Stay healthy with these fresh tips from the ‘Do Diet’

Ready to look and feel better? Try these simple tips from the Good Housekeeping ‘Do Diet.’

Keep gluten in your diet

… unless you’ve been diagnosed with celiac disease or wheat allergies, or have a confirmed gluten sensitivity. Recent Harvard studies found that nixing foods with gluten - which some folks do, thinking it will help them lose weight - may increase the chance of heart disease, stroke and possibly diabetes by making people miss out on healthy fiber and other nutrients found in whole-grain breads and pastas.

What we do know: There’s no evidence that a glutenfree diet will help you drop pounds, but when you eat whole grains instead of refined ones, you can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Power up your salad

These offbeat add-ins aren’t just delicious — they have some surprising health benefits.

■ Prunes: Forget the “granny” rep — prunes are filled with antioxidants and prebiotics, which help boost immunity. The fruit also may help prevent bone loss.

■ Hazelnuts: These mineral-rich nuts (also known as filberts) are loaded with magnesium, potassium and vitamins E and B-6, which are all vital for cognitive function.

■ Edamame: Half a cup of soybeans contains 8 grams of plant protein and 4 grams of fiber - a healthy-weight dream combo that boosts satiety and staves off cravings.

■ Dried Jackfruit: There are lots of disease-fighting polyphenols and 7 grams of fiber, which are linked to reduced risk of heart disease, in 1/3 cup of this chewy tropical treat.

Play a game

Board games, reading and learning an instrument are pastimes that may help ward off Alzheimer’s disease. “It’s about maintaining or building intellectual engagement, and there is a strong association between those types of activities and a reduced risk of dementia over our lifetimes,” said Cynthia Green, founder of the Icahn School of Medicine’s Memory Enhancement Program at Mount Sinai. Challenging your brain by, say, playing cards or studying a language may help goose your “cognitive reserve,” so if your brain begins to slow, it can call on extra neurons you’ve built up, she said.

Loosen up ‘text neck’

If you’re slouching over screens all day, that might be why your neck is stiff, according to spinal surgeons at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, who have noticed a rise in the complaint even among younger patients. To help release tension, try office yoga, courtesy of yoga instructor Jacquelyn Umof (@actionjacquelyn). These desk moves not only unkink your neck, but also “leave you more energized and motivated at work,” said Umof.

Here’s how to do it: Sit up tall in your chair, relax your shoulders and look straight ahead. Inhale and twist your head to one side, looking over your shoulder, keeping your gaze in the same direction as your nose. Exhale, holding one second, then twist to the other side. Do 10 reps. Then, do the same breathing technique while tipping your head forward and back: Inhale and slowly look all the way up, opening your throat; hold for a second, then exhale, looking down and tucking your chin. For more office yoga, visit getstretchyatwork.com.

Exercise your gray matter

There’s a strong relationship between fitness and cognition no matter what your age. Working out can give your brain a lift immediately afterward, and it also appears to have a protective effect on the ability to think clearly as you get older by keeping blood flowing to your noggin and pumping up the area that handles verbal memory and learning. One study found that young adults who were more aerobically fit were cognitively sharper when they reached mid-life. Another found that seniors who got regular moderate-to-intense exercise held on to more of their mental skills over the next five years than light exercisers or stay-still types. Walking, jogging, cycling, using the elliptical trainer, swimming, taking a step aerobics class, jumping rope, kickboxing and rowing are all good cardio options - and don’t forget to stretch when you’re done.