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Here, 7 diseases you can do something about today—to make sure you feel better, longer. MelanomaTypical age of diagnosis: 50s and beyondBut it can hit as early as: Late teens and early twentiesWhat you can do now: Steer clear of tanning salons—even occasional trips to the tanning bed can triple your chances of developing melanoma, according to the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Avoiding the sun altogether is next to impossible, so use a daily moisturizer with at least SPF 15—but many experts think SPF 30 is preferable....

Raw cakes are healthy, tasty, and easy to make—rich in natural enzymes that won’t get destroyed during the baking process. Note: Raw peanut butter isn’t easy to come by at the store (most commercial varieties use roasted peanuts). Consider making your own in a food processor by using raw peanuts. You can also substitute raw almond or pecan butter, too. Base 5 oz pecans 4 pitted dates 1/2 tsp sea salt Coconut layer 2 1/2 oz cashews, soaked in water 2 hours 3 1/2 oz coconut cream (about 1/4 of 14 oz can) 1/2" piece ginger, grated 3 Tbsp maple syrup 3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted Chocolate layer 2 1/2 oz cashews, soaked in water 2 hours 11 oz coconut cream (about 3/4 of a 14 oz can) 3 Tbsp cacao powder 3 Tbsp raw peanut butter 3 Tbsp maple syrup 2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted 1/2 tsp sea salt Chocolate sauce 1 1/2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted 1 Tbsp cacao powder 1 Tbsp maple syrup Toppings 1/4 c crushed pecans and pistachios 2 Tbsp cacao nibs 1 Tbsp raw peanut butter...

Your boss is being impossible, you forgot to eat breakfast, and that blemish on your cheek has officially attained full-on zit status. If you’re having that kind of day, consider holding onto your wallet a little tighter: A bad mood can prompt people to seek out instant gratification by spending big bucks, according to new research from Harvard University. In a series of experiments, study participants were shown various film clips to induce particular moods: Some watched clips to induce sadness, while others viewed clips meant to induce either disgust or a neutral mood....

Experts from Williams College and the University of Texas at Austin tested out the theory in a speed-dating experiment where each participant met five potential suitors. Then they asked each person to asses the people they met on how attractive they were, and how sexually interested they were in that person. The findings are ones for the ages: If a man found a woman attractive, he was much more likely to assume she was keen to get it on with him, too....

When you cook rice by letting it sit in boiling water, that water is absorbed into the rice. If there’s any arsenic in your water, this can lead to even higher levels of arsenic. However, when you cook it in a filtered coffee system, the water constantly passes over the rice, but most of the water (and the arsenic that gets flushed out) is discarded. To cook your rice in a coffee pot, use a coffee filter and place the uncooked rice where you would normally put coffee the ground coffee beans....

Meet Chuice, a bottled beverage that combines juice, salad, and granola into a single shot of drinkable-yet-chewable sustenance. What’s in it? Chuice’s Forest Blend flavor basically stuffs an entire health food store into one bottle: There’s pureed apple, cucumber, carrot, pineapple, kale, orange, honey, and spinach, along with floating pieces—we’re talking intact, non-liquefied pieces—of mint, pecans, sunflower seeds, ginger, cilantro, basil, almonds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, flaxseed, hemp, sesame seeds, and chia seeds, all seasoned with cinnamon and cayenne....

Here’s what the old thinking on statins was: If your total cholesterol was 240 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) or higher, or if your LDL “bad” cholesterol was 130 mg/dL, you were considered a strong candidate for a statin. The goal of that statin was to lower your LDL below 100 mg/dL, or for very high risk patients, 70 mg/dL. That approach was what researchers call the “treat to target” strategy, but, as the new guidelines point out, “Current clinical trial data do not indicate what the target should be....

When you shop carefully, shrimp is a great protein source for eating clean. But if you don’t know what to look for, you could be buying shrimp that’s both loaded with pesticides and negatively affecting the environment. Buy U.S. shrimp with either the Marine Stewardship Council or Aquaculture Stewardship Council seal on its packaging. Then make this clean and simple dinner. MORE: Shrimp and Pumpkin Noodle Salad Serves 4 Sauce2 Tbsp tamari2 Tbsp vegetable stock1 tsp honey1 tsp corn starch Stir-Fry1 c brown rice, rinsed and drained2 Tbsp sesame oil1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined1 clove garlic, minced3 bell peppers (yellow, orange, and red), seeded and sliced2 tsp minced ginger1 tsp sesame seeds...

Still, additives are essential to the processed foods that we’re all guilty of eating—at least in emergency situations. They help preserve freshness or nutritional value, and impact taste, color, or texture. For example, polysorbate 60 keeps the dill oil in your pickle jar from clumping, while adipic acid flavors your cough drops. Most of these chemically-derived compounds are probably safe, but studies have found that some additives may cause severe allergic reactions, digestive problems, poor liver or kidney function, birth defects, and even cancer....

“Pets are anchors in our lives. They provide nurturing and unconditional love, love that we don’t even always receive from other people, says Alan D. Wolfelt, PhD, director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition and author of When Your Pet Dies: A Guide to Mourning, Remembering and Healing. “The loss of a pet is a major life event.” But after the death of a pet, many owners experience what psychologists call “disenfranchised grief,” or the pain of a loss that’s not openly acknowledged or socially supported....

MORE: Sleeping THIS Many Hours A Night Could Mean Your Stroke Risk Is 46% Higher

This dish proves that eating healthy can be as fast as take-out. By the time you get in your car, get to the drive-thru, and get home with bags of sad-looking burgers, you could have made this clean, delicious salad. And thanks to the protein-rich chickpeas, sweet roasted peppers, and creamy tzatziki dressing, this salad eats like a hearty dinner. MORE: Party in a Bowl: Tri-Color Confetti Salad Total Time: 10 minutesServes 4 1 bunch (about 6 c) curly kale, stems removed ½ c lemon juice 1 c Greek yogurt ¼ c roughly chopped dill ¼ seedless cucumber, roughly chopped 1 clove garlic ½ tsp salt 1 can (14 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained 1 jar (12 oz) roasted red peppers, thinly sliced...

But cognitive decline is by no means an inescapable side effect of aging. In fact, according to a flurry of new reports, you can counteract age-related changes in the brain with a surprisingly simple regimen of activities guaranteed to nurture and fortify your mental musclepower. Here are 7 easy ways to keep your brain quick, sharp, and bristling with youthful vigor. Google often When you search the Internet, you engage key centers in your brain that control decision-making and complex reasoning....

Turns out, though, that there’s a simple trick to detect if your EVOO is legitimately “extra virgin” and fresh. That’s because EVOO is produced from green, unripe, early harvested olives as opposed to mature olives, which impart some distinct characteristics that making identifying it easier—provided you know what to look for. Here’s what to do: Grab your bottle of EVOO and pour some into a small shallow bowl or shot glass....

Yes, you—and your mother, too. In fact, all women do. We’re 50 to 70% more likely to suffer bad reactions to the drugs we take, studies show—and our side effects tend to be more serious. We’re close to a third more likely than a man to quit taking the medicine we’ve been prescribed, at least for some diseases—even if stopping increases the risk of death. Just as bad, says Marianne Legato, MD, founder and director of the Foundation for Gender-Specific Medicine in New York City, some of the drugs we take simply may not help us get well....

On the skeptical side of the fitness app argument comes new research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. When researchers from the University of Massachusetts looked at popular fitness apps, they found that while most are good for planning and calculating nutrition, their stick-to-it strategies are too narrow, meaning there’s no real behavior change. But weighing in on the pro-app side is research from the University of California-Berkeley that says fitness apps actually do work, as they motivate women to work out more....

Over two days, 11 male subjects were given low-fat yogurt, and half of the subjects received yogurt mixed with fat-free olive oil extract. After the snack, German researchers measured the men’s brain activity. The group who ate yogurt with the extract had increased blood flow in brain areas typically associated with fat consumption—even though the overall fat content of the snack was low. That’s all thanks to the scent of olive oil, which might help you feel full, according to the researchers....

MORE: Why Your Organic Eggs and Milk May Not Be Organic Think you can get pillowy poached eggs only at an expensive brunch place? Think again. Cooking this tasty breakfast staple is way less intimidating than it seems, and this recipe is the perfect place to start. Add crisp-tender asparagus and a few slices of crunchy toast, and you’ve got a kickass meal with 7 g of filling fiber and 16 g of protein....