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4 Habits which are Really Harmful Habits Disguised as ‘Healthy’!
The New Year is here, and with it a healthy new outlook on life.
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The seasonal excess of Thanksgiving and Christmas are behind us and many of us are dedicating ourselves to better eating, more exercise and a generally healthier lifestyle.
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Of course, seasonal markets are primed to respond to our zeal with a range of new “miracle” products from diet pills to a range of dubious “cleanses”.
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While the desire to lead a healthier life is a noble one, we owe it to ourselves to be educated about what does and does not constitute a healthy lifestyle.
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This is to prevent the marketing gurus capitalizing on our ignorance and sell us products that can actually lead us into habits that do more harm than good.
1. Over-using antibacterial soap
Disease prevention begins with hand washing. We all know that.
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But in our enthusiasm to purge our homes of nasty microbes, many of us find ourselves clinging almost religiously to anti-bacterial soaps.
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Unfortunately, many of these soaps contain a chemical called triclosan which has still not been completely evaluated by the FDA.
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In fact animal trials have proven that high doses of exposure to triclosan have resulted in a decrease in thyroid hormones. Other studies have proven that triclosan can actually help some strains of bacteria become resistant to antibiotics.
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All these harmful disadvantages, and they’re not proven to be any more effective than good old soap and water!
2. Quitting anything ‘cold turkey’
There’s no time like the new year for kicking bad habits. But be aware of the dangers of going cold turkey on them.
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From caffeine to sugar to nicotine, going cold turkey can increase the chance of cravings and therefore risk of relapse. E-cigarettes, hal- caff coffee and stevia-based sugars can help while you are trying to wean yourself off the addiction.
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Such actions could help you break bad habits. However, these novel products are still in their infancy stages. So, if you use these products, keep up-to-date with research. We will probably see the real eventual findings only decades later.
3. Juice Cleanses
You’ll likely see many of your friends, family members and work colleagues undergoing juice cleanses and detoxes in the new year.
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The REAL juice cleanses do a magnificent job of cleaning up your system. You just need to be aware of, and not be taken in by, bogus wanna-be juice detoxes.
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Do your due diligence and check everything out! This is your health at stake, after all!
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Our bodies do a great job of detoxifying themselves. That’s what our livers and kidneys are for. Even our skin and lungs do their bit to filter out toxins.
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Many of the bogus cleanses require a dangerously low caloric intake which may facilitate some initial weight loss. However, it will likely be accompanied by cravings, headaches, poor concentration and general misery.
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All this could help increase your stress load, something you don’t really need!
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If in doubt, please contact us: Contact Health Sifu. We’re here to help!
4. Low-Fat Alternatives… Are A VERY, VERY Bad Idea! Your Body Needs Cholesterol / Saturated Fats! Nature Decreed it. Not for Man to tamper with!
Fats, like carbohydrates are unfairly demonized by a diet industry that doesn’t want us to lose weight.
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The truth is that no entire food group is inherently bad, nor should they be cut out altogether. .
In reality, this omission of healthy, natural fats can lead to cardiovascular / heart disease! Not to mention the dreaded CA, cancer.
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The demonization of fats that began in the 1970s has led to a saturation (pardon the expression) of low-fat alternatives to favourite junk foods.
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The trouble is that taking the fat out of food makes it taste nasty. Therefore, many manufacturers try to circumvent this by loading their low-fat products with sugar… Which can actually be more harmful.
Always opt for home-cooked meals as opposed to ready-made meals, no matter how healthy the packaging makes them appear to be.
