12 ‘Healthy’ Habits You Should Give Up In 2017

New Year is just around the corner! And by now, you may have compiled your list of New Year resolutions. Whatever resolution you come up with, one thing you must not forget is to follow a few habits for a healthy you. But, it’s normal human tendency to fall prey to bad habits, and we usually stick to them until we realize that they are really bad for our health.

When we talk about healthy habits, we tend to follow the ones we heard or read somewhere or via a friend or relative. No matter how much we hate doing them, we doggedly follow them assuming that they are good for our health. But, quite often, it happens that these habits turn out to be actually bad for your health. Sounds scary, right? But, it’s true. There are a number of “healthy” habits that are not good for your health, and you must stop practicing them. And now is the correct time to stop practicing them, and add it to our list of New Year resolutions.

Wondering what those habits might be? Mentioned below are a few of them.

1. Drinking Fruit Juices.

When we extract the juice out of fruits or vegetables, we remove all the fiber from it. Fiber is the key ingredient in fruits, and if we juice them, the whole purpose of consuming fruits is lost. So, if you love fruits, eat them instead of juicing them.

2. Eating Only Egg Whites And Leaving The Yolk.

We often avoid eating yolk because it contains cholesterol, which is bad for our health. But the good news is that eating egg yolk doesn’t cause any difference in the blood cholesterol levels. So, stop throwing out those yummy yolks away!

3. Taking Multivitamin Tablets Daily.

These days, almost every other person pops in multivitamin tablets to remain healthy and maintain the vitamin levels in the body. But, what they do not know is that these pills are not as effective as they are considered to be. It’s better to consume vitamin-rich foods instead of opting for vitamin supplements.

4. Using Sanitizer To Clean Our Hands.

If we wash our hands at regular intervals through the day, there is no need to use hand sanitizers at all. Also, there are few germs that even soaps or sanitizers can’t kill. So, it’s better to avoid using them.

5. Using A Standing Desk While At Work.

Many people opt for a standing desk rather than sitting during office hours, but it doesn’t present any benefit in terms of protecting your body from illnesses. However, it is helpful in burning calories. Thus, if you’re on a weight loss mission, probably, a standing desk can be helpful to you, but otherwise, give your legs a rest.

6. Relying On BMI To Figure Out Our Fitness Level.

Though BMI is considered as one of the factors to determine how healthy you are by most physicians, it is not the sole indicator. It ignores the body fat that you’re carrying and the circumference of your waist. These two factors are very important to determine if you are suffering from any heart disease or diabetes.

7. Holding Our Breath If Somebody Around Us Coughs Or Sneezes.

When you cough or sneeze without covering your nose or mouth, the bacteria enters the air at a speed of 80-300 kmph. And if somebody sneezes or coughs around you, even if you don’t cover your mouth, it won’t make much difference because of the speed at which the bacteria flows. So, why bother?

8. Eating Only Low-Fat Foods.

Many people who are on a weight loss mission prefer eating food that is low in fat. But, according to a survey, women who went on a low-fat diet did not notice any difference in their weight. In fact, it is recommended to include healthy fats in your diet from sources such as fish, nuts, etc. So, if you are on a low-fat diet, start looking for another option right now.

9. Using Toilet Seat Liners To Prevent Infection From Spreading.

We often believe that toilet seats spread infection, and this is why we prefer using toilet seat liners. But, did you know that viruses or pathogens do not have the ability to survive outside of the human body? So, even if you use the toilet that has been used by somebody else, the viruses won’t be able to infect your body.

10. Avoiding Cracking Your Knuckles.

We have been told since ages that knuckle cracking is a very bad habit and is terrible for our joints. But, several studies have shown that it is a good way to lubricate the joints. What’s more? It also indicates that your joints are healthy.

11. Not Using The Microwave To Cook/Heat Food.

Sometimes, we take certain rumors so seriously that we don’t even consider doing some research before believing them. One such rumor is cooking your food in the microwave robs it of all its nutrients. Well, this is not true at all. Instead, the microwave cooks food using energy waves. These waves cause the molecules present in the food to vibrate, which builds up the energy in the form of heat. The nutrients definitely begin to disintegrate, but it’s not because you are cooking it in the microwave. The same will happen even if you heat it in an oven, or on a gas stove or electric heater.

12. Flossing Your Teeth Before You Sleep.

Flossing is a term that became quite popular in the past couple of years. Almost all blogs or articles related to oral care mentioned it as a great habit to follow. But, this habit came in the light of controversy when a report from the Associated Press mentioned that there was no evidence or proof regarding the effectiveness of flossing your teeth regularly. In fact, the effectiveness of flossing has not even been studied properly, so we cannot consider it as a healthy habit.

So, these were a few habits we considered to be healthy, but they turned out to be not-so-good for our health. How many habits out of these 12 do you follow? Quit following them ASAP and make a fresh start this New Year.

Hope this article shattered a few myths. Do share your views in the comments section below. And yes, we wish you a very Happy New Year and a healthy life ahead!

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Author

Jyotsana RaoBeauty & Lifestyle Writer

 

Jyotsana Rao is an engineering graduate from NIT, Nagpur, who discovered her love for writing during her undergraduate days. She is passionate about writing about everything related to beauty - makeup, fashion, hairstyles, skin care, or hair care and has 4 years of experience on writing in these genres.

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