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No-Cut Veggies Buy ready-to-go fresh produce and also keep frozen vegetables on hand. Must-haves are corn, peas, chopped spinach, and shelled edamame, all nutritionally comparable to their fresh-cooked counterparts-and they hold up tastewise too! Frozen Shrimp Savvy shoppers buy shrimp frozen because it’s more economical, and most “fresh” shrimp at the seafood counter is thawed from frozen anyway. Cook cleaned raw shrimp no more than a few minutes (just start defrosting in the fridge the night before)....

Pineapple-Basil Smoothie (pictured above) While it might seem strange to add a savory herb to a smoothie, basil has a slight licorice note, and in small quantities it adds an exotic flavor. SERVINGS: 2 1 c coconut milk 1 banana 1½ c frozen pineapple chunks 2 basil leaves, torn ⅛ tsp peeled and grated ginger, optional ADD all of the ingredients to the blender, starting with the coconut milk. Cover and blend until smooth, about 30 seconds....

Among women, alcohol can be a risky way to deal with sadness or anxiety, finds a new study from the University of Georgia and the University of Kentucky. After following 235 female college students, researchers concluded that those who drank to cope with “negative emotions” were more likely to imbibe excessively, and were at a greater risk of developing alcohol-use disorders than their friends. More from Prevention: Have A Girl’s Night Out Without The Guilt And the picture isn’t any better for men....

First, the science: a recent study from the European Society of Cardiology of more than 58,000 Taiwanese patients found that statin therapy has a protective effect against non-vascular dementia in people over 65 without any history of dementia. The more potent the statin the better, researchers found. Then, another large-scale study of more than two million people presented at the ESC Congress found just six months of statin therapy reduces cataracts by 10%, but 14 years of use reduces them by 55%....

There is a passage that is pretty powerful from a book called The Power of Silence: “…it’s in silence that we reflect on the truths we have come across in life. Everything is born in silence—all thoughts, all wisdom, all perspective. Without it, you’ll never see things as they really are, you’ll always be ruled by your reactions—and, as those reactions prey on your mind and increase in intensity, it’ll ruin your peace....

“We all find excuses for not doing something, but if you’re in a group, you’re more motivated,” says study author and post-graduate researcher Sarah Hanson. Another reason to grab your girlfriends: Previous research also shows that when you walk in a group, you walk faster and further than when you walk on your own. Of course, finding or creating the right group, doesn’t happen by itself. To make it a little easier, we gathered tips from walking coach Michele Stanten on how to start your very own walking group—from lace-up to finish line....

“When you’re carrying a lot of weight, lunges and lots of other traditional exercises can be painful,” says Michelle Steinke, a certified personal trainer, sports nutrition specialist, and founder of 1fw Training and the non-profit One Fit Widow. Steinke adds, “Things a trainer would do with a smaller-sized person shouldn’t be done with someone who is carrying excess weight.” Even basic aerobic exercise can be difficult if you have 50 or more pounds to lose, Steinke says....

Stressed? Even if you aren’t pulling your hair out over it, your luscious locks might suffer. A new study conducted by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons found a connection between stressful life experiences and alopecia (hair loss), which affects 40% of women. When researchers examined nearly 100 sets of female twins, they found that those who had a history of divorce, diabetes, smoking, and hypertension were more likely to suffer from hair loss....

There are lots of traits you’re happy to share with your siblings—those gorgeous eyes do run in the family, after all. But here’s one we wish you didn’t share: your risk of stroke. Turns out you’re 60% more likely to have a stroke if your brother or sister had one—and 94% more likely if they had one before age 56, according to new research in Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics. 9 Ways To Never Have A Stroke It’s well known that ischemic strokes—which happen when blood clots block blood flow to the brain—are due in part to genetics....

​ Joseph Pilates is most well known for creating Pilates. But did you know that he was once a boxer? This exercise combines the best of both worlds. It’s a Pilates twist on classic boxing moves that also tones your abs, butt, inner thighs, shoulders, and back muscles. To do it you’ll need a pair of light weights—3 pounds or less. (A couple of soup cans will also do the trick if you don’t have dumbbells handy....

[sidebar]Find a quiet, comfortable place, where you won’t be distracted. Sit with your back straight. Place your hands in a comfortable position. If you please, you can call on God or a “higher power” to help you. Allow your eyes to rest comfortably downward, gazing softly but not focused on anything. Let your breathing become deep and rhythmic. It’s okay to let your attention drift a bit, but stay relaxed....

A close cousin of the mouse, which lives a mere 2 or 3 years before succumbing to the ravages of aging, the naked mole rat is a longevity champ, living 25 years or more. Such mastery of the mortality game has made this unimposing rodent—less than 4 inches long and nearly bald—a darling of researchers. “We’re studying animals like these in the hope that we’ll learn more about how people can better manage aging,” says Jill Carrington, PhD, of the National Institute on Aging’s Biology of Aging program....

I think about breakfast in two categories: weekdays and weekends. Weekday breakfasts are fast, and involve the same two to three things in a rotation. Smoothies, oatmeal, or avocado toast. Weekends are different, and obviously more relaxed. I loosen up my routine and try to make the morning last as long as possible. I introduce eggs into the rotation, or maybe some pancakes or waffles if I’m feeling extra decadent....

After looking at several studies and meta-analyses on the effects green, white, and oolong tea have on body weight, Dutch researchers found that tea’s natural ingredients—catechins and caffeine—help increase a person’s energy expenditure, or the calories they burn just by being. The compounds also increase fat oxidation (fat breakdown) in the body. (Check out these 6 things that happened when one woman drank green tea every day for a month....

White, beige—who cares about fat unless you’re losing it, right? Brown adipose tissue (BAT), or brown fat, is a good type of fat, there to burn as many calories as it can in order to generate heat. You had a good amount of this as a baby, and it would be nice to have a lot more of it as an adult. But previous research in rodents has shown that white fat can turn into beige fat (which has some of the calorie and fat burning benefits of brown fat) when exposed to cold temperatures, and this study is the first to discover that the same can happen in humans....

A study published in Evolution & Human Behavior evaluated nearly 800 CEOs to find that those with deeper voices managed larger companies and made more money. “Deep voiced individuals are perceived to have more leadership capacity,” says Bill Mayew, PhD, professor at Duke University, and author of the study. “Perhaps a deep voiced CEO is better able to cut through red tape and force consensus at larger firms, leading to more efficient decision making....

Is a bottle of vino keeping your marital bliss at bay? New research published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research found that the more you drink, the more likely you are to get divorced. Researchers studied almost 20,000 married couples, asking them about alcohol use and mental distress—how stressed, anxious, lonely, or restless they felt—and followed up with the couples 15 years later. Interestingly, while couples in which the husband and wife both drank were at an increased risk for divorce, they weren’t the worst off....