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Spice Up Your Style Like seasoning a dish when cooking, there are certain design elements that, when sprinkled in the right proportions, lend depth and interest to a room. Dabito recommends this mix to spice up any room: “My recipe for personalizing your space is adding color, art, vintage pieces, personal objects (souvenirs or heirlooms), and plants.” In the living room, Dabito kept the walls white but introduced color with an unexpected green sofa, his own original artwork, and a mustard yellow ottoman....

For anyone planning to stay away from wood entirely, though, many types of wood flooring alternatives give you the look of wood at a lower cost. Some are less susceptible to wear and tear than hardwood flooring, and they’re often easier to clean and maintain. Here are some of the most common alternatives to wood flooring—one of them might just cause you to lose your attachment to hardwoods. Laminate wood flooring Laminate wood flooring is a popular alternative because it’s an easy dupe for hardwood in how it looks and how it feels underfoot....

Take stock of those lingering tasks on your to-do list and roll over any goals left to be achieved. Most importantly, don’t wait until the last minute to set money resolutions that could change your life forever. These five goals are money musts that shouldn’t be put off for yet another year. Top Financial Resolutions Remember: The point is not to convince yourself that this investment vehicle is right for you....

Why, you ask? “Seafood has so many science-backed benefits for your mental health, immunity, cardiovascular system, and brain development,” says nutrition expert Keri Gans, MS, RD, CDN. “Eating more fish and shellfish is one of the easiest ways you can reduce your risk of depression, dementia, heart disease, and more. (By the way, the USDA and HHS just released the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, recommending Americans of all ages—particularly young children and pregnant women—eat seafood at least twice weekly....

Cinnamon Applesauce This no-added-sugar applesauce may be less sweet than what you’re used to, but the cinnamon adds so much flavor that your kids won’t notice. The key is to use good quality, naturally sweet apples, since they’re the star of the show. To skip the mashing step, throw everything into a slow cooker on the high setting for 4 hours, and the apples will fall apart on their own....

There are degrees of both excitement and anxiety around reinstating our beauty rituals, however. (Let’s be honest, we’ve all kind of enjoyed not having to do a full face of makeup every morning before 9 a.m.) But starting a beauty routine, even after a whole year of not having one, doesn’t have to feel overwhelming, nor do you have to go back to the same level of maintenance you did before....

Want to make a cake that looks as good as it tastes? It’s easy with Real Simple’s cake decorating techniques. Want to learn more? Watch a video on how to prepare cake pans.

And while it tastes delicious (especially when paired with your favorite liquor), it’s also pretty good for you—passion fruit is high in fiber, and vitamins A and C. If you’re picking fresh fruit of your own to add to your favorite passion fruit cocktails, opt for one with wrinkly purple or yellow skin, which indicates that it’s nice and ripe. Check out these easy passion fruit cocktails to brighten up your next happy hour....

For a little holiday party outfit inspiration, browse below for stylish options that’ll fit the occasion and arrive in time.

To buy: Roomba 690 and Shark ION; both $279 on amazon.com. To buy: $8; amazon.com.

However, for that same reason, poor gut health can cause a wide range of symptoms, some of which don’t even involve the gut. It can be tricky to tell whether your gut health is thriving or floundering, or whether the seemingly random health complaints you’re having are actually related to the state of your gut. To make things even more confusing, these other mental and physical signs may not crop up at the same time as some of the more obvious digestive symptoms, making it difficult to link the two....

How to treat: River Lloyd, a hairstylist at the Peter Coppola Salon in New York City, suggests spraying Static Guard onto a hairbrush and brushing it through hair. “It always works,” he says. When to see a professional: Flyaway hair accompanied by an itchy, flaky scalp indicates dandruff. If the condition doesn’t improve after you use an anti-dandruff shampoo like Head & Shoulders Classic Clean Shampoo ($11; target.com) for two weeks, see a dermatologist....

Certainly not Samantha Cassetty, MS, RD, nutrition and wellness expert and co-author of just-released Sugar Shock (consider it the bible of spotting sneaky sources of sugar in foods and finding healthier replacements). According to Cassetty, the key to eating desserts that are delicious and won’t wreak havoc on your health—sleep included—is stocking up on snacks and other ingredients that are low in added sugar, meaning the type of sugar that’s added to foods during preparation or processing (versus natural sugar, found in small amounts in fruits, vegetables, and dairy)....

That being said, the nutritional value of each type of vegetable varies with how it’s prepared and served. While most veggies offer the optimal amount of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients when consumed raw, some are actually healthier after being cooked. Cooking vegetables can make it easier for your body to absorb their nutritional benefits, says Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, author of The Better Period Food Solution. Here are four types of veggies Beckerman advises we consume cooked (rather than raw) to fully reap their nutrients—and two that are healthier raw....