Most people assume all fruit is healthy. Not quite. While fruit delivers valuable vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, some varieties pack far more sugar than you think. And even natural sugar can impact gut health, metabolism, and weight when eaten in excess.

That’s why, as a heart surgeon, I always recommend choosing lower-sugar, higher-polyphenol fruits. I also treat fruit more like “nature’s candy”: enjoyed mindfully, not endlessly.

Here are nine low-sugar fruits I consider some of the healthiest choices you can make.

Grapefruit, tangerines and kumquats are naturally low in sugar and high in vitamin C. They also contain flavonoids, which are polyphenols that support a healthy gut microbiome.

Don’t strip away the white pith. It’s one of the most nutrient-dense parts. And kumquats? You eat them whole, peel and all, making them an easy, tangy addition to salads or stir-fries.

Blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are some of my absolute favorites. They’re low in sugar yet packed with fiber and polyphenols.

Whenever possible, I always recommend eating berries in season. Opt for wild blueberries versus the giant-sized ones you see in grocery stores; they tend to have more antioxidants than the oversized store-bought ones.

Pomegranates are true superstars. They’re loaded with polyphenols like punicalagin, which may support heart and cellular health. Despite their sweet flavor, they’re relatively low in sugar compared to other tropical fruits.

Plus, those crunchy seeds add extra fiber, making them a double win for your gut and metabolism.

Yes, avocado is technically a fruit, and one of the very best. They are almost sugar-free, rich in healthy monounsaturated fats, and packed with potassium and fiber.

In my opinion, avocados are the most perfect fruit you can eat. They keep you full, support your heart, and nourish your gut without causing sugar spikes. I basically eat an avocado every day to glean the maximum health benefits.

Surprised? Olives are fruits, too, and they’re high on my list. They contain virtually no sugar and are rich in healthy fats and powerful polyphenols, especially hydroxytyrosol, one of the best types of polyphenols that feed our gut buddies.

That’s why olives and extra virgin olive oil are staples in my recommended diet for supporting heart, brain, and gut health.

Kiwi (in moderation) earns a spot on my list because it’s lower in sugar than many tropical fruits, and it’s loaded with vitamin C, fiber, and antioxidants.

Here’s a secret: Eat the skin! Yes, the fuzzy part, because that’s where much of the fiber and polyphenols are found. Due to the serotonin-rich content of kiwi, they can also help you sleep better, according to a recent study.

Unripe bananas aren’t sweet — and that’s exactly the point. They contain resistant starch, a prebiotic fiber that feeds beneficial gut bacteria and supports stable blood sugar. Once bananas ripen, that starch converts to sugar, reducing those benefits.

I recommend blending green bananas into smoothies or mixing chopped pieces with yogurt, cinnamon, or low-sugar sweeteners. Green banana flour is another easy option.

Like green bananas, green (unripe) mangoes offer resistant starch, antioxidants, and significantly less sugar than their ripe, orange counterparts. They support digestion and metabolism while providing vitamin C.

Try a green mango salad (a staple in many Thai restaurants) for an easy way to add them to your diet.

Small but nutrient-dense, passionfruit is lower in sugar than many tropical fruits and filled with polyphenols, vitamin A, and fiber. Its crunchy seeds act as natural prebiotics.

I was just in France and Italy, and passionfruit was featured all over the place, from salads to desserts. Look for it if you’re traveling there in July or August or even in the fall months, when it’s in season.

For better long-term health, my approach is simple: Choose fruits that are low in sugar and high in fiber and polyphenols — the compounds that support gut health and more stable energy. But of course, you should always consult with your doctor before making any drastic changes to your diet.

Dr. Steven Gundry, MD, is a former cardiac surgeon, founder of GundryMD, and author of the bestselling books ”The Gut-Brain Paradox″ and ”The Plant Paradox.” For over two decades, his research has focused on the microbiome’s role in chronic disease and longevity. He received his degrees from Yale University and the Medical College of Georgia, and completed his surgical residency at the University of Michigan. Follow him on Instagram @drstevengundry.

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My wife and I recently celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary. In honor of the occasion, I asked couples who had been married 40, 50, or even 60 years a simple question: What relationship advice would you give to your younger selves? 

The participants ranged from a mid-60s couple who had just celebrated their 40th anniversary to a 99-year-old who had just celebrated 66 years of happiness with his bride. The advice captured more than 500 years of earned wisdom from these beautiful relationships. 

Here are 25 pieces of relationship advice that everyone needs to hear: 

1. Tell your partner you love them every night before falling asleep. Someday you’ll find the other side of the bed empty and wish you could. 
2. Never keep score in love. Scoreboards are for sports games, not marriages. 
3. Laugh until you cry. Laughing together goes a long way to smooth the inevitable bumps in the road. 
4. Maintain interests and passions separate from your partner’s. Marriage should not be the end of individuality. 
5. It can’t always be 50/50. Sometimes it will be 90/10; sometimes it will be 10/90. All that matters is that it adds up to 100.
6. One man said, “Never stop dating. I’m 99 and still courting my wife!” Marriages don’t get boring; you stop trying. 
7. Keep doing the little things. A note under the pillow, a surprise bouquet, a peck on the cheek. Romance never goes out of style. 
8. Don’t fear sadness, as it tends to sit right next to love.
9. No one has ever argued their way to a happy marriage. When facing a challenge, face it together. 
10. Your spouse should always take priority over your birth family. Remember that when the two feel in conflict. 
11. Is it more important to be right or to be married? Stubborn pride is the downfall of relationships. 
12. Never raise your voice with your partner. 
13. Be quick to say, “I’m sorry.”
14. Don’t sweat the small stuff. If there’s something bothering you, ask whether it will matter in one month. If not, let it go right now. 
15. Do one act of service for your partner every day, but never tell them about it. 
16. You cannot take care of your partner if you aren’t taking care of yourself. Make a list of your daily needs to feel good and have your partner do the same. Make sure you and your partner are able to do the things on that list. 
17. Never involve non-professional third parties (parents, friends, siblings, coworkers) in disagreements. You’ll forget about it, but they won’t. 
18. Time doesn’t heal when it comes to relationships. Don’t delay difficult conversations. 
19. If your relationship has a minor issue, repair it. Minor issues become major issues over time. 
20. Every relationship is a work in progress. The mutual desire for improvement is what builds a lifelong bond.
21. Complementarity is just as important as compatibility. Allow each other the space to lead within different domains in your relationship. 
22. Start every day with a hug or a kiss. It’s a simple reminder of your love that goes a long way. 
23. Love is a muscle. Know that your love will be tested, but that each test has the potential to leave it stronger. 
24. It doesn’t have to be perfect for it to be wonderful. There has never been a perfect relationship, but there have been many wonderful ones. 
25. Your love is yours. Forget the approval of others. You won’t be able to make everyone happy. Accept that and embrace each other. 

In a separate but related series of conversations, I asked a 94-year-old woman what advice she would give to her younger self. 

She delivered this beautiful insight I’ll close with: “When in doubt, love. The world can always use more love.”

Sahil Bloom is an entrepreneur, investor, and inspirational writer and content creator who writes the biweekly newsletter, The Curiosity Chronicle. He is the author of ”The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life.” Follow him on Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

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Excerpt adapted from ”The 5 Types of Wealth: A Transformative Guide to Design Your Dream Life″ by Sahil Bloom. Copyright © 2025. Reprinted with permission of Ballantine Books. All rights reserved.

Victoria Beckham, formerly Posh Spice of the Spice Girls, is known for her healthy habits and discipline when it comes to wellness.

Since entering the spotlight three decades ago, the fashion designer’s daily practices for peak health have evolved. While her diet remains consistent—fresh fish, vegetables, nuts, and seeds—her exercise routine and priorities have shifted now that she is in her 50s.

Here are four ways Beckham’s wellness routine has changed from the early 2000′s to now.

1. She’s more flexible with her diet

“I do try to be quite disciplined in the way that I eat,” Beckham said on the BBC Radio program “Gordon Ramsay’s Perfect Christmas Lunch” in 2006 at age 32.

At the time, she prioritized a “really healthy” diet of fish, vegetables and fruit — and still does, she said. But these days Beckham is less rigid.

“I’m flexible with regards to food,” Beckham told Net-a-Porter in 2020. “My treat is a few glasses of red wine, and I also love tequila, and I do eat carbs. I have lots of avocado and really good fats, like salmon.”

2. She added weight training to her workouts

Over a decade ago, Beckham set a new year’s resolution to start going to the gym, she told The Guardian in 2014. “I’ve never stopped. Once I get into something, I do it properly,” she said.

Back then, she would exercise for 90 minutes with a trainer, attend SoulCycle classes and run often, sometimes for eight miles. By 2023, her workout routine looked much different.

“I usually workout every morning prior to beginning my day and recently incorporated strength training into my routine which has been a fun way to switch up my regime,” Beckham said in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar.

The following year, she shared that weight training at 50 made her feel “stronger than I did when I was 20.”

3. Sleep is key for her self care now

In 2013, Beckham’s three sons were still in school and her daughter was just one. Beckham started her days between 6:15 and 6:30 a.m., and would fall asleep sometime between midnight and 1 a.m., she told Harper’s Bazaar that year.

At the time, she was getting between five and six hours of sleep a night. “I like to get as much sleep as I can. But when you’re a mummy, you kind of—well, it would be nice,” Beckham said.

Ten years later, she told the publication that her best advice for self care was developing a healthy sleep routine.

“Creating healthy sleep habits is incredibly important; it’s become a key part of my self-care practice,” she said.

“I’ve been working on incorporating less screen time and more mindfulness into my routine, which means putting my phone away before bedtime.”

4. Wellness shots and green smoothies are a staple in her routine

Beckham also gets plenty of nutrients and vitamins from her daily beverages.

Earlier this year, Vogue covered Beckham’s morning routine based on stories shared to her personal Instagram account. The first thing she consumes every morning is apple cider vinegar, “a couple of tablespoons on an empty tummy,” she said.

Then, she and her husband David Beckham have their green smoothies which include:

• Broccoli
• Spinach
• Cucumber
• Celery
• Avocado
• Apple
• Ginger
• Lemon

After a workout, Beckham has another smoothie with berries, bananas, apples and almonds. She rounds out her morning with a wellness shot of lemon, black pepper, fresh ginger and turmeric. “One shot a day!!” she said.

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Married couple Geena and James don’t always see eye-to-eye when it comes to money. Their main issue: how to navigate a vast income disparity.

Geena, 44, brings home a little over $555,000 a year as a corporate attorney in New York. Her husband, James, 39, is a freelance musician who earns around $60,000 a year. The couple enjoys Geena’s high salary, taking numerous luxury trips throughout the year while still investing around 14% of her gross income.

“I’ve always planned to take care of everything myself if I have to, and I’m happy — I’m so grateful that I can treat us and take care of us. But I hope that one day there will be less of a discrepancy between us,” Geena told self-made millionaire and money expert Ramit Sethi on a recent episode of his “I Will Teach You to be Rich” podcast. The couple’s last names were not used. 

James said he wants to contribute more toward their lifestyle and retirement goals, but he knows he can’t match-up financially.

“Because I’m not able to contribute in the same way or in similar ways, therefore I just feel like I’m not enough,” James said on the podcast. “Doesn’t feel great.”

Sethi listened to the couple talk about their finances, lifestyle and how they both think about money. Here are three ways he said they can address their income disparity to improve their relationships with money and each other.

James is unlikely to get his income up to the same level as Geena’s. But Geena’s frustration isn’t really about the dollar figure.

While Geena gladly contributes more dollar-wise to their household needs and savings, she looks to James for tasks like shopping for home essentials, which he often neglects, they told Sethi.

“Geena is not saying she expects James to make exactly $50,000 a month,” Sethi said. “Geena wants James to be engaged with money. I can understand her paying more for things like luxury hotels, but why is she the one ordering the [laundry] detergent?”

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Steve, 42, and Taylor, 39, faced a similar dilemma when they spoke with Sethi on a different episode. Taylor earns around $144,000 a year, while Steve makes around $36,000.

Steve had been under-employed for about eight years when he and Taylor spoke with Sethi. But from Taylor’s perspective, he wasn’t taking enough proactive steps, like networking and applying to jobs.

“Taylor wants Steve to want more for himself, to become a financial partner in their relationship,” Sethi said.

Though both women approached their conversations with Sethi by saying they wanted their husbands to earn more money, further reflection revealed that for both women, it’s not really about the numbers. They both want their partners to step up, whether that’s in their own careers or with household tasks.

Part of the reason James isn’t earning more money is because he’s hesitant to raise his rates as a freelancer. This frustrates Geena, who is a go-getter who truly believes in James’s talents and abilities.

Sethi identified these mismatched views on money as another disparity causing tension in their relationship. Geena doesn’t understand why James doesn’t simply charge his customers more. James fears hiking his prices will scare off business.

“The solution is to fix your worldview of money and master your own money psychology,” Sethi said.

Geena said she was raised with a scarcity mindset that inspired her to push her career and salary as far as they could go so she would never worry about bills or buying things she wanted.

James, on the other hand, grew up as the “peacemaker” in his home. As a result, he falls into a similar mindset with his business, trying to “keep the peace” with his clients by keeping his prices low — even if that means his personal finances suffer.

Sethi said James is “playing small” by thinking he’s stuck in this financial position. Identifying the reasons behind his money mindset, then taking steps like enrolling in a course or reading a book to understand how to overcome it may help him tackle the problem.

Beyond being the breadwinners in their relationships, Geena and Taylor both also admitted to taking on mother-like roles with their husbands. They consistently remind their spouses to do tasks like shop for the home, apply to jobs or look for ways to increase their incomes, and do it themselves when when their husbands drop the ball.

“Sometimes I feel like I’m Mom. I’m planning things. I’m taking care of all the things,” Geena said. ”[James] is not in his 20s, and I want us to be more equals in this way.”

Taylor agreed. “I felt like a mom disciplining her child,” she said of trying to motivate Steve to work harder.

In both scenarios, Sethi called out the women for allowing that dynamic to continue.

Both their husbands are capable and said they’re willing to do what’s asked of them. But by letting them off the hook when they make mistakes, their wives have fostered the sense that it’s OK for things to continue in this manner, Sethi said.

Sethi recommended both Geena and Taylor set boundaries and introduce actual consequences to give their husbands a chance to prove they can and are willing to make these changes.

For example, he suggests James and Geena set a dollar amount that James should reasonably be able to contribute to their joint account each month. And if he doesn’t hit that number, he may have to skip a vacation in order to stay home and work.

Sure, Geena could afford to bail him out if he’s had a bad month and still pay for both of them to go on vacation. But neither spouse would feel good about that.

“You sticking to your guns and following through on your commitment would engender more respect than anything else,” Sethi told them.

Check out Steve and Taylor’s episode here and Geena and James’s episode here.

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People who are well-liked at work tend to be good communicators.

They often know how to talk to all kinds of other people, no matter the setting. Strong communication can help strengthen relationships and build respect in the workplace, says Vanessa Van Edwards, a behavioral researcher and bestselling author who teaches a Harvard University program on “effective organizational communication.”

You can make a couple small changes. to get the most of your interactions with your colleagues — starting with your first greeting to them, says Van Edwards. “Make it a habit to greet people warmly, whether it’s a smile, a nod or a quick, ‘Good morning.’”

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Then, when you’re talking, remember to be cognizant of your inflections, or how you change your vocal pitch and tone, adds Van Edwards, who’s also the instructor of MasterClass’ “People Intelligence” course. “Speak on the downward inflection. Don’t accidentally use uptalk — the question inflection — on a statement. This is especially important on your first impression and when you mention important information,” she says. “Make this a daily habit.”

Other communication tactics could help you become more well-liked at work, too. Here are two more tips from other experts:

Make time for small talk

On the surface, small talk may not seem significant, especially when you’ve got other, more pressing challenges at work. But making time for unimportant conversations can go a long way, according to Lorraine K. Lee, a keynote speaker, LinkedIn Learning instructor, and author of “Unforgettable Presence: Get Seen, Gain Influence, and Catapult Your Career.”

“Highly likable people treat these interactions as meaningful, not optional. They’re present, even during quick exchanges,” Lee wrote for CNBC Make It on Sept. 8. “These moments may feel small on their own, but they compound over time. They humanize you and help build stronger relationships.”

Her advice: The next time you’re eager to rush away from small talk with a colleague, stay a little longer, ask one more question, and be attentive to make a long-lasting impression, she wrote.

Know when to go

Reading the room is a valuable skill, especially during conversations.

If a person is constantly giving you curt, uninterested responses like, “Oh,” “Is that so?” and “Uh huh, right,” don’t try to force the interaction. Instead, drop it and try again at a later time, Boston University clinical psychologist Ellen Hendriksen wrote on March 5.

Usually, when someone is enjoying a chat, they’ll respond with “conversational doorknobs,” Hendriksen wrote. The term, coined by a social scientist named Adam Mastroianni, refers to “anything that piques your interest, reminds you of something else, elicits a question, or is ‘No way! Me, too!’ relatable,” she wrote.

When you’re trying to build relationships, you might view a lack of conversational doorknobs as opportunities to keep speaking or ask more questions. But you won’t be seen as unlikeable or unrelatable if you cut the conversation short, wrote Hendriksen: You might even be viewed as more friendly and relatable.

“Especially for perfectionists, when we’re used to aiming high, lowering the bar might feel wrong, but it allows more friends and potential friends to clear the bar and join in,” she wrote.

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