Health. It’s a funny subject. It’s a subjective subject, which is a tongue-twister in itself, but everybody has their own formed opinions on what is healthy for them, what they have to do to achieve the ultimate health goal and how to avoid being unhealthy. Some stick to it religiously, others are fine to pick it up as a general life choice. Then there are those who throw the book out of the window altogether and do whatever they want. It’s your prerogative; it’s your body.
There are some foods and drinks, however, that aren’t as healthy as they appear or are made out to be. Upon closer inspection, it is clear to see that some companies and their products aren’t all that they claim they are – even the water in your own home may not be the superdrink that you once thought it to be.
The Good Stuff
All people know that water is great for you – it is something that cannot be disproven (unless you’re mithering about mitigating factors such as the cleanliness, purity etc). However, the water coming out of your taps may not be quite what you think it is. Hard water is common in a few areas, and while it is not inherently bad for you drinks-wise, it’s not doing good things for your hair and skin. If you have itchy, dry skin and your hair is feeling dry even with shampooing, it may be time to think about purchasing a water softener.
Chocolate vs Energy
Probably less well-known than water being good for you is that most energy bars are not. While they may look to be a quick and healthy snack, studies show that in some instances, you’re better off choosing to chomp on a chocolate bar instead.
The Smooth Life
You blend up some fruit, add a little yoghurt or juice and pack most of your daily vitamins and nutrients into something portable and smaller than carrying around everything pre-blend. Right? Well, partly; smoothies are not as healthy as they may look. You are actually better off eating everything individually throughout the day than whizzing it all up together, as a single smoothie can pack in as much as 1,000 calories. That’s half of the average daily allowance. When you spend a bit more time thinking about it, it is an extreme amount of fruit and vegetables used just to make one large smoothie, and although fruit is healthy, it is not exempt from sugar.
It is the age-old adage of everything being good in moderation which needs to take centre stage. Sure, certain food can have certain health benefits, and the same goes for drinks – but if you are overdoing it on the foods that you think are healthy and are not seeing any benefit to your body, mind or general well-being for doing so, it is more likely time to do a bit of research on what you are consuming than keep going at it and hoping for results.