With the U.S. Open in full swing, tennis is making headlines as one of the best sports you can ever play for longevity. This week’s wellness roundup includes practical tips, from gut-friendly meals to better brushing habits.
Here are five health trends worth knowing now.
1. Diversify your portfolio of gut bacteria 🫙
Eating a variety of whole foods supports a healthy gut microbiome, which in turn benefits your overall health. One simple way to reach the goal of eating 30 different plants each week is to make a “diversity jar.”
Fill a mason jar with nutritious, shelf-stable pantry items like grains, seeds, herbs, and spices. Packed with fiber and polyphenols, the mix promotes gut health, and you can customize it with sweet or savory flavors to suit your taste.
2. Lower your blood pressure with chia seeds 🫀
The humble chia seed offers many health benefits, thanks to its high fiber content and nutrients like iron, calcium, and selenium. Research suggests that eating at least one tablespoon a day may help lower blood pressure.
Chia seeds are also easy to add to your meals. They work well in smoothies, soups, jams, stews, salads, bowls, cereal, and yogurt.
3. Wait 30 minutes if you prefer brushing your teeth after breakfast 🪥
When it comes to brushing your teeth, timing matters as much as consistency. Many people brush right after waking up to get rid of morning breath, but brushing after breakfast could also be a good idea. Just make sure you wait at least 30 minutes after breakfast to give your saliva enough time to remove acids from bacteria in food and repair enamel.
4. Pick up tennis for its many, many health benefits🎾
Move over, pickleball. Tennis is making a comeback, although fans will say it never left the court. Research shows that playing tennis may help you live longer, strengthen muscles, and protect your heart.
The benefits go beyond the body, too. Tennis can sharpen brain function and support mental health, especially when played with others.
5. Avoid toxic apricot pits 💀
Some wellness gurus claim that apricot seeds may protect against cancer. In reality, apricot pits contain amygdalin, a compound that turns into cyanide in the body. The poison can be deadly, not just make you sick. The verdict? Spit the pit.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
John HT, Thomas TC, Chukwuebuka EC, et al. The microbiota–human health axis. Microorganisms. 2025;13(4):948. doi:10.3390/microorganisms13040948
Teoh SL, Lai NM, Vanichkulpitak P, et al. Clinical evidence on dietary supplementation with chia seed (Salvia hispanica L.): a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutr Rev. 2018;76(4):219-242. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nux071
Burnett G, Nehme M, Parkinson C, et al. A randomised oral fluoride retention study comparing intra-oral kinetics of fluoride-containing dentifrices before and after dietary acid exposure. Arch Oral Biol. 2020;119:104891. doi:10.1016/j.archoralbio.2020.104891
Jackson MJ, Roche DM, Amirabdollahian F, Koehn S, Khaiyat OA. The musculoskeletal health benefits of tennis. Sports Health. 2020;12(1):80-87. doi:10.1177/1941738119880862
Pan W, Gong L, Xiao G, Zhang L, Xiao Y, Xu C. Regular tennis exercise may improve the vascular endothelial function in postmenopausal women: the influence of hemodynamics. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(23):15749. doi:10.3390/ijerph192315749
Wang Z, Zheng Y, Ruan H, Li L, Duan L, He S. Association between social activity frequency and overall survival in older people: results from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS). J Epidemiol Community Health. 2023;77(5):277-284. doi:10.1136/jech-2022-219791
Wang H, Zhang G, Li X, Pu S. The effect of tennis batting sound on anxiety: a randomized controlled trial and basic acoustic analysis. Front Psychol. 2023;14:1233599. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1233599
Xu Y, Zhang W, Zhang H, Wang L, Luo Y, Ni G. Association between tennis training experience and executive function in children aged 8–12. Front Hum Neurosci. 2022;16:924809. doi:10.3389/fnhum.2022.924809
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA issues warning about toxic amygdalin found in apricot seeds.
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?
Helpful
Report an Error
Other