We always want to look and feel good. However, due to financial and time constraints or other challenges, it is not always easy to go for the proper diet and exercise plan. Through the internet, we have access to a lot of advice and health plans that can be detrimental to our well-being in the long term. Here are some ‘health’ trends that might not actually be beneficial to your health. In fact, they are the opposite of ‘healthy’.
1. Hormone injections
This is a form of extreme dieting that involves injections of a hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), while taking only about 500 calories per day. This diet is said to help you lose about one pound a day, which is too much and very unhealthy. A normal and healthy way to lose weight would be through proper dieting and exercise, and you should lose about one pound per week. This diet can lead to binge eating disorder, malnutrition and other serious health complications.
2. Sauna suits
These are plastic wraps that are worn during exercise to promote weight loss. They work by causing you to sweat excessively. However, this weight loss technique only allows you to lose water instead of fat. This dehydration and increase in temperature caused by a sauna suit can lead to heat stroke, lightheadedness and death in extreme cases.
3. Going overboard with supplements
Micro-nutrient supplements are a great way to make sure that you are getting the proper amounts of nutrients. However, some people try to replace foods with these supplements. This is unhealthy because supplements do not contain macro-nutrients like proteins, carbs and fats which are needed to promote the proper functioning of our systems. When you take too much of these supplements, it can lead to nutrient toxicity. You excrete excess water soluble vitamins in your urine. Excess intake of fat soluble vitamins can lead to hair loss, muscle weakness, nausea and other health problems.
4. Juice fasts
With juice fasts, you are supposed to take certain juices and detoxifying supplements while avoiding anything solid. However, these detox diets aren’t necessary because we have good bacteria that reside in our gut, our liver and kidneys performing a host of functions which include detoxification and the cleansing of our systems.
It is important to learn how to differentiate between useful and harmful health tips. These unhealthy practices can cause you time and money loss. They can also endanger your health.
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