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Researchers from the University of Bristol evaluated the drinking patterns of 160 social drinkers while they watched a movie. Participants were given either beer or soda, with some beverages served in a curved glass and others in a straight-sided one. Turns out, the shape of the glass had a marked effect on how quickly participants quaffed their brew: Those drinking out of a straight-sided glass were almost twice as slow compared to beer-drinkers with curved cups....

The research: Sixty premenopausal women, ages 25 to 50, significantly increased their hip bone bone mineral density after four months by .5% by jumping 10 times a day, twice a day and taking short breaks (30 seconds) between each jump. Doesn’t sound like a lot of gain? Consider this: the controls lost about 1.3% of their bone density over the same period. “Women jumped as high as they could from the floor,” says lead study researcher Larry Tucker, PhD....

It’s one of the best things you can put in your body. But for some people, it exits the body in a less-than-pleasing way. Like how? Well, you may remember an unfortunate news item from 2013’s Fashion Week in New York, when several models had to be “treated . . . for diarrhea from eating too much kale,” according to the New York Times. There’s a simple reason for this superfood’s supergross side effect: carbohydrates....

Here I am at 50 though, and I am joyfully jumping back into the academic world for my masters at this ripe young age. I will be attending Columbia University for my Masters in Social Work in the 16-month accelerated program. I repeat, “accelerated.” In some ways it is contradicting my stance on taking it easy, and at the same time presenting a new and wonderful challenge of immersing myself fully and still finding the time for balance....

Ward off an unsightly bruise Ouch! You banged your knee on the coffee table, and you just know it’ll result in a nasty bruise. To minimize the mark, soak a black tea bag in water and hold it against the area for 5 minutes. The tannins in tea constrict blood vessels, which reduces swelling and inflammation. If you do end up with a bruise, it will be smaller and will heal faster....

Here’s the thing: You know about dieting. You know about exercise. Yes they’ll help you shed pounds, but they take a lot of work and willpower. What you may not realize is that there are several ways to lose weight that don’t require denying yourself and endless hours at the gym. Incorporate these five habits, and you’ll start slimming down right away. And if you’re already active and watching what you eat (which is always a good idea, of course), these tricks will help you lose weight a lot faster....

Are you willing to give up dessert and log more hours at the gym? The smaller your body gets, the fewer calories it needs, which means that to achieve more weight loss you need to either eat less or exercise more—or both. Are you giving the scale too much power? Body weight fluctuates throughout the day, week, and month, so don’t get hung up on a magic number. Instead, focus on staying within a 5-pound range....

! I recently picked one up to see what kind of dish I could whip up with it. Inspired by my orange cauliflower’s cheesy aura, I decided to incorporate it into a cheese sauce for a nutritious spin on the childhood classic, mac and cheese. But don’t be fooled– with flavors of garlic, Asiago cheese and white wine, this dish is very “adult” (and might appear even more elegant should you only have a white cauliflower on hand…)...

Meet what hopes to be the new, well, kale: Kalettes. A vegetable breeding company in the UK called Tozer Seeds has crossed Brussels sprouts with kale to make just about the cutest little vegetable we’ve ever seen. And since GM crops aren’t grown commercially in the UK, the new brassica baby was born of good old-fashioned hybridization. The tiny little cabbage heads are sold as Flower Sprouts overseas, but the name Kalettes won out here....

Eat more of these: MushroomsConsuming shiitake, maitake, or enoki mushrooms daily can lower blood cholesterol levels by as much as 25% after 4 weeks, reports a study published in Experimental Biology and Medicine. Beans"Just 1/2 cup of pinto beans daily for 8 weeks can lower cholesterol 8%," says Carol Johnston, PhD, RD, a professor and chair in the department of nutrition at Arizona State University. Their soluble fibers inhibit the absorption of cholesterol....

In a small clinical trial, Iranian researchers found that participants who drank hibiscus tea after each meal for four weeks saw a 44% drop in blood pressure, 4% more than the green tea-drinkers. Researchers point to the teas’ nitric oxide-maximizing properties, which help dilate blood vessels, as the most likely reason for the result, in their paper published in the Journal of Dietary Supplements. Ultimately, these major cuts in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure couldn’t be definitively pinned to the tea regimen in this particular study, but experts in the field say hibiscus is a hidden health gem....

“I listen to my body, eat more anti-inflammatory foods, use ice to reduce swelling, and get joint-fluid injections every 6 months. And on bad days, I take a little arthritis-strength acetaminophen,” she says. But she won’t skip the workouts she loves. “The more I do, the less pain I have. I figure my knees are going to hurt no matter what,” says Schafer, who lives near Washington, DC. “I might as well have fun in the meantime....

Keep driving ’til you hit the 100% smoke-free promised land, advises a new study published in the BMJ journal Tobacco Control. Otherwise, you’re exposing your family to nicotine and other tobacco carcinogens. Researchers put participants up for a night in one of 40 San Diego hotels with or without smoking bans. They stayed either in a smoking, non-smoking, or 100% smoke-free hotel rooms, and researchers analyzed the rooms’ surfaces and air for tobacco pollutants....

Preventing common diseases (like cancer and heart disease) and promoting health and longevity is as simple as regular trips to the farmer’s market, says Dr. Joel Fuhrman, star nutrition researcher, physician, and author of Eat to Live and Super Immunity. Why? While building-block nutrients—protein, carbohydrates, and fats—are essential, Americans are over-stuffing their diets with them and missing out on disease-fighting micronutrients like vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. “Your healthy life expectancy is proportional to the micronutrient-per-calorie density of your diet....

Ashley’s answer: Bars were developed because we wanted—then came to rely on—being able to get nutrition quickly. Somewhere along the line, making a bowl of cereal with milk, or a sandwich, or some trail mix for an on-the-go snack, became too time consuming for many of us. Enter the bar. To be clear, what is “expensive” is paying for someone else to take their time to prepare something, to use better quality ingredients, to keep them shelf stable without gross fillers, and to have them in crowd-pleasing flavors....

Ashley’s answer: Drinking water after any workout (and regularly throughout the day) helps maintain healthy digestive and immune systems. Plus, it takes care of all our organs, including skin and muscles. Beyond drinking water after a workout, you can choose to get additional nutrients in liquid or solid form. For example, you’ll want to get in potassium and a small amount of sodium, protein and carbohydrates: these can come from food combos like corn tacos with beans, guacamole and salsa....

What folk medicine says American herbalists have used all three botanicals since the 19th century: They applied ash leaves to relieve arthritis, and poplar and goldenrod extracts to ease joint pain. What we know Studies show that poplar contains salicin, the active ingredient in aspirin. Ash and goldenrod have anti-inflammatory properties. A review looked at four studies in which 820 patients took either Phytodolor or a prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) similar to Vioxx for 2 to 4 weeks....

Here’s my breakdown on the pros and cons of the raw food diet: The Promise of the Raw Food DietRaw food supporters maintain that raw foods contain natural enzymes and a host of other nutrients that normally break down during cooking. These enzymes improve digestion, helping the body absorb other beneficial nutrients. The end result is that cells bring in more nutrition and thrive.Raw Food’s Technical DifficultyWhile the theory behind raw foods is plausible in many respects, it runs contrary to traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic teachings....

This old remedy seems to be making a comeback, reports Prevention’s clinical herbal advisor Douglas Schar, DipPhyt, MCPP. “In the early 1900s, pumpkin seed was used to treat enlarged prostate symptoms and other urinary tract complaints,” he says. More than half of US men over age 50 have problems related to enlarged prostate. Termed benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), it constricts the urethra, causing discomfort and urinary problems. Today in many parts of Europe, young men start eating pumpkin seeds for prostate protection later in life....