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Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, were able to plant false food memories in the minds of volunteers by asking 58 subjects to create a detailed story about how strawberry ice cream made them ill as kids. Forty-one percent became convinced it was true—and said they wouldn’t eat it at a party. “Memories aren’t etched in stone. The brain is constantly reconstructing them from lots of bits and pieces,” says researcher Elizabeth F....

‘Tis the season of indulgent eating, and despite your best of eating intentions, it can be downright impossible to ignore that second (or fourth) helping of frosted cookies. Fortunately, a new study is offering up a clever approach to help you satisfy cravings for holiday food without stuffing yourself silly. Researchers from the University of Bristol found that those who thought they’d eaten large portions at their previous meal tended to feel full longer, and remember their meal as being more satisfying....

More from Fitbie: 4 Healthy Hacks for Restaurant Eating Exactly how unhealthy is it? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends a daily diet consisting of approximately 2,000 calories per day, with no more than 44 to 78 grams of fat and about 16 grams of saturated fat, which means the burger along contains at least 3½ days worth (69 grams). Inside the shake, restaurant-goers can expect to consume an estimated 38 teaspoons of sugar, which is more than 4-12 oz cans of coke!...

*Note: Restaurant nutrition info doesn’t specify how many servings each dish is supposed to contain. The stats in the chart below represent a full order, not individual servings. MORE: Tortilla Chips vs. Potato Chips: Which Is the Lesser of Two Evils? Mozzarella sticks may be deep fried, but they establish an early lead with 186 fewer calories and 21 fewer g of carbohydrates than the dip. They also have less overall fat and saturated fat....

(Spice up your relationship by adding these 11 things to your sex bucket list.) We got married in a small ceremony attended by our kids and close friends. From the start, our relationship was always very passionate, but as we entered our late 50s—I’m 56 and Keith is 59—our sex life slowed down. Keith’s erectile dysfunction was a huge reason why. I would never say that in front of Keith, and even now that we’ve gotten to a place where we can discuss what’s been going on for the past two years, I still wouldn’t use the term “erectile dysfunction....

I’m lying flat on my belly on a gym floor covered in Astroturf, and peering down at me is a biceps-endowed trainer who is becoming famous in the wellness world for exposing the hidden old person in you. His name is Bruce Mack, and for this part of his assessment, he’s positioned me at the bottom of a push-up—legs straight behind me, palms by my chest with elbows bent—and asked me to quickly lift my body off the floor and into a plank....

Doing squats and lunges incorrectly: These fitness mainstays are easy to do anywhere, but they are often done incorrectly, says Caitlin Ritt, a private trainer at The Sports Club LA. “The biggest mistake I see people do over and over in the gym is squats and lunges with the weight in their toes and their heels coming up off the ground,” she says. “I have clients come to me all the time complaining about knee pain, and as soon as I get them to keep the weight through their heels, almost always the knee pain goes away....

There’s not much research on the topic of picky eating—or even a precise definition of what makes someone “picky.” To fill in some of these blanks, the University of Pennsylvania study team asked roughly 500 people to complete questionnaires about their eating habits. What Makes a Picky Eater? Roughly 36% of the Penn study participants self-identified as picky eaters. Compared to the “I’ll eat anything!” types, the picky eaters were more likely to reject sour- or bitter-tasting foods, says study coauthor Hana Zickgraf....

In case you repressed the memory—and who could blame you?—pink slime is the beefish nightmare of cow scraps and ammonia that, until 2012, was sold as ground beef, burgers, and taco filling at many of America’s supermarkets and fast-food joints. You probably remember the infamous picture: a ginormous coil of taffylike ooze squirting into a cardboard box. It’s a shot that’s worth a thousand words, none of which are yum....

Give Your Dog…A Plate Of Stuffing? [PetSugar] Hey, humans aren’t the only ones who deserve to dig into a special meal today. Plenty of Thanksgiving menu items are safe to feed your pooch, including turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. And if you’re feeling really ambitious, certain leftovers make the perfect ingredients for doggie treats you can make yourself. (They look so tasty, no one will judge you for stealing a bite yourself....

Set a schedule. The National Sleep Foundation recommends that you stick to a regular bedtime routine. That means going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day (yes, even weekends!). Try to avoid spending more time in bed than you need. Maintaining good light hygiene will help: Open the blinds or go outside as soon as you wake to get energized, and shut off all the lights (including electronics) when you go to sleep....

Carefully hold a light dumbbell (3 to 5 pounds) between your feet or, for greater safety, use ankle weights. Lie facedown with your forehead resting on your hands, palms down, elbows pointing out to the sides, and legs extended. Press your hips into the floor and bend your knees until your calves are perpendicular to your thighs. (Be sure to squeeze feet together so as not to drop the dumbbell....

Which is why the Run SMART Project, Finish Line Physical Therapy, and Brooklyn Running Co. teamed up to create the new Winter Running Program, a 12-week training plan that’s personalized and comes with injury prevention measures and cold-weather shoe consultation and education. “We’re trying to really focus on staying healthy and motivated—and also getting faster,” says running coach and Run SMART Project founder Brian Rosetti. To help you achieve all of those goals, we asked Rosetti to share some of the expertise used in creating the Winter Running Program....

The fresh-cut lettuce business has more than quadrupled in the past decade; in some years, sales increased by more than 20%. And we’re choosing healthier greens: more romaine and leaf lettuces, which are higher in vitamins and minerals than nutritionally weak iceberg. But sales took a dive last year after deadly E. coli outbreaks were linked to pre-washed greens. Even 6 weeks after the FDA recall of bagged spinach had ended, nearly half of consumers were still afraid to buy it, according to the Rutgers University Food Policy Institute....

You could start saving now, or you could take steps to protect yourself. Here are simple, science-backed ways to protect your favorite parts from these conditions: Poor vision… Give them a rest. Staring at a computer or TV screen for hours on end exhausts and dries out your eyes, says Cammie Menendez, PhD, an epidemiologist from the University of Texas-Houston. Give them a break every 15 minutes by focusing on something else that’s at least 20 feet away....

Not choosing raw Dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants, plus minerals like magnesium and iron. But the raw stuff has even more. That’s because the cocoa beans used to make raw chocolate are dried at a lower temperature, which helps them retain more nutrients and antioxidants, says Renee Rosen, certified holistic nutritionist and founder of the wellness consulting company Green Eggs & Kale. We like Go Raw Super Raw Chocolate ($5....

Are you pursuing a more balanced lifestyle in 2013? Don’t forget to include one of the body’s most important balancing acts—taming your skin. Achieving the perfect pH balance will ease dry winter skin, enhance the effectiveness of anti-aging products, and, according to a recent report, keep wrinkles at bay. You body operates at a neutral pH balance of 7. But skin is a little different—its protective barrier, composed of dead skin cells, fatty acids, and lipids, works in a more acidic environment, at a pH of 5....