An Almond Alternative

            Crunch on this: Turkish scientists recently discovered that eating hazelnuts lowers your risk of heart disease. When men with high cholesterol ate about 1 ounce of the sweet nuts daily for 8weeks, their LDL (bad) cholesterol dropped 30 percent, while their HDL (good) cholesterol rose 12 percent.  As with almonds and walnuts, the researchers credit the upgrade in blood liquids to the hazelnuts’ high content of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat.

Your Fridge, Bacteria Free

            Do you know how cold your fried is? If you’re like 89 percent of Americans, the answer in no— but here’s why you should:  In order to halt bacterial growth the temperature of your refrigerator needs to be set to 40 degrees or colder, report Kansas State University researchers.  There’s only one accurate— and, yes, obvious— way to monitor it:  Buy a refrigerator thermometer.  We like the digital version made by Taylor ($10; target.com), which attaches to the inside of your fridge with a suction cup.

The Best Fish Oil

            If you still aren’t sure which fish oil to take, University of Minnesota researchers have a suggestion:  Choose a brand-such as coromega (coromega.com) — that’s been emulsified into a thick, creamy liquid.  Scientists found that emulsified fish oil was absorbed 71 percent better by study participants than capsules were.