General Health
6 Foods that Could be Harming You & You Don’t Even Know it

6 Foods that Could be Harming You & You Don’t Even Know it

We all know having a healthy and balanced diet is a key component in keeping everything in your body running smoothly. In today’s fast paced society of ever changing diets and fads, it’s hard to keep up with what to eat or when to eat it.

Conventional wisdom says, there are certain foods that are healthy for you and will always be healthy for you. Fruits, vegetables and dairy are some examples that have been drilled into the public consciousness as being part of a healthy balanced diet.

6-Foods-that-Could-be-Harming-You-&-You-Don't-Even-Know-it However, conventional wisdom has proven to be wrong in the past. Science is at an all-time high and continues to bring us more insights into the human condition. Before you believe the advertisers and they things your parents might have taught you, take a look at some of these findings.

Milk

“Milk does a body good” has been a staple phrase for as long as I can remember.

A Swedish study, that followed over 100,000 people over a 20 – 30 year span found that people that drank 3 or more cups of milk a day were actually more likely to suffer from heart disease and cancer, and the women in the study suffered from more fractures than those who drank less than 3 cups a day.

This runs contradictory to everything we normally hear about milk. However, this study has come under some fire and more studies will need to be conducted before the results in this case can be fully verified.

That’s not the only study to have ever been done to conclude milk might not be the healthiest choice. Another study published in 2010, concluded that milk could aggregate the production of acne in some people.

Fish

Fish is a wonderful source of protein and omega 3 fatty acids, but the trick is eating the right fish. Just like how many people try hard to avoid genetically modified, antibiotic or steroid injected beef and chicken, the same goes for fish.

Many kinds of fish being sold today, are actually from fish farms. Just like how 1000s of chickens are cooped up in a single cramped shed, the exact same thing happens to fish in farms. This leads them to develop more disease and need to be injected with numerous drugs. Looking for fish that are certified as “wild caught” or “wild fish” will avoid those potential problems.

Brown Rice

While brown rice is considered to be a more healthier option than white rice, there may be some other side effects. A study conducted by the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, has shown that brown rice absorbs more arsenic from the ground, and in high amounts can lead to cancer. It’s suggested that limiting your brown rice intake will reduce the risks, you can also change the type of rice you consume to a barley, buckwheat or white variety.

Fruit Drinks & Sweetened Beverages

A juice box is a very easy thing to give to a child, when they want something to drink. It some sugar, lots of flavor and vitamins. One study in 2014, found that people who regularly consumed several sweetened beverages like fruit punch, were at a higher risk of depression, while coffee drinkers had a slightly lower risk.

Of course, sweetened drink can also lead to obesity or diabetes later in life. It’s also always preferred to have actually sugar rather than artificial substitutes like aspartame.

Citrus

Fruits are very good for you, as they contain a high amount of vitamins. However, fruits high in citrus like oranges and lemons, can damage your teeth. A study in the British Journal of Nutrition, concluded grapefruit juice is practically on par with Coca-Cola, in terms of erosiveness. Remember, your enamel doesn’t grow back on your teeth. If you have say, a glass of orange juice, it’s advised to wash it down with a glass of water after.

Margarine

With the whole trans-fat craze, margarine was considered a healthier alternative to butter. That is not the case at all. It turns out, butter is healthier and margarine can lead to an increased risk of heart attacks.

When the next big food craze comes around, don’t just jump aboard blindly. Always take what you hear with a grain of salt and perhaps the best advice you could ever take when it comes to food and drink is, everything in moderation.

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