13 "healthy" habits that are better to give up

We all like to take care of each other. And we all constantly hear about what you need to do for your health, and what you can't do. Unfortunately, mass culture has introduced completely insane stereotypes into the minds of millions of people.

Here are a dozen habits that we quite unreasonably consider healthy.

1. You are using a table that you need to stand at.

This is the main "healthy" trend of the last couple of years. It is believed that sitting is harmful, and standing is useful. But is it so?

A recent long-term study of 4,000 American adults showed that a "standing" table does not reduce your chances of acquiring chronic diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

On the other hand, calories are really burned faster this way. So if you want to lose some weight, this experiment may be successful for you.

2. You are afraid to sit on the toilet in public places.

In fact, "sexual" viruses in general and HIV and herpes in particular are not as tenacious as you think. After leaving the pleasant and warm human body, they die almost immediately. Even before their "owner" leaves the booth and goes out the door.

Studies have been conducted on this topic, and all of them indicate that the most dangerous pathogens are not transmitted in this way.

In addition, your skin is an effective defender and killer of all microbes.

The only exception is cases when you are injured. If there are cuts, wounds or deep scratches on your legs or butt, then it is really better to be careful in a public toilet!

3. You don't eat bread.

This is generally fashionable lately. They get fat from bread-this is one time. And some people suffer from "gluten intolerance", the American media assure us.

But if you dig deeper, it turns out that no more than 1% of the population suffers from this strange allergy. Everyone else suffers from bloating, flatulence and other problems related to the intestines, not because of bread at all!

4. You drink freshly squeezed juice.

Juice from fresh fruits and vegetables — what could be healthier?

But in general, its healing power is greatly overestimated. When you squeeze out the juice, you deprive the fruit of all the fibers — and this is a key ingredient that gives health, good mood and a feeling of satiety.

If you buy juice in bags, then everything is even worse: you are charged not with vitamins, but with sugar. The result: a sharp feeling of hunger, frequent mood swings, chronic fatigue and loss of muscle mass.

Remember: fruits are useful only if they are eaten, not drunk!

5. You take tons of vitamin C, "so as not to get sick".

Yes, yes, vitamin C can really increase the effectiveness of your immune system. But the truth is that its excess is almost worse than the deficit. And it can really make you a sick person!

The upper permissible limit of consumption of this vitamin is 2000 mg per day. Any excess of this norm causes diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, headache and a lot of other side effects.

6. Instead of whole eggs, you eat only proteins.

"Experts" on nutrition have instilled in millions of people the confidence that egg yolks are a source of cholesterol alone. But more and more studies show that eggs, no matter how much you eat them, have very little effect on its concentration in the blood.

So if you do not have cardiovascular diseases, you can not worry about this topic at all.

Good morning, Eggs Benedict!

7. You buy antibacterial hand soap.

Constantly washing your hands with disinfectants is not only useless, but also dangerous. After all, there are no less beneficial bacteria on your body than harmful ones.

Don't listen to advertisers. Buy the most ordinary soap and wash your hands only with it.

8. You are taking multivitamins.

Almost half of American adults take multivitamins every day! Here it is, the incredible power of advertising and commercial propaganda!

Nevertheless, decades of research on this topic show that vitamins in tablets are of no use!

This does not mean that you do not need vitamins. But, firstly, they should be consumed only from vegetables and fruits: what is contained in the tablets is practically not digested. And secondly, the absolute majority of us do not experience any deficiency in vitamins: we get enough of them from food.

Why do you need pills if you are a healthy person?

9. You hold your breath if someone sneezes or coughs.

When a person sneezes or coughs without covering his mouth, bacteria from his mouth and nose shoot into the air at a speed of 80 to 350 km / h. So these attempts of yours to protect yourself are simply ridiculous!

Just ask the person to cover their mouth. Or sneeze in the other direction!

10. You are afraid of "crunching" your knuckles.

Until recently, no one understood the nature of this process. Why the hell do some people's joints crack so irritatingly? And why do they crunch at you?

But actually it's not a crunch. This is the sound of compressing gases that give elasticity to our joints.

And recent studies show that if your fingers "crackle" more than usual, then it's actually good. Greh Kuchuk, a leading researcher and professor at the University of Alberta explains:

"It seems to us that this is a sign of ill health. But in reality, everything is rather the opposite: the louder your fingers crack when compressed, the more "lubricating gases" are in them. This means that the less chance you have to find out what arthritis is."

11. You periodically try different "detox" diets.

No one should undergo a detoxification procedure. This is another nonsense invented by marketers and charlatans!

If you have not been poisoned, then you already have a super-efficient filtration system for the most harmful substances that you absorb with food. It consists of two elements: the liver and the kidneys.

The kidneys continuously filter our blood, removing any waste from our diet from it. And the liver processes all the chemicals that we swallow. Both of them are enough for your body to effectively remove toxins.

12. You lean on low-fat foods.

Back in the 90s, the US Department of Agriculture convinced millions of people around the world that low‑fat foods are useful. So margarine instead of butter and low-fat yoghurts appeared on the market.

But a lot of time has passed since then, and all scientists already know that this does not work.

An eight-year Harvard study of about 50,000 women found that people who prefer low-fat foods are no less likely to suffer from cancer and heart disease. Low-fat foods do not help them lose weight. And the lack of healthy fats in the diet only makes you sluggish, sleepy and irritable.

13. You avoid products from the microwave oven.

We've all heard that the microwave destroys nutrients. Fortunately, this is utter nonsense! And it's not us who are saying this, but the guys from Harvard!

What does a microwave do? It uses the energy of waves to make the food molecules vibrate faster and thus increase their energy in the form of heat.

Of course, with this approach, some of the nutrients break down. But this is due to the heating process itself, and not to the method that is chosen for this. It doesn't matter if you heat your food with a microwave oven or a gas stove.

On the contrary, there is evidence that the microwave is the most "clean" and effective way to warm up food.