Eating healthy food, hitting the gym regularly, and catching up on the sleep you’ve been deprived of for some reason — all of that sounds healthy enough, but there’s always a catch when it comes to health. Any of your good habits can turn against you if you don’t know what’s really good for you.
Here Were have brought you some healthy habits that can really backfire when it comes to your health.
1. Brushing after every meal
According to the Mayo Clinic, if you’ve consumed something acidic, you should avoid brushing your teeth for at least 30 minutes. Foods that contain citric acids, such as oranges, grapefruit, and lemons, weaken tooth enamel. Brushing too soon after eating them can damage the enamel in its weakened state.
But it’s important to brush your teeth at least twice a day, especially at night.
2. Being lured by “healthy” food labels
Claims that cover food labels in supermarkets, such as “natural”, “low carb” and “healthy”, can be pure manipulation. Your savior, relevant and useful on a label, are the ingredients. So, when selecting products, be sure to focus on the ingredient list and not the claims.
3. Thinking being health conscious means social isolation
A healthy diet means getting enough of every important nutrient and avoiding excess fat, sugar, and salt. But that doesn’t mean that you try to avoid going out with your friends and family. It starts when you subconsciously start canceling all social events so you can stick to your “healthy diet”.
To avoid this, you can plan and make your diet chart in such a way that you can still enjoy your social life.
4. Skipping lunch
It’s very common to skip lunch if you’re trying to lose weight or cut calories, but this strategy rarely works. According to the Weight Control Information Network, people who tend to skip meals regularly weigh more than people who eat frequently throughout the day. Skipping lunch can whet your appetite later on, which can cause you to overeat or choose foods that are low in nutrition.
5. Drinking a protein shake after your workout
It’s true that protein after your workout can contribute to muscle growth and reduce soreness, but if you work out after work or in the evening, have a protein shake with dinner or you risk overeating. Also, some low-intensity workouts may not require a protein boost. Unless you’re a serious bodybuilder, you’re probably doing your waistline more harm than good.
6. Weighing yourself every day
If you weigh yourself every day while on a diet, you’ll likely be frustrated that you don’t see any immediate progress. Also, you might feel like you need to start cutting back on your meals even more, or you might get so upset that you stop eating healthy. Well, neither. Just stop weighing yourself every day and soon you will see the results of your diet.
There’s also a trick to feeling more satisfied with yourself and with food: eat slowly. Our brain takes time to register that the stomach is full. If you eat too fast, you won’t feel full until you suddenly realize you’ve eaten too much. Spend at least 20 minutes chewing and swallowing your food and you’ll need a lot less food to feel full.
