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Hash browns can be a tasty side dish for breakfast — or any other meal. Image Credit: ozgurcoskun/iStock/GettyImages Hash browns are “crisp-fried potatoes made by dicing, chopping, or mashing boiled potatoes and browning them in hot fat or oil,” per Dictionary.com. But hash browns aren’t just for breakfast. They’re a tasty side dish that can go with any meal. Advertisement Traditionally, hash browns are made from shredded or cubed potatoes. However, you can also make them from leftover mashed potatoes....

Preserving the nutrients in your food is an important component of maintaining a healthy diet. How you prepare and cook foods influences their nutritional content. Water-soluble vitamins, in particular, are unstable in heat. Boiling, for example, destroys some of the water-soluble vitamins in vegetables and fruit. Take steps to minimize the amount of vitamins that are lost through cooking. Ascorbic Acid Ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, is an extremely unstable water-soluble vitamin....

Intermittent fasting may cause constipation, diarrhea or much bigger poops than usual. Image Credit: nito100/iStock/GettyImages From weight loss to decreased inflammation, intermittent fasting has been linked to a plethora of positives for your body and overall health. But it can come with some unexpected side effects, too — like poop problems. That’s right, IF may throw your bowels off balance. Advertisement Here, Niket Sonpal, MD, a New York-based internist and gastroenterologist, discusses three ways your bathroom habits may shift during intermittent fasting....

Getting more steps each day can be a great way to promote overall health and weight loss. Image Credit: Jirattawut/iStock/GettyImages Pedometer technology is booming with hundreds of gadgets and gizmos available to help track your steps and movement. Heck, your phone likely does it, too! But how many steps a day do you really need to take to lose weight — and is 10,000 steps a day really the best baseline?...

Talk to your doctor about how much vitamin B complex you need before you supplement. Image Credit: Westend61/Westend61/GettyImages A vitamin B complex supplement typically contains riboflavin, pantothenic acid, folic acid, niacin, biotin, thiamin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. Most people get enough from foods high in B vitamins. Advertisement However, people with restricted or poor diets or those with certain medical conditions may benefit from taking a vitamin B complex supplement....

Push ups are a great exercise to build muscles in the rib cage. Image Credit: SrdjanPav/E+/GettyImages Nothing says “shredded” like well-developed serratus anterior muscles. Those are the finger-like muscles that extend from the back of the ribs to the abdominal muscles. The intercostals — the small muscles between your ribs — also contribute to the appearance of a muscular torso. Advertisement These rib muscles automatically get worked when you do bench presses, push ups and dips, but a few bonus exercises can help you really zero in for a more chiseled torso....

Plated whole wheat pasta set kitchen table. Image Credit: VeselovaElena/iStock/Getty Images If you love pasta but prefer not to eat white flour or can’t because it contains gluten, then you may want to try brown-rice pasta. Made from brown rice, the pasta has a similar consistency and taste to white-flour pasta, yet it contains a greater amount of fiber and protein, which helps your body digest it at a slower rate....

A plate of cooked penne rigate pasta. Image Credit: Amarita/iStock/Getty Images Penne is a thin tube pasta that goes well with hearty sauces such as pesto and meat-based marinara. “Rigate” in the name indicates that the penne has a ridged surface. The open tubes, which are 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inches long, allow the sauce to fill through the middle, while the ridges help the sauce cling to the outside, giving you substantial flavor with each bite....

Fresh purple green beans are true eye candy — and they taste great, too. Image Credit: ValentynVolkov/iStock/GettyImages In This Article Prepping Boiling Microwaving Steaming Stir-Frying Roasting Recipes It's difficult ​not​ to be enticed by the sight of fresh purple beans. The veggie, emanating gorgeous hues ranging from violet to aubergine, contrast dramatically with their pale yellow and green counterparts. Advertisement When cooked, however, the purple pigment (which is stored only in the outer layer of the beans) disappears almost as quickly as you turn the heat up under them....

Sweet potatoes come out moist and delicious in a NuWave Oven. The NuWave Oven countertop device uses infrared technology to cook food. The result is meals that take less time to cook and that can be healthier for you since no oils or butter are needed. The NuWave Oven can cook a wide variety of food, including sweet potatoes. Advertisement Step 1 Wash your sweet potatoes under cool running water. Remove any bad spots or sprouts....

Stretch marks, also called striae, look like pink, purple or white streaks that spread across your skin. They occur because your skin stretches too quickly, such as during pregnancy or weight gain. Many treatments claim to reduce or eliminate stretch marks, but the truth is, there's no sure-fire cure for stretch marks. Your skin needs time to help regenerate collagen and fade stretch marks. You can help speed up this process and improve your skin's health and appearance through treatments like exfoliation....

Gaining weight involves eating more nutrient-dense high-calorie food. Eat healthy calorie-dense foods to gain weight safely without eating refined sugar or simple carbohydrates. Avoid over-processed food products in favor of real whole foods, including lean protein and healthy fats. Successful weight gain requires you to consume more calories than you expend, but the quality of those calories matter, it's not just about quantity. Advertisement Step 1 Weigh yourself to get an accurate starting weight and calculate how many pounds you wish to gain....

Doing bicep curls, too much, too soon can lead to burnout. Image Credit: Photo_Concepts /Image Source/Getty Images You’ve got a few pounds to lose, but climbing the stairs leaves you winded – and your military fitness test, a hot date or your high-school reunion is only 10 days away. Getting into tip-top shape simply isn’t possible in such a short time. In 10 days, you can safely lose a pound or two, maybe three, but you can’t build a lot of stamina or substantial muscle....

Let these physical therapy exercises help you recover from an injury. Image Credit: Describe the Fauna/LIVESTRONG.COM No one likes being sidelined by an injury. But you can cope by doing certain rehabilitative exercises (depending on your injury and if your doctor gives you the OK, of course). While these exercises won’t heal your injury, they can make you feel stronger. Advertisement If you're experiencing pain in your knees, shoulders, lower back or hips, follow along with these 13 exercises from Melanie Archer, certified Pilates master trainer and owner of Archer Pilates in Los Angeles....

Your aging loved one may have a different idea of what your caregiving role looks like, so start these conversations by listening. Image Credit: Getty Images/AleksandarNakic One of the toughest, most emotionally charged conversations you may have with an older loved one is that of their future care and the role you’ll play in the caregiving process. Advertisement From the older person potentially having difficulty admitting — and accepting — they need more care to the younger person fearing the decline of their loved one, it's a shift in your relationship dynamic that can be unsettling to talk about....

A strong core is important when dealing with back pain. Image Credit: chee gin tan/E+/GettyImages Lower back pain is the pits. Unfortunately, it’s a fact of life for many people. Indeed, back problems were the third most common reason for people to see a doctor, according to a 2013 paper in ​Mayo Clinic Proceedings.​ Advertisement That's no surprise given the constant wear-and-tear our backs endure. "We put so much stress and strain on our lower backs throughout the day," says Emily McLaughlin, in-house certified fitness trainer and nutrition expert at 8fit....

Graphic representing stomach acid reflux. Image Credit: wildpixel/iStock/Getty Images You are probably familiar with the gassy, abdominal pain referred to as bloating. You may even know that acid reflux is a result of some of the acidic contents of the stomach leaking back up into the esophagus, where it burns or irritates the lining. But you may be unaware that bloating and acid reflux are sometimes linked to each other. Bloating can sometimes contribute to and result in acid reflux....

Pancake Mix Image Credit: vinicef/iStock/Getty Images Pancake mix is essentially flour, baking soda and a little salt blended together in the perfect proportions to quickly whip up a batter for pancakes and waffles. It’s also a handy starter for many other recipes, both sweet and savory, that include a basic batter. You simply need to adjust the consistency by adding more or less liquid. For certain baked goods, pancake mix also makes a suitable substitute for flour and baking soda....

Instead of assuming successful weight loss is a product of willpower, Calibrate focuses on biology. Image Credit: LIVESTRONG.com Creative Finding a weight-loss program that doesn’t rush or restrict you along your journey but rather creates sustainable, healthy goals is a feat in itself these days. Take it from adventure-seeking mother, wife and PhD Jennifer Cunningham, who after struggling with her weight for years, finally found Calibrate, a program that not only checks off all of her boxes, but also matches her on-the-go lifestyle....

A large block of butter on a cutting board. Image Credit: tashka2000/iStock/Getty Images Olive oil and butter are both in the fats group, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture advises to consume “sparingly.” One tablespoon of olive oil contains approximately 120 calories, while 1 tbsp. of butter contains about 100 calories. You may choose to consume these fats based on personal taste since the two do not differ much in calorie count....