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“The sink is often the dirtiest place in the kitchen, so never place food directly in it. Use a colander to wash fruit or veggies.” —Donna Mintz, owner, Basil & Barbells Inc. in New York “Always wear plastic kitchen gloves when handling chile peppers—they’ll protect your eyes and skin and prevent transfer of the pungent taste and smell to other foods.” —James Muir, executive chef, Rosa Mexicano in Washington, DC “Keep your knives sharp; dull ones are more likely to slip and cause accidents....

The culprit? Organic spinach sold to Amy’s, Wegmans food stores, and three other organic brands, all which issued similar recalls. If you’re surprised that an angelic food like organic spinach could be the source of potentially fatal food poisoning, don’t be: Food recalls are on the rise among natural and organic produce—and subsequently, lots of healthy packaged products have made people deathly ill (thankfully, no reported illnesses have been traced yet to Amy’s or its spinach supplier)....

Researchers at Hardin-Simmons University in Texas found that tennis players who grunted hit the ball 5 mph faster—and actually activated their obliques and chest muscles more effectively—than when they stayed quiet, says study author and physical therapist Dennis O’Connell. And the benefits of being noisy aren’t exclusive to tennis; past research has shown that grunting helps during other kinds of forceful efforts, including performing a deadlift, kicking a soccer ball, or even swinging a golf club....

You know how this goes. You’re aware that having a second donut is overkill, but you blissfully indulge anyway…only to regret it minutes later. So why do you keep giving in when you know you’ll end up with regret later? Turns out that guilt actually enhances your sense of pleasure, finds new research. Researchers from Northwestern, Penn State, and Yale reached that conclusion by evaluating 40 female study participants. One group of women looked at covers of health magazines, while the other scanned covers of publications unrelated to healthy living....

Is he Mr. Right? New research from UCLA finds that couples who jumped into marriage with cold feet are pre-disposed to marital problems. The good news? It doesn’t have to mean your union is toast. You can take these steps throughout your marriage to keep things fresh. Reign in your running Why? It could be killing your knees, say researchers from the University of California, San Francisco. More specifically, too much high-impact exercise can cause swelling in your knee joints, a classic sign of cartilage degeneration....

WHOLE WHEATEarth Grains Wheat Berry with Honey (2 slices) [sidebar] NUTRITION: 200 cal; 10 g pro; 6 g sugar; 6 g fiber; 2 g fat; 300 mg sodium This bread gets our vote for its nutritional value, great taste, and the eco-friendly way its wheat is grown. Healthy takeaway: If a brand doesn’t list whole grains as the first ingredient, you’re being shortchanged. ROLLMartin’s Famous Whole Wheat Potato Rolls NUTRITION: 100 cal; 7 g pro; 5 g sugar; 5 g fiber; 1 g fat; 160 mg sodium This soft and doughy bakery choice packs a significant amount of protein and fiber into just 100 calories....

MORE: 20 Super-Healthy Smoothie Recipes “After a sweaty half-hour workout in the heat, you need to replace, on average, 600 to 750 mg of potassium and about 250 mg of sodium—roughly the amount in ten 1-ounce cubes,” says Christine Gerbstadt, a registered dietitian. Opt for an unsweetened variety and, at only 5 calories a cube, it’s a smart smoothie add-on that won’t undo your hard work. Cheers! MORE: 9 Ridiculously Healthy Smoothie Add-Ins

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital compared the occurrence of GI bleeding among 73,863 menopausal women who were current users and past users of menopausal hormone therapy, as well as those who never touched the stuff. Then they accounted for known risk factors for GI trouble (things like age, smoking, birth control use, body mass index, and use of NSAIDs) to see what the effects of the hormones were. The study revealed that current users have a 50% increased risk of GI bleeding....

You’ll pack on the pounds As the number of hours you spend in bed goes down, the number on the scale may go up—at least according to research from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar. The findings, presented at the 2014 annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, suggest that pushing your bedtime back as little as 30 minutes each night could result in weight gain and insulin resistance. The study recruited 522 participants and asked them to complete 7-day sleep diaries....

Sex Drive Killers “There’s no doubt that some women experience low or no desire, and that this troubles them. That said, we need to be more critical about lumping women into low or no desire groups, particularly as some women are not distressed by their lack of desire,” explains sex expert Debby Herbenick, PhD, research scientist at Indiana University and author of Because It Feels Good (Rodale, 2009). “They may not have a particularly warm or kind partner, or they may be very stressed about work or family, or exhausted as they care for a newborn, and may well realize that there are times in life when sex takes a temporary backseat for a good reason....

When Younghee stopped HT at age 59, her doctor urged a bone-density test. “I didn’t think my mom needed a test because I knew she had been on HT and had a healthy lifestyle,” adds Dr. Chang. “But when I looked at her score and realized that her bone loss was significant, I understood why osteoporosis is called a silent disease.” The Changs learned the hard way that a dairy-packed diet, weight-bearing exercise, and calcium can’t guarantee you’ll escape brittle-bone disease....

Pencil vs. Powder Pencil eyeliners are a quick, convenient option, but they do have problems; they tend to smear and unless you are using a twist-up pencil they are tricky to keep sharpened. Another option for applying a line is to use a tiny eyeliner brush with an appropriate color of traditional eyeshadow powder. You can use a dark-toned, matte eyeshadow color (almost any medium to deep eyeshadow color can work) and a tiny brush....

Researchers questioned men and women in long-term relationships about whether they get distracted by their own body parts during sex. Participants were also asked how they thought their partners viewed their bodies. No big shocker here: Both men and women were distracted by negative thoughts about their own bodies, with women frequently citing their breasts and bellies. What is surprising—and let’s be real, pretty sad—is that women’s sexual satisfaction was also inhibited by worry about what her partner thinks about her body....

Multitask while you work out. “The more moisturized your hair is, the better it holds color,” says Washington, D.C.-based celebrity colorist Ian McCabe. He suggests using any gym session as a time to treat your strands to an extra dose of moisture: smooth coconut oil onto hair’s ends and braid it before exercising. “The heat from working out will help lock in the moisture,” he explains. Add a filter. Yes, an Instagram filter can make your hair look better in photos, but that’s not what we’re talking about....