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Nope, we’re not joking, it’s actually edible. In fact, a 2013 research review found that avocado pits may be helpful in lowering cholesterol, and treating high blood pressure, inflammatory conditions like arthritis, and diabetes. They even have antimicrobial and cancer-fighting properties. (Here are 7 foods your gut wants you to eat.) MORE: 12 Insanely Creative New Ways To Eat Avocado What’s responsible for these powerful perks? Pits are loaded with polyphenol antioxidants, monounsaturated fats, vitamin E, fiber, and plant sterols, says Ali Miller, RD, CDE, integrative dietitian and owner of Naturally Nourished....

Forget the notion that cooking from scratch is difficult and time-consuming. “If it were,” says Ree Drummond, known as the Pioneer Woman to fans of her blog and TV show, “I wouldn’t be able to do it!” Drummond’s life as a mother of four and wife of an Oklahoma cattle rancher—a far cry from her younger years as a sushi-loving sophisticate in Los Angeles—is anything but ordinary. Yet she still faces the “what’s for dinner?...

Hear that? It’s the sound of thousands of ice cream trucks rumbling in for the summer, bearing down on every boardwalk, lakeshore, and street corner from now until Labor Day. But the funny thing about ice cream trucks (and grocery store freezers) is that they don’t sell much real ice cream. Instead, packaged frozen desserts are typically cocktails of stabilizers, artificial colors and flavors, hydrogenated oils, and sugar under a bevy of different aliases....

“It turns out that a lot of what people know about ticks has been passed along for several generations,” says Thomas Mather, PhD, director of University of Rhode Island’s Center for Vector-Borne Disease and its TickEncounter Resource Center. But generations ago, there were different ticks that didn’t carry as many diseases. Nowadays, white-tailed deer overtake forests, farms, and suburbs alike, bringing with them a number of tick species that carry a host of diseases....

We tapped the brains of healthy food gurus for their tips on how to make better food choices while you’re away (which will help you feel fit and fabulous once you’re back). How To Pack The Perfect Picnic Here’s what Clean Plates’ Jared Koch, Denise Mari of Organic Avenue, and vegan chef extraordinaire, Matteo Silverman, had to say… Jared Koch, Founder & CEO of Clean Plates: I allow myself a little more leeway when traveling....

Here are the top 10 reasons to choose organic foods today: 1. Avoid chemicals Eating organically grown foods is the only way to avoid the cocktail of chemical poisons present in commercially grown food. More than 600 active chemicals are registered for agricultural use in America, to the tune of billions of pounds annually. The average application equates to about 16 pounds of chemical pesticides per person every year. Many of these chemicals were approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before extensive diet testing....

The Secret of the Pedometer Even Exercisers Can Benefit Step-by-Step Plan Success Stories Increased activity by 9,950 steps a day Dropped 5 lb Lowered cholesterol by 24 points Cut 1-mile walk time by more than 3 minutes Parking her car farther away. Taking the longest route to other offices. Using the stairs instead of the elevator. Doing periodic “step checks” helped Annette stay on target, so she wasn’t left with a huge amount of walking to do after work....

We’ve all been there: In an effort to drop a few pounds fast, you consider skipping lunch, thinking you can ride out the hunger pangs until dinner. Or you make your breakfast a measly glass of low-calorie green juice, assuming that the plants will provide the nutrients you’re not getting from your usual milk and cereal. But here’s the thing: Dealing with hunger pangs and an energy drain are only just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what’s going on in your body when you decide to forgo an entire meal....

Researchers at Albright College surveyed Facebook users in romantic relationships about their motivations for using Facebook, as well as their relationship satisfaction and their personality traits. Those who were more satisfied with their relationhsip were more likely to use Facebook to share couple photos, details of their relationship, and affectionate comments on the other person’s wall. MORE: The Amazing Side Effect Of Being In Love Sounds great, right? But there’s also a downside: Posting all of those mushy statuses also reveals a higher degree of “relationship contingent self-esteem,” which basically means that the person’s confidence is strongly tied to their relationship status....

Water levels in California, which produce much of the fruits, vegetables, and other fresh foods sold in the United States, are short by 30% or more for the year. That means the USDA expects larger-than-normal price hikes at the supermarket for foods that require high levels of irrigation, such as almonds, avocados, and dairy products. One study says an avocado could cost you 35 cents more than it did last year, putting the price tag around $1....

Deodorant No one wants to be the one in barre class who reeks, but you might want to take a second look at your favorite fresh-smelling deodorant. Many brands are laden with potentially harmful ingredients such as aluminum, parabens, steareths, propylene glycol, and triclosan, the latter of which has been shown to alter hormone regulation in animals, according to the FDA. (You can read more about the health risk here....

Here are 9 crazy unhealthy chain-restaurant menu items to avoid at all costs, plus—on the off chance that you do find yourself at an IHOP, Sonic, or Red Lobster—what to order instead. IHOP’s Chorizo Fiesta OmletteWhat to order instead: Sure, omelettes can be good for you. But this one? Definitely no bueno. Loaded with chorizo sausage, pepper jack cheese, citrus chili sauce (whatever that is), plus sour cream, this Tex-Mex monstrosity packs 1,300 calories and 106 g (!...

Where do stem cells come from?If the idea of human cells in your night cream makes you queasy, relax: You won’t actually find any in your topicals. These creams contain proteins excreted by stem cells grown in a lab. The original stem cells come from various sources. Stemage Skin Care, a company started by a surgeon affiliated with the Washington University School of Medicine, uses stem cells from anonymous bone marrow donors, while Lifeline Skin Care uses embryonic-like stem cells made from unused, unfertilized eggs (not from human embryos) donated by in vitro fertilization labs....

“It can feel like a club you’re not a member of,” says Chrissy Carter, a renowned teacher at New York’s YogaWorks studio who just released Beginning Yoga, a DVD that teaches basic yoga poses, terms (in English and Sanskrit), breathing, and alignment through three 20-minute practices. The best way to take some of the fear out of your first class or two, she says, is to show up with a toolkit you can use—whether you’re rolling out a mat at a Manhattan yoga studio or in your living room....

Raye recommends two simple tricks to relieve that stress and settle your stomach (not to mention make your feet feel better). He warns that the foot positions of these poses can be and should be painful for first-timers. “If you can find out where the pain is, it will point out where the blocks are,” he says. “Stay with it for as many breaths as you can.” Raye always starts class with these two foot stretches; he knows students have just eaten....

The downside: These vitamin-A derivatives cause so much irritation that many women give up. That’s where this complete guide comes in. Whether you’re a retinoid rookie or a dropout, you’ll learn to pick the best anti-aging product and use it right—so the only “side effect” you have is younger, more sensational-looking skin. Choose the Best Anti-Aging Product for You Best for Beginners If you have sensitive skin or are trying retinoids for the first time, an over-the-counter retinol is a good choice....

The study included 1,524 patients admitted to University Hospital in Zurich over a five-year period, in which 17 heat waves occurred. During the sweltering heat, a significant increase in both IBD flare-ups and IG occurred among the study participants. But how can temperature affect our gut so painfully? “Regarding IG we think that a heat wave might favor an expansion of potential pathogenic bacteria and/or viruses,” says Christine N. Manser, MD, the co-author of The American Journal of Gastroenterology study....

How to treat toenail fungus. That’s right. Toenail fungus cracked Yahoo’s list of the Top 10 “HOW Questions” of the past year. Jokes aside, toenail fungus is actually pretty awful. It looks nasty. It can be painful. And there’s little doubt ancient Egyptians asked their higher powers to help them banish the foot infection. Apart from wearing tight-fitting shoes or walking barefoot in a public shower, toenail fungus could develop due to poor blood circulation or diseases like diabetes....

This study found that as little as a 2% decline in fitness for men and a 4% loss for women led to sleep problems. “The steepest decline in cardiorespiratory fitness happens between ages 40 and 60,” says Rodney Dishman, PhD, a professor of exercise science at UGA and one of the lead authors of the study. “This is also when problems of sleep duration and quality are elevated.” MORE: 4 Ways Skimping On Even Just A Little Bit Of Sleep Can Make You Gain Weight How, exactly, physical activity contributes to restful sleep is unclear, but researchers suspect that the results have to do with your brain and your body....