You don’t need to eat a big slab of meat every day to meet your protein needs. In fact, loading up on animal-based protein, especially from factory-farmed sources, can do more harm than good.

Studies show that an excessive amount of red meat can lead to increased inflammation, accelerated aging, and increased risk of chronic disease. One major culprit? A sugar molecule called “Neu5Gc,” commonly found in red meat. Your body sees it as a foreign invader, triggering an immune response that can lead to long-term inflammation.

Of course, you should always consult with your doctor before making any drastic changes to your diet. But for many people, plant-based protein can be a powerful alternative that’s packed with benefits like fiber, healthy fats, and anti-inflammatory polyphenols.

Plus, research has continuously shown that non-meat protein sources can be better for your health and longevity. Here are six high-protein foods I recommend to patients — and am a fan of myself.

Lentils are my top choice when it comes to legumes. They’re one of the most protein-rich legumes, with fewer calories than most. They’re also higher in resistant starch and prebiotic fiber, which feed your gut microbiome.

Pro tip: Soak or pressure-cook lentils to reduce lectins, which can impact or slow down nutrient absorption. You can add lentils to soups, stews, or homemade veggie burgers.

Hemp seeds are one of the rare plant-based proteins that contain all nine essential amino acids, making them a complete protein.

They’re rich in omega-3s, magnesium, and gut-friendly fiber. Just be sure to choose organic, cold-pressed hemp protein with no added sugars.

Pro tip: Trader Joe’s sells organic hemp protein power, which I like adding to smoothies. You can find hemp hearts at Costco — perfect on salads or roasted vegetables.

Native to Brazil’s Cerrado region, Barù nuts pack more protein per serving than nearly any other nut. They’re also full of antioxidants and fiber, and have a satisfying, earthy crunch.

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Pro tip: You can usually find Barù nuts at grocery stores, but if you don’t, try looking online. I love snacking on a handful daily. They taste like a cross between peanuts and almonds.

This blue-green algae is one of the most protein-dense foods on the planet (by weight, it’s nearly 70% protein). It contains iron, B vitamins, and a powerful antioxidant called phycocyanin that helps support brain and immune function.

Pro tip: Try adding spirulina to your smoothies or juices. You can also substitute it with chlorella, another nutrient-rich algae, in powder or tablet form.

Flaxseeds don’t get enough love, but they’re a fantastic source of plant protein, omega-3s, and lignans, which have hormone-balancing benefits.

When flaxseeds are in their whole form, you cannot digest their beneficial compound, so always choose ground flaxseeds.

Pro tip: I like to keep a bag of organic whole flax in the refrigerator and grind it as needed to ensure freshness (just like you’d only grind coffee beans right before brewing). Add to smoothies, sprinkle on salads, or try my cinnamon flaxseed mug in a muffin recipe for a quick, healthy breakfast.

Sick of quinoa or couscous? Sorghum is a protein-rich ancient grain with a subtly sweet, nutty flavor. One cup has 21 grams of protein (more than twice that of quinoa), and three ounces of sorghum has more iron than a serving of steak!

Even better? It’s a great source of polyphenols and one of the few lectin-free grains.

Pro tip: Use sorghum flour for gluten-free baking, or look for it in pasta form for a high-protein, plant-forward meal.

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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By some standards, Angela and Brian are fulfilling the American Dream. 

The 52-year-olds were high school sweethearts, have been married for 28 years, raised four children and will soon be empty nesters. They have a net worth of $1.57 million, including nearly $900,000 invested.

But Angela isn’t satisfied with their life. 

“I just worry that life is passing us by, and we can be doing and spending more on life,” she wrote in her application to appear on author and self-made millionaire Ramit Sethi’s “Money for Couples” podcast. The couple joined Sethi for a recent episode, seeking advice to work through differences in their feelings around money. Their last names were not used.

“We never eat out. Vacations are once a year. He always thinks we are poor. I need someone to tell him that we are OK money-wise,” Angela wrote.

Brian disagrees. “I think she feels that we’re at a comfortable place financially right now for our plan going forward,” he said on the podcast. “I don’t see that. I think we just need more. I wish I would’ve started [investing] much earlier.”

Here’s Sethi’s advice for them.

Brian and Angela earn $188,000 a year and have $294,000 in debt between their mortgage and car payments. Their fixed costs account for 72% of their monthly income.

Sethi generally recommends these costs not exceed 50% to 60% of your income, but Angela and Brian have been paying extra on their mortgage, so they have some wiggle room, he said.

However, Brian and Angela’s most frequent financial disagreements revolve around relatively small money decisions, like groceries and dining out. 

Angela does the shopping and financial management, so she has a good idea of what they can afford, the couple told Sethi. But Brian constantly nitpicks her purchases. Angela wants to go out to dinner or drinks more frequently, but Brian almost always says no.

“We’re living too little of a life, is the problem,” Angela said. Sethi agreed, and said the shrinking “didn’t happen all at once. It happened $2 at a time.” That’s the “hidden cost of decades of frugality,” he added.

It’s wise to live within your means, no matter your income. But Brian’s frugality, including his resistance to spend on things that will make his wife happier, seems to come at the expense of their relationship, Sethi said.

“First, you [budget] for a reason. Then, you do it out of habit. And sometimes, you start to believe you don’t deserve anything else,” Sethi said. “It goes beyond saving money on coffee. And sometimes in situations like this, you start to realize how narrow your life has become.”

While Angela would like to retire in the next five years, she fears Brian will feel like he needs to work “till he is 80,” she said.

Sethi walked the couple through retirement projections to show how their investments could change if they decide to put away more each month or retire later. But he warned that the financial logistics won’t matter so much if they can’t get on the same page about how they want to spend their time and money.

“The two of you have so many different options,” Sethi said. “But I don’t think any of it happens if you’re not actually connected, starting right now.”

In addition to showing them that they can afford the date nights and some of the immediate travel Angela would like to do, Sethi encouraged Brian to initiate planning nights out so he can get as excited about a date as Angela. And when Angela asks him to try a new restaurant or activity, “sometimes we just have to say yes and our feelings change later,” Sethi said.

Brian agreed he needs to “not give in, but compromise,” he said. “I think I need to be a better husband and compromise and rebuild the foundation of this relationship.”

Even if it’s small things like going out for coffee, planned activities together will help the couple start “getting those adventurous feelings back,” Sethi said.

They’re currently on track to have nearly $1.5 million in investments if they retire in five years and could see that value surpass $2 million if they wait 10 years. But either way, they are able to afford reasonable outings and activities, he told them.

“Whether it’s joining a group together or trying some new stuff, that brings you way closer,” Sethi said.

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President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday allowing alternative assets such as private equity, cryptocurrencies and real estate into workplace retirement plans.

The entrance of private equity investments — funds that invest in non-publicly traded businesses — into workplace plans is a big win for the world’s largest money managers, who stand to profit from expansion of access to an asset class that has historically been available only to wealthy investors.

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink in particular has been an advocate for opening the doors to private equity, arguing in his most recent annual shareholder letter that “democratizing” private markets could provide market-beating long-term returns for American workers.

But while these new investments can offer tantalizing profits, they also pose a major risk for long-term retirement savers, some investor advocates say.

“The objective for the average person is to have a safe, secure retirement plan,” says Jerry Schlichter, founding partner of Schlichter Bogard, a firm known for lawsuits on behalf of employees over excessive fees in 401(k) plans. “When you talk about new areas like cryptocurrency or private equity, these are fraught with danger for investors for a variety of reasons.”

To be clear, Schlichter and other financial pros don’t deny these assets’ potential to make investors money. They just may not be appropriate for everyday investors’ retirement accounts, they say.

“It’s a square peg in a round hole,” Schlichter says.

Investing experts generally advise parking your core, long-term portfolio in a diversified mix of assets that have delivered proven, consistent returns over the long-term — decades, at least. Given the stock market’s historical upward trajectory, a broad stock market index mutual fund would fit the bill of an appropriate 401(k) investment option, Schlichter says.

Under this framework, the argument against crypto’s inclusion in workplace plans is clear. Although certain cryptocurrencies have delivered impressive returns, the asset class hasn’t been around long enough to have proven itself as a safe option for investors.

“There’s no long-term performance history for cryptocurrency, and the short- to intermediate-term has been all over the place,” says Schlichter. “This is not the kind of investment that people want and deserve when they need to have something that’s protected for their years in retirement.”

The case against private equity is a little more complicated. As the name implies, private equity funds invest in a manner similar to mutual funds, but instead of holding shares in publicly-traded companies, they hold stakes in firms that aren’t yet on the market.

It’s not hard to imagine how investors in such funds can earn impressive returns. Just think how well you could have done if you owned a piece of Tesla or Nvidia before the firms went public.

For now, investment in such funds is typically reserved for accredited investors — generally those with annual incomes above $200,000 or a net worth north of $1 million.

The argument from Fink and others is that opening 401(k) plans to these investments would allow everyday investors to get in on the same return potential that the only the wealthy currently enjoy. Fink says in his letter that pension funds, many of which invest in private equity, tend to outperform 401(k)s, but experts debate whether private funds actually outperform market indexes on a long-term basis.

“There’s nothing wrong with [nontraditional 401(k) investments], but you have to know what you own,” says Sam Stovall, chief investment strategist at CFRA. “What is it that you’re buying? What are your expectations for this investment? And if it goes through a slump, what are you going to do then?”

For regular investors, who may not be familiar with how private equity works, there are a few key pitfalls to consider before buying.

They’re expensive

An investment’s fees eat into the returns you earn from it. And while private equity advocates argue that their returns are worth it, these funds have a very high hurdle to clear. Under one popular model, a private equity fund may charge a 2% annual fee, plus 20% of the fund’s profits over a certain threshold.

Compare that with an index fund, which mirrors the return of the market while charging fractions of a percent in fees. “They’re almost free these days,” says Schlichter.

They’re illiquid

Say you want to pull money out of your 401(k) plan. If you own a stock or bond fund, that’s generally an easy ask. Stocks or bonds that you ostensibly own are sold and you get your cash.

That’s not so easy with private equity, which often has set holding periods and limits on how much investors can redeem.

“If there’s a desire to pull out of private equity, there isn’t a way to actually sell that company or sell shares — there’s just no market for it,” says Charles Rotblut, vice president of the American Association of Individual Investors.

That could mean that owners of private equity funds in 401(k)s could have trouble selling shares quickly, either to raise cash or to buy another investment. Or, Schlichter posits, such funds could choose to keep some cash on hand for redemptions, instead of investing it, which could dampen returns.

They’re tough to understand

Private equity funds aren’t as heavily regulated as exchange-traded funds and mutual funds and are therefore generally less transparent about their investment strategies.

That may leave everyday investors at sea as they try to understand complex strategies, which may include investing with leverage, trading derivatives or taking highly concentrated positions in private companies.

None of that is to say that, over a period of decades, a particular private equity fund won’t outperform the market. But when it comes to your 401(k), the message is simple, says Schlichter: “If you don’t understand the investment, you shouldn’t depend on it for your retirement assets.”

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Maddie Baker, 27, will be the first to admit she was an impulsive spender when she started teaching kindergarteners six years ago.

She bought coffee at least once a day, frequently shopped for new clothes and spent lavishly on vacations she says she “probably had no business going on.”

“Any day that I had a hard day at teaching, I would immediately go from my job to a store,” the now first-grade teacher tells CNBC Make It. “The way I was coping with hard days was by spending money.”

Baker isn’t alone. Almost half of American consumers say they make purchases to boost their mood, according to LendingTree survey data released in July. Emotional spending isn’t always bad, either. It can provide temporary comfort or a needed mood boost. However, it can also lead to financial strain.

Baker says her impulsive spending got so out of hand, she found herself in “horrible cycles” of living paycheck to paycheck to avoid going into credit card debt. Nationally, almost three-quarters of emotional shoppers admit they’ve spent more than they intended, and 44% say it’s negatively impacted their financial well-being, LendingTree found.

It took Baker three years to get her spending under control, she says. Today, she’s very intentional with how she spends her money and has even developed new hobbies from habits she’s built to save money.

“I remember just waking up every single day, and the stress of finances was just really getting me down,” says Baker, who was making around $50,000 a year at the time. “It became so stressful.”

Nearly Baker’s entire paycheck would go directly toward paying off her credit card. Because she was paid once a month, that often left her with little to live on — forcing her to rely on the card for new expenses and trapping her in a constant cycle of borrowing from herself.

She tried everything to earn extra cash. She tutored kids during her summer breaks, tried selling her clothes and donating her plasma, but none of it seemed to sustain her lifestyle, she says.

Baker got her spending under control three years into teaching through a tax refund that allowed her to pay off her credit card bill without using her paycheck. Now, she keeps enough in her checking account to pay her credit card bill every month without having to rely on an incoming paycheck.

“It took a total restart and being tired of the cycle I was in, in order to do something about it,” she says.

Young adults are particularly susceptible to overspending when they’re online or bombarded with bad news, Ylva Baeckström, a senior lecturer in finance at King’s Business School, said in 2024. Overwhelming feelings can lead to unhealthy spending habits as a way to cope or find relief, Baeckström said.

To avoid overspending, “one of the biggest things you can do is take a beat,” Keith Barron, a personal finance expert and former head of marketing at Jenius Bank, said in 2024.

Rather than heading straight to checkout when shopping online, try adding the item to a wish list and waiting a day or two. This brief delay can help you decide whether you genuinely want or need the item, Barron said.

Today, Baker is working toward building an emergency fund and saving for a house, and says she’s way more intentional about what she decides to spend money on.

On top of learning how to spend less impulsively, she says she’s found alternatives to save money and a side hustle creating videos on TikTok to bring in more income. Her silver lining: Many of the activities that started as a way to save have become hobbies as well.

She enjoys painting her own nails, making lattes at home and meal prepping to avoid eating out. On TikTok, she earns up to $2,000 a month from sharing videos about her life as a teacher.

“All of these things happened because I had the mindset of, ‘I need to save more money, and I need to spend less money,’” she says.

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After 23 years of marriage and raising kids together, I’ve learned that being a great partner involves structure and intention.

I’ve walked the path myself, from being a breadwinning husband who did little at home to becoming the go-to household manager in a marriage with three kids and a powerhouse executive spouse. Through my platform, Modern Husbands, I also help couples build the systems they need to manage money and domestic responsibilities as a team.

Couples in the most successful relationships, including my wife and I, do six things for each other without question. If you do them all, you’ll be happier than most.

Men today face mixed signals: Be the breadwinner, but also do half the housework (and don’t expect any recognition). That confusion leads to imbalance at home.

In our household, we assign responsibilities based on skills, passions, and goals — not gender. I manage our finances because it’s my professional background. I also cook because I love it.

What matters is creating a system that reflects your family’s goals, not outdated roles.

Throughout our marriage, we have taken turns assuming the roles of “gardener” and “rose.”

The gardener nourishes the environment at home so the rose can blossom in their career. The gardener is the domestic safety net who handles unplanned problems. That might look like being the “parent on call” for doctor appointments and emergencies.

Deliberately and thoughtfully sharing supportive roles in each other’s career dreams can prevent the silent resentment that arises when one partner repeatedly makes small, unplanned sacrifices for the sake of the other’s career and the household.

Just like a weekly business meeting, having regular check-ins with your partner can change everything.

Find a quiet time, when emotions are low and focus is high. Walk together, grab coffee, or sit down for 15 minutes to align on schedules, financial goals, and responsibilities.

If you want to take it further, plan annual retreats to reflect, set goals, and recommit to working as a team. 

Success in a relationship shouldn’t rely on constant effort. Set up systems that make good decisions the default. 

A few examples: Set joint savings goals, then automate transfers to a high-yield account at a different bank; delete spending apps from your phone; and turn off auto-fill on social media to reduce impulse buys.

I often recommend utilizing household management systems like Fair Play to assign clear roles, promote an equitable and efficient distribution of the mental load, and prevent miscommunication. The Fair Play system consists of three key elements:

1. Conception: Generating the idea or identifying the need for a task in the household or family system.
2. Planning: Mapping out the steps, resources, and timeline needed to complete the task effectively.
3. Execution: Carrying out the task from start to finish with full ownership and follow-through.

We have financial and domestic labor systems for our home to give ourselves more time to spend with each other, to talk about everyday life. When we talk about our day, we put our phones away and we stick to the rule of not speaking about the business of our home. 

The approach we like to use on our evening walks after dinner is the rose, thorn, and bud prompt. We each share the highlight of our day (rose), any issues or frustrations (thorn), and the time we spent investing in our future (bud).

It takes trust to work together to manage money and the home. Take, for instance, a spending limit that is not honored or picking up a prescription from the grocery store. Failing to follow through can have real consequences.

Continually breaking the promise that comes with a family budget or doing chores can lead to resentment and even contempt.

The most important thing to remember is that great relationships aren’t built on luck. They’re built on shared goals and a willingness to evolve together. 

Brian Page is the founder of Modern Husbands, a company dedicated to helping couples manage both financial and home responsibilities as a team. He holds a master’s degree in education and is certified as both an Accredited Financial Counselor® and a Fair Play Certified® domestic labor specialist.

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