For the first time, companies are required to back up their “gluten-free” claims with real numbers: for products to be labeled gluten-free, they can’t contain more than 20 parts per million (ppm) of gluten. That’s considered a safe level for those with celiac disease and gluten sensitivities. “Previous to this, there was no standard for the amount of contamination that could be in a product,” said Pam Cureton, RD, LDN, registered dietitian at the Center for Celiac Research at MassGeneral Hospital for Children....

“Working out releases endorphins, your body’s natural happy drug that washes your mind with a sense of self-accomplishment and contentment,” says fitness expert Chris Freytag. “Plus, every time you work out, you gain personal triumph over laziness and procrastination, which makes you feel proud. Often, when you like yourself better, you like how you look, too.” MORE:Here’s Everything You Need To Know About Being Happier Researchers also hypothesize that the self-confidence boon could be from the fact working out can help you gain lean muscle mass and lose or maintain weight....

Sweat summary: World-renowned yoga instructor Rodney Yee leads you through a calming Hatha flow designed to help you identify and correct body alignment. The “core” in the title refers to your physical and mental center—not your abs. So while your abs will be engaged throughout the poses, it’s not a strenuous ab workout. Sweat factor: Low Mood: Mindful What we liked: This DVD is ideal for the yogi who feels like she’s nailed the basics of her warrior I and II poses and wants to fine-tune her asanas....

Brussel Sprouts: Wonderfully Raw Organic Cheezy Herb Brussel BytesNutritional yeastmycocoroons.com Unlike the majority of “veggie” chips that are actually made from potato flour, these snacks have brussels sprouts and kale in the ingredient list, and are loaded with 23% of your daily vitamin C. and herbs give the dairy-free snack an insane flavor kick. Bonus: They’re raw, meaning they’ve been dehydrated instead of cooked, which is believed to preserve natural enzymes and other nutrients....

When you have the flu, you can pass along your sickness to your kids and hubby…and apparently also to your poodle Puddles. Researchers from Oregon State University are investigating how common rare cases of “reverse zoonosis”—where humans pass on illnesses to animals—are. Because the mechanisms of this transmission aren’t yet known, researchers say that it’s best to steer clear of Fluffy and Fido if you’ve got the flu, and to haul them into the vet if they start showing symptoms....

Toe deformities are highly inheritable in (white) men and women of European descent, according to a study appearing in the May issue of Arthritis Care & Research. Almost 1,400 people enrolled in the Framingham Foot Study, averaging 66 years of age, underwent a foot exam between 2002 and 2008 to determine if they had bunions, hammer toes or plantar soft tissue atrophy, which is a breakdown of the fatty “cushion” under the ball of the foot....

What happened? Enter the onslaught of artisan jerky, stage left, a radical new kind of meat snack made from lean animals with no preservatives (including nitrates) or artificial sugars and only a modest amount of salt, compared with its primitive predecessors. And jerky lovers everywhere largely have one man to thank: Jonathan Sebastiani, founder of Krave Jerk. “There were like three companies making the same junk-food product—it was a totally stale category ready for a renaissance,” Sebastiani says of his decision to launch Krave in 2009....

So how much do you need to worry about germs in your joe? Actually, not too much, says Charles Gerba, PhD, a professor of microbiology and environmental sciences at the University of Arizona, who has conducted several studies on the spread of bacteria and viruses in homes and offices. “I’ve seen data on regular drip coffeemakers and the single-serve types, and they tend to be pretty clean,” he says. “We tested about five different kinds of single-serve coffeemakers, and I didn’t see any issues in terms of bacterial buildup....

Really push yourself this last week, and set aside enough time to do it. Most days, you’ll need to spend 40 minutes–not 30–on your workout, and some days you’ll spend a little longer toning your trouble spots. In addition to this week’s workouts, continue to get support from the challenge’s amazing fitness and nutrition coaches. They’ll answer all of your questions throughout the final steps of this 4-week program. [pagebreak] MONDAY TODAY’S ASSIGNMENT: Today, you’re going to do the now-familiar Pyramid, and you’ll add a new challenge to this Fat-Burning Cardio routine: another 10 minutes!...

We asked expert Tanya Zuckerbrot, RD, author of the weight loss book The F-Factor Diet, to guide three women through the supermarket to show us how it should be done. What they learned can make reaching your own healthy eating goals easy. Lisa Perkins, 43 GOAL: Get healthy prepregnancyOBSTACLE: A preference for high-fat foods [sidebar]HER CART Although Lisa does buy plenty of fruits and veggies, her cart has too many saturated fat-filled dairy products and meats, like cottage cheese and sausage....

Green or blackContains theanine, which can help ease anxiety and depression. The amino acid has been studied for several different effects, with most of the research centering on its use as an anxiety treatment. In studies, theanine seems to relax the mind without causing drowsiness. (Plus, green tea can help you lose weight; here are .) 5 ways to drink it for weight loss You’ll find hundreds of natural remedies in the new bookNo More Pills , by Martha Howard, MD, and Sara Altshul....

Incredible, edible egg…whites? Depending on who you ask, eggs are either nature’s greatest nutritional gift or a health scourge akin to smoking cigarettes. But given that recent research suggests they’re much more of the former than they are the latter, we decided to pit two versions against once another. Find out whether egg whites trump whole eggs in our latest Health Food Face-Off. Buy better beef Can’t stand the thought of giving up steak dinners, but worried about the negative impacts of animal agriculture?...

Federal regulators failed to pursue recalls after they found cadmium-tainted jewelry on store shelves—despite their vow to do so, an Associated Press investigation shows. More than two years after the AP revealed that some Chinese factories were substituting cadmium for lead, the CPSC still hasn’t determined the extent of the contamination. Rings, bracelets, and pendants containing cadmium and marketed for preteen girls were purchased over the last year. (What else is lurking in your jewelry?...

Kibbe Conti, RD, created a nutrition model based on the medicine wheel, a sacred symbol that represents balance. Her hope is that it helps fight the diabetes epidemic currently raging among Native Americans. Kibbe Conti was working on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Indian Reservation when her nutrition education collided with her culture. As a certified diabetes educator, she knew that rates of type 2 diabetes among Native Americans are more than two times the national average....

Scientists at the United Kingdom’s University of Newcastle say that by adding a seaweed extract called alginate to foods such as white bread, they can increase the fiber content and make junk foods into healthy foods. To reduce foodborne illnesses, Purdue University scientists plan to release a portable scanner within 2 years that can analyze food samples for E. coli and other bacteria.

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin at Madison showed 14 healthy participants disturbing images in order to induce anxiety. When normally benign or neutral odors were presented, the anxious participants interpreted them as foul or negative. After scanning the participants’ brains, it became clear to senior author Wen Li, MD, PhD, an assistant professor at the university, that something significant was going on between the emotional and olfactory (smell) processing centers of the brain....

You’ve heard about bedtime procrastination, but what about bathroom procrastination? You know, when you put off peeing until your legs are crossed and you can barely hobble to finally park yourself on the porcelain throne. Whether it’s because you’re powering through work emails at your desk or you’d rather avoid the horrors of a public restroom, sometimes peeing just lands at the bottom of your to-do list. But can that actually be dangerous?...

In a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, mice exposed to dust from homes with dogs were protected against allergens known to trigger asthma. This dog-associated dust enriches the variety of gut bacteria in the mice with Lactobacillus johnsonii, a type of bacteria that protects the airway against allergens and infection by beefing up mucous membrane immunity. Not to worry, cat lovers. Although this study focused on dogs, having cats around early in life could help you stand up to allergies and asthma, too....

Solution Call the day spa! They suggested something new—a hot stone massage. How It Works Smooth, flat, fragrantly oiled stones are heated and placed on strategic points on your body—even tiny ones between your toes. While the stones work their magic, the massage therapist uses both the stones and her hands to apply gentle massage strokes to sore muscles. My Experience After disrobing privately, I slipped under sheets on the massage table....

Cholesterol itself isn’t harmful. In fact, the body produces this waxy substance daily to manufacture cell membranes, bile acids, vitamin D, and a variety of sex hormones. Serious problems can occur when cholesterol levels in the blood rise to unhealthy levels. We often talk about cholesterol as though it’s a single substance, but there are two main types: Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is the most harmful form. High levels of LDL promote the development of a dense, fatty layer called plaque on artery walls....