After a summer of fun, perhaps you’re greeting fall with a renewed focus on health.
This week, we share some trending tips for leveling up your wellness just a bit more. You might add a bit of weight to make your daily walk more challenging or find a favorite immunity-boosting tonic.
1. Grind Chia Seeds to Unlock More Benefits 🌱
Chia seeds pack fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants in a little package. Like many seeds, they have a thin protective outer layer. Giving them a quick blitz in a coffee or spice grinder breaks up the fibrous shell, which could help the body absorb the seed’s nutrients.
If this sounds like overkill, don’t stress. When whole chia seeds soak in liquid, the surface breaks down, giving them their characteristic gel-like consistency and helping your body absorb their nutritional goodness.
2. Add Miso to Your Fall Soup Line-Up 🍲
Soup season is nearly upon us. All soups are beautiful, but miso soup works unique wonders for your gut, heart, and immune health.
The Japanese dish uses a fermented soy paste that teems with live cultures and amino acids that keep gut microbes happy. Miso contains compounds that can block cholesterol absorption, support blood vessel health, and improve blood pressure. The soup may even boost the production of certain antibodies to bolster your immunity during cold and flu season.
3. Try (or Skip) the Fire Cider Craze 🍹
For some TikTokers, the quest for a drinkable, immunity-supporting food didn’t stop at miso soup. Some are touting a concoction called “fire cider,” named after its pungent flavor. Most recipes feature raw garlic, turmeric, apple cider vinegar, grapefruit, and jalapeño.
Experts say these ingredients contain lots of immune-boosting nutrients, like vitamin C, probiotics, and antioxidants. Fire cider allows you to take down these nutrients in one neat glass. But if that sounds repulsive to you, experts say it’s just as good to eat those foods on a plate.
4. Avoid the Post-Oat Milk Blood Sugar Spike 🥛
Oats are known for stabilizing blood pressure. However, when processed into a beverage, some of the oat starch turns into a sugar type that has a higher glycemic index than table sugar. Plus, when the oats’ fiber is filtered out, there’s not a lot keeping those natural sugars from spiking blood sugar.
Try to avoid oat milks that have added sugar and other additives. Consuming some protein and fiber can help control your blood sugar: enjoy that oatmilk latte with a steaming plate of eggs and toast or pour it into a bowl of fiber cereal.
5. Make a Fitness Statement With a Weighted Vest 💪
Weighted vests are all the rage these days. They can turn a walk, body weight circuit, or household chore line-up into a more rigorous workout. Your core muscles, back muscles, and balance may improve as your body works to remain stable against the extra weight.
Be sure to ease into your weighted vest journey. Going too heavy too soon will fast-track an injury. If you already have an injury or back pain, consult with a doctor or physical therapist for tips to avoid exacerbating your condition.
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.
Ang ME, Cowley JM, Yap K, et al. Novel constituents of Salvia hispanica L. (chia) nutlet mucilage and the improved in vitro fermentation of nutlets when ground. Food Funct. 2023;14(3):1401-1414. doi:10.1039/D2FO03002K
Saeed F, Afzaal M, Shah YA, et al. Miso: a traditional nutritious & health-endorsing fermented product. Food Sci Nutr. 2022;10(12):4103-4111. doi:10.1002/fsn3.3029
Le MS, Hermansen C, Vuong QV. Oat milk by-product: a review of nutrition, processing and applications of oat pulp. Food Rev Int. 2025;41(5):1538–1575. doi:10.1080/87559129.2025.2450263
Shkembi B, Huppertz T. Glycemic responses of milk and plant-based drinks: food matrix effects. Foods. 2023;12(3):453. doi:10.3390/foods12030453
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