Eating a daily dose of flavonoid-rich foods may replace taking Viagra. Foods like berries and citrus fruits have been shown to decrease the risk for erectile dysfunction. “The researchers found that men who consumed the most foods containing flavonoids had a 10 percent reduced risk of ED compared to those who ate the least. The biggest effect was seen in men who consumed the highest amount of flavonoids and were physically active. Among those men, the risk of ED was cut by 21 percent.” The researchers discovered that while flavonoids significantly helped, an increased intake of all fruit in the diet was beneficial as well. The study did not prove that flavonoids help erectile dysfunction specifically, but concluded that a healthy diet and activity level overall can be beneficial.

Dining out at a restaurant may be more unhealthy than eating fast food. A recent study looked at the caloric content of restaurant meals in comparison to fast food and found the food at your favorite Mexican, Thai, or Italian restaurant may be worse for you than you think. “Some meals exceeded the calories recommended for a whole day. On average, these restaurant meals contained 1,205 calories—about half of a person’s typical daily recommendations…And there was little difference between the calorie counts of food at chain and non-chain restaurants.” The researchers said that while calorie counts on menus may help, a more feasible solution would be the ability to order a smaller portion size while eating out. 

Reduce the likelihood of developing glaucoma by eating more greens throughout the day. A large and lengthy study recently concluded that a high-nitrate diet (aka a diet with green veggies) significantly decreased a person’s risk for glaucoma in old age. “…those who consumed the most nitrate – mostly from green vegetables like kale and spinach – were 21 percent less likely than those who ate the least nitrate to develop open-angle glaucoma by the time they were in their 60s and 70s.” This is the first study to observe a potential link between diet and glaucoma, which is very beneficial since glaucoma exhibits no symptoms.