With so many viral wellness trends and health information circulating online, it’s sometimes hard to keep track of what’s healthy and what's not. It can get pretty confusing when you start scrolling on TikTok and the first video you see is promoting intuitive eating, while the second is trying to sell you the 75-hard workout plan.
Seeing this way too often, redditor Soren-J reached out to the AskReddit community with a question: “What is actually healthy but people think is not?” In response, netizens provided a list of things that undeservingly get a bad reputation in the wellness department.
Bored Panda reached out to Uta Boellinger, a BANT registered nutritionist, who kindly agreed to tell us more about what leads us to believe some things are unhealthy when they are good for us.
She explained, "Over the years the food and diet industries have spread so much misinformation in an attempt to sell their products. This coupled with false information spread by fitness influencers and the media has left people brainwashed and confused."
One example of this is fat. "Far too many people still believe that anything high in fat is automatically unhealthy. This could not be further from the truth. In reality, we all need fat as our body is literally made from fat (cell membranes, our brain, hormones, etc. are all made from fat!).
There are of course good and bad fats and some fats can become unhealthy if they are heated at high temperatures but at the end of the day, high-fat foods such as avocado, oily fish, nuts & seeds are good for us.
Another reason foods can be seen as unhealthy is if they are naturally high in sugar (such as the poor old banana). The issue here is that statements are often taken out of context! Whether something is healthy or unhealthy depends a lot on when you are eating it, how big a portion is, and whether you are combining it with other foods or not. "
In order to help people be more cautious about conflicting information online and make the right decisions for their health, Boellinger emphasizes the difference between whole foods and highly processed foods, and how important it's to listen to your body and find reputable sources.
"For example, a banana may technically have the same amount of sugar as a chocolate bar but in reality, it is still healthier because it also contains fibre and vitamins and minerals.
Secondly, listen to your body. If you feel well, have great energy levels, good sleep, and balanced moods you are likely doing the right thing. Don’t let anyone tell you something is unhealthy just because it didn’t work for them.
Finally, find reputable sources! Follow the advice of registered nutritionists over that of a fitness influencer and don’t listen to anyone who is trying to also sell you products (such as weight loss shakes etc)."
Doing literally nothing to decompress. Sometimes one just needs to breathe and look out a window.Spending time alone.Living life without religion.Frozen fruits and vegetables. The modern flash-freeze technique preserves almost all of the nutrients and they are always picked when they are in season, so they are as nutritious as their fresh in-season counterparts, and more nutritious if it is not the season.Admitting when you don't know something. Its okay to not have the answer. Too many people would rather b******t an answer, than accept what they don't know.One thing I've noticed as a nanny is that people don't think it's okay for their infant/toddler to chill in their crib alone after a nap. It's actually really healthy and good for them to chill alone in their cribs after they wake from a nap, especially if they aren't distressed about it! The parents will run to get them the moment they pop their eyes open, which eventually makes the kids start crying when they wake, because they expect someone to get them the moment their eyes open. These are also the babies that won't let you out of their sight for a moment.
But the ones who are able to chill alone for 10-20 minutes from the time they are really small, usually just roll around and babble to themselves for 10-20 minutes before they get upset. And the kids who can chill alone are usually really chill during wake times too, and don't freak out when you leave the room.
It's perfectly healthy for your kid to be by themselves even as babies.Shocked that no one has said potatoes. They're one of the healthiest foods we know of - packed full of nutrients and vitamins, and carbohydrates. They're nearly enough to live off of entirely on their own.
It's the oil we cook them in that's the unhealthy part .I keep hearing more and more people say that eating fruit is 'bad' because 'sugar'.
No, eating sweets made of processed ingredients is bad, fruit (as with everything, in moderation) is good. Fibre, vitamins and minerals, nutrition in something that just grows out there. Good. Eat fruit.Silence. We've gotten so used to noise pollution, real silence has become anxiety inducing. Silence improves sleep, helps your brain process what you're learning, reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, the list goes on.Crying.Sunlight.
There are specific times of the day where the UV days aren’t as damaging.
You need vitamin D, you need sunlight. Just don’t be lying out there for 3 hours tanning/burning.Have a mental health day off from work.Having boundaries, saying no.Admitting when you're wrong.Drinking coffee - it's loaded with antioxidants and has been linked to a lower risk of several diseases.A man expressing his feminine side occasionally without feeling “gay” about it.Nuts. Specifically unsalted nuts. Many ppl think they're not healthy because they only look at calories, but they're high in healthy fats, fibers, vitamins, so good to eat one or two hands per day of them (sure, not the whole bag at once ;-)).You know what, I'm going to say it. Calories. Everyone acts like calories are the worst thing in the world, but they're just the numerical amount of energy a food gives you. There's nothing inherently bad about calories.Saying no to certain social events even if you have the time to attend.Slightly yellow teeth.Taking care of your mental health is not a weakness, it is a strength to recognize your problems and learn to overcome them.Maintaining work boundaries.
A lot of oldies and bootlickers would immediately gang up on you and call you lazy and have poor work ethics for even thinking about working only during your paid hours and utilizing your PTOs.Genetically modified foods.Vaccines , but that is just a small parcel of people with 3 neurons. .Saying sorry.Taking a break.Having a balance of being both negative and positive. Too much positivity is bad. You need to have a balance.Staying off the internet.Butter.
just pure butter.
while we're at it: lard, tallow as well.Sunscreen.
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