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Aloe vera is a type of succulent plant typically found in tropical and sub-tropical arid climates around the world. The long, spiky fronds grow thick with stored moisture, allowing the plant to survive the long periods between rainfall out in desert climates. Aloe vera is also a plant with a wide variety of possible uses. One of the most common uses, as many of us remember from childhood trips to the beach, is as a sunburn treatment. The gel inside the aloe vera leaf is thick, smooth, and soothing to the skin. It's similar in some ways to menthol; it...

One of the most frustrating things about trying to eat healthier is how often the "healthy" alternatives are unpleasant to consume. Protein powder – as part of shakes for supplement purposes, for muscle building, for weight loss, and for nutrition – is one of the biggest offenders. How often have you tried to make a protein shake, only to find the protein powder clumped up in little nuggets throughout the shake itself, making a pleasant sip of shake into a burst of chalky awfulness? It's quite common, quite unpleasant, and makes the best of us feel like it's just not...

The definition of a fast, according to the dictionary, is this: "to abstain from all or some kinds of food or drink, especially as a religious observance." Not very helpful, right? "all or some"? What foods and drinks can you eat and drink while you're fasting? The answer is, unfortunately, not very easy. It all comes down to two things: what type of fast you're doing, and how strict you are about observing it. In other words, it's all about the limitations of the fast itself, where they come from, and how well you can stick to them.  If you're...

Sometimes it seems like your bathroom scale is lying to you, and not just out of a sense of denial about just how much of that Thanksgiving pie stuck around. Stepping on the scale can show you one weight, and then stepping off and back on can settle at another, plus or minus as much as 5-10 pounds!  When you're trying to lose weight, chart your progress, and keep an eye on how you're doing, the last thing you need is for your measurement tools to be reliant on the alignment of the stars, the flapping of butterfly wings in...