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Your race, age, and where you live may play a big role in determining what you eat, finds a new survey of more than 21,000 adults aged 45 and older. Most American diets fall into one of five patterns: Southern: Fried, processed meats, and sugar-sweetened beveragesTraditional: Chinese and Mexican food, pasta dishes, pizza, soup, and other mixed dishes Healthy: Mostly fruits, vegetables, and grainsSweets: Large amounts of sweet snacks and dessertsAlcohol: Proteins, alcohol, and salads...

No cold pack or heated blanket can repair a sprained ankle or mend a torn tendon, but both warming and chilling a painful area can help minor injuries heal faster and temper pain. “That’s important, because if you feel better, I believe you’re going to heal better,” says Sonu Ahluwalia, M.D., clinical chief of orthopedic surgery at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. In part, the link appears psychological, but the mending comes from physiological factors too: reduce the ache and you may move more, increasing healing blood flow to the area....

“The terrible thing about psoriasis is that it is capricious…often it does whatever the hell it wants to, whenever it wants to do it. While life stress is a known trigger, sometimes it flares for no damn reason,” says dermatologist and clinical psychologist Richard Fried, MD, PhD, of Yardley, PA. Studies have shown that people living under unpredictable circumstances that can’t be controlled become angry, depressed, and anxious. To help give patients a sense of hope and control over their lives, Fried provides specific tools that combine traditional and complementary medicines, including deep breathing exercises, self talk, muscle relaxation, hypnosis, yoga, tai chi, and biofeedback training....

The reward centers in our brains respond differently to different types of sugars, according to new findings presented at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology’s annual meeting. Researchers served 24 volunteers drinks containing either fructose (the sugar found in fruit that’s also added to many processed foods and drinks) or glucose (a sugar that is also found in fruit and processed food, as well as other plants, like grains). Then, they had the volunteers look at images of high-calorie foods like chocolate cake while undergoing brain scans....

Mipham isn’t just a runner. He’s the head of the Shambhala Buddhist lineage and its worldwide network of meditation centers. The Tibetan lama outlines the connection between pavement pounding and spiritual seeking in his new book, Running with the Mind of Meditation: Lessons for Training Body and Mind, which hit shelves earlier this month. How Exercise Is Like Xanax “Movement is good for the body and stillness is good for the mind,” Mipham explains....

Start running today and you could: Get your glow back. Running increases the production of human growth hormone—your body’s natural youth serum. “This helps you produce new cells, which can make your skin look a lot more youthful,” says Webb. (Just pick the right shoes! Here are 7 essentials of a perfect running shoe.) Strengthen bones. The pounding of running sparks bone to regenerate, which is why older runners generally have higher bone density than nonrunners of the same age....

The Study: Researchers asked 153 sedentary adults (ages 60 to 75) to participate in either aerobic walking or a toning/stretching routine for 6 months. Both groups gradually increased workout time to 40 minutes, three times per week. The Results: The toning/stretching group got the same self-esteem benefits as the aerobic walking group (Annals of Behavioral Medicine). “Regular light to modest activity can result in improvements in esteem,” says lead study author Edward McAuley, PhD, professor of kinesiology and psychology at the university....

Whether you’re in your 20s, 30s, or beyond, getting a breakout is never a welcome occurrence. And regardless if there are just a few (or many) spots that have taken up unwanted residence on that sweet mug of yours, there are certain foolproof makeup tricks you can use to strategically hide them. Read: gone are the days of orange and/or caked cover-up jobs. So to see five easy steps to getting a more flawless looking face in the presence of acne, just keep reading....

Preload. Going out for dinner? A half-hour before you leave, eat a 200-calorie snack that contains at least 15 grams of protein. With a gut full of satiating protein and fewer hunger hormones circulating, you’ll consume fewer calories at the restaurant. Two good snack choices: a whey protein shake or an apple with string cheese (contains satiating fiber and fat, too). Stop before your tank is full. Picture a gas gauge in your belly....

If you have your makeup bag on hand, then use…A concealer A creamy concealer is one of your best options, says Romy Soleimani, beauty director at large at Beauty.com. “Make sure not to use a brush to buff in the product because this will further aggravate the skin,” she says. “Gently press the concealer into the flaky areas, using your finger or a sponge until the product is absorbed and well-blended....

To make the most of your time with your doctor, you need to plan ahead and communicate effectively. (And avoid making this common doctor mistake.) Some of our experts and advisors shared the same strategies they use when they themselves are the patients. Your Routine Checkup This is your chance to discuss recent health problems as well as any physical or emotional changes that have occurred in the past year or six months....

When a cold takes over your body, it can seem like you’re at the mercy of the virus when it comes to how long it will last. “The common cold is a viral infection of your throat and nose, also known as your upper respiratory tract. Many types of viruses can cause the common cold, but the most common culprit is rhinovirus,” says Adiba Khan, M.D., a family physician at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital....

A new study, however, offers up a clever trick to help us nosh on tasty treats in moderation…without feeling deprived. Researchers at Cornell University concluded that when people are given smaller portions of snack foods, including chocolate chips, apple pie, and potato chips, they feel just as satisfied as individuals given larger servings. Researchers divvied study participants into two groups: The first group was given several large portions of different snack foods, while the second group was given more moderate servings of the treats....

Our skin glows most when the dominant hormone is estrogen: It keeps things firm, plump, and smooth by increasing collagen, the building block of skin. Not to mention hydrated (by stimulating hyaluronic acid, which attracts water molecules) and pimple-free (by lowering oil gland activity and tamping down inflammation). But when estrogen declines—during the week of your period, as you age and as menopause approaches—you can still take steps to help skin smooth out, firm up, and glow on....

Eggs provide protein to help stabilize blood sugar; the protein’s cysteine may break down toxins. Toast offers soothing carbs for a turbulent tummy. More From Prevention Bananas replenish potassium for muscle function. Sports drinks resupply electrolytes, which help relieve that weak, shaky feeling. Finish up with a multivitamin to replace depleted nutrients and a cup of coffee.

Nope, this isn’t some GMO-happy alternate reality. This is the future of your food—because indoor farming is about to blow up. In fact, some experts say that it already has. Governments are offering tax breaks to big conglomerates who invest in indoor farms—Toshiba, Panasonic, and Goldman Sachs have already funded operations in Japan, Singapore, and New Jersey, respectively. Meanwhile, researchers at Texas A&M; University have developed self-sustaining indoor farms that fit inside stackable shipping containers but can still pump out more than 60,000 plants per year....

The recent study, published in the American Journal of Hypertension, involved data from more than 8,000 French men and women and found that BMI, age, and dietary factors like alcohol intake were more closely related to increases in blood pressure than sodium intake. In fact, researchers even concluded that salt is “statistically insignificant” in relation to blood pressure when it comes to people without hypertension. Time to welcome your bird-shaped salt shaker back to the table?...

The problem: Even though concerns about BPA were first raised nearly 10 years ago, food companies are still using the stuff like crazy—according to The Environmental Working Group’s 2015 market survey, some companies have switched to BPA-free cans due to pressure from consumers, but the majority of canned goods in the US still contain the chemical in their linings. And due to an extreme lack of transparency, it’s really hard to know where it’s lurking—until now, that is....