EWG analysts uses U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration (USDA) pesticide-residue testing results as a basis for ranking 48 different fruits and vegetables. The total number of pesticides detected on a crop and the percent of samples tested with detectable pesticides are also factored in. The report is timely, given that a recent study found people who buy organic produce have much lower levels of organophosphate insecticides inside of their bodies compared to people eating conventionally grown fruits and veggies....

The end of 3 squaresournal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Forget mealtime—just eat anytime: A study published last year in the J suggests that over the past 40 years, more and more Americans have gotten into the habit of skipping meals, having extra meals, and eating large snacks in between meals. The danger with missing meals is that your blood sugar will plummet, you’ll crave quick energy, and you’ll snack impulsively on whatever food happens to be nearby, says Erin Spitzberg, MS, RDN, CDE, a registered dietician based in New Jersey and founder of Living It!...

[sidebar]Here are three characteristics that may boost life expectancy: Your glass is half full.A study that analyzed 243 elderly people (average age: 97.6) found that most were more optimistic and easygoing than the general population. If your outlook could be sunnier, write down a few things you’re grateful for daily. You’re everyone’s pal.Having strong social relationships can raise survival odds by 50%, found researchers from Brigham Young University. Not a social butterfly?...

“If you’re not taking supplements or having certain foods in the forms they need to be consumed in, you’re really wasting your time,” says nutrition guru Brooke Alpert, MS, RD, CDN, who represents Nature’s Origin, the GMO-free vitamin and supplement brand. “Bioavailability is very important in a couple of ways,” echoes functional medicine physician Susan Blum, MD. “There are some specific nutrients where it’s much more of an issue than others....

The key: doing it with proper form. Performing it like a pro makes it more effective, and reduces your risk of throwing out your back or aggravating a cranky rotator cuff.

Most of us have encountered someone along the way who seems hell-bent on trying to break us down. Sometimes it’s a coworker, sometimes it’s a family member. Sometimes the criticism can be direct, and sometimes it can come in a very surreptitious, passive-aggressive way. But when it comes, it can be destructive and can have an impact on your self-esteem. Recently, when someone I care about came to me with deep concern about criticism she was receiving, I thought long and hard about what it takes to keep your self-esteem in a world that might try to break it down....

53% A woman’s increased odds of surviving a stroke if she has 3 servings of produce daily, according to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition More from Prevention: 168 Amazing Farmers’ Market Recipes 

Can I get Ebola? No one is immune to Ebola, but that being said, the only way Ebola is transmitted is through bodily fluids like vomit and diarrhea and blood. You really have to be up close and personal with an Ebola patient to be at risk for contracting the disease, which is why, so far anyway, Ebola has spread primarily among family members of the infected as well as those caring for them....

Yesterday’s wisdom: Never go to bed angryToday’s smart stress strategy: Just get some sleep already When you’re mid-dustup and about to wring your husband’s neck, the last thing you feel like doing is curling up in bed beside him. But deep down, many of us worry that going to bed angry just tempts fate. So we bargain, cajole, and then fight some more in an effort to resolve the dispute, thinking all will be well by the morning if we can just reach a resolution....

Over the years, the FDA has faced increasing pressure to ban triclosan—a chemical used in antibacterial soaps, dish detergents, and even some toothpaste—as more and more studies question the usefulness and safety of the chemical that’s now detected in 75% of Americans’ bodies (triclosan routinely turns up in our urine, blood, and even breastmilk). How bad is triclosan? A suspected hormone-disrupting chemical, triclosan has estrogen-like properties and has been linked to reproductive and developmental damage in lab studies....

There’s another cliff looming, and it’s not in Congress. Today, February 7th, is the dreaded Fitness Cliff. At least according to Gold’s Gym: They mined through three years of gym member check-ins at locations across America, and found that 38 days after the ball drops is when people start to give up on their New Year’s resolutions. Why 38 days? “It’s an effort disparity,” says Belisa Vranich, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and author....

Qigong, which means “energy work,” is a meditative, relaxing technique that can calm the mind, as well as promote a healthier body, says qigong master Mei Jin Lu, president and chairman of the US Health Qigong Association. “It’s integrated by three parts—breathing, form, and the mind—so that you’re not bogged down with worry and are able to find moments of peace.” In this sense, it’s a lot like yoga. Also like yoga, qigong is considered to naturally relieve everything from afternoon slumps, stress to conditions such as depression, hypertension, fibromyalgia and arthritis....

I drew inspiration and strength in my daily life from my mother, who had battled breast cancer four times over the course of 14 years—and won! She was a fighter and brought that attitude to her chemotherapy treatments. What could have been a place of gloom instead became a place of love, light, and laughter, thanks to her positive outlook and thoughtful compassion for others, despite her own condition. The cancer recurred during the summer of 2009, when she was 77 years old, and we honestly didn’t think anything of it; she’d beaten it before....

Chicken nuggets earn the first point with 29 fewer calories than an equally sized serving of fish sticks. They’ve also got a slight edge on carbs: Chicken nuggets have 18 g and fish sticks pack 24. But when it comes to fat, cholesterol, protein, fiber, and sugar, the two are essentially identical. Neither food has more than 2 g of sugar—but thanks to refined breading, neither one has much fiber, either....

Any active woman occasionally experiences backaches, shoulder strain, knee pain, or other bone, muscle, or joint discomfort. Some women earnestly want to exercise but are hampered by chronic pain. If discomfort is moderate to severe or lasts longer than 3 to 4 days; if you have any redness, bruising, or swelling; or if the pain is too intense to work through, you need to see a doctor. If you have shooting pain or numbness radiating down your arms or legs, stop exercising at once and consult your doctor....

Steve’s Paleo Goods PaleoKrunch Maple Bacon Grainless Granolastevespaleogoods.com Sure, it’s normal to start your day with bacon, but Steve’s Paleo Goods is redefining the delivery system with … cereal! Sweet meets savory in this impressively clean breakfast blend of almonds, walnuts, shredded coconut, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, bacon, and maple syrup. Bonus: A 1.5 oz serving packs 6 grams of protein, along with iron and calcium. Your almond milk has been waiting for this....

You already know that vegetables, fruit, nuts, and fermented foods like yogurt are good for you, but there are plenty of unsung heroes at the grocery store that deserve more attention than they get. Here are five foods you might not realize are superhealthy. Oysters The latest reports show that most people are deficient in essential vitamin D, but the disease-fighting nutrient is notoriously difficult to find in food. Oysters are an exception....

According to Nicholas Perricone, MD, the pioneering nutritionist and dermatologist (who wrote the book on anti-inflammation eating), our bodies actually depend on temporary inflammation to help fight off sudden injuries or infection. But when that inflammation becomes chronic, “the immune system mistakenly attacks normal cells, and the process that ordinarily heals becomes destructive.” Like so many health issues, the main culprit is too much sugar, which is why you’ve probably heard the sweet stuff singled out—as well as other well-known offenders, like dairy, booze, and trans-fat-filled fried foods....

Researchers asked 88 people who were afraid of spiders to approach a captive tarantula. They were then shown a different spider, and instructed to either verbalize their negative emotions, describe the spider neutrally, talk about something else entirely, or say nothing at all. Then they were asked to approach the tarantula again. The results: “People who verbalized their emotions showed decreases in their physical fear response one week later,” says study author Katharina Kircanski, PhD, now a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University....