3 ‘Healthy’ Habits that are Bad for Your Health

Adopting a healthy lifestyle is not just about altering your diet or exercise routine, but is more about strikinga balance in your health regimen. With simple tweaks in your daily routine, you can make your life a lot healthier and pleasant.

If you are unable to get the most of your routine despite your best efforts, reconsider your habits. Here are three most common healthy habits that might be making things worse for you.

1.    Eating Low Fat or Fat-Free Salad

Vegetables in salad are rich in vitamins and nutrients, but you may kill its benefits by adding low fat or fat-free salad dressing to your veggies. A study by Purdue University reveals that low fat or fat-free salad dressings lack nutrient-absorption capacity that can make it difficult for you to get the necessary nutrients from your salad, making you lose some of the disease-fighting substances offered by vegetables.

The researchers further ascertain that salads topped off with monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated fat-based dressings have high absorption capacity, especially for fat-soluble carotenoids. Carotenoids are known for reducing the risks of several chronic and degenerative diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, cancers and vision loss.

So, while you are cutting back on fat in your salad, make sure that you do not reduce the benefits of vegetables. Salad dressings with olive oil, avocados, nuts, canola oil, seeds or oily fish can be effective options to boost nutrient bioavailability, while limiting fat intake.

2.    Avoiding Salt Completely

People are repeatedly told to cut back on salt to reduce the risks of cardiovascular diseases. However, studies claim that reducing salt intake too much may do harm, leading to serious health risks. When you completely avoid salt, you deprive your body of minerals and electrolytes that are key for achieving optimal health. Adding an acceptable amount of salt into your daily diet can give your meal a gentle boost which may lower the risks of cognitive impairments, fractures among the elderly, low birth weight and other health issues.

3.    Cutting Back on Sleep for Exercise

Regular exercise is important, but working out at the expense of sleep can do more harm than good to your overall health. Sleep is crucial for overall physical and emotional health. Besides promoting mental and psychological wellbeing, it can also reduce your risks of chronic diseases. This doesn’t mean that you should skip exercise altogether. Instead, you need to go overyour bedtime schedule to ensure that you strike a balance between sleep and exercise.

Looking for a diet program to maintain a healthy lifestyle? Speak with the nutritionistsat Brisbane Livewell Clinic to get a personalised diet plan suiting your requirements. Book an appointment with the nutritionist in Bulimba clinic or call at (07)-3861-5881 for more information.