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46 Habits That Have No Health Benefits Even Though Lots Of People Think They Do
Most people want to be as healthy as they can be so they can reach old age. Perhaps we're not as devoted as tech millionaire biohacker Bryan Johnson, but we make do with what we have. We try to eat healthier, exercise more, and cultivate healthy relationships.
Indeed, 59% of Americans say they're worried about their health. That sometimes leads us down rabbit holes about detox smoothies, intermittent fasting, HIIT workouts, and many more. The thing is, not all of them work. At least not for everybody.
There's no one-size-fits-all approach in life in general, but it's especially true for health, and more and more people are becoming aware of that. We've rounded up the health trends most people think are unnecessary or straight-up bogus from two recent threads on Reddit.
"What's the most overrated 'healthy' habit that people push on everyone, but you think is total BS and why?" the netizens asked. Turns out, people have lots of opinions about what a healthy lifestyle really looks like!
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Forcing everyone to be morning people.
I am a morning person. I love getting up early and getting a lot done.
I do not like non-morning people being forced to be up and doing stuff during that time. It’s not fair to them and it’s annoying to me and my fellow morning people.
It is absurd to assume people are irresponsible if they aren’t up and functional early in the morning.
Porkins_2:
My parents equate being a morning person with being successful, so they assume everyone who isn’t a morning person is a deadbeat loser. It has been a lovely life of being a night owl, constantly chastised for my nightly ways.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
I would upvote this 100,000 times if I could. Who put the morning people in charge??
WFH Forever 3 months ago
Morning people were the standard when stores closed at 5 pm and there was nothing going on in the evening except movie theaters...like 50 years ago.
Yrral Spavit 3 months ago
I'm a morning person in that I often don't go to sleep until 0400/0500.
Bored Sailor 3 months ago
I wake up really eary but I am not a morning person, I am a sit in the dark sipping coffee person. Problem is I am a night person so end up only getting a few hours of sleep a night.
Lee Gilliland 3 months ago
We have night owls for a reason. Nature is well aware that nothing can do without sleep. We are your natural night watchmen. Merely because we're no longer needed in our original capacity doesn't mean we have a lower IQ or something.
Jane, Not Plain 3 months ago
Yep, and when I was working, I was hitting my stride at 3 pm, while the early birds are trying to go home.
Jan Rosier 3 months ago
studies have shown that there is no such thing as a 'morning' person or a 'non-morning' person. The actual difference is people acknowledging how much sleep they need and adjusting to that.
Lee Gilliland 3 months ago
Uh, no. I am a night owl and always have been. I discovered long ago that I am healthiest when I wake up at noon and go to bed about 4am. That's natural to me and I've been on that schedule for over 70 years.
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Kirsten Kerkhof 3 months ago
I am a real morning person, but that means that by 10PM I'm completely done. I have had 'friends' that complimented me on getting so much done before they were even awake in the morning (good), but then chastised me for not going out at night (bad). Dude, I need my 8 hours of sleep, it's gotta come from somewhere!
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
Part of the problem for us night owls is this: Nothing interesting or enjoyable happens in the morning. You have to go to school or go to work. Morning is going to suck, any way you slice it. All the fun, interesting stuff happens at night. Even TV is better at night.
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#2
Detox anything. Your liver and kidneys do that, the powder you’re dumping into a smoothie is essentially just a laxative.
joeniebc:
The real detox is taking d**gs and alcohol out of your diet and doing nothing.
Jake Bertz 3 months ago
To be fair, s******g your brains out will certainly clear out your colon.
Rianna Lewis 3 months ago
Can also cause a lot of problems too.. especially for your colon and gut.. so no it’s not a “to be fair” moment 😂
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setsuriseikou 3 months ago
Well, if you want to d i e of cerebral and pulmonary edema, then yes, absolutely
Load More Replies... #3
Eating breakfast. People act like I'm insane for not being able to eat before noon, I've never needed to. Eating that early upsets my stomach.
AnonymousMayday:
The motto of breakfast is the most important meal of the day is what Kellogg’s came up with to sell more cereal around the war period.
Howl's sleeping castle 3 months ago (edited)
I made this mistake of skipping breakfast when I started working. My first meal used to be after 12. Ended up with gastric problems. Now if I don't eat on time, at regular intervals, i get gas pains. I don't talk about this but when people start pestering me to try intermittent fasting to lose weight, I have no choice but to talk about it.
Melissa Harris 3 months ago (edited)
If I eat to soon after waking it makes me feel nauseous for the rest of the day. I need to let my body "boot up" as it were. Some water, coffee or tea, maybe something very light. Anything too havey or sweet f's with my digestion and blood suger. It's always been this way. My mom forcing me to eat cereal in the mornings before school would make me so sick I wouldn't be able to eat lunch. Now I let my body tell me when it wants food. It's usually around mid morning after I've been up for a while and have done some moving.
Ace 3 months ago (edited)
When I was working I would never have breakfast before leaving home, just a coffee, then I'd get a sandwich and eat at my desk around ten-ish. Didn't really do lunches very often either, just ate when I was hungry. These days I make sure to have something if I'm going out skiing, particularly when I'm teaching, otherwise not so much.
Mark Kelly 3 months ago
In the morning, I can only eat sweet type stuff like baked cuz like Danish is a donut and PBJ.
Little Bit 3 months ago
I usually get up at around 5am but I cannot physically stomach anything to eat before 11am. If I eat earlier than than that it makes my stomach hurt and I feel uncomfortable and bloated for the rest of the day. I am never hungry when I wake up and I don't see the point in eating when I neither need or want to.
#4
Positive thinking. Can even beat cancer.
Until it can't. But then it's your own fault. You didn't think positive enough.
TineNae:
Oof yeah toxic positivity is a pest. There's even those kinds of people who will blame people being sick on a former life where you did bad stuff, so basically they believe if you're really sick it's your own fault.
And I guess there's people like that even without the previous life bs, but just ''well if you were a little bit more positive / energetic you wouldn't feel bad all the time!'' And it's like... no, I don't have energy because I'm sick lmao. (not saying that a healthy lifestyle can't improve certain things over time, but you should still never ever BLAME a person for their condition)
Howl's sleeping castle 3 months ago (edited)
My colleague had cancer and was going through chemo. She kept a positive attitude and said it helps her from spiralling down which is natural in that condition. She fought and won but she is thankful of the treatment not her attitude
V 3 months ago
One of the most upbeat, positive people I know is going through chemo at the moment.
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AP 3 months ago (edited)
I hate toxic positivity mostly because I've seen it often dismiss a real physical and mental disorder as something that could "easily be fixed" by just thinking more positively. Its like telling someone with diabetes to just think healthier and their bodies will stop having diabetes. You can't fix physical ailments with positive thinking.
mria alternativa 2 months ago
Knew a lady who firmly believed that if you're sick it's because you think you're sick. If you think positively enough, it'll go away, and if you still get sick it's probably your fault. Then her husband had a heart attack and she stopped saying that sh!t.
Yrral Spavit 3 months ago
Positive thinking can help you dealing with the cancer and treatments and side effects but without the chemotherapy I was told I had about a month to live. All the sunbeams and puppies weren't going to do much without it.
Maim 3 months ago
Cancer survivor (2x) here.... positive thinking absolutely helps you in your fight. The moment you lose the will to live, the moment your entire body starts to give up. NO, it doesn't cure the cancer. But being as positive as possible while getting the treatment absolutely helps your body, mind and soul.
#5
One thing I didn't see on any of the comments, MSG. Everyone says to stay away from msg, but it's literally found in most of the produce and foods we have. All it is is a flavor enhancer. I'll take any down votes please.
eldritchelder:
Myself and my wife are with you. People will say it gives em a headache, then you tell them all the foods on our grocery store shelves that contain it and they look wide-eyed.
Zephyr Kitsune 3 months ago
The hatred for MSG has its roots in racism, because Chinese–among other Asian cuisines–food often uses it to add an intense savory flavor that can't be found in others. Instant Ramen companies need to start using a dash of powdered soy sauce and MSG instead of adding a ton of salt to enhance the flavor
Michael Danhauer 3 months ago
This is just false. There are many people who get migraines from MSG consumption. I assure that people who truly suffer from this reaction know which products use the preservative and which do not. There are many products which do not.
Howl's sleeping castle 3 months ago
Msg gives me headache but I continue to use it because I really like how the flavour gets better. Once, twice, thrice can be a coincidence but I get a headache everytime I use it. But it's worth
Luke Branwen 3 months ago
It's a flavor ENHANCER. If you lick it, it has almost no flavor on its own. So the best way is to use spices AND a dash of MSG for some unbelievably good food.
Load More Replies... #6
The whole 10,000 steps thing
It can discourage people from sticking with their walking goals
Newer research shows that even 7-8000 is enough movement for serious positive health changes, and the benefits of doing 10,000 is not remarkably higher than 8000.
Even doing 5000 a day can be hugely beneficial to cardio
I think the 10K came from the Fitbit marketing.
bigfatpisces:
Oh this is one of my favorite random facts! The 10000 step number came from a Japanese pedometer that was marketed right before Olympics in Tokyo in the 1960s! The marketing department decided on 10000 steps because the character for it looks like someone walking: 万
WindySwede 3 months ago
Sounds similar to The Swedish Bread Institute add: "The National Board of Health and Welfare wants us to eat 6-8 slices of bread a day" https://sv-m-wikipedia-org.translate.goog/wiki/Br%C3%B6dinstitutet?_x_tr_sl=sv&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=sv&_x_tr_pto=wapp
Robert van Deventer 3 months ago
A company chose the arbitrary number 10,000 because the Japanese character for 10,000 (万) resembles a person walking and the number was seen as a memorable figure for an active lifestyle.
Power puff scientist 3 months ago
Doesn't hurt to walk a few more than necessary. Just good for you if you can stick to that! kudos
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pandamonium 3 months ago (edited)
My pet peeve is measuring walking activity in steps instead of kilometers. I just don't understand it.
#7
Being proud of your body isn't good if you're heavily overweight or obese.
Tons of influencers advocate for this.
Zealousideal-Rent-77:
I think you have fundamental misunderstanding about what fat positivity means. It's not about being proud of being fat. It's about not being ashamed of being fat. It's about not letting other people make you think you're a bad person because you're fat.
Not being ashamed of your body is the first step in having a healthy relationship with your body and food. People who are ashamed and can't stand having people look at them, who haven't built up a resistance to other people's judgement and stares, do not go out and exercise. They stay home and feel bad and eat poorly.
People who accept their body as is and then work to become healthier by getting more activity and a better diet, rather than trying to punish themselves for being fat the way society wants them to, those are the people who successfully become more fit and improve their quality of life.
Most of those influencers are just trying to normalize seeing fat people do physical things in public.
Son of Philosoraptor 3 months ago
If you are so fat you will die before 50 then don't pretend you are just a plump lovely variation of ok body type. You are quite ill and need help.
BK BigFish 3 months ago
I don't think that was the point of body positivity. It was that, for all intents and purposes, 99% of fat people could never get skinny. Being overweight has no moral dimension to it. Since it's barely within your control, you might as well be positive about it and learn to live with it. (Note that this has all changed with Ozempic, but still...)
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Earonn - 3 months ago
Well, overweight people *could* be proud of what their bodies deal with - and still function. But moreover, they can be immensely proud of being mentally okay, given all the hate and all the smug "I only do this for your own best" ars/eholes, who in reality just live out their frustration on a group that is being seen as "okay to hate". I yet have to see the person from the smug-because-you're-fat-and-I'm-not camp who manages to shut their own mouth for 1 year and don't comment on others' bodies. Hey , come on, guys, you tell overweight people how "easy" it is "just not to eat". Show us how easy it is just not to talk / write.
Howl's sleeping castle 3 months ago (edited)
After Covid I applied the 'you live only once ' policy and ended up gaining 15 kgs. I am fat. I don't look good. I don't hate myself but I am not happy about the way I look now. Nobody can make me believe that being fat is something to be proud of. I never had a perfect body but atleast clothes looked good on me. Only positive point is that i have bit more strength than before
Earonn - 3 months ago
The reply makes it perfectly clear that it's not "being proud of being fat" but "not being ashamed of being fat". Is reading really that hard?
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Joshua Santiago 3 months ago
Get your daily walks, make sure your not having a hard time taking the stairs and minimum of three flight of stairs and still not out of breath. Bullet proof those d**n thighs and knees and at least you need to be able to carry a gallon of water and groceries without breaking a sweat. These are my basis to know im still good despite my body fat. I still maintain these so yes i am fat but im not weak.
Michael Danhauer 3 months ago
Shame in small doses from a overall supportive community grants humility and perspective. It's when ostracization occurs due to overly judgemental attitudes that it becomes cruel. Shame let's us know that we should be better because our actions do not fit with societal expectations. I do agree that using shame to draw attention to obesity is petty and ineffective, but to say shame is always bad is just plain silly. People should feel bad about certain things. Not enough shame in America nowadays honestly.
Paulina 3 months ago (edited)
If you're trying to play the devil's advocate at least do it right 🙄 No one said anything even remotely like "shame is always bad", and definitely not one person alluded to political climate. Pretending the discussion goes far beyond the topic of weight & looks, doesn't make you "smarter" or more niuanced. It makes you look stupid, like you don't understand what the conversation is about. And it's about shaming people for their looks and weight! Societal expectations should keep tf away from that sphere. You too.
Load More Replies... #8
Assigning moral worth to literally everything. "Oh I'll be good today and skip dessert", "I did a spin class this morning, so I can be bad at dinner tonight", "I've been so bad this week, I haven't counted any calories!"
We are on a floating rock hurling through the vacuum of space at 140 miles per second. Eat what tastes good, move in a way you find enjoyable, and stop pretending that everything is so black and white.
#9
Cold showers.
I have the luxury of being able to have hot showers. They are also extremely enjoyable.
No way on gods green earth am I giving that up 😂.
Howl's sleeping castle 3 months ago
Cold showers only for hot days. If temperature drops, its time for hot.
Cpt. Christan "Panda Bombero" 3 months ago
I do take cool water showers, but only during hot, humid days.
Uncle Panda 3 months ago
I've never understood it. I'll eagerly jump in any frigid mountain lake or river but back away from a cold shower like a scalded cat.
#10
The 7 product skincare routines, before red light therapy, needling, guasha-ing etc. Skin can only absorb so much product, but companies have done such a good job with social media that now 11 year olds are using retinoids. It's landfillcore.
West-Season-2713:
I have such a gripe with skincare in general. The only things you need to do are to use gentle soap and moisturiser and to wear sunscreen every day, drink enough water and eat a healthy diet. That’s it, unless you have a specific skin condition, in which case a dermatologist will advise on extra products and diet/lifestyle changes.
Dragons_and_things:
Absolutely. My mum is 61 and doesn't look over 40. People ask her her skin care routine, she washes her face with soap every day and wears very little make up. Part of it is genetic, part of it is just being gentle on your skin aka, doing nothing to it.
I'm 27 and people have started asking me the same question (I look a lot younger). My answer is always, no make up, wash my face with face soap once a day, a gentle moisturiser before bed, sleeping well, and drinking a lot of water. People are always miffed that they waste so much time and money on their skin care when the answer is just be gentle with yourself.
Breaks my heart that children have been manipulated into this skincare routine nonsense. 😭
Trillian 3 months ago
I often wonder how much time these people have. Like I have 15 minutes in the morning, including a quick shower.
Sue 3 months ago
Waste of time & money. Use Vaseline for your skin to keep moisture in - better if you are just out of the hot shower. Use sunscreen. If you break out on your face, use an antibiotic ointment & powder with medicated powder to keep the shine down. Dollar tree has a cream that is a mix of petroleum jelly & cocoa butter that feels great. Cosmetic companies can lie all day. Same with shampoo & conditioner companies. Your hairdresser will lie to you because they get a cut of upsells.
Load More Replies... Biana Weatherford 3 months ago
It has to be the genes. I, too, look younger than my years. I go to bed with my make up on, I never drink water, I will tan in the sun on the beach until I die, sleeping well is a myth and I still look younger than my years.
Earonn - 3 months ago
Plus the will to spend all that time (time that I use in the morning for reading or just cuddling the cat) - and for what? For "looking young"? And if I don't look young, then what? Does the world end? Fvck all happens. People are just trained like dogs to think "I must look younger than my age" without ever questioning that.
Kathy Dragonfly 3 months ago
totally agree and thankfully my residential teenagers have never jumped on this trend. and i will steal "it's landfillcore" - great phrase!
Michael Danhauer 3 months ago
Want good skin? Stay out of the sun. Really, that's about half the battle there. Go Joe!
Melissa Harris 3 months ago (edited)
Good skincare requires only three things. Washing your face daily, a moisturizer, and sunscreen.You can add in toner for the standard three step skincare. Every else is fun optionals. Oh, and stay well hydrated.
#11
"Low fat" diets. Fat isn't bad for you. Fat is actually good for you, in the correct quantities, with the correct amount of physical activity.
Remi (He/Him) 3 months ago
And correct type of fat. You need unsaturated fats, but keep the saturated or even worse transfats out
WindySwede 3 months ago
some claim seed oil are bad, don't know it ANY truth in this or just some influezers coming up with dilutions?
Load More Replies... Joshua Santiago 3 months ago
Sugar is what causes us to get fat faster and not moving our body occasionally speeds up the process. You can eat what you want but of course and always, in moderation.
Sue 3 months ago
Actual sugar like from a piece of candy affected my diet less than bread & such. It did trigger hunger pains though.
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Anna Drever 3 months ago
There’s fats and there’s fats. I think we can agree that avocados, nuts and seeds are good fats. A junk food meal is not.
#12
Making your bed every morning. Apparently, all highly successful people make their bed every freaking day. I don’t think I’ve ever made my bed. I’m a very successful person who runs a very successful company and pays their employees well above a fair wage. I just do not care about my bed.
Remi (He/Him) 3 months ago
Making your bed straight after waking traps in moisture from your body and can cause your blankets and pillows to grow mold and dust mites at an increased rate causing all kinds of skin and breathing problems
Papa 3 months ago
I'm having trouble accepting that. Do some people really perspire enough at night for it to cause mold?
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Earonn - 3 months ago
Health claims aside - we do sweat at night. I want my bed to air out properly. Mine stays with the blanket "body-side" up during the day and gets made when I return from work (also a nice habit to tell your subconscious that now the "nice part of the day" starts). It's said to be good for people with depression to make their bed, so that's clearly a different bottle of whisky, but in general I don't think that I'm only not a multibillionaire because my bed gets some fresh air.
Sven Horlemann 3 months ago
Well, we like it neat. We make the bed. Just not right after getting up, but after getting ready in the bathroom and having had breakfast.
HeavyMetalHeart 3 months ago
Never made a bed in my life and neither has my husband. My parents are horrified but we’re pretty successful people and nothing bad has ever resulted from our crumpled duvet.
Ace 3 months ago
With a duvet and good sized sheets that don't come untucked there's never a need to 'make' the bed. Sure, shake it off occasionally, especially if the cats have been out and left mud all over it, and of course when you lay it back down it's straight, but that's about all it ever needs. (Apart from linen changes, obviously).
#13
Something is good for you just because it’s all natural or organic. Snake venom is natural but I’m not going to ingest them.
AgHammer:
Raw sewage is organic, too. Don't eat it.
lowrads:
The big thing now is "clean" food. This can mean almost anything, but usually includes salt that isn't treated with iodine. This will often include pink salt, or sea salt, which ironically contain more elemental substitutions in the mineral.
There's going to be a lot more goiters showing up under neofeudalism.
Jan Rosier 3 months ago
the toned down version, stinging nettles, can be a basis for a healthy and tasty soup, thoug
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Power puff scientist 3 months ago
So many foods are even healthier thanks to genetic engineering like golden rice.
Yrral Spavit 3 months ago
Yes. It annoys me when I see people protesting things like golden rice and other foods. Easy to whine and feel righteous with good health and a full belly .
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Sam Trudeau 3 months ago
I was gonna ask who would be dumb enough to consume raw sewage, then I remember that there's a guy pretending Tylenol (a painkiller) "causes" autism.
Antoinette the Red 3 months ago
Yup, swimming in sewage with the grandkids .Cause Colora is fun!
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JK 3 months ago
I need "organic milk" explaining to me, in my mind the only way milk can be truly organic, is if it hasnt been pasteurised and thr cows have not been vaccinated. If it hasnt been pasteurised, then it can make you ill, if theyre unvaccinated it puts the whole herd, and humans, at risk from consuming it. Are the cows on an "organic only diet" - if so, what the f**k are other cows eating? McDonalds? I'll just take the milk that's had the lactose removed and still half the price of "organic"
meeeeeeeeeeee 3 months ago
Well, there are cows who are fed with grass, and there are cows who live their entire lives in a factory farm and eat soy or some s**t. So, the difference is probably that. As for the potting soil, the non-organic potting soil likely has been chemically treated with pesticides, etc.
Load More Replies... #14
Women who have a multitude of responsibilities and who have mental health problems are sold heaps of solutions and told to 'manage your stress".
It is complete nonsense. People are not designed to be responsible for caring for a number of other people, managing a household and bringing money in.
Honestly we've been sold an absolute pipe dream, and the only reason I know is that my elders left me a bunch of money and my kids grew up. In a relatively short period of time most of my responsibilities disappeared and so did my mental health problems.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
100%! The best way to “manage stress” is to sit your åss down and refuse to do the 10,000 things other people want you to do.
Sue User 3 months ago
For me, it wasnt the cooking/ cleaning. It was all the " Sally likeschocolate ice cream but Matt likes strawberry: Sally wears a size 5 shoe, Matt has size 7". Ladies, if your husband cant tell you one if these little details, he is not pulling his full weight. Notice I didnt say all, i said one. Just at least one detail where he shows he also knows and cares about others needs/ wants.
Earonn - 3 months ago
Remember: the standards for a flat's 'cleanliness' were set when there was one person just bringing in the money, and another person with a basically 16h-job to keep the flat clean. So why do you think you could do both in one day? Stress has such influence, not just on our mental health.
#15
Pretty much any autism “cure”.
Pur1wise:
I’m so sick of people telling me they know someone who can cure it for me. Who says I want to be cured anyway. I like my operating system. It has some downsides but the upsides are pretty awesome.
Howl's sleeping castle 3 months ago
My friends took their kid to some ashram where they give some oil massages and suggest exercises. I understand that as parents they are open to trying anything but it just feels like such a waste of time and money. And of course nothing came out of it
Sam Trudeau 3 months ago (edited)
Exactly. It's a superpower, if anything. Edit: Depending on what variation. I can assure you I don't need to be reminded of the "autism is a spectrum" thing.
Becky Samuel 3 months ago
Many people with autism are disabled to the point of being non-verbal and needing round-the-clock care. This is not a super power. Many of us find it impossible to find or keep a job, despite being intelligent and well-educated people. Your comment is incredibly patronising.
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#16
Eating gluten-free, unless you are gluten sensitive/intolerant, is no healthier than arbitrarily removing foods from your diet that start with a certain letter.
InannasPocket:
I noticed a bunch of friends/colleagues going gluten free (for diet fad reasons, not an actual intolerance or medical reason), and claiming they felt so much better!
Yeah, you started reading food labels, cooking from scratch a lot more, and not drinking as much ... pretty much everyone is going to notice feeling better switching from a steady diet of "frozen packaged dinner/fast food and 8 beers" to "homemade chilli and a cocktail".
Jo Firth 3 months ago
As someone in their late 60s, I've become less tolerant of gluten (indigestion, heartburn, reflux). Apparently it's a common thing as you age. Up until a year ago I could go crazy on bread, but not any more. I still eat it, but am careful.
Yrral Spavit 3 months ago
And how many of these people chow down on Seitan as a meat alternative?
howdylee 3 months ago
All the enriched/ultra-processed flour we consume isn't great. A less-messed-with natural flour is better for overall gut health.
N. 3 months ago
People changing how they eat and feeling better is THEIR business. You can't possibly know how anyone else feels before or after eating gluten. You aren't their doctor, you aren't with them in the bathroom, you don't know what they've tried. If someone tells you something makes them feel better, just mind you own business and let them feel better.
#17
The idea of "guilt free" receipes for things.
Using Greek yogurt in your tuna salad and then a bell pepper for the bread doesn't magically extend your life by decades. Chill. A regular tuna sandwich is already a healthy choice.
Eat the ice cream every once in a while. Don't eat the protein ice cream that tastes like cardboard. Ice cream is a treat. You're allowed to eat things for fun.
Sugar is fine. Eat the fruit. Put 1 sugar in your coffee instead of 5 stevias.
Food isn't just to keep you alive. It's also something to enjoy.
Kirsten Kerkhof 3 months ago
Exactly! That's why I prefer the concept of Mars bars over protein bars > Mars will never ever claim they are good for you, but they will claim they are one heck of a delicious occasional treat. Protein bars contain just as much sugar and as many calories, but claim to be 'healthy'. Dude, eat the Mars bar for the taste, and an extra egg for the protein, and be honest with yourself.
Ace 3 months ago
Actually they did used to say it was good for you... "A Mars a day helps you work rest and play".
Load More Replies... HeavyMetalHeart 3 months ago
I’m glad these recipes exist though. I had to massively cut down on sugar and carbs and increase protein for medical reasons and it hasn’t been a hardship because there are so many great low calorie recipes and high protein/low fat foods out there now.
#18
Raw milk. Humans figured out how to boil things for a reason. If we won't drink water that hasn't been either filtered or purified/and or distilled, then we shouldn't be drinking straight milk that could be contaminated. Unless you raised the cow yourself and know it's healthy. Even then there's still risk. Unless the world goes down and the zombie apocalypse happens where I can't buy milk from the store, count me out of the drinking raw milk trends.
BoozeIsTherapyRigh:
Even if you raised the cow yourself, and you know she's healthy, don't drink raw milk. Bacteria can enter the udder through the teat or be in the milk without making the cow sick and make you sick and the cow's health has nothing to do with it.
I grew up on a dairy farm. My father has a degree in microbiology and we never drank milk we produced. We bought pasteurized milk from the store even though we had a bulk tank filled with thousands of gallons of fresh milk right there. Dad always said that pasteurization was one of the greatest public health discoveries of all time.
My then-boyfriend wanted to try milk straight from the cow. I told him the risks, he didn't care. I pulled him some milk straight from the teat from my favorite cow. I'd sanitized her udder myself. He said it was the best milk he'd ever tasted.
He also s**t himself for six days.
Child of the Stars 3 months ago
Dairy in general isn't great for us anyway. The good stuff in it can be found in other more healthy foods.
Fellfromthemoon 3 months ago
Depends on, in which region your ancestors used to live. My ancestors lived in central Europe in the past five centuries, we're quite accustomed to milk and dairy products, none of us has any problem with it.
Load More Replies... tracy black 3 months ago
i grew up on a farm and have had lots of milk straight from the cow its so much creamier i love it
Ace 3 months ago (edited)
Creamier just because it hasn't been skimmed off to a set fat content. When I was a kid you could get "gold top" milk which had much higher aout of cream, back in the day, pre-homogeisation, when the cream would sit on top of the milk in the glass bottles delivered by the milkman. Mmm. Raw milk is not inherently bad for you though, a healthy cow produces safe milk, but its healthy lifespan is measured in hours, maybe even minutes, depending on other factors.
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T'Mar of Vulcan 3 months ago
You can get Listeria from unpasteurized milk. Read a story like 35 years ago about a woman here (South Africa) who used to drink it on a farm and she had multiple miscarriages due to her Listeria infection.
#19
Insisting on fresh/refusing to eat canned and frozen vegetables and fruits. Studies have found similar if not superior nutrition retention in shelf stable and frozen produce vs fresh, especially during off-seasons.
TLDR: Disregarding taste as a factor, canned and frozen options are equally healthy as its fresh counterpart.
Lee Gilliland 3 months ago
Frozen veggies are actually probably better anyway, as modern methods mean most are actually frozen in the field. That's fresher than the stuff in the fresh food section.
nicholas nolan 3 months ago
True for frozen, not so much for canned. Most cans have way more sodium than you really want to consume.
Jake Bertz 3 months ago
Frozen is substantially better than fresh. Fresh produce needs to be picked well before ripeness so it doesn't go bad in transit.
#20
Whatever 'superfruit' is currently popular - acai, mangosteen, etc.
Just eat your local produce ffs
ETA: to clarify, I'm talking about fruit selections for health reasons, not eating something just for the love of it!
Perllitte:
I was in affiliate marketing a long time ago and made so much money on Acai.
The real reason this stuff becomes "super" is because some bro was able to get a freeze dryer or an industrial blender near enough some low-cost fruit the average American has never heard of.
Honestly, it was so much fun. We had like six distinct brands making different claims for different demographics of woo woo. We'd get wild reviews saying X-brand was so much better than Y-brand because of some nonsense. It was all shipped from the same sketchy warehouse in Alabama.
Earonn - 3 months ago
It's because it serves people's need for the "easy, quick" solution, the "happily ever after". Just do / eat / drink X and you won't have to worry about your health / looks / brain ever again! Just eat healthily, cook at home, don't worry too much about food, and yeah, every now and then when you see a fruit / vegetable you don't know, just try them for the fun of it.
Wyrdwoman 3 months ago
Mangosteens in Thailand/Malaysia: awesome. Mangosteens in London: tasteless. :( Was such a disappointment for me.
Uncle Panda 3 months ago
Eating Costa Rican pineapple still warm from the sun in the field ruined eating pineapple back in the US. "Fresh" pineapple in Idaho tastes like wood in comparison.
Load More Replies... #21
"No pain, no gain". Nah dawg. Pain is pain lol.
Bored Sailor 3 months ago
I use sudo science. The gym causes pain. Pain is not good for you. Hence going to the gym is not good for you.
#22
I always laugh about the the people that convince themselves they are ‘creating a healthy gut environment’ because they gag down a few spoonfuls of sugary yogurt every day.
Howl's sleeping castle 3 months ago
My husband loves probiotics but health is not his concern. He likes the taste
nicholas nolan 3 months ago
Nah dude, probiotics are real. It's well supported by research, and by anyone that's ever had to be on a strong antibiotic.
Becky Samuel 3 months ago
Eating sugary processed yogurt is not going to do a dámn thing for your gut microbiome. Changing your diet so that you actually feed the microbes that live there rather than living on crispy beige food is the route to a strong microbiome. There is little evidence to support the idea that bacteria that are eaten without some form of protective capsule are successful at colonising the gut.
Load More Replies... #23
Very restrictive diets don’t work in the long run. It’s better to just make small changes you can stick with.
I’m seeing videos insisting that you cut out all sugar, all carbs etc.
the best is when these fitness gurus finally come out and say they lied - Liverking for example.
Earonn - 3 months ago
Problem is when the small changes don't work. Usually people, even doctors, say that as a woman would need 1800-2000 cal/ day just to keep my weight, and to eat roughly 1300 to lose weight. 1300 is what I can eat to keep my weight, if I ate 1800, not to mention 2000, I'd gain weight. That's why it's also "just eat less" for me. I invite everyone who says that to eat 800=900 cal / day over a long period.
Maartje 3 months ago
I agree and everyone's metabolism is different. 2000 cal, I gain weight.
Load More Replies... #24
It's more of an extreme, but a lot of health bloggers push the idea of "If you can't pronounce it you shouldn't eat it". Obviously aimed at "chemicals", but still stupid. Water is a chemical
But as far as the "If you can't pronounce it..." BS. My wife can't/won't pronounce celery correctly, so she should *not eat it?
FoxThatHasFennecaphobia 3 months ago (edited)
If someone cant pronounce dihydrogen monoxide and believes this shit, I feel very bad for them.
Howl's sleeping castle 3 months ago
I used to mispronounce spinach all the time. I should have stopped eating it.
Fungus John 3 months ago
This is just ableist to people who are illiterate or have speech problems. Shame.
Earonn - 3 months ago
Oh goodness me, it's just a hyperbole to make people aware of all the additions to our food and keep them from eating ultra-processed food. And those who suggest this method ( like Chris van Tulleken) say themselves that it doesn't go for everything but is just a nice little help.
Slmd 3 months ago
Look at WindySwede's comment above with the picture for apple's ingredients... Also, even if that WAS the intention originally, it sure as hell isn't now. (Doubtful, though.)
Load More Replies... CD Mills 3 months ago
I learned to read at four, "It Pays To Enrich Your Word Power" in Readers Digest was my favorite thing in the world! In my 60s now and there aren't that many words I can't spell or pronounce correctly! I guess I can consume nuclear waste with impunity under these goofy rules! LOL
Lorenzo 3 months ago
My lovely wife, born in Thailand, told me she had bought a celery cake. I figured it must be like a carrot cake,, but made with celery instead. This happened more than once. So I'm looking in the fridge for the celery cake, none to be found. I asked her, and she reaches past me and hands me the Sara Lee pound cake (an American brand). Emphasis on the wrong syllable, reverse the R & L, and you get celery cake. God bless that woman.
Yrral Spavit 3 months ago
Well then, thank the gods I cannot pronounce broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts :p
meeeeeeeeeeee 3 months ago
Right, water is a chemical, but we're not dumb enough to believe that's what they mean, are we?
#25
You have to exercise to lose weight. Yes exercise is healthy it’s best to stay in shape but if there’s issues and you still need to lose weight you can. I was 275 I have chronic pain. I did start out with slow short walks on the treadmill until my back pain got to be too much. I had only consistently exercised around a month. Then I had to figure out how to lose weight without exercise. I mainly focused on how much I was eating I used moderation ate smaller portions and did high protein low carb and sugar. I changed all my eating habits and made them routine I eat at the same times everyday to stay consistent. I lost 115 pounds just changing eating habits and I overcame binging issues.
Little Bit 3 months ago
Exercise is important to me and i like to be active, but because I have a naturally short stocky build, and extra exercise tends to make me bulk up rather than lose weight, even if I eat next to nothing.
Becky Samuel 3 months ago
When I was stuck in a hospital bed for 11 days last year I lost 10 pounds and wasn't allowed out of bed at all (the hospital food was gross). Whenever people start telling me that exercise is the only way to weight loss I ask them about that.
#26
Eating "natural" sugars. I see so many recipes on Pinterest that are self proclaimed as sugar free and then contain 1/2 cup of Maple syrup...
I hate that people still try to insist that they feel better/healthier etc when you tell them that their agave, rice, maple or whatever syrup won't help them with the downsides of sugar.
(Dates in small doses dont trigger blood sugar spikes though, contain antioxidants, but even here we talk about 3-4 daily not a whole box).
Natural sugars have only a Very slight decrease in blood sugar spikes compared to refined sugar, but it's not worth mentioning tbh.
Also: I do believe that people who consume natural sugars make more health conscious choices in their diet in general which makes them feel better, but not the replaced sugar.
MessyMaple:
Ok so hear me out. I think eating natural sugars is better, BECAUSE...I need less of it for better flavor. Straight up sugar has almost no taste, so to make a difference, you need quite a bit of it. But maple syrup and honey give a richer and more complex taste, so I just put a tiny bit! That's my take.
Ace 3 months ago
Yeah, maple and honey add flavour, and if that's a flavour you want then fine. But not in my coffee please. (Not maple at all TBH, can't stand the stuff).
Jackie Lulu 3 months ago
Try molasses in your coffee! Sounds crazy, but it's actually pretty good.
Load More Replies... Cpt. Christan "Panda Bombero" 3 months ago
I will take "Natural Sugars", over "Refined Sugar". And, I will take both of those, over "High Fructose Corn Syrup" or "Sugar Substitutes".
Auntriarch 3 months ago
I remember someone bragging about a sugar free cake recipe, it involved mushing a pound of dates into the mixture.
#27
Avoiding carbohydrates. 'Healthy' carbs are vital for energy, focus, mood, etc. and can come packed with other valuable nutrition. They are not evil. Also, fiber (a carb) is the single most consistently associated nutrient with reduced mortality risk across diverse populations.
Earonn - 3 months ago
Is there any "evil" food at all? Normal food, not me/th or poisonous mushrooms. It's all okay, and even chocolate, ice cream etc aren't so bad that one should never have them (disclaimer for our very literate Pandas: unless one has some condition of sorts).
Sue User 3 months ago
Highly processed foods. Engineered to be addictive and make you consume more , with questionable ingredients (example: celluous, yes i know what it is but where are they sourcing it from )
Load More Replies... Anna Drever 3 months ago
I love my carbs. Genuinely. And I mean the complex ones. I can happily chow down on them. Your taste buds change and you find you don’t need all the deep frying that might have been associated with it. Basically, spuds are good for you, fries not so much.
#28
Carnivore diet because it seems like a sure fire way to skyrocket your cholesterol.
Hugo 3 months ago
I'm convinced my sister's bowel cancer was caused by her love of red meat, preferably fatty meat, plus loads of salt. And now my brother-in-law has adopted that idiotic carnivore diet, even though he has already been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. His version includes plenty of highly processed meats, too. I'm surprised he's still alive.
Load More Replies... #29
Juicing, just eat the fruit and get the fiber??
Effective-Arm9099:
On the note of juicing, can I mention a pet peeve? People referring to a smoothie as juice. I got the whole fiber in my smoothie because it’s just blended fruits. I did not juice them and remove any fiber. That’s all. I’m a smoothie lover so I get offended when smoothies get looped into the juice category.
#30
Apple cider vinegar for everything.
InvestigatorGo:
There is actually scientific evidence for it in diabetes but I imagine it is in conjunction with dietary changes.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
You can use it to make a pretty effective trap for fruit flies and gnats.
camomooey 3 months ago
Beer works better. I leave a beer can on my windowsill all the time, with about a quarter inch of liquid in it, and refill and discard as necessary. The flies, gnats, and drain flies love it.
Load More Replies... Moira 3 months ago
What's wrong with it? I don't know this specific trend? Is quite common to use that kind of vinegar here (Spain), like, in my grandma times it was used for almost everything... Cooking, cleaning, washing your hair, treatment for lice...
Sue User 3 months ago
In USA, someone comes up with " hey this is good for you" and sonehow that morphs into " this is the greatest thing ever, you should consume enourmous amounts, put it in everything and it cures all known diseases".
Load More Replies... Hugo 3 months ago
Why do I keep coming across this expression "apple cider"? Cider is fermented apple juice. The equivalent made from pears is called perry, but is not so common.
Anony Mouse 3 months ago
If it’s clear and yellow, you’ve got juice there fellow! If it’s cloudy and brown, you’re in cider town!
Load More Replies... Yrral Spavit 3 months ago
I remember Paul Bragg back in the 70s. Was going to live to 120. Died of a heart attack at 81 (not bad really) but made claims to be in his 90s. His whole life was peppered with lies and not a small amount of quackery.
Sue 3 months ago
It does help my digestion. I use it even when not dieting. They did an actual study & said people lost about 30% more in carb calories than when they didn't take it or when they took regular vinegar. There have been quite a few studies even before the apple cider vinegar that showed that fermented foods are good for you, and many of the countries who are healthier eat them on a regular basis.
meeeeeeeeeeee 3 months ago
It is good for some things. Add vinegar to a s**t meal and your blood sugar wouldn't spike as high. Drinking glasses of water with the ACV will help you lose weight. These are scientifically proven.
Sam Trudeau 3 months ago
Don't confuse it with apple cider. Biggest mistake 6-year-old me made.
#31
“Body hacking.” I have a colleague that spends an ungodly amount of money annually on quack doctors to help him improve his metabolic age, and he now has a whole cult of other people we work with following the same things. Good lord it’s bs.
SCP 4666 3 months ago
There is this billionaire who is obsessed with perpetual life. What was his name again? He tries everything to not age
CD Mills 3 months ago
Is this the moron that bleeds his teenage son for "Young" blood?
Load More Replies... WindySwede 3 months ago
He found out it didn't work, and now sells his "knowledge" to others for profit?
Cpt. Christan "Panda Bombero" 3 months ago (edited)
I do dream of a STOS, STSNW, or STNG era. But, right now, with everything on the horizon, why would I want perpetual life? If there are not any drastic and immediate societal, political, and environmental changes and improvements for/to us as a whole in the immediate or near future, than why? The sooner a comet or asteroid obliterates this planet, the better.
#32
I’ll start: drinking a gallon of water a day — super hyped, not needed for everyone.
Daniel Atkins 3 months ago
Remember there is water in your food too. So you may not need to drink a gallon.
WindySwede 3 months ago
and drink to much an die! Your pee should not be 100% clear!
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Becky Samuel 3 months ago
This is not good advice. Your sense of thirst fades away as you get older, and many elderly people end up dehydrated as a result. ADHD can also mess with your ability to sense hunger and thirst correctly.
Load More Replies... #33
Intermittent Fasting.
What works for some, doesn't work for all.
Intermittent Fasting impairs my judgement.
Cathleen Cummings 3 months ago
intermittent fasting gave me horrible insomnia, for some reason.
meeeeeeeeeeee 3 months ago
IF is good for people. It is proven to be. I guess the title of this article changes regularly because at the minute, it's "Overrated Habits That Are Not That Healthy At All" and it's misleading.
Earonn - 3 months ago
I like it, because it's easier and more pleasant for me just to not eat one day and otherwise just "eat responsibly", than counting every last calory. It also makes me more energetic (I guess because my body thinks I need to go out and hunt a mammoth :D ), so I use it when I know there's a stressful day at work ahead. :) But yeah, I've heard from some people that they can't go without eating for so long.
Remi (He/Him) 3 months ago
Intermittent fasting can put your body in energy save mode hampering your weight loss
WindySwede 3 months ago
there are some evidence it could work better than a ordinary low calorie diet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting
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#34
I have a friend that thinks coconut oil is the cure-all for everything. He's also anti-vax/medicine.
Dave Van Beurden 3 months ago
If a fat goes solid in the fridge, it'll go solid in your arteries
#35
Kale. Yeah, it’s fine, but it’s not a miracle. Stop pretending.
Sue User 3 months ago
I will eat almost any green, even beet tops, but have yet to find a recipe that makes it palatable. Please dont suggest one, i have tried. I am fine.
Becky Samuel 3 months ago
And that awful cavolo nero. Spoils anything it's put on.
Load More Replies... Kirsten Kerkhof 3 months ago
It is if you ask the Dutch! Kale mash with smoked sausage is a winter tradition over here.
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Terri Hygate 3 months ago
In the country I grew up in, it was used (and still is) as pasture food for sheep and cows. So, no, I won't eat it!!!
#36
Over hydrating your body.
It was never medically recommended to drink six glasses of water a day. It was recommended to consume six cups, as in a measuring cup. But because the word cup and glass was used interchangeably, and the standard size drinking glass was 16 oz, it was thought that we had to drink almost 3 liters of water per day. When in reality it was originally recommended that we drink closer to 1.5 L per day. And as long as the liquid you're consuming is not full of sugars or unnatural ingredients, that counts towards your daily liquid intake. So in conclusion you do not have to drink almost 3 L of water per day, you need to drink approximately 1.6 L of almost any freaking liquid you want.
Earonn - 3 months ago
Your body actually tells you how much you need. It has this little mechanism called 'thirst'.
camomooey 3 months ago (edited)
Mine doesn't. I don't really get thirsty very often, so I try to drink one or two 8 oz glasses of water a day, whether I am thirsty or not. Just enough so I'm not in the bathroom all day. I have noticed that if I don't do that, I get very thirsty later in the evening, but hardly ever during the day.
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Kenny Kulbiski 3 months ago
So it's probably not necessary to lug that boutique water bottle with you on that trip to the mailbox.
Powerful Katrinka 3 months ago
I ended up in the ICU for 6 days because I drank too much water. Severe sodium depletion causes horrible problems in the body, and replacing it too quickly can cause brain damage and locked-in syndrome. I was in agony from full-body muscle cramps for the first four days in the ICU, and that was with morphine and muscle relaxers.
JK 3 months ago
Try telling my doctors/nurses this. Im 5'3" (short) i cant intake 2-3L of water a day, my whole body balloons up when I do to the point I cant walk on my cankles (they become literal cankles) and my skin hurts from over stretching. But every time I get a UTI they tout it out like its gospel, "well you need 2 litres minimum a day" - im too short to carry 2 litres in my body. How is weight ratioed to height, but food/liquid intake not?!
spacer 3 months ago
thats not normal and could be a sign of an underlying issue, especially heart problems are related to swelling around the legs and below
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#37
The idea that you need three meals a day.
Meal consumption should be based on activity. Chances are if you're eating three a day, snacks, and are heavy, you're eating too many meals.
It's a *very* convoluted topic, and this little blurb barely even scratches the surface. Like an ice cube to an iceberg.
userhwon:
I've eaten 3, 1, 6, 5, and 2, each over extended periods. The best are 2 and 5.
2 means you don't have to mess with it so often, and can have a bigger dinner, when you want that feeling. But don't expect to get health benefits from doing this.
5 is for when you're exercising and trying to get healthy. You eat 10-15% more calories than you need when you want to gain more muscle than fat, and between 10% and 900 calories less than you need when you want to lose more fat than muscle. The large number of meals spreads them out evenly and keeps your insulin system from driving calories into adipose tissue so hard; food comas are the worst thing for your plans. (The hard limit at -900 calories avoids starvation mode in which your body shifts to a higher muscle/fat loss ratio to spare fat because it thinks you're in a famine and less muscle lowers your metabolism and lets you live off the fat longer.)
Multa Nocte 3 months ago
Oh, I can now die happy, seeing the word "fuck" above in all its glory on Bored Panda! Thank you for letting me reach one of my final goals in life!
FoxThatHasFennecaphobia 3 months ago
I the shitty censor just missed it and the word will be censored in a few hours.
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SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
Eat when you’re hungry. Don’t eat when you’re not hungry. 🤷🏻♀️
Earonn - 3 months ago
Chris van Tulleken (who talks a lot about ultra-processed food and why it's not good for us) told about an experiment where they let toddlers choose what they wanted to eat whenever they wanted to eat. The children ended up with a healthy diet, all by themselves. Except one - and then it was found out that he had some sort of imbalance that affected his eating. In short: with you there, all the way!
Load More Replies... Lee Gilliland 3 months ago
Those of us with low blood sugar need five meals a day to maintain an even keel. I can no longer eat all the food served at an average meal, it's too much.
Sue 3 months ago
If you eat an 800 calorie dinner & your body does not need 800 calories at that moment, it is stored as fat. It is harder to "unstore" fat than it is not to make it in the first place. So if you eat several small meals, it is much less likely that you are storing the fat in the first place, plus you are not waiting until you are so hungry that you overeat at your next meal. And as someone who has done both, it was harder to lose when I ate one big meal than eating several little meals.
#38
Ik I will be downvoted to hell but honestly imo BMI. I think weight may not be as personal as a wake up time or whether breakfast makes you sick or energized but I still very much so believe there are certain weights where some ppl will be at their maximum. And for people that are curvier there will always be that extra weight that clings to certain body parts just based on genetic instructions than some other ppl that will easily get that weight otherwise. I think it’s still good to be around those weights just not married to them. They’ve already said that healthy habits aren’t just bc you are skinny. Then ofc ppl who weigh more due to muscles ofc are their own example too. Either way I ignore BMI. Am I healthy (blood work, energy, etc) and do I like how I look.
JK 3 months ago
And sadly still used. I remember I got *really* thin at one point about 5 years back (you could see my rib cage, almost hook your finger around my collarbone, it was gross), i went to the doctors because I couldn't gain weight for the life of me and more was falling off. They looked at me, were all set to work on it. And then they calculated my BMI. Officially I was in the "normal/healthy" group, so, other than a couple blood tests to confirm nothing bad i was sent on my way and told i was "very healthy" and "should feel lucky you didnt even have to try" - its fine, I did eventually gain a tonne due to a chronic pain condition that limited my mobility. Bow im "clinically obese" (read curvy) and theyre trying to make me lose weight to a "more suitable BMI". Its been a fun journey /s
Load More Replies... Jake Bertz 3 months ago
BMI, according to the guy that created BMI, was never meant to be used on an individual level. It was created by a statistician for statistic reasons. Then insurance companies saw a super easy measurement they could use to screw people.
Paulina 3 months ago
If the BMI cräp was true, I should probably be dead long time ago 🤷♀️ I was naturally very skinny all my life, had zero health problems, ate normally, yet my BMI was always on the verge of underweight to malnourished (when I was a kid, they had that extra category 🤔). Somehow, I "survived" and the only problems I had were doctors trying to get me into the hospital because of my weight, when I came in with a cold symptoms 😡
Tom Brincefield 3 months ago
Friend of mine was kicked out of the Marines because his BMI was too high. He was short & wide, less than 2% fat, but he weighed too much for his height, so he was discharged.
Earonn - 3 months ago
There's different types of fat, there's different types of muscles. Both mean that your body can take up more or less volume and hence weight - to a certain degree. BMI was out of the window for me when a doctor measured my muscle/fat ratio and found that I have "surprisingly much" muscle in my legs. So, that's 'extra weight' pushing up my BMI that even doctors wouldn't notice. Honestly, don't we all feel ourselves whether our body works fine or whether we could do with more / less ?
Hugo 3 months ago
There's an improved formula: 1.3 times weight in kg divided by height in metres to the power 2.5. It still doesn't take account of muscle having a higher density than fat, nor the difference between men and women. One recommendation is to take the ratio of waist and hip measurements, but that means a woman with a boyish figure will have quite a different number from one who is 'hippy', even though they may be equally healthy (or not, as the case may be). I still say that anyone with a BMI of 30 or more should be seriously worried.
#39
Collagen powder.
awnawreally:
Those powdered collagen supplements are just everywhere right now and are total horses**t. The topical collagen creams and most other anti wrinkle lotions are grifts as well.
When I was a teen, I watched a news segment where a dermatologist said most beauty creams were useless because nothing can penetrate beyond the outer layer of skin. The purpose of skin is to protect your body from outside irritants.
Anything that claims to do more than resurface the outer layer of your skin is just snake oil. That stuff never works but people will believe in and buy anything that promises to prevent death or slow aging. That’s why the beauty industry is so massively profitable.
Water, nutrition, and sun protection are the only things that can make any difference internally but I guess there’s not enough money in that.
How do they even synthesize collagen and turn it into powder anyway? Since supplements aren’t regulated, I always wonder if the people ingesting powdered collagen aren’t just drinking ground plastic or something lol.
AP 3 months ago
after years of buying into all the beauty c**p like taking in collagen and special lotions, I had to stop buying them due to financial woes. And after three years of stopping all the collagen and special creams, my skin looks no different than when I was doing all the beauty c**p.
#40
Exercise to the point of burnout. You have people trying to mimic the routines of fitness influencers/athletes who are clearly on PEDs in an attempt to get a physique like theirs, only to end up injured because the body can’t sustain that amount of volume without chemical assistance.
The “no days off the grind!” mentality is damaging. Rest and recovery are extremely important and underemphasized.
#41
Marathon running. It’s touted like it’s this goal that we should all ideally be working towards and yes, running is healthy, but at a certain point you are actually causing damage to your body. We have somehow equated maximizing physical discomfort with maximizing health outcomes but there is definitely downsides to pushing yourself too hard.
Daniel Atkins 3 months ago (edited)
According to the legend the first guy that ran it died after running that distance. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon
Earonn - 3 months ago
He also fought a battle beforehand, not sure if that applies to any of us.
Load More Replies... Earonn - 3 months ago
I found it interesting and it changed my mindset, because it's one of the things I "knew" I couldn't do "because I'm not that an endurance person". These days, when I think "oh no, I can't do that" this little voice pops up and says, very sarcastically "Oh yes? You mean, like you can't run a marathon and then did it?" The training also taught me about what food works for me, how to start unpleasant tasks, how to listen to my body, how to exercise with love for my body instead of seeing it as an enemy I have to conquer, and how well habits work for me. And now that I know I can do it, I don't need to do it again. :)
#42
Eating more protein than your body can process. Stop it y'all.
RandomChance:
Started weight training and I'm struggling to hit the MINUMIM without crossing 1700 calories a day. There is only so much greek yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu, grilled chicken, egg whites, and protein powder you can consume in one day.
There are many independent papers, funded before crazies took over control of funding science, that all all recommend "protein intake should be significantly higher than the standard Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of 0.8 g per kilogram of body weight. For healthy older adults, a recommended intake of 1.0–1.2 g/kg/day"
That means a minimum of 90g per day... even if they are not working out. Just to not lose muscle to aging.
That would be 16 eggs...
FoxThatHasFennecaphobia 3 months ago
16 eggs a day is more than 90% of peoples life savings at this point
Hugo 3 months ago
They're not so crazily expensive in Europe, but the recommendation is no more than one egg per day (on average) to keep one's blood cholesterol level within sensible limits. I'm still searching for the "minumim".
Load More Replies... Anna Drever 3 months ago
In theory if you’re eating enough calories then you’re eating enough protein. And that would go for athletes too since they’d need more calories anyway. Having said that I gather it’s a good idea to consume more protein when we’re elderly.
#43
The idea people have that hormone free milk is hormone free. By its very nature milk is full of hormones. You don’t get milk from any species without hormones.
Guess what- the human body does not accept binding in its receptors to react to bovine hormones.
But hey- get on your soapbox about wanting animal derived milk products to be hormone free! 🤷🏼♀️.
Secretary-Visual:
I usually see hormone free milk touted more as an animal welfare issue than a human health one. The use of hormones to stimulate excessive dairy production can cause mastitis in cows. That can also increase the amount of pus in the dairy milk, which may be where the human health perspective comes in. But the allowable amount of pus in dairy milk is legally regulated.
Remi (He/Him) 3 months ago
Uhhh why are you allowing a thing like that? It's bad for the cows and "allowable amount" of pus in milk sounds just awful
Becky Samuel 3 months ago
There has to be a legal limit, it's not feasible for the limit to be zero. The same with rodent hairs or cockroach parts in cereals or chocolate.
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Spencers slave no more 3 months ago
There's a huge difference between pus and somatic cells in cows milk. Somatic cells are immune cells and epithelial cells which naturally occur in milk. Somatic cells are monitored through regular testing of milk at the dairy farms, before it is transported, in countries that value their dairy industries. A higher than acceptable somatic cell count usually means infection is present. When a higher than acceptable count of somatic cells is detected in milk at the farm, the milk is not collected, the herd will be given a course of antibiotics and there is a withholding period for milk from that herd until the cell count is at approved levels.
#44
Probably an unpopular opinion, but running. Obviously not total BS, It is great for cardio, but out of all of my friends who regularly go running, most of them have suffered at least a semi-serious injury from it and one just can't do it any more from a shattered ankle that never healed properly. Swimming is far better imo, if that's an option.
captainporcupine3:
Dont disagree that swimming is the better option overall, but its also very expensive compared to running around your neighborhood, not to mention much more time consuming. I get my full jogging workout in 30 minutes flat including prep and cool down. As an adult with kids that's the only way I'm getting exercise into my day.
SchadenFreudian Psychology 3 months ago
Running is an unnatural act (except towards a bathroom or away from an attacker!)
Geobugi🇰🇷🇰🇭 3 months ago
I am not running unless i am followed by somebody who would like to speak about god
Howl's sleeping castle 3 months ago
I used to run till my early thirties now I have knee problems
Earonn - 3 months ago
That's something I hear a lot from people my age (aka in their 50s): "I ran a lot and now my knees / ankles pay the price for it". This comes after decades of almost propaganda about how people should go out for runs.
Load More Replies... JK 3 months ago
PSA - Humans are *amble* predators. We are not built to run long distances. Our hunting ability is purely to slowly follow something til it gets tired. Apart from those who evolved on open plains, who needed to evolve to cross much further distances for food source, we are primarily a species designed to WALK
Hugo 3 months ago (edited)
No, I'm sure we were designed for bicycling, which takes the weight off the feet.
Load More Replies... Jake Bertz 3 months ago
For the price of a swimming pool large enough to workout in, I could keep my entire family in running shoes for generations.
Wyrdwoman 3 months ago
I ran for 3 years without incident, then a torn plantar fascia means I am unable to run for 3 to 6 months. >:( Luckily I live close to a pool, but it is more expensive.
Earonn - 3 months ago
Ouch! hope it will completely heal and you'll be able to enjoy your runs again!
Load More Replies... #45
Cold plunge. It's not total BS if you're an athelete that works out multiple times a day and needs to recover fast asf for training. But otherwise I think that one is more about expressing discipline.
Zig Zag Wanderer 3 months ago
I used to love this after a sauna. But it's a sensory thing. I don't think it helps anything else.
#46
Diet of the month mentality … gluten- free this, keto that, etc. in reality, very few people * need* specialty diets.
#47
To grind no matter what. Resting is important too.
Dirk Daring 3 months ago
I hate Hustle Culture. Stop trying to convince me to monetize every little hobby I pick up. I make really awesome cheesecakes. I do this because I like eating cheesecake. No, I don't want to spend my weekends selling homemade cheesecakes at the Farmer's Market. #1) I already have a full-time job. Guess what I'm NOT thinking about when I'm making cheesecake? #2) I don't have access to a commercial kitchen. Do you know how LONG it takes to make a proper cheesecake from scratch, especially in my home kitchen? #3) I'd have to sell my cheesecakes at about $120 each just to break even on ingredients, table rental, my time, etc. #4) I don't need any other reasons, fnck you, let me know what flavor you'd like for the next potluck.
#48
Chiropracty there is virtually no scholarly evidence for its benefits.
CD Mills 3 months ago
Tell that to my big toe! I was padding around the house barefoot and caught my toe on something and folded it under/sort of stepped on it. I thought it might be broken, but I did know it was out of joint, you could see it was out of socket. My husband took me to the ER, they X-rayed it, confirmed the toe was out of joint but not broken. They then informed me that they didn't treat dislocations in the ER unless there was a surgical aspect and that I would need to get an appointment with an Orthopedist. With standard wait times, new patient protocols, and all, I was looking at a solid 6 to 8 weeks at the earliest! We left the ER with my X-rays and drove to a Chiropractor, she checked the X-rays and adjusted my toe, I limped out to the car 45 minutes later.
Arcady Royzen 3 months ago
Disagree completely. It is a science and there are plenty of good ones, but it is not a cure all, and some are not really qualified.
#49
Tracking every calorie. It makes people obsess over numbers instead of actually enjoying food.
#50
Don’t eat anything before going to bed to lose weight. Weight loss is related to caloric deficits and not (directly) to when you eat.
meeeeeeeeeeee 3 months ago
No, this is not true. Even an apple after a certain time (I think 8pm) will spike your blood sugar as though you ate a chocolate bar. There is a correlation between your overnight fasting times and your weight.
Jake Bertz 3 months ago
Correlation does not mean causation. Bodyfat is the mechanism for storing energy. If you don't consume excess energy, your body has nothing to store.
Load More Replies... #51
Many “sleep hygiene” tips. If watching tv or scrolling your phone before bed are part of your routine, then stopping can make it harder to fall asleep. .
meeeeeeeeeeee 3 months ago
Yes, in the short term. But let's imagine a thing called long-term.
#52
I don’t believe there’s anything wrong with seed oils.
DC 3 months ago
There isn't. Who says there is? Walnut seed oil, for example, is great, tastes great, just great all around.
WindySwede 3 months ago
Some healz influenzers are saying this. They clame ultra-"pozzezzed", heated during the extraction (well yes, but only to 80C, etc etc. and old theories that sticks around, that are not true. Also they use fearmongering to sell their own stuff that will be "super good". Swedish source, sorry no English: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekIAoMwfwH4
Load More Replies... #53
Therapy is great, therapy is good, I'm glad it's available and it can be a lifesaver, please don't throw tomatoes...but it's usually a condescending insult if a person is *pushing* it on someone.
CD Mills 3 months ago
I've had wonderful results with therapy and I will encourage anyone 'going through it' to consider therapy. I felt like Wonder Woman the first time I used Rescue Breathing Techniques to breath myself out of a panic attack! My panic attacks aren't me pacing the house, wringing my hands, they are, "I can't breath", "my heart is beating out of my chest", I'd get taken to the ER by paramedics who thought I was having a heart attack! Breathing a panic attack away was a major turning point, I had control again!
DC 3 months ago (edited)
It's almost become a standard answer to anything and everything - "Go see a Therapist!". Have any uncherichable memories from school? To the Therapist, you're sent. Therapism seems to be a sort of ideology as if involving a professional would miraculously cure everything and anything, or would even be needed. School sucked, more or less, for the all of us.
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Green Eyes 3 months ago
Cauliflower everything. Cauliflower rice? Cauliflower wings? Cauliflower pizza crust? It's all gross. Just stop.
Green Eyes 3 months ago
Cauliflower everything. Cauliflower rice? Cauliflower wings? Cauliflower pizza crust? It's all gross. Just stop.
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