Dietitian comment provided by registered dietitian Melissa Jaeger, head of nutrition at MyFitnessPal.

In recent weeks, we’ve asked dietitians to share the healthiest type of egg, rank the best breads, and tell us once and for all whether wholemeal pasta is always better than plain.

And this week, we’re speaking to registered dietitian Melissa Jaeger about cheese.

Is it ever good for us? If so, what are the best kinds? And how do the pros make cheese healthier?

“Cheese can absolutely be part of a balanced diet and offers several nutritional benefits. It’s an excellent source of high-quality protein and rich in calcium, which supports bone health,” Jaeger told us.

Calcium aside, its vitamin K content also helps to support your bones.

It contains vitamin B12, riboflavin, zinc, vitamin A, and phosphorus, too – “all nutrients that play vital roles in overall health”.

“There’s even an interesting benefit for dental health: eating cheese can increase pH levels in your mouth, leading to lower acid levels and less enamel breakdown, whilst calcium and phosphorus are boosted in saliva after consumption, helping to remineralise teeth,” the dietitian added.

But yes, there are some downsides.

“Cheese does contain 6 to 10g of fat per ounce, with more than half coming from saturated fat… guidelines recommend keeping saturated fat to around 7% of total calories (roughly 10-20g depending on your calorie needs),” Jaeger said.

“Elevated saturated fat intake can contribute to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, so it’s worth being mindful of portion sizes.”

Jaeger said that different cheeses have different nutritional benefits, so it really depends on your goals.

“Swiss cheese stands out for having the lowest sodium content at around 55mg per ounce, making it a smart choice if you’re watching salt intake,” she said.

And if you’re trying to up your protein intake, sheep’s milk cheese contains “75% to 100% more protein than cow’s milk cheese and offers higher levels of phosphorus, vitamin B6, vitamin E, and calcium”.

Goat’s cheese also contains more protein on average than cow’s milk cheese (though less than sheep’s milk cheese), and is also higher in calcium, niacin, potassium, and iron.

Fresh goat’s cheese, or chèvre, “is a lighter option with only 4g of saturated fat per ounce”.

Lastly, if you have issues digesting lactose, you might benefit from trying harder cheeses.

“These are often well-tolerated because lactose is removed with the whey during cheese production, and what remains is broken down further during the ageing process,” said the dietitian.

Goats’ and sheep’s milk is also a little easier to digest, too.

If you do want to reduce your saturated fat intake, some naturally lower-fat versions include fresh goat’s cheese (chèvre), hard Parmesan, or feta, said the expert.

Of course, you can also opt for low-fat or reduced-fat varieties. “However, if you’re watching sodium intake, do check the nutrition label as these versions can be higher in salt compared to full-fat varieties,” she added.

But, Jaeger noted, “that doesn’t mean full-fat cheeses are off the table! You can absolutely work them into your diet whilst being mindful of saturated fat intake”.

She ended: “Try smaller amounts by sprinkling them over vegetables, soups, or salads rather than eating large portions on their own.

“Full-fat cheeses with more pungent, intense flavours are particularly brilliant for this approach, as you need less to achieve satisfying flavour.”

It’s hard to think about anything else when your bowel habits are off. But one doctor recommends giving yourself a break – and rethinking how you approach the way you poop going forward.

Gastroenterologist Dr. Trisha Pasricha, makes the case for changing up the way you poop in her upcoming book, You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong: How to Make Your Bowel Movements a Joy.

In fact, she swears that “pooping without judgment” is the way to go, noting that people – especially women – should think about their bowel habits less.

Data suggests that up to 20% of Americans have chronic constipation, meaning they regularly have trouble pooping, don’t poop often or feel like they don’t get everything out when they go. Women in particular face unique biological challenges that can make healthy bowel habits harder to achieve, Pasricha said.

That includes having more mast cells in the gut, which raises the odds of experiencing gut discomfort compared to men. Many women face GI symptoms like constipation, diarrhoea, and increased gas around their period, too.

“Progesterone levels rise and fall throughout the menstrual cycle every month, and this directly impacts how quickly the stomach empties and how sluggish the intestines feel,” Pasricha told HuffPost.

Prostaglandins, the compounds responsible for period cramps, also stimulate contractions in the gut, she points out. “That can cause diarrhoea at the most inopportune times,” Pasricha said.

If you’re dealing with bowel issues or if you simply feel a little concerned that your pooping habits aren’t up to snuff, Pasricha said it’s time for a change. Here’s what she suggests:

Pasricha’s philosophy on “pooping without judgment” means a few different things.

“I want people to define a normal bowel habit by what’s comfortable for them, rather than by measuring yourself against some imaginary standard of ‘normal’ that likely doesn’t exist,” Pasricha explained.

“In my clinic, I find people often spend a lot of energy worrying that they should be pooping once a day like clockwork, or that their stool should look a certain way, or that needing a laxative is some kind of personal failure.”

Research suggests that there is a wide range of normal when it comes to pooping habits. What’s considered healthy for bowel movements can mean anywhere from pooping three times a day to three times a week.

“The range of ‘normal’ is enormous,” Pasricha said. “It’s going to vary so much for each individual – and will likely fluctuate over time – because of your diet, exercise, stress and other lifestyle factors that influence the pattern.” What really matters is whether your bowel movements are comfortable and whether they’re interfering with your life, she added.

But there’s more to pooping without judgment than that. “Pooping without judgment also means feeling free to respond to the call of nature without shame,” Pasricha said.

“People are so mortified to use the bathroom at work or at a friend’s house. That leaves you with such a limited window in which to finish your business and your body isn’t always primed to go when you decide it’s the optimal moment from a social standpoint.”

She stressed the importance of removing judgment for yourself and others when you do what your body needs you to do. “Spritz a little bathroom spray, give a courtesy flush and move on,” Pasricha said.

Pasricha stressed that you can’t have comfortable, effortless bowel habits unless pooping is the least of your concerns – and that you just go when your body is ready.

“Suppose your body signals to you that you need to use the bathroom in the middle of the work day and you are worried about using the bathroom for fear of judgment,” she said. “Eventually, your colon may stop squeezing, which is what gives you that feeling of urgency, and you’ll feel like you can get back to normal so you can do your business at a more appropriate time later.”

Here’s the problem: Even though it may feel more socially appropriate to use the bathroom when you get home, it’s not necessarily best for your body.

“Once you get home from work, your colon is no longer offering you that extra ‘push,’ so you’re going to have to strain harder for the magic to happen,” Pasricha said.

Regularly avoiding the urge to go raises the odds you’ll end up dealing with constipation, too. This is because stool becomes drier and harder when it sits in your rectum, making it harder to push out than if you had simply gone to the bathroom when you had the urge to go, Pasricha explained.

In general, Pasricha said you should simply do your business when the need strikes and move on. But it’s understandable to check out what lands in the toilet bowl.

There is a range of consistency, patterns and colours that are considered normal, according to Pasricha. But if you’ve spied something that’s concerning, she recommends taking a picture to show to your doctor.

“Red, maroon or black stool has me worried for bleeding, and you should seek help immediately,” Pasricha said. But bowel movements that wake you up in the middle of the night or severe abdominal pain should also be checked out quickly.

“Outside of these bigger red flags, any symptom that bothers you or interferes with how you’re enjoying your daily life is worth discussing with your physician,” Pasricha said.

“Even if it seems like ‘no big deal,’ if any discomfort, bloating, or other pattern related to your bowels is keeping you from enjoying activities you love or causing you significant distress, talk to someone sooner rather than later.”

Additional comment provided by therapist and founder of Pash Co., Erin Pash.

There’s no denying romantic heartbreak is tough (as anyone who’s been through a situationship will know).

But friendship breakups can sting too, says therapist Erin Pash.

“Romantic breakups come with a script: breakup songs, therapy language, social permission to fall apart. Friendship loss has almost none of that,” she said.

Here, we spoke to Pash about when she sees the most friendship breakups, why they sting so much, how to move on from them, and when self-reflection might be needed.

When HuffPost UK asked Pash when she sees the most friendship breakups, she answered: “The late 20s/early 30s and midlife are the biggest hotspots”.

In your 30s, she explained, “life starts diverging fast – different relationship choices, kids or no kids, career paths, values. The friendship that worked at 22 doesn’t always survive who you’re becoming at 32”.

And at midlife, people might start reconsidering huge parts of their lives.

Maybe “someone gets sober, leaves a marriage, stops people-pleasing – and when you finally show up as your real self, some friendships can’t handle it.

“Both stages come down to the same thing: when you get clearer on who you are, relationships that required a smaller version of you start to crack.”

Part of the reason is that they’re not really as acknowledged as romantic separations, said Pash.

“There’s no ceremony, often no clean ending, and the world doesn’t really acknowledge the grief. But the intimacy in a close friendship can actually run deeper,” she said.

“Your best friend may have known you in ways a partner never did, without the performance of attraction or the weight of shared finances. When that’s gone, you lose both a person and the version of yourself they reflected back to you.”

It’s important not to try to ignore your pain, the therapist advised.

“Give it real grief. Don’t minimise the loss just because it wasn’t romantic.”

Then, consider what it is that’s actually upsetting you about their absence.

“Did that friend make you laugh harder than anyone? Hold your history? Challenge you?

“Naming what you’ve lost helps you heal it with precision instead of just sitting with a vague ache. And resist the urge to immediately fill the void. Rushed replacements rarely fix the real wound.”

It’s common to wonder what role you played in a friendship breakup. And provided you aren’t spiralling about whether the whole thing was your fault (Pash says that’s “just shame”), self-reflection can actually be healthy.

“Every ending has data in it,” the therapist stated.

“Ask: what patterns am I noticing? If the same dynamic keeps showing up across multiple friendships, that’s a signal worth paying attention to.

“Even simple journaling, like ‘What did I bring to this friendship that helped? What didn’t?’ can open real self-awareness without beating yourself up. The goal is growth, not guilt.”

Remember, she added, that friendship breakups can be healthy.

“Not every relationship is meant to last forever, and outgrowing a friendship isn’t a failure. It’s often a sign you’re evolving. The most honest thing you can do for yourself and someone else is stop maintaining a connection that’s become performative.

“Letting go with intention and care is an act of integrity, not abandonment.”

You may want to stand up and do a few stretches while reading this.

Research has already established that prolonged sitting is really harmful to our health. It’s linked to conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.

But what if it’s also the reason for your back pain or that pesky knee pain that pops up every time you try to jog?

While there are multiple causes of back and knee pain, sitting all day at a desk job may be a major factor, too. Here’s what to know:

“A lot depends on how you sit, but essentially, prolonged sitting puts your iliopsoas, which is your primary hip flexor, into a shortened position,” said Dr. Michael Fredericson, a professor of sports medicine and the director of Stanford Lifestyle Medicine in California.

Your hip flexors are a group of muscles that allow you to raise your knee. You also use these muscles when you step up and bend forward.

“So if you’re staying in that position for seven, eight hours a day, then it becomes chronically tight into that position, and you get what we call passive muscle stiffness,” Fredericson said.

This isn’t only a problem for people who sit all day; it’s also common among runners and cyclists, said Brian Kracyla, a physical therapist and owner of Cloudline Physical Therapy in Philadelphia.

According to Melanie McNeal, physical and occupational therapy manager at Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, men are often affected.

“Most everyone has tight hip flexors, because we’re a society that does a lot of sitting, so it is a huge issue,” McNeal said. However, it tends to be even more prevalent in men “because males tend to be tighter than females on the whole”.

Why does it matter if you have tight hip flexors? Well, it turns out this issue could be causing pain and mobility problems that you probably aren’t even connecting to tight hips.

One problem people with tight hips may experience is knee pain, McNeal said, “because if your hip flexor is tight … it compresses your kneecap, your patella, and that can cause knee pain, especially with activity like jogging or running or fast walking.”

If you have tight hip flexors, your stride length will be shorter when walking and running, Kracyla said. This contributes to the shuffling gait that’s often seen in older adults.

Having tight hip flexors can also lead to posture issues and back pain.

“You’re going to have a pelvic tilt in the front, which is going to increase the curve of your spine in the back,” Kracyla said, “and often that will manifest itself on our end with lumbar extension compensation, so you could feel more low-back stiffness with activity due to your tight hip flexors.”

“That’s why a lot of times when you stretch the hip flexors, people’s back pain feels better,” Fredericson said.

A lot of people have desk jobs and long commutes that require them to sit for many hours of the day, and there is no way around that reality. While sitting all day long isn’t ideal for your hip mobility (and many other systems in your body), there’s a way to adjust.

The problem with sitting all day is the slouching and slumping that most of us do when we’re on our computers, tablets or phones, Fredericson said, “instead of actively using your core and postural muscles to keep your pelvis in a more neutral position.”

“When you’re slouched all day, those hip flexors are in this chronically shortened position, but if you look at people who maintain better posture, their pelvis is not … going into a posterior pelvic tilt. It’s staying in a more neutral position,” Fredericson added. This way, you’re engaging your muscles and participating in more “active sitting.”

Beyond maintaining good posture while sitting, it’s important to stand and move around for at least five minutes every half hour, according to Fredericson. This can look like going on a walk, heading downstairs for a snack, stretching or switching to your walking pad for a low-stakes call.

“Not only is that going to be good for your hip flexors and your flexibility, but it’s just good for your whole metabolic system,” Fredericson said. “We know the people who do that, their blood pressure is lower. They have less cardiovascular risk factors.”

Exercise can also help, but going to the gym after sitting for eight hours a day, five days a week, isn’t going to counteract your inactivity.

“You might get this false belief that you’re still staying in great shape because you go to that gym, but then you still sit all day — but it doesn’t really work like that,” Fredericson said.

This doesn’t mean your exercise regimen isn’t helpful. For optimal body function, you should practice good sitting posture, get up for movement breaks and follow an exercise regimen. Movement, in general, helps with everything.

“The more active we can be, the fewer problems we have,” McNeal said.

Treating tight hip flexors comes down to a multi-pronged approach, Kracyla added, including stretching, mobility work and strength training. According to the Hospital for Special Surgery, helpful stretches for tight hip flexors include the half-kneeling stretch and the 90/90 stretch. Child’s pose and low-lunge stretch can be beneficial, too.

It’s not enough to hold a stretch for 15 seconds and move on, though. McNeal said you should aim to hold each stretch for 30 seconds and repeat it three times.

If you notice pain or difficulty with movement or stretching, it’s worth talking to a doctor to see if you could benefit from additional support from a physical therapist.

“There is some nuance to it,” Kracyla said, before adding that it often requires a clinical eye to prescribe treatment.

A cabinet minister has ruled out giving MPs a vote on UK military action in Iran.

Steve Reed said it would be “unprecedented” for the Commons to be given a say on operations “defending British people” in the area.

Opposition parties, and some Labour MPs, have demanded a vote in parliament after Keir Starmer gave the US the green light to use British bases for bombing raids to re-open the Strait of Hormuz.

On the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Reed was asked whether there would be a Commons vote.

He said: “It would be unprecedented to call a vote in parliament on defending British people and British assets. That is why we have security apparatus in place.

“The UK did not take part in the initial offensive action because we didn’t see there was a legal basis for the UK to participate.

“There is no precedent for a vote in parliament for defending British people.”

When it was pointed out to the minister that Keir Starmer had previously said MPs should be given a vote on any UK military action, he replied: “I don’t think at any point the prime minister has believed that there should be a vote on defending British people who are under attack from a hostile state.”

Green Party leader Zack Polanski accused Reed of “gaslighting the nation”.

He told HuffPost UK: “It’s very clearly not defensive action and their semantics this morning will never hide that a Labour government have learnt no lessons about getting involved in illegal Middle East wars that are truly deadly.

“The prime minister promised that military action would be subject to a binding vote in parliament and I’m sure he wouldn’t want to be telling lies to the whole country on such a crucial issue.

Meanwhile, Reed also rejected Israeli claims that Iranian missiles could reach London after Tehran unsuccessfully tried to hit Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

He said: “There is no specific assessment that the Iranians are targeting the UK or even could, if they wanted to.

“We have the finest military in the world. We are perfectly capable of protecting this country.”