Wash your hands with soap and water, drink green tea and skip red meat — plus 7 more health tips to help you have a great week

Hello, Yahoo Life readers! My name is Kaitlin Reilly and I am here to share the best health and wellness tips from the internet this week.

Whether or not you’ve been impacted by the Los Angeles fires, you may be wondering exactly how you can protect yourself amid unhealthy air conditions. The Air Quality Index, a tool used by the Environmental Protection Agency to report the status of outdoor air quality, can give you a general overview. But it’s not always able to assess the impact of certain pollutants in a smaller area, such as if there’s a house fire in your neighborhood.

If you are concerned about the air quality where you live, there are things you can do to protect yourself. Use a HEPA air filter indoors, seal windows and doors and wear an N95 mask when you need to venture outside.

Meanwhile, check your local weather, and look at your horoscope to see what the stars have in store for you. Then read up on the wellness tips below.

🧼 Use soap, not hand sanitizer

Washing your hands is a must-do as cases of norovirus continue to surge. The highly contagious virus, which causes vomiting and diarrhea, is spread by viral particles contained in feces and vomit, and a squirt of hand sanitizer isn’t enough to kill them. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds with warm, soapy water, and make sure to dry them properly. Remember to hit the sink before preparing or eating food; after spending time in high-touch areas; and after going to the bathroom.

🫖 Drink green tea for your brain

Green tea is known for its health benefits, including improving heart health, aiding weight management and reducing cancer risks due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Now, there’s some evidence to suggest it could be good for your brain too.

A new study published in npj Science of Food suggests that drinking green tea is linked to fewer white matter lesions in the brain, which may offer some protection against dementia. Researchers analyzed data from 8,766 Japanese people over 65 and found that those who drank three cups of green tea daily had 3% fewer lesions compared to those who drank one cup or less, while those who consumed seven to eight cups had a 6% reduction. The theory is that the cardiovascular benefits of green tea — such as lowering blood pressure — may play a role in this benefit, but more research needs to be done.

🥩 Cut back on red meat

A large study published in Neurology found that people who eat more red meat — particularly processed items like bacon and sausage — are at a higher risk of developing dementia and cognitive decline. Researchers added that replacing red meat with healthier alternatives like nuts, fish and poultry could reduce a person’s risk for these issues later in life. Hungry for a burger? Opt for a salmon sandwich instead — you’ll get protein as well as a dose of healthy omega-3s.

🌾 Eat barley

Quinoa may have cornered the healthy whole grains market for years, but barley is a nutritional powerhouse in its own right. Consider its fiber content, which most Americans don’t get enough of. Just one cup of cooked hulled barley provides 6 grams of fiber, while the same amount of cooked pearled barley contains 3 grams of fiber. Barley also contains micronutrients such as thiamine, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and magnesium. Add some to your diet by throwing it in soups or salads, or using it instead of rice.

👵 Embrace your inner grandma

Are you in your “grandma-core” era? Social media is full of young people embracing “grandma” hobbies, such as knitting, cooking and embroidery. But it’s more than just a fleeting trend: Quiet hobbies can encourage mindfulness and act as a working meditation, which may reduce stress and even make you more creative. If cooking is your grandma hobby of choice, you may also find yourself eating more healthy home-cooked meals instead of takeout. Grandma hobbies are also a great way to cut down your screen time — and stop you from getting sucked into doomscrolling.

📖 Be unproductive

If you struggle with perfectionism — which is linked to mental health issues like depression, eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder — it can be hard to let go of your inner critic telling you that you must make the most of every moment. But Ellen Hendriksen, a clinical psychologist at Boston University’s Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders, told CNN that daring to be unproductive can actually be great for your mental health.

One example in action: Letting yourself read the books you actually prefer rather than bowing to the pressure to brush up on nonfiction because it’s supposedly more important and enriching. “Improvement and personal development are important, but so are pleasure, enjoyment, connection and expression,” Hendriksen explained.

😴 Get good sleep to stay warm

The weather will likely remain chilly in your area for at least another few weeks, which is a good reason to find ways to stay as warm as possible. One unexpected trick for staying extra cozy, as recommended by Good Housekeeping, is to make sure you’re sleeping well: Sleep deprivation may disrupt the hypothalamus, which affects body temperature regulation and immunity, making you feel colder and also increasing your risk of illness.

Struggling with sleep? Improve your sleep hygiene by maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, limiting screen time before bed, creating a relaxing bedtime routine and keeping your bedroom cool, dark and quiet.

🍿 Eat popcorn

Jan. 19 is National Popcorn Day. If you only eat popcorn at the movies, there are plenty of good reasons to add it to your regular snack rotation. One serving of air-popped popcorn contains 3 to 4 grams of fiber, which you need for healthy digestion and maintaining stable blood sugar levels. Plus, it’s naturally low in fat and sugar and even contains some micronutrients, like magnesium, phosphorus and potassium.

Want to make popcorn healthier? Make it at home and don’t overdo it on liquid butter — the popcorn will soak that stuff up, making your snack much higher in fat and calories. If you want to flavor your popcorn, try sprinkling on some cheeselike nutritional yeast (which is loaded with vitamin B12), adding a dash of smoked paprika for a savory kick or a sprinkling of cinnamon and cocoa powder for a sweet treat. You can also add popcorn to nuts, dried fruit and chocolate chips for a makeshift trail mix that will keep you satiated.

🍹 Swap out alcohol for a mocktail

A draft report from the Department of Health and Human Services released this week stated that both men and women face a 1 in 1,000 risk of dying from alcohol use if they consume more than seven drinks per week, with that risk rising to 1 in 100 for those who consume over nine drinks per week. It’s just one more suggestion to cut back on alcohol, following outgoing U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s recent recommendation to include cancer risk warnings on alcohol containers.

If you’re rethinking your relationship with alcohol but still want to sip something special, there’s a slew of nonalcoholic beverages on the market — some of which claim to have mood-boosting benefits minus the booze.

🥦 Eat bitter or sulfuric foods

Your liver does a great job at detoxification — but if you want to boost the process, eat bitter or sulfur-containing foods, experts recently told Clean Plates. Foods rich in sulfur, like broccoli, kale and Brussels sprouts, help the body produce glutathione, an antioxidant that safeguards liver cells and aids in removing toxins. Meanwhile, bitter foods like arugula, dandelion greens and radicchio promote bile production, which helps digest fats and eliminate toxins. Try them all together in a big salad, or use these veggies as a topping for a produce-rich pizza.

More wellness tips:

• Get calcium, whether through milk or other calcium-rich products — it can help you avoid colorectal cancer.

• Try caviar at your next party for a B12 boost.

• Replace TV time with reading — you may improve your brain health.