HIIT intervals isn’t difficult. A person’s maximum aerobic activity (220 minus your age) can be rated on a scale of 0 to 10. High-intensity intervals are done at an exertion level of 7 or higher, around 80% to 95% of your maximum. (As a comparison, moderate activity is 60% to 70%, and vigorous activity is 70% to 80%.) You can decide on the length of the segments. But, in general, according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE), the high-intensity intervals should last between 30 seconds and 3 minutes. The low-intensity intervals can be anywhere from two to four times as long.… read on >

A combination of depression and genetic risk may fuel an addiction to indoor tanning. That’s the conclusion of a new study out of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington, D.C. For the study, researchers surveyed nearly 300 women who used indoor tanning beds, sunlamps or sun booths, and analyzed DNA samples. The women were white and between 18 and 30 years of age. The risk of tanning addiction doubled in those who had mutations in genes related to dopamine activity; dopamine is key to the brain’s pleasure and reward system. Those mutations, coupled with others linked to depression, increased the risk of tanning addiction by up to 13 times. “By demonstrating that genes in behavioral reward pathways are associated with tanning addiction, we are providing stronger evidence that tanning addiction is a cancer risk behavior in need of intervention,” lead author Darren Mays said in a Georgetown news release. “This finding adds to a growing body of evidence from animal studies and neuroimaging studies that have been done in humans.” Mays is an associate professor of oncology. He’s now beginning a study into the use of text messages as a way to help young women quit if they are addicted to tanning. Exposure to ultraviolet light can cause skin cancers, including deadly melanoma. Indoor tanning accounts for 10% of skin cancers, and this year… read on >

Drug overdoses and suicide are common causes of death among women who die within a year of giving birth, a new study finds. In fact, in the study based on data from California, these two causes accounted for nearly 20% of postpartum deaths from 2010 to 2012. “These deaths are rare but devastating for families,” said study co-author Claire Margerison, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Michigan State University, in East Lansing. “We need to place more emphasis on prevention.” For the study, Margerison and her colleagues analyzed more than 1 million medical records from California hospitals. While maternal death rates during and after pregnancy are rising nationwide, California is below the national average. Even so, drug overdose was the second-leading cause of death among California women in the first year after giving birth. Suicide ranked seventh. Suicide and fatal overdoses were more common among white and poor women, the study found. The data aren’t sufficient to identify trends but could inform future studies, the researchers said. The findings, however, might be a sign of what’s occurring across the country. Although maternal death rates have dropped in California because of efforts to improve care, mental health and drug abuse continue to affect many new mothers. Some of these deaths might reflect stigmas that stop women from getting help for mental health and drug… read on >

With all the attention that the very high-fat Keto diet is getting, you might be wondering how much fat is healthy and how much your body really needs every day to thrive. First, know that some fat is essential for most people. Your body uses fat for many health functions, including processing fat-soluble vitamins like A and E. Including some fat in meals helps you feel more satisfied, and that’s important when you’re eating fewer calories on a weight-loss diet and want to curb between-meal hunger. As for ideal amounts, healthy adults should eat between 20% and 35% of their calories from fat, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Keep in mind that one tablespoon of olive oil is equal to 10% of the daily calories in a typical, 1,200-calorie per day weight-loss diet. To calculate a more personal daily range of fat grams, the American Council on Exercise suggests a simple formula. For the minimum amount, multiply your weight (in pounds) by 0.4 and for the maximum, multiply it by 0.5. So, if you weigh 140 pounds, that’s between 56 and 70 grams of fat each day. What kinds of fats you eat matter, too. Most should be from mono- and polyunsaturated fat foods. Limit saturated fats and avoid trans fats altogether. Trans fats are being phased out of packaged foods, but… read on >

Head injuries from riding electric scooters without a helmet are on the rise, a new study reports. Between 2008 and 2017, nearly 32,000 injuries were estimated nationwide, according to a review of records in the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s National Electronic Injury Surveillance system. Accidents tripled from about 2,300 in 2008 to nearly 7,000 in 2017. Most of those injured were adult men, but a third of the injuries happened to kids between 6 and 12 years of age, researchers said. The most common injuries were closed head injuries, such as concussions, and bleeding or bruising of the brain, the researchers found. Facial cuts and abrasions were also common. In accident records that made note of helmet use, 66% of those injured weren’t wearing one. Use of helmets increased with age from 19% among toddlers to 67% among senior riders. Helmet laws vary from state to state. Researchers emphasized that electric scooters aren’t toys and can reach speeds of up to 30 mph. “The United States should standardize electric scooter laws and license requirements should be considered to decrease the risky behaviors associated with motorized scooter use,” said study lead author Dr. Amishav Bresler. He’s a resident in the department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in Newark. “In 2000, Italy implemented a law mandating helmet use for all types… read on >

Kids who don’t drink water take in nearly 100 more calories from sugary drinks every day than those who do, according to a recent Penn State study. About one-fifth of children fall into the no-water group. But a multi-year experiment in the New York City public schools involving more than 1 million students found that installing water dispensers in school can change that. Having dispensers increases the amount of water the kids drink, decreases purchases of sugary chocolate milk and the number of sodas and juices brought to school, and helps prevent excess weight in both boys and girls. But it’s not enough to simply tell kids to give up soda and other sugary drinks and have water instead. It needs to be easier for kids to make this choice. Parents can follow these steps from Children’s Hospital Colorado to encourage kids to choose water. Make drinking water more fun by adding frozen berries or grapes to a clear reusable water bottle designed for small hands. Freeze small bottles of water to pack in their afterschool sports bag. The water will thaw during the day, yet still be cold and refreshing when they reach for it. Let your kids keep the deposit money when you recycle store-bought bottled water containers. When eating out, choose water as the beverage — you’ll not only save calories, but… read on >

About two-thirds of Americans have taken steps to cut back on salt, according to the International Food Information Council Foundation. This often starts with comparing labels and choosing foods — from soups to canned veggies — with less sodium. Here are four more steps that you can take to reduce your salt intake. You know that processed red meats and lunch meat of all kinds are loaded with salt, but also be aware of less obvious sources, like packaged breads. If you have toast at breakfast, a sandwich at lunch and a roll at dinner, all that salt will add up. Prepared and packaged dinners can be high in salt, especially pizza, chicken nuggets and many ethnic foods, the American Heart Association warns. The same goes for poultry that’s been “pre-basted” or injected with a sodium solution. Make more food from scratch. Restaurants, and fast-food establishments in particular, add a lot of salt and sodium-based flavor enhancers to foods. When you do the cooking, you control the salt. Besides herbs, use spices to add flavor. Try various pepper-based ones like ancho and chipotle chilies and paprika. Using garlic and onions adds sweetness and depth. Just beware of spice blends with hidden salt, like taco seasoning — look for no- and low-salt varieties. Track your salt intake on the same app or website that you use… read on >

A face-lift for Father’s Day, anyone? It could happen: A new report finds many more men are taking advantage of the same plastic surgeries that have long been associated with women. The midlife decision by men to try a face-lift or other procedure has been nicknamed the “Daddy-Do-Over” — referencing the “Mommy Makeover” for women. Whatever it’s called, “men are embracing the idea of surgery more than before,” said Dr. Alan Matarasso, president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). He stressed that the average man approaching or in middle age might have different reasons for wanting a nip or a tuck, compared to his female peers. “Obviously, men don’t go through the same physical changes that women experience during pregnancy and post-pregnancy, but their lifestyle does change, which can impact their appearance,” Matarasso said in a society news release. “Diet and exercise patterns fluctuate, and they don’t sleep as much,” he added. “Men notice their body changes due to aging and parenting, and it starts to look completely different in their 30s and 40s. That is the point of a Daddy-Do-Over.” In fact, according to the ASPS, more than 1 million men had cosmetic surgery in 2018, a 29% increase since 2000. Like women, men are typically getting body contouring and facial procedures to enhance their physique and keep the dreaded “dad bod”… read on >

When eating healthy becomes an around-the-clock obsession, it could be a sign of trouble. An extreme preoccupation with clean eating is an eating order called orthorexia nervosa. Though less well-known than anorexia nervosa or bulimia — and not as well-documented — a new study review says orthorexia can also have serious emotional and physical consequences. “Orthorexia is really more than just healthy eating,” said review co-author Jennifer Mills, an associate professor of health at York University in Toronto. “It’s healthy eating taken to the extreme, where it’s starting to cause problems for people in their lives and starting to feel quite out of control.” The review of published research from around the world on the disorder was recently published in the journal Appetite. Mills and her colleague Sarah McComb looked at risk factors and links between orthorexia and other mental disorders. Orthorexia, unlike some other eating disorders, is not yet recognized in the standard psychiatric manuals. Healthy eating to the extreme No clear line divides healthy eating from orthorexia’s extreme eating. The foods someone with orthorexia might avoid are the same as those someone with healthy habits might avoid — such as preservatives, anything artificial, salt, sugar, fat, dairy, other animal products, genetically modified foods or those that aren’t organic. It boils down to whether avoiding foods leads to obsession — excessive time and energy… read on >

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All Sauce from Weekly Gravy:

No-Cook Summer Recipes Featuring Cool, Sweet Fruit

Is Interval Training the Fountain of Youth?

Why Do Young Women Get Addicted to Indoor Tanning?

Drug Overdoses, Suicide Are Risk for New Mothers: Study

How Much Fat Do You Really Need?

Head Injuries Tied to Motorized Scooters Are Rising: Study

A Simple Way to Help Prevent Child Obesity

5 Easy Ways to Cut Back Your Salt Intake

‘Daddy-Do-Overs’: Men Increasingly Getting Plastic Surgery

When Healthy Eating Turns Into a Dangerous Obsession