1. Alcohol
Terrible hangovers are not the only bad that alcohol is capable of doing.
It can and does kill us. Almost a hundred thousand people lose their lives each year due to excessive drinking.
The health risks of heavy drinking include liver diseases, pancreatitis, cancer, brain damage, death, and many more.
Alcohol consumption can increase the risk of developing cancer of any dose, even with one glass of red wine. For that reason, it is best to write alcohol off your life.
2. Tobacco
Smoking is the champion of the addictions list of the US by more than 40M users.
Despite knowing all the dangers of smoking, the smoker population comprises 19% of the worldwide adult population.
If you underestimate the harms smoking gives the body, I think you might reconsider your decisions after learning these:
20% of pancreatic cancer patients are tobacco smokers
Smoking over a pack/day for 15-30 years, the lung cancer risk is up to 30x higher
Cigarette smoking is responsible for one in five deaths annually in the US.
Smokers usually die ten years earlier than nonsmokers.
3. Animal products
We all grew up thinking that animal products are the main sources of protein and we based our diets on meat. That is one of the reasons why heart disease and cancer are the main causes of death.
Too much protein has countless side effects on your health that switching to a plant-based diet can reduce your risk of heart disease by about 20 percent.
Now, dismiss the stereotyped healthies from your mind. Read these above and think again, please.
Daily intake of 50g of chicken increases the risk of pancreatic cancer by 72%.
Certain proteins found in milk have been linked to the onset of many chronic diseases including cancer. Cow milk 30%, 2.5 eggs per week cause 81% higher prostate cancer risk.
Colon cancer risk is double as high as for people who eat large quantities of meat as those who consumed less than 20g/day.
Chicken, egg, beef, pork, fish contain arachidonic acid that is associated with depression.
The list can extend to hundreds. The decision is yours.
The Three White Poisons
White Flour, Refined Sugar, and Salt
a. White flour
Let's be honest! White bread tastes so much better than whole-grain bread. However, your focus should be on healthy, not tasty.
If you don't want to destroy your insulin levels and suffer from diabetes in the best-case scenario, switch to whole wheat flour. The trending Ezekiel bread may be your new favorite before you know it.
b. Refined sugar
Sugar is the sweetest and most common suicide method of the new generation.
Refined sugar has a place in almost every processed food's ingredients list. Contrastingly, it has no other benefit than making you feel energetic for a very short period.
It is full of high calories, has no nutritional value, leads your body to obesity and type 2 diabetes. These do not contribute to your health.
Thus, instead of tricking your brain with candies and cookies, try real food such as fruits.
c. Salt
Salt seeped into lives in huge amounts. Today, a standard American diet includes 50% more salt than recommended. And the results are very clear with 6.5M heart failure cases.
Sodium can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases due to high blood pressure.
For a healthy individual, one teaspoon of salt intake is recommended. But lowering this amount will have many benefits to control your blood pressure.
It has an easy solution: reduce salt intake!
7) Sedentary lifestyle
Physical inactivity is one of the main leading risk factors of mortality.
You might not see enough exercise as a need. However, the duplication of the risk of
cardiovascular diseases
diabetes and obesity
cancer
high blood pressure
mental issues
are harsh testimonies that physical activity is essential.
How much is enough?
150 minutes of moderate exercise = 75 minutes of a more vigorous exercise or 10,000 steps/day
8) Cell phones
Technology is anywhere in our lives. And cell phones have become our fifth limbs.
The prevalence of cell phones led to controversial ideas about the relationship between cell phones and cancer.
Few studies proved that one hour or more daily usage of cell phones doubles the risk for a brain tumor.
However, some researchers agree that non-ionizing radiation only heats the body area where the device is held, which gives no harm.
Until the topic culminates, keep your distance from technological devices and protect your body.
9) Bisphenol A
Bisphenol A or BPA is polycarbonate plastic, used for industrial purposes and found in plastic bottles, baby bottles, plastic microwaves, safe containers, cans with a plastic inner side, and inside of many consumer product cans.
When PVC plastic is heated or enters into contact with hot liquids or food, it diffuses BPA which promotes the progression of certain cancers especially breast cancer.
When breast cancer cells are exposed to doses of BPA, the cells no longer respond to chemo.
BPA is also thought of as a stimulator for deadly lung cancer cases because of the up-regulation of signals such as MMP.
10) Hydrogenated oils
Hydrogenated oil is a type of oil that is formed when a liquid unsaturated fat is turned into a solid fat by adding hydrogen.
Although experts scream its side effects from the rooftops, hydrogenated oils are still highly preferred for long shelf life and its low cost.
Because of hydrogenated oils, more people:
died of the harm of hydrogenated oils than car accidents in Holland
suffered from:
type 2 diabetes
heart disease and stroke
cancer
If you want to limit the amount of hydrogenated oil you take into your body, start by not eating packaged foods.
Final
Excluding these 10 from your life can be noticeably helpful for your health. Knowing what your body needs and thinking away from misconceptions are the first steps to feel better and healthier.