Here are 7 Habits You Might Want to Rethink
Drinking Diet Soda
This may seem like a great way to lose some of the extra calories while still enjoying your favorite drink. However, the artificial sweeteners that are used and how they affect your body have come into serious question. Research is still in the infancy stage when it comes to studying these sweeteners, but the information that has been proven to date, is far from pretty.
It seems that fake sugars have the same effect on the body as regular sugar, causing confusion and triggering insulin release. When insulin is released in the body unnecessarily, instead of excreting it as waste it stores it as fat, creating weight gain.
According to a study done from the University of Texas School of Medicine, out of 474 participants that drank diet soda over a ten-year period, 70% gained weight. Participants who drank 2 or more diet sodas a day, gained a whopping 500% more weight than non-drinkers.
Grabbing for the Protein Bar
Food bars are the newest convenient food fad hitting store and gas stations shelves across the nation. They look healthy, the packaging screams how healthy they are, but they are generally loaded with sugar and high in calories.
If you are searching the aisles for a quick snack, grab a bag of nuts. The healthy fats give you essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, protein and the healthy fat is metabolized as energy for the body and brain.
Skipping Meals
Skipping meals throws your body into starvation mode, storing the food it does ingest as fat instead of using it as energy. This can lead to overeating because your eyes are always bigger than your stomach when you are hungry.
If you are in a hurry or not hungry, grab something light and healthy like a yogurt, apple or protein shake; this gets something into your stomach to keep your metabolism, brain and body functioning properly.
*Rule to live by; do not go grocery shopping on an empty stomach.
Using Antibacterial Soap
Bacteria are everywhere, especially if you have kids. More than likely most moms have a bottle of that antibacterial soap hiding in their car or tucked away in their purse.
According to a statement released by the FDA earlier this year, they’ve concluded that antibacterial soap shows no evidence in reducing bacteria any more than regular soap and water can. They have also forced the big companies making the claims to prove it or pull their products off the shelves.
One of the main factors behind the FDA’s decision is the risk of an ingredient called triclosan. In recent studies scientists have found that triclosan “can interfere with hormone levels in lab animals and spur the growth of drug resistant bacteria”.
Overuse of antibiotics can cause bacteria to adapt and mutate, which then causes the bacteria to become resistant to that antibiotic altogether. This leaves you exposed to strains of new bacteria with no way to fight it.
Brushing After Every Meal
This sounds like something the dentist might tell you to do for proper dental hygiene, though if he did he would be wrong. After you eat, your mouth needs about 30 minutes to neutralize the acid in your mouth and strengthen the enamel.
If you need a quick fix, chew on a basil or mint leaf, they are both natural breath fresheners.
Holding Your Pee
Sometimes going to the bathroom when you really need too is just not possible, so you are forced to hold it. This can lead to numerous problems including: bladder stretching, breeding ground for bacteria, bladder and kidney infections and the possibility of relying on ‘Depends’ later in life.
Grant it you cannot always go when you want to, but try not making a habit of it and causing permanent damage down the line.
Reusing that Dirty Ole Sink Sponge
The sponge you use everyday to clean your dishes, according to a study from the American Journal of Infection Control, is filled with millions of bacteria, some potentially life threatening like salmonella and E. coli.
To keep your sponge clean and reusable, run it through a dishwashing cycle or microwave it wet on high for one to two minutes.
So, there ya have it, 7 things you might have been doing that are more harmful than helpful.
