Are these in your diet?

Could doctors prescribe popcorn? These foods are healthier than expected

No doubt, most of us have the food pyramid etched in our minds. For a long time, we have accepted the fact that tempting treats (like chocolate, pizza, or beer) must be mostly or entirely avoided. But… is that entirely true? As it turns out, there are caveats about some of these so-called guilty pleasures. Wouldn’t you like to learn which snacks are actually pretty healthy for you? Read on!

Popcorn is a whole grain, high in fiber, and packed with polyphenols (antioxidants). Air-popped popcorn with minimal salt or oil is healthier than many so-called "diet" snacks.

This is very good news for those with a sweet tooth! Dark chocolate (that means, products that have more than 70% cocoa) contains flavonoids that may improve blood flow and help reduce blood pressure. No need to cut it out entirely!

Coffee has long been maligned for "raising blood pressure," but it is now linked to lower risks of heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, and type 2 diabetes, again, thanks largely to its antioxidants. The danger, of course, lies in adding sugar, cream, syrups, and whatnot. Stick to a healthy brew!

Yes, excess sodium is harmful, but cutting it out completely can also be risky. Sodium helps maintain fluid balance and supports proper nerve and muscle function. Make sure you don’t entirely skip it!

Pizza with a caveat, that is. The healthiest pizza you can eat is homemade or thin-crust.

When made with whole-grain dough, real cheese, and veggie toppings, pizza can be a balanced meal, combining carbs, protein, and calcium. It’s the fast-food, oil-dripping, heavily-topped version that’s the real culprit.

"What’s beer doing on this list?" you might wonder. Surprise! Moderate beer consumption (especially darker varieties) can provide antioxidant benefits and contribute B vitamins. Again, moderate is the magic word, not "happy hour every day."

Remember when eggs were demonized for cholesterol? Modern studies show dietary cholesterol doesn’t raise blood cholesterol as much as once believed. Eggs are nutrient-dense, packed with choline and protein.

Sure, potatoes often rank low on lists of healthy foods when we’re thinking of chips or French fries.

But the tubers themselves are rich in potassium, vitamin C, and resistant starch, which support gut health. When prepared simply, such as by boiling, they can be a nutritious addition to a balanced diet.

Demonized during the low-fat craze, natural butter, when consumed in small amounts, is often considered less harmful than margarine once was, particularly when margarines were filled with trans fats. Butter contains fat-soluble vitamins and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which may have anti-inflammatory effects.

They’re often accused of being "too sugary." They might be, compared to other fruits, but they are also loaded with potassium, fiber, and tryptophan. This last one supports serotonin production and plays a role in mood balance.

It’s calorie-dense, but also rich in calcium, along with beneficial fats and protein. Some fermented varieties (like aged cheddar or gouda) even contain probiotics that may support gut health.

What’s the healthiest type of cheese? Well, cottage cheese is often cited in that role, thanks to its high protein content and relatively low calorie count.

Not all bread is created equal; sourdough’s fermentation process can lower its glycemic index and make some nutrients more bioavailable. Plus, it’s often easier to digest than regular white bread.

Often considered a "diet killer," but pure peanut butter (just peanuts and salt) is full of protein, healthy fats, and vitamin E. Its bad rap comes from sugary, hydrogenated versions. Avoid those, and you are good to go!

GIVE YOUR MOUSE A WELL-DESERVED REST

Computer Shortcuts 101: Time-saving Tips for Your Fingers.

Image: Sergi Kabrera

Moving your hand from the keyboard to the mouse and back again might not seem like a very time-consuming chore when doing computer work. However, when this action must be repeated constantly, there are simple tricks that help us save time and energy. You don't need to be a hacker to learn these 10 easy keyboard shortcuts that will enhance your computer skills. Discover what all those keys with letters like Ctrl, Fn, and Alt are really for. And, if you stay till the end, we’ll show you a trick that will blow your mind!

Image: Natalia Y.

Back in Medieval times when monks did it, copying text used to be an extremely time-consuming task. Quite a few centuries had to pass for us to be able to copy whatever amount of text we want, from a single character to a whole book or more.

The trick is simple: highlight the text you want to copy. Once the text is highlighted, press the Ctrl key and the letter C simultaneously. Once you do this, the text is saved and ready to be pasted anywhere you need it.

Image: Scott Sanker

Pasting text previously copied allows you to move around words, paragraphs, pages, or whatever amount of text you want in no time at all.

Once you have copied -or cut- your text, the next step for pasting it wherever you want it to is really simple. Place the cursor where you want the text to start and click on that exact point. Then press the Ctrl key and the V letter, simultaneously. Once you do this, the text will appear in the place where you want it.

Image: Matt Artz

Maybe you don't want to simply copy text and you want to cut it out entirely. There is a shortcut for this as well and it is as simple as the text copying trick.

To cut text, you must highlight the word, paragraph, or whatever amount of text you want to cut. Once the text is highlighted, press the Ctrl key and the X letter, simultaneously. Once you do this, the highlighted text will disappear but worry not, it is saved in the clipboard and ready to be pasted wherever you need it with the pasting trick (remember: Ctrl + V).

Image: Jim Wilson

Have you ever had second thoughts and wanted to undo something? If only life was as easy as this Windows trick!

Simply press the Ctrl key and the letter Z. Windows will magically take a step back and undo what it has just done. Be it restoring something you deleted by mistake or going back, this simple trick will get the job done.

Image: Ana Klipper

Suppose you want to close a window on your desktop. Yes, you could take the mouse and reach for the small red X square in the corner of the window. Or, you could save a few seconds and do this instead.

Simply press our old friend, the Ctrl key and the W letter, simultaneously. The window that is at the front of your desktop will close automatically.

Image: Aaron Burden

Imagine you need to highlight all of the text in a document. What would you do? Start from the top and start painting the whole thing down? Lucky you, there are faster, easier ways to do just that.

Just press the Ctrl key and the A letter, simultaneously. Abracadabra! The whole thing will be painted yellow for you to copy or cut, in no time at all.

Image: Daniel Maquiling

Maybe you need to open the Start menu to find a program or an app or close the computer. What do you do? You take the arrow and go to the left corner at the bottom, to the Windows icon, right? No!

You can simply press the Ctrl key and the Esc key, simultaneously and the Start menu will unfold beneath your eyes without having to lift your fingers from the keyboard.

Image: Jan Loyde Cabrera

A shortcut one wishes would exist in real life (much like Ctrl + Z), hitting F5 on your keyboard will produce a wonderful effect: the window that is upfront on your desktop will refresh itself and update to its latest status.

Whether you are expecting a money transfer and looking anxiously at your bank account, are eager to see the latest news online, or don’t want to miss out on something that is about to happen, pressing the F5 key will refresh the upfront window to its latest version.

Image: Agence Olloweb

While the amount of files that we store in our computers has diminished since cloud storage became more ubiquitous, most of us still use folders to archive pictures, PDF files, text documents, and more. That is why having Windows’ magnifying glass ready at hand is very useful to find stuff in the least possible amount of time.

Yes, we can always go to the Start button and press the magnifying glass. But why do that when we can just press the Windows key and the letter S, to obtain the same result in less time?

Image: Tadas Sar

Our computers are powerful devices that can handle multiple tasks at once: internet browsers, spreadsheets, dedicated software, open folders, photographs, and more, can all be floating on your desktop. So, what if you need to see or fetch something from the desktop? Are you going to be minimizing every single thing to uncover the surface? Nope! There is a shortcut for that too!

Simply press the Windows key (yes, that one you always wondered what it was for) and the D letter, simultaneously. Magic! The desktop is uncovered and clean for your perusal. Want to go back to what you were doing? Press Windows + D again.