If you’re suffering from pain and inflammation related to your joints, it’s important to see a doctor so they can identify what the problem is and set a treatment plan for you. You can, however, also try some natural remedies to help ease this discomfort as you work with your doctor.

Try improving your diet

Your diet may play a role in the inflammation that plagues your joints. Try an anti-inflammatory diet, which is close to the Mediterranean Diet, to see if it improves your joint inflammation. These types of diets revolve around fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains, seeds, nuts and healthy fats, with sugar being the main thing to avoid.

Take a warm bath

Soaking in a warm bath may help ease the pain associated with inflammation because it reduces the force of gravity that could be adding to your joint discomfort. It reduces swelling and boosts your circulation, too! One common recommendation is soaking in warm water for about 20 minutes. Just make sure you drink water before and afterward to keep yourself hydrated as warm water can cause you to lose some moisture.

Use a hot pack

As you know, hot and cold packs can help ease pain. However, it can be tricky to decide whether you should use a cold or hot pack for a particular discomfort. Generally, a cold pack is better at easing serious pain after some sort of injury as it reduces swelling. A hot pack, on the other hand, is often better for joint discomfort because it can increase circulation. Be careful not to use a pack that is too hot as you can burn yourself, and never used a hot pack for more than 20 minutes at one time.

Add in some exercise

The idea of exercise can set your teeth on edge if you have joint pain, but in reality, a lack of exercise and movement can make achy joints worse. Draft a low-impact plan to get yourself moving, help ease your joint pain and improve your overall condition. The key here is to not overdo it, which can result in injury, and to work out on a regular basis.

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If you’re dealing with this nerve pain, there are some things you can try to help ease it. Exercise is one, but it can be tough to approach it when you’re already concerned about how you feel. Try these three tips below to get into exercise without increasing your sciatica pain at the same time.

Use heat to stimulate the soft tissues

Apply some heat, such as a hot water bottle, gel pack or a warm bath, to your rear pelvis area about 15 to 20 minutes before you work out. This will improve blood flow to your lower back and help prepare your soft tissues for the activity. Heat boosts flexibility and decreases stiffness by stretching the muscles around the spine.

Start out with low-impact exercises

Don’t overexert yourself if you are new to working out or haven’t exercised in a long time. That’s how you end up injuring yourself or making your nerve pain worse.

Start slow, with just a 10-minute workout, and slowly increase the time as your physical condition improves. Water therapy, for example, is low-impact and can help ease pain related to sciatica. A stationary bike or elliptical machine are other things you can try. Just keep in mind that activities that jar the spine, such as mountain biking or running, can make your sciatica worse and should be avoided.

Watch your form

Your form is, simply put, how you hold yourself when you exercise. A bad form, such as slumping, will impact how the exercise affects your body and can worsen nerve pain and even result in injury. Always pay close attention to the proper form for the exercise you are doing, and be mindful while you work out so you are using the correct form at all times.

Exercising is good for your whole body, not just your sciatica, which is why it’s important to have regular workouts in your weekly routine. Keep in mind that new exercises can bring on some soreness–have ice packs at the ready to decease any inflammation after a workout!

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But, in reality, a lot of us believe some myths about this condition, especially since it’s generally a catch-all sort of term to describe a condition that causes joint and joint-surrounding tissue pain. If you have this condition or just want to be more informed in case it has an impact on your future or that of a loved one, here are some common arthritis myths debunked.

All arthritis is the same

There is actually more than one type of arthritis, with the two most common being rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). RA is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation and impacts bones, joints and some organs, while OA usually impacts the hip, knee and hand joints. OA is the most common form and can cause disability in older people, while those with RA can lose joint function entirely and suffer other symptoms, including fever and exhaustion.

Those with OA can’t predict the weather

You may already know someone who says they can feel a weather change in their joints. While you may roll your eyes, it’s actually possible.

A study in The Journal of Rheumatology sought to discover whether adults with OA were affected by weather changes (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26329341/). Researchers found that humidity changes–especially when it was colder outside–could boost joint pain. They also noted that other weather changes, including rain and even wind speed, could impact joint discomfort for the OA sufferers.

People with arthritis shouldn’t exercise

In fact, regular exercise is essential for keeping joints strong and as healthy as possible. Both cardio and strength training are considered beneficial for those with RA because these activities can help reduce muscle wasting, which is a symptom of this condition. These exercises are also helpful for those with OA because they can help suppress inflammation and boost joint function, reducing pain.

If you have OA or RA and don’t exercise, start as soon as you can. Start off slow–such as ten minutes of moderate activity a day for four to five days a week–and build yourself up from there as it becomes easier to move. Your doctor can also suggest exercises that will help ease your pain and improve your joints while lowering your risk of injury.

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Chances are, if you’ve gone to the doctor for back pain, you probably receive a superficial treatment. If that didn’t work, you may be thinking about trying something more serious, like surgery. Before you do, you should give some natural back pain solutions a try. You never know–one of these could be the answer you were looking for!

Visit a chiropractor

A qualified chiropractor may just be the way to address chronic back pain. A study in the Annals of Internal Medicine, for example, found that chiropractic care was better than medication for those suffering from musculoskeletal pain (https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/0003-4819-156-1-201201030-00002?aimhp=&). Look for a chiropractor who is licensed–your doctor or physical therapist may be able to refer you to someone, too.

Take stretching sessions or yoga classes

Stretching is important, but how you stretch matters, too. Doing it wrong can lead to injury and irritation, while doing it right can provide back pain and other pain relief. This is where stretching classes come in as you can learn to do this the right way. Ask your doctor where to find these classes; if you’re in physical therapy, your therapist should have this information.

Yoga, which also involves a lot of stretching, has been found to offer back pain relief, as evidenced by a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal (https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/0003-4819-155-9-201111010-00003?articleid=1033130). You’ll find yoga classes offered everywhere, from your local gym to online classes.

Get regular massages

When you get a massage, your body releases endorphins, This natural chemical help you relax and eases pain. In one study, people with back pain who had massages over ten weeks experienced better back pain relief than from their usual care routines, and those benefits lasted for six months or more, according to a comparison published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/0003-4819-155-1-201107050-00002?articleid=747008).

Back pain can really eat into your quality of life, but it doesn’t have to! Before you consider invasive options, give some natural remedies a try.

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Stop smoking as soon as you can

Smoking is known to increase the levels of inflammation in your body and is a risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to the Mayo Clinic (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/rheumatoid-arthritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20353648). Smokers also tend to have more serious cases if they do develop RA. In addition, smoking raises your risk of bone fractures and has an overall negative impact on your tendons and bones. In short, this is one lifestyle factor that can impact many parts of the body.

Keep your weight in check

People who are obese or overweight are at a higher risk of joint damage and pain because of the increased pressure on the joints. They are also at higher risk of developing conditions such as osteoarthritis. Keeping your weight at a healthy level will reduce the load on your joints.

Of course, this doesn’t mean you should go on a risky crash diet. Instead, focus on making better food choices and introducing more exercise and physical movement into your daily routine.

Don’t wear impractical shoes all day

Some styles of shoes, such as high heels, simply aren’t meant to be worn every day. This may seem strange, but the height of your heels and the shoe’s flexibility can play a role in how well your joints age. You should consider wearing shoes with the lowest heel possible on most occasions. In addition, your shoes should have the cushioning and support needed for the activity you’re wearing them for. For jogging, for example, you need supportive, sturdier shoes meant for running. The type of footwear you have and when you wear it can have an impact on the burden your joints will have to bear.

Warm up and cool down in exercise

Warm up a bit before you work out and do a cool-down afterward. This can help improve your flexibility and range of motion and reduce the chance of an injury. Make sure your workout routine is one that doesn’t punish your joints, either. If you’re not sure where yours falls, ask a trainer at your gym to review your current routine.

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Basically, when someone mentions a slipped disc, they’re referring to an intervertebral disc found in the spine that has lost its consistency and/or strength. This tends to happen when the soft material inside the disc, the nucleus pulposus, leaks or bulges out of its external covering, known as the annulus fibrosus. Many medical terms, including torn disc, ruptured disc and herniated disc, are used interchangeably with slipped disc.

It helps to think of your intervertebral discs as shock absorbers for your spine, which are there to help transfer loads easily. When you have a slipped disc, that entire segment of motion — including blood vessels, connective tissue, nearby vertebrae and nerves — can be affected. Slipped discs can occur in the neck but are most commonly found in the lower back.

What causes a slipped disc?

There are various causes behind slipped discs, but the most common are age, since the disc naturally degrades as you age, and some sort of trauma to the disc, such as lifting something heavy the wrong way, according to the Mayo Clinic (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/herniated-disk/symptoms-causes/syc-20354095).

Slipped discs fall under two categories, contained and uncontained. A contained slipped disc means there is leakage from the inside of the disc but it does not extend behind the most exterior part. In an uncontained disc, the fluid is leaking outside the disc completely.

Pain from a slipped disc

Slipped discs can cause pain in the area near where they found, such as the back, or even in a more distant location like a leg. They can also cause nerve pain because of irritation from the leaking fluid and/or compression of the nerve roots. Some people don’t experience serious symptoms, while others have chronic pain.

If you are experiencing back pain from what could be a slipped disc, it’s important to see your doctor. They will be able to rule out other potential causes of your pain and help you form a plan to ease the symptoms and prevent any further spinal cord or nerve damage. Your doctor will explain many of your treatment options to you so you can get back to enjoying a more pain-free life.

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Previous animal studies have shown that consuming pomegranate extract reduced the severity and rate of collagen-induced arthritis seen in mice. However, there is now more research into whether it can decrease joint disease in humans with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and the results so far have been positive.

A study published in the Israeli Medical Association Journal (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21910371/) saw eight patients receive 10 ml of extract from a pomegranate each day for a total of 12 weeks. The joint status and serum oxidative status–this is something that is known to change in RA patients–were reviewed at the start and end of the study.

After the study, researchers found that the patients had a reduction in their composite Disease Activity Index by 17 percent, a 62-percent reduction in tender joint count, and a significant reduction in their serum oxidative status, which means there was a reduction in inflammatory response.

The pulp and juice of pomegranates have been studied before for their potential joint and heart health benefits. The primary source of these benefits is from the fruit’s antioxidant content, particularly ellagitannin compounds such as punicalins and punicalagins. In fact, a 2008 study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry compared the potency of various polyphenol-rich beverages, and pomegranate came out of top of the ten juices studied (https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf073035s). It was found to have a potency of at least 20 percent greater than all the other juices studied, which included blueberry juice, acai juice and concord grape juice. In the end, pomegranate won out because it had the most of just about every type of known antioxidant.

Of course, as beneficial as pomegranate juice is, be aware that like many fruit juices, it contains high amounts of a sugar known as fructose. It’s easy to forget that many fruit juices are jam-packed with sugar. If you do decide to add some of this juice into your diet, be sure to use no-sugar-added varieties, and be mindful of how much sugar you are consuming overall. Too much sugar can lead to other health problems, such as diabetes, and offset your gains from the juice.

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When you have pain going from your lower back right down your leg, it can be tough to imagine even attempting a workout. However, it’s still important you get up and moving–especially since getting more fit may help ease some of that pain. Before you begin to exercise with sciatica, here are some tips to get you off to a good start.

Use heat therapy

Apply some heat to your rear pelvis before you work out for about 15 minutes. This will boost blood flow and bring healing nutrients to your lower back, as noted in the BMC medical journal (https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13063-015-0800-4). The heat can also increase flexibility and ease stiffness in the muscles around your spine.

You’ve got multiple heat options, including a warm bath, a gel pack or a hot water bottle. Make sure you put a towel between the heat source and your skin to prevent burning and irritation, and take short breaks to prevent a burn.

Go low impact

If you didn’t really exercise much before, you don’t want to overdo it. You could end up injuring yourself or really making your sciatica flare up. Start as slowly as you need to–such as with five- to ten-minute workouts–and slowly work your way up to a longer time. There are simple sciatica exercises you can find on the internet and try at home, or you could use machines such as the elliptical or a stationary bike with back support. Avoid activities that may jar your spine, such as mountain biking or running, because these types of activities can make your sciatica worse.

Mind your form

Pay attention to your form when you work out and make sure you are doing all the steps to the exercise correctly. A poor form can lead to injury. Be mindful of your movements and breathing, too, as this can help distract you from the anxiety and pain sciatica can bring.

Of course, any new exercise can bring some soreness with it. Use an ice pack on any sore areas you have after you work out so you can reduce some of the inflammation and ease any discomfort.

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Stop smoking if you haven’t already

Tobacco use in general puts you at a higher risk of developing everything from cancer to heart problems. What you may not know is that smoking can impact your joints, too. When you smoke, it increases inflammation across your entire body, including your joints. Smoking also makes it more difficult for your body to heal and recover from an injury.

Of course, giving up those cigarettes or cigars is never easy. Talk to your doctor about your quitting options, and look for smoking cessation groups in your area for more support.

Drink more water

You may not connect water to joint health, but the cartilage in your body is composed of about 80 percent water, and this is what helps to cushion your joints. When you become dehydrated, your body will take water from other areas of your body, including your cartilage. This can wreck havoc on your joints, especially if you are regularly dehydrated.

There’s disagreement in the scientific and medical communities over how much water you should drink each day. Use your body as a guide. if you are thirsty, drink water. If you do sports, exercise or work somewhere hot, increase your water intake to replace the moisture you are losing in sweat.

Adjust your weight

Your joints are only meant to handle a certain amount of force. If you’re overweight, it’s likely you’re putting a lot of additional stress on your joints. For every ten pounds of extra weight you are carrying, for example, you’re adding from 20 to 39 pounds onto your knees. If you are underweight, you may not have the muscle bulk you need to keep your joints stable and strong.

Work with a doctor or dietitian to find a healthy eating plan if your weight is not where it should be. Your joints will thank you for it!

The post How To Protect Your Joints As You Age appeared first on Dr Asa Andrew.

While there’s no magic cure for your back pain, there are some natural things you can try to ease your discomfort.

See a chiropractor

A qualified chiropractic can help with many types of chronic pain, including back pain. One study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal, found that care from a chiropractor could be just as effective or better than medication in some cases of musculoskeletal pain (https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/0003-4819-156-1-201201030-00002?aimhp=&).

Stretch it out

A lot of us don’t stretch – or when we do, we don’t do it properly. Stretching the wrong way can actually cause muscle strain and irritation, so it’s important to get it right. Proper stretching on a regular basis can help people suffering from back pain, particularly if tense muscles are a contributing factor to the discomfort.

There are assisted stretching sessions offered at some health centers and facilities, and these professionals can tailor a stretching routine meant to address your source of pain. You’ll learn the right way to stretch through a series of guarded movements.

Start strength training

Establish a regular strength-training routine. This will help strengthen your core muscles and your back, which is necessary to prevent injury and ease pain. You can work with a fitness instructor at a gym to develop a safe yet effective program.

Add in yoga

Yoga is known for promoting flexibility and your core muscles, and it has been shown to help people with back pain. As with stretching and strength training, it’s important to do yoga properly to reap the benefits and avoid injury, so you should work with an instructor.

Pencil in a massage

When you get a massage, your body releases “feel-good” chemicals known as endorphins. These chemicals relieve pain and help you relax more. A licensed massage therapist will also have suggestions and advice on how to improve your posture–poor posture is a known contributor to back pain–and reduce the tension in your muscles.

If you’re suffering from back pain, try one or all of the natural remedies above. You don’t have anything to lose, and you just might find something that really works for you!

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Walking poles, also known as hiking poles, are very common in Europe. They’re especially popular in Austria and Switzerland, where older adults use them to walk quickly over the alpine hillsides. But they’ve been catching in the US as well, probably because they are actually useful in a variety of ways–especially for those with joint problems–and offer more of a workout than you may think.

First of all, walking poles can help you burn more calories during your walk because the pole makes you put your upper body to work. When you’re hiking, these poles make it easier to go uphill and improve your form because they help you keep your momentum forward, with your arms and chest out in the front. You can also use them to better keep your balance and improve stability when you’re moving over rougher terrain or having balance issues.

As noted by the Mayo Clinic, if you back problems or arthritis, walking poles can help keep you moving because they take some of the burden off of your knees, hips and lower back (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/walking-poles/faq-20057943).

The Arthritis Foundation also states that if you have any joint injuries in your back or the lower part of your body, walking poles can help absorb some of that impact each time you step, especially when you are headed downhill (https://www.arthritis.org/health-wellness/healthy-living/physical-activity/walking/why-try-nordic-walking).

Walking poles are becoming more common in the US, likely because of all of the benefits they offer, and they are simple to use. Most pole sets have rubber tips at each end meant to grab the pavement, along with wrist straps toward the top that secure them to your arms.

When you go to walk with the poles, you simply grip the handles and push off every time you take a stride. To find the right set of poles for you, consider your height and stride length. Generally, your elbows are meant to be at about 90 degrees when you hold the pole ends by your toes, although this may vary depending on your comfort level.

To ease the impact of walking on your joints and add some zing to your workout, try walking poles today. It’s an easy way to get yourself up and moving, especially if you’re experiencing joint trouble.

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I think, at one time, we all have those pains, especially when it comes to our backs. One common condition that many people have is sciatica, although they might not realize that’s what it is.

As explained by the Mayo Clinic, sciatica is discomfort that is in the lower back or hip that goes down into your backside and along the back part of your leg right to your foot (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sciatica/symptoms-causes/syc-20377435). It comes from some sort of issue with your sciatic nerve–these two nerves are the longest in your body–such as a pinch or compression due to strain or an injury. A herniated back disc can also cause sciatica by pressing on the nerve.

This condition can cause a lot of symptoms. You might feel as if you have a leg cramp that gets worse when you sneeze, sit or cough. It can cause numbness or burning in the legs and muscle weakness. Loss of bladder or bowel control is a rare but known serious complication of sciatica, so if you experience this, seek emergency treatment right away.

Fortunately, sciatica tends to go away on its own after a few weeks, although some people will experience it more than once, depending on the cause and whether that cause has been addressed, if possible. If you have this condition, there are some treatment options that can help ease your discomfort.

A study review published in the Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine medical journal found that acupuncture, for example, was effective in treating sciatica pain (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4575738/#). To find a trained and licensed acupuncturist near your home, use the provider search on the official website of the The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture. Yoga, in certain forms, may also help, as noted by Healthline (https://www.healthline.com/health/yoga-for-sciatica). Therapeutic yoga can help stretch and strengthen back muscles, which might contributing to your sciatica.

In some cases, back surgery for a herniated disc may relieve your sciatica, but this is usually a last-resort option because it’s invasive and does come with risks. If you have severe sciatica that has been going on nonstop for months, be sure to speak to your doctor about it.

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Back in the 1970s, researchers came forward and said the cracking noise from your joints comes from bubbles in your joint fluid popping. That’s sounds pretty scary, and it led to generations of us thinking that if we kept popping those bubbles, we’d have joint problems later in life. However, as it turns out, new research has emerged suggesting this might not be happening when your joints crack.

As reported by Time Magazine, a study published in the PLOS One journal disputes the long-held bubble pop theory (https://time.com/3529225/cracking-knuckles-arthritis/). The researchers in this study used MRI video to observe a joint that was being cracked. According to the video, it appears the sound actually comes from bubbles forming and not popping. As the joint separates, there’s no fluid to fill up the increasing volume in the joint. This appears to create a cavity, and it’s the creation of that cavity that makes the cracking sound.

In addition, it also appears that cracking your knuckle joints does not increase the risk of you developing osteoarthritis in your hands. All of your joints, including those in the knuckle, are surrounded by the synovial membrane. This forms a capsule around your bones’ ends. Inside the membrane is synovial fluid, which acts a shock absorber and lubricant so your bones aren’t grinding together when they move.

When you have osteoarthritis, your joint damage is being damaged over time and your synovial fluid is reduced. The stiffness and pain you feel is from your bones coming into direct contact with each other as synovial fluid and cartridge diminishes.

It was believed that cracking your joints posed a risk for people with osteoarthritis or increased your risk of developing it. When you crack your knuckles continually, the synovial membrane and ligaments loosen, making joint cracking easier.

However, the research done in this area has failed to show any link between osteoarthritis in your hands and knuckle cracking. In a study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine involving more than 200 people, the incidence of osteoarthritis in any joint was the same among people who cracked their knuckles and people who didn’t (https://www.jabfm.org/content/24/2/169).

Of course, this doesn’t mean you’re good to crack joints constantly. Doing so could lead to injuries and damage to surrounding ligaments, so this is one bad habit we all need to break!

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Common in adults, back pain is famously difficult to treat. People go for years suffering from it, and while it has many causes, sitting for long periods of time with poor posture is a primary one according to Start Standing (https://www.startstanding.org/sitting-back-pain/). While standing may seem less relaxing than sitting, you actually put 40 to 90 percent more stress on your back when you sit than when you stand, reports Cornell University (http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/DEA3250Flipbook/DEA3250notes/sitting.html).

There’s no one magic cure for back pain, but you can do some exercises to help ease your discomfort. One is a modified “Founder” exercise, part of a program designed by chiropractic physician Dr. Eric Goodman. This exercise is meant for anyone with back pain and might work particularly well for those who experience pain all the time or have a limited range of motion.

Each position below is held for 10 to 20 seconds, and Dr. Goodman recommends people do them anywhere from 10 to 20 times each day if possible.

•       Stand facing a chair with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lightly squat, pushing your backside back and keeping your back entirely straight. Put the fingertips on both of your hands on the front edge of the chair’s seat.
•       With slightly bent knees and your weight on your heels, walk your fingertips over the seat and away from you, pushing your hips back.
•       Once you’ve hit your stretch limit, raise your torso and extend your lower spine. Push your hands out from behind you so you can widen your chest as much as possible. Keep your shoulder blades squeezed together.
•       Move your arms forward and as high overhead as you can. Thumbs should be pointed inward, and you should push your backside out to lengthen your back. You will feel your back pressure intensify. Use your hamstrings by squeezing your knees together and slightly straightening your legs.
•       Stand up slowly, lowering your arms as your torso rises.

One way to gauge how well you are doing this exercise is by how much you sweat. The more you engage your muscles, the greater the exertion and the more sweat that results. Use this simple exercise to help shore up your back muscles and ease your pain over time.

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Obesity has been linked to several serious health conditions, including heart disease and diabetes, but now it looks like we may have to add osteoarthritis to the mix.

Joint pain and arthritis are common in people who are obese or overweight, and researchers have found some evidence that inflammation bodywide may be driven by your gut microbiome. An unbalanced diet can be a factor here because such a diet will create an imbalance in your gut microbiome.

As reported by Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center discovered that obese mice had more harmful gut bacteria than lean mice, and this appeared to cause inflammation throughout their bodies which led to joint degeneration (https://www.genengnews.com/topics/omics/obese-microbiome-may-be-real-cause-of-wear-and-tear-arthritis/). While a prebiotic supplement did not help the obese mice to lose any weight, it did reverse other symptoms, making the joints of the obese mice appear the same as the joints in the lean mice.

Increased joint degeneration is also an issue in people who are more sedentary, and it may be set off by the weakening of cartilage and leg muscles caused by inactivity. Interestingly, previous studies have found that physical activity alters the composition of the gut microbiome regardless of what type of diet is followed. One study, according to Medical News Today, found that mice who exercised had an increase in production of fatty acids that are known to benefit colon health (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320264).

With all the benefits for your joints and overall health, aiming for a healthy gut microbiome just makes sense. Eating a healthy diet of lean protein and natural, unprocessed foods can go a long way here, but changing your current eating habits will be difficult, especially when you first start out. Begin by mapping out your meals in advance. This will make it easier to shop and help you avoid fast food and other last-minute meal purchases, and it could save you some money, too!

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