Molly Sims: Fab for Fall

You think you’d feel self-conscious around a supermodel style expert. And yet meeting with 37-year-old Molly Sims—who rose to fame as a model for Sports Illustrated and Victoria’s Secret and a host of MTV’s “House of Style”—leads to anything but.

In her easy Kentucky accent, Molly talks work and play: how she’s recently added jewelry designer to her résumé with her new line Grayce by Molly Sims, why her strict workout regimen lets her not stress about what she eats, and what she’s most grateful for.

Q: You’re a believer in healthy eating, right?
A: I think I’ve done every crazy diet there was in the beginning, but it’s weird: I’m thinner now than I was when I was modeling. I don’t obsess about it. I have a really strict regimen of exercise, so I pretty much can eat what I want…but, no, I hate saying that.

Q: Because then people think you’re just eating pizza and chocolate cake.
A: ’Cause I’m not. No, I work out for an hour to an hour-and-a-half, five to six days a week, hardcore. I mean, my butt was up at 7:30 this morning and at [the studio of trainer] Tracy Anderson to work out at 8. They’re great, they push you.

Q: You’re from Kentucky. Is there anything about you that speaks of that?
A: I still love red velvet cake. My mom FedExes a red velvet cake she makes from scratch to me every birthday. And she walked four miles a day for 25 years. She always said, you should take care of yourself, you shouldn’t let yourself go. That’s a very Southern thing. I can remember watching her doing Jack LaLanne on the back of a chair, for sure! The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Q: What do you do to feel healthy?
A: I watch my wheat intake. I drink a hot lemon water when I wake up. It cleanses your palate. And I dry brush, which is great for your circulation. Oh my God, it’s amazing.

Q: You’re full of great health tips!
A: I should have a blog! If you want to get into a dress, watch your salt intake for three days. Don’t down soy sauce and sushi. I think if more people were healthy, they’d have
a better outlook on life.

Eating Smart for Your Whole Body

Eating well just got easier: Simply match these good-for-you foods to your body parts.
Here’s why: We knew there was a reason that our breasts resemble melons! Oranges and melons are rich in immune-boosting vitamin C, and some studies indicate that a C-heavy diet (from food, not supplements) helps prevent breast cancer.Bok choy is an excellent source of calcium, a mineral that’s essential for keeping bones strong and dense. And rhubarb, another bony-looking veggie, is rich in vitamin K, which helps activate three proteins involved in bone health and increases bone-mineral density.An Italian study found that women whose diets included a lot of olive oil had a 30% lower risk of ovarian cancer. The reasons are unclear, but the healthy fats in the oil may help suppress genes predisposed to causing cancer.Walnuts, with their funky lobe-like shape, are a great source of essential omega-3 fatty acids, which help brain cells communicate with each other and are essential to cognitive performance, memory, and nerve health.Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A. Your eyes need A to maintain the health of the cells in your corneas, the transparent tissue that covers the eye and protects it from germs, dust, inflammation, and infection. Is it any wonder, then, that a sliced carrot reveals concentric circles that look like your pupil and iris? Red and purple grapes (along with other dark fruits and vegetables) contain flavonoids, which experts say protect against heart disease, as well as cancer and brain-aging. A recent study from the University of Michigan also found that the heart-shaped clusters of fruit may help control your blood pressure.Pancreas-shaped sweet potatoes release sugars gradually into the bloodstream. That means they don’t stress the organ, which helps regulate blood-sugar levels.

5 Common Misdiagnoses For Men

The scary truth is that sometimes your M.D. is just plain wrong. Take these five common misdiagnoses for men, some of which could lead to facing the knife unnecessarily. A better plan? Protect yourself with the strategies outlined here, and feel better faster. (Learn 12 ways to beat the worst health problems.)

1. Diagnosis: Allergies
What you might really have: Vasomotor rhinitis

Doctors usually blame congestion, watery eyes, and serious bouts of sneezing on allergies, but unless you recently moved or changed jobs, it's rare to develop allergies in your 20s and 30s. Instead, your symptoms may be the result of vasomotor rhinitis, a condition triggered by nonallergen irritants, such as perfume, smog, and cigarette smoke, that inflame your nasal mucous membranes, says Patricia Wheeler, M.D., an associate professor of family medicine at the University of Louisville. The allergy medicines you're prescribed won't provide relief.

Your strategy: Schedule a skin-prick test to identify any allergies. No dice? Then it's time to go over potential triggers with your doctor.

Watch for these 10 visual signs you may have a health problem.

2. Diagnosis: Torn Meniscus
What you might really have: Iliotibial-band friction syndrome

The average doctor's first step in diagnosing severe knee pain is an MRI. The test is so sensitive that it almost always reveals tears in the meniscus, the cartilage in your knee joint. "Nine times out of 10, it's normal wear and not the source of the pain," says Ronald Grelsamer, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Mt. Sinai Hospital of New York. Surgical treatment "will lead away from the real problem." An MRI won't reveal injuries to your IT band—fibers stretching from your hip to your knee—a source of knee pain that's treated with physical therapy or orthotics. (Try these 10 tips for instant pain relief.)

Your strategy: Request an Ober's test, a physical exam that reveals injuries to the IT band.

3. Diagnosis: Sinus Headache
What you might really have: Migraines

Researchers at the American Headache Society examined 100 people with brain pain and found 86 percent of those who thought they had sinus headaches actually had migraines. "If a doctor hears 'facial pressure,' he'll assume sinus headache," says Craig Schwimmer, M.D., an otolaryngologist in Dallas, Texas. But sinus meds can't defeat the heavyweight of headaches.

Your strategy: Mark every headache you have on your calendar. If they occur regularly for more than 2 weeks, call a neurologist. (Monitor these six aches and pains that could be serious.)

4. Diagnosis: Bronchitis
What you might really have: Asthma

If you hack it up hard after each cold you catch, the culprit could be "hidden" asthma, says Sidney S. Braman, M.D., a professor of medicine at Brown University medical school. "You shouldn't develop a nagging cough with every cold," he says. "If so, a bug may be triggering asthma you didn't know you had."

Your strategy: Set up a pulmonary-function test to measure lung strength. Lung capacity lower than 80 percent may signal asthma.

5. Diagnosis: Appendicitis
What you might really have: An inflamed lymph node or stomach virus

Despite advances in diagnostic screening, 16 percent of appendectomies are performed on patients who don't need them, according to a recent University of Washington study. Appendicitis can be deadly, so doctors are quick to remove the 6-centimeter organ before doing a CT scan to confirm the diagnosis. An inflamed lymph node or virus could produce similar symptoms (and not require surgery).

Your strategy: If blood tests reveal that your white-cell count is over 10,000 cells per microliter, ask for a CT scan of your stomach.

Medical tests are no fun, so why take them twice? Try these five ways to ensure your health tests are accurate.