Health Tips Line

I’ve had multiple run-ins with raccoons over the years, most recently just last week. A very fat fellow, who stops by frequently, clawed his way up to the top of our fence and perched, arms wide, like Leonardo DiCaprio yelling, “I’m the king of the world!” Last year, I looked outside (prompted by my dogs’ insane barking) to find a masked bandit happily splashing around in the shallows of my pool. I’ve rescued a trash panda that was stuck in an actual trash can (I dropped a ladder in, and he climbed right out as I was still running away), and my friend who feeds and traps feral cats routinely gets a family of raccoon “porch porkies” who stop by to help themselves to the buffet line. And who can forget the raccoon who captured the world’s attention as she eluded rescuers and scaled a 20-story office building in downtown St. Paul? All of this is to say that raccoons are everywhere, and they don’t mind living (mostly) harmoniousl...

They say that butter makes everything better , and I tend to think that’s true. But riddle me this: Milk is white, and butter is made from milk, but butter is … yellow? If you explained this to an alien who knew nothing of Earth’s delicacies, they would likely expect tomatoes to turn pink when cooked into marinara or for cauliflower to turn purple while roasting. Neither of these makes sense, but honestly, the fact that butter is yellow doesn’t make a whole lot of sense either. To get to the bottom of this mystery , I talked to food scientist Bryan Quoc Le, author of 150 Food Science Questions Answered. Read on to find out what he said, plus everything else you might want to know about butter’s qualities and quirks. Get  Reader’s Digest ’s  Read Up newsletter for more food, fun facts, humor, cleaning, travel and tech all week long. Why is butter yellow? The explanation is surprisingly straightforward, even if it’s not something...

If I had all the money in the world, I’d buy everything new and directly from the company that made it—so I’d never have to worry about getting a lemon dumped on me. But with prices going up across the board , I’ve learned to embrace the classic motto “Reduce, reuse, recycle.” And when it comes to shopping for tech, that means buying used or refurbished items. I’m not the only one making this switch. According to a recent poll from CNET, almost half of U.S. adults considered buying refurbished tech in the past year, including 57% of Millennials . While some cite moral concerns like wanting to reduce e-waste, most say it’s for budget reasons. And if you know where to look, buying secondhand tech can be a fantastic way to save money, especially as computer-memory and chip shortages jack up the costs of buying new. Personally, I love shopping secondhand. My first iPod was a refurbished model, and just last week I picked up a classic 35mm cam...

We’ve all been there. A tiny ant crawling across the kitchen counter. A mini panic, followed by an attempt to remove it unharmed, which often ends with a frustrated squish. You think the problem has been solved, but then the masses descend. No matter what state I’ve lived in, I’ve dealt with this particular problem. Ants in my kitchen in Virginia. Ants in my bathroom in Washington. What am I doing wrong? While they’re not as worrying as illness-carrying pests like mosquitoes and ticks , I still don’t want to share my home or my food with them. Well, according to Laurel Hansen, PhD, a certified ant biology expert, I am indeed making one huge mistake that’s causing an entire ant army to invade my home on the regular—and you’re probably doing the same thing. Read on to find out the common misstep that makes your problem worse, what to do instead and how to prevent ants from getting in your house in the first place. Get  Reader’s Di...

Online dating is hard enough without having to wonder whether the person you’re chatting with is exactly who they say they are. We all want to make a good first impression , but somewhere between choosing flattering photos and crafting the perfect bio, some people start veering into a trend known as kittenfishing . Younger singles are revisiting the dating term that first emerged nearly a decade ago—and thanks to AI and social media, it’s more relevant than ever. And while it’s not as dramatic as catfishing, it can still lead to awkward first dates and the feeling that someone wasn’t entirely honest from the start. So what is kittenfishing, exactly, and why are Gen Z daters suddenly talking about it again? Read on to find out, as well as learn how to avoid becoming a victim—or accidentally doing it yourself. Get  Reader’s Digest ’s  Read Up newsletter for more trends, relationships, humor, travel, tech and fun facts all week lo...