Ultra-processed foods are everywhere. Here's how to avoid them. NPR health correspondent Maria Godoy lays out how to recognize ultra-processed foods, why you might want to eat less of them and how to actually do that. Listen to the episode. 

5 steps to cooking healthy food on a budget. Minding your budget while eating the foods that nourish you takes a little planning — but it's possible. Dietitian Shana Spence shares her tips to help you shop and keep your fridge stocked without breaking the bank. Read the story. 

Tips to help you eat more fiber. Rethink your relationship with fiber, the dietary superhero of food — and learn clever ways to add more of it to your diet. Read the story. 

How to eat more like a vegetarian — even if you're not one. Meat production takes a heavy toll on the environment. Here's how to dial back your meat intake and make a big impact. Read the story.

Got something you want to share with Life Kit? Email us at lifekit@npr.org. These letters from our listeners and readers have been edited for length and clarity.

Last week, conflict resolution facilitator and author Priya Parker shared the idea of “magical questions” — queries that cut through small talk and inspire people to share themselves. We asked you for your own magical questions. Here are some of our favorites. 

I am a registered nurse in a surgical recovery unit. I have short, but intimate encounters with post-op patients. I like to ask them what is on the menu when they get home. It stimulates conversation about comfort foods, cravings and their experience of fasting before their surgery. —Lori Barker 

Do you like your name? —Norma Schmelling 

If you had theme music, what would it be? Like, if you were to walk into a room in a movie, what song would be playing? —Rachael Jett-Barbieri 

If money or time were no object, where would you like to travel? —Madeline Greer 

Do you believe in ghosts? —Michelle Davitt

What’s the first car you owned? —Lisa Christian