Should you follow the steps or the minutes? What if you splurge on experiences or things? Here’s what this week’s health headlines tell us.

Hello, health and wellness enthusiasts. I’m Kaitlin, your weekly guide to understanding the latest health news that may impact your life. It’s Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer, so don’t forget to…

Here are some other tips to improve your well-being this week:

💸 Is it better to spend money on experiences or things?

Would you rather splurge on concert tickets or expensive shoes? A new study from the University of Texas at Austin indicates that spending money on experiences improves social connections and happiness more than purchasing material goods, which can actually lead to negative feelings like envy in others.

👟 Should you track steps or minutes spent exercising?

Do you track your workouts with a pedometer… or a timer? That may not matter much, according to a study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, which found that both are equally effective in reducing the risk of premature death and cardiovascular disease. Researchers found that higher activity levels reduced health risks overall, regardless of how they’re tracked.

🍪 Ultra-processed foods: friends or foes?

A new study, involving more than 9,000 adults over an average period of 11 years, found that those who ate more ultra-processed foods were at higher risk of memory problems and stroke. Those who regularly ate unprocessed or minimally processed foods had a 12% lower risk of cognitive impairment and a 9% reduced risk of stroke.

It’s worth noting, however, that not all ultra-processed foods are equal: registered dietitian Maxine Yeung wrote for Yahoo Life that some ultra-processed foods can play a role in a healthy diet. In some cases, processing foods can improve their nutritional profile by adding vitamins and minerals to the mix, such as in the case of fortified breakfast cereals.

🐟 Should we consider Ditch Your Fish Oil Supplement?

A recent study published in BMJ found that fish oil supplements may increase the risk of atrial fibrillation and stroke in people without a history of heart problems, despite their known benefits for people with existing heart disease. If you take a fish oil supplement daily, it can be scary, but experts aren’t sure you should immediately throw out your supplements. Since the research could not take into account variables such as the individual’s health before the study, the results may be skewed.

👂 Listen to a podcast about mental health

Are you going for a long car journey? Download podcasts about mental health: it can benefit your well-being. Researchers at University College Cork in Ireland studied regular listeners of mental health podcasts and found that listening to these programs had a positive influence on their mental health by reducing stigma and encouraging seeking behaviors help. Regular listeners also became better able to understand their own mental health in a more thoughtful way.

🚶‍♀️Walkers: be very careful when crossing roads

Electric or hybrid cars may be more likely to hit a pedestrian, according to a new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. After analyzing data on casualties in Britain from 2013 to 2017, researchers found that electric and hybrid vehicles pose a greater risk to pedestrians – and believe this could be because these vehicles are more quieter than their fossil fuel counterparts. Crashes involving electric or hybrid vehicles were more likely to occur in urban areas than in rural areas, likely because background noise in cities made these cars harder to detect.

🍵 Use a matcha mouthwash

Matcha, a green tea powder, has been shown to inhibit the growth of the harmful oral bacteria P. gingivalis, which is linked to periodontitis, a serious gum infection. Now, Japanese researchers are testing it as a mouthwash: The new study found that those who swapped their usual mouthwash for matcha mouthwash had significantly lower levels of the bacteria.

🧠 Remember to be FAST

May is Stroke Awareness Month. Do you know the signs? Remember this acronym and you won’t forget them: FAST This means Face, Arms, Speech, Time. If a person’s face droops on one side, they can’t raise both arms, or their speech is slurred, it’s time to call emergency services. Acting quickly is crucial in the event of a stroke and can prevent long-term damage.