Numerous lifestyle changes can naturally lower cholesterol and improve overall heart health. 　　Many of us have heard the term "high cholesterol." For some, it’s a health concern that requires careful management. While medication is often a necessary part of treatment, numerous lifestyle changes can naturally lower cholesterol and improve overall heart health. 　　These changes, backed by scientific research, focus on dietary swaps, increased physical activity, and stress reduction techniques. This isn't about drastic overhauls but incorporating sustainable habits that can make a real difference over time. 　　 　　1. Eat More Soluble Fibre　　Soluble fibre acts like a sponge in your digestive system, binding with cholesterol and helping your body eliminate it. Think of it as a natural cholesterol “scrubber.” Foods like oats, barley, apples, citrus fruits, and beans are excellent sources of soluble fibre. Research consistently demonstrates the positive impact of soluble fibre on lowering LDL ("bad") cholesterol. 　　2. Load Up on Fruits and Vegetables　　A diet rich in fruits and vegetables is a cornerstone of heart health. They’re packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and, of course, fibre. Aim for various colours to maximize the diverse range of nutrients you’re consuming. Studies show that diets high in plant-based foods are associated with...

　　Vitamin D is full of health benefits, from happier moods to healthier bones - and who doesn’t want more of that? 　　Ah, the sunshine vitamin. We all know it, we all love it. Vitamin D is packed with health benefits, from lifting our moods to strengthening our bones—and let’s face it, we could all use more of that, especially in the winter months. With shorter days and less sunlight, our bodies may struggle to get enough of this essential nutrient. 　　As we age, ensuring an adequate intake of Vitamin D becomes even more critical. It helps prevent osteoporosis, supports strong teeth, and even combats those winter blues. It’s a tiny ingredient with a big impact—but those sunny, summer days are behind us. 　　So, how do we keep our Vitamin D levels up when sunshine is in short supply? We eat it, of course! 　　Here are five of our favourite recipes featuring the perfect boost of Vitamin D. 　　 　　Delicious Sockeye Salmon 　　If you’re looking for a boost of health, look no further than sockeye salmon. Just 3.5 ounces of this fatty fish contains 66% of your daily Vitamin D requirements. Here’s how to bake your most mouthwatering salmon yet: 　　Ingredients...

　　Here’s how you can get the most out of your holiday time in the United States this year. 　　 　　Use National Holidays to Your Advantage　　To enjoy the longest possible stretches of free time, try adding your vacation or personal time off days to national holidays to create longer weekend breaks. 　　For example, if you have ten days of vacation and are able to select the dates listed below, you can maximize your holidays over the course of 2025. 　　The 10 Best Days to Take Off　　1、January 2: Add to New Year’s Day (January 1) to create a 2-day break before the weekend. 　　2、January 17 or 21: Add to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (January 20) for a 4-day weekend. 　　3、February 14 or 18: Add to President’s Day (February 17) to create a 4-day weekend. 　　4、May 23 or 27: Add to Memorial Day (May 26) for a 4-day weekend. 　　5、July 3 or 7: Add to Independence Day (July 4) to create a 4-day weekend. 　　6、August 29 or September 2: Add to Labor Day (September 1) for a 4-day weekend. 　　7、October 10 or 14: Add to Columbus Day (October 13) to create a 4-day weekend. 　　8、November 10 or 12:Add to Veterans Day (November...

　　The bright Moon sometimes affects meteor showers. But it won’t interfere with this winter’s Quadrantids, which peak around January 3–4. 　　 　　Shooting Stars for the New Year　　One of the first highlights on the 2025 astronomy calendar is the annual Quadrantid meteor shower. The popular name for a meteor is a “shooting star.” 　　The Quadrantids are active from around December 28 to January 12, with a narrow peak period around January 3–4. 　　During the peak, up to 80 meteors per hour may be visible under good conditions. This meteor shower favors observers in the Northern Hemisphere. 　　Why the narrow peak period? It’s because meteor showers are created by trails of debris in space called meteor streams—for the Quadrantids, the stream is narrow. 　　Meteors Versus the Moon　　In terms of the Moon’s brightness, the Quadrantids are one of the better meteor showers in 2025. 　　The following table lists nine of the major meteor showers during the year. 　　The second column gives the approximate peak dates of the shower. These dates can vary depending on your time zone—in this table, the dates are given in UTC. 　　The third column gives the Moon’s illumination at midnight on the peak night (again, in UTC). 　　Moon Illumination...

A widespread power outage left nearly all of Puerto Rico without electricity early Tuesday as residents prepared to ring in the new year. Over 1.3 million customers were affected with officials warning that full restoration could take up to two days. Utility officials are blaming the outage on a failed underground transmission line. The blackout, which began at dawn, created an unsettling stillness across the island as appliances and air conditioners lost power. For those with access to generators, a mechanical hum soon filled the silence. “It had to be on the 31st of December!” exclaimed one man, who only gave his name as Manuel, as he stood outside a grocery store in the capital of San Juan, grumbling about the outage that coincided with his birthday. “There is no happiness.” Nearly 90% of 1.47 million clients across Puerto Rico were left in the dark, according to Luma Energy, a private company that oversees electricity transmission and distribution. It estimated that power would be restored in 24 to 48 hours, conditions permitting. Luma said in a statement that it is restoring power “in the quickest and safest way possible.” With no idea when power would return, Puerto Ricans began to...

From ancients who worshiped the Red Planet as a fierce war god in the sky, to scientists like Percival Lowell and fantasists like Ray Bradbury, Mars has taunted Earth's adventurers with the ultimate challenge. (MORE: Photos: Mars' Mysterious Beauty) Now that the fear of imaginary invaders has been replaced by a frustrating search for evidence of chemicals hospitable to life, a more fundamental question is emerging. In just one month, the Mars' rover Curiosity has driven 368 feet on the...

When the Columbia space shuttle disintegrated upon re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts on board, NASA scientists expected that the 80 science experiments aboard the shuttle were destroyed as well. But in the days after the tragic Columbia shuttle disaster on Feb. 1, 2003, scientists began realizing that wasn't the case. Various salvageable experiments were recovered from the wreckage, including a live group of 1 millimeter-long roundworms, or nematodes, known as Caenorhabditis elegans. No one expected that...

In this Feb. 1, 2003 file photo, debris from the space shuttle Columbia streaks across the sky over Tyler, Texas. (AP Photo/Scott Lieberman) WASHINGTON -- A NASA top official wrestled with what he thought was a hypothetical question: What should you tell the astronauts of a doomed space shuttle Columbia? When the NASA official raised the question in 2003 just days before the accident that claimed seven astronauts' lives, managers thought - wrongly - that Columbia's heat shield was fine....

This photo of craters at the moon's north pole was taken By Japan's Kaguya lunar orbiter on Oct. 31, 2007. (CREDIT: JAXA) The moon is the easiest body in the solar system to observe with the naked eye. People have wondered about the dark and light spots on the surface throughout history. What caused these strange features? People have also questioned what makes up our nearest neighbor. The surface of the moon Children's fairytales tell us that the moon is...

New York New York City, posted on April 23, 2013. Cmdr. Chris Hadfield tweets: Incredibly clear, before the trees have filled with leaves. (Chris Hadfield/NASA) He may be 230 miles above Earth, but Commander Chris Hadfield, an astronaut aboard the International Space Station, is thirsty to show the world what life is like in space. Since the Canadian astronaut arrived on the ISS December 19, he's been tweeting awesome photos of Earth, uploading 'how to videos' from the ISS, and...

The image shows a simulation of a collision between two shells of matter ejected by a massive star in two subsequent pulsational pair-instability supernova eruptions, only years apart, just before the star dies. Image released Feb. 7, 2013. (Ke-Jung Chen/School of Physics and Astronomy, Univ. Minnesota) Forecasting when stars will die in giant explosions may one day be possible by looking for the warning outbursts they release beforehand, researchers say. Supernovas are the most powerful stellar explosions in the universe,...

This image provided by NASA/JPL-Caltech shows a simulation of asteroid 2012 DA14 approaching from the south as it passes through the Earth-moon system on Feb. 15, 2013. The 150-foot object will pass within 17,000 miles of the Earth. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL-Caltech) Although the 150-foot (45 meter) rock will zoom harmlessly by our planet on its record near approach this week, it is just one of up to a million "near-Earth objects" which astronomers believe could one day pose a serious threat....