As we get older, we become more concerned with our health. Our well-wishers try to bombard us with Dos and Don'ts to help us maintain our health. But have you ever thought about the reality of what you have been told so far about health-related matters? Have you ever dared to question them? Do you have any reliable source to check the truth about the phrases you frequently hear that are labeled "right" or "wrong"?
Whether you have thought about these questions before or not, you need to know that all the things you have heard so far about health-related issues may not be 100% correct. As medical science continues to progress, it's becoming apparent that many of the long-lived beliefs we have are wrong.
In the following, some of these commonly-held beliefs are listed, and the reality behind them has become clarified. By following the health tips provided, you can keep yourself healthy and fit without any worries.
1. If you are overweight, you are unhealthy.
Are you suffering from obesity? The next time you are questioned, you should think more about the word "suffering." An overweight person might not necessarily be unfit, so it's incorrect to assume that an overweight individual is suffering.
In a research conducted by Dr. Steven N. Blair and his team, they discovered that the death rate of an obese person who exercises regularly is actually half of the death rate of a person with normal weight. BMI (Body Mass Index) is a factor to consider when determining whether or not a person's weight falls into an unhealthy category.
2. Too much salt is unhealthy.
"If you want to get your blood pressure back on track, cut back on salt."
"If you want to lose weight, reduce your salt intake."
If you have heard this advice before and have never questioned its validity, it's time to rethink.
According to recent researches, many health conditions are requiring you to increase your salt intake. Low salt levels may lead to the probability of diabetes, a decrease in sex drive, and increased fat storage. Thus, feel free to sprinkle some salt on your food.
3. Organic food is free of pesticides, and it is more nutritious.
Organic products have become a worldwide trend now. Recently, everyone wants to switch to organic food due to the health and purity benefits it promises. Unfortunately, this isn't exactly correct. There is a list reported by US Organic Standards, including more than 20 chemicals that have been approved to be put in organic food production.
You should consider that despite regulations, even organic food is susceptible to chemical flow from nearby factories and fields. So, where can you get pure organic products? Well, you could become a farmer to grow food exclusively for yourself.
4. Since honey is natural sugar, it is better than processed sugar.
When you want to eat a spoonful of honey, keep in mind what you read below:
What if you have been told that honey has more calories than sugar? Despite the fact that honey is used in lesser quantities since it is sweeter when compared with sugar, the fact remains that a lot of honey can also result in weight gain. Honey is just as harmful as sugar medically and can lead to diseases like diabetes, liver diseases, and heart problems if overused.
5. Eating carrots can give you excellent night vision.
All of us have been told that carrots are a good source of vitamin A, which can be beneficial for enhancing your vision. Thanks to World War II Propaganda, carrots were seen as the best health food possible. During World War II, the British Air Force develope a new type of Radar technology. They claimed that their newfound success was due to the improved vision of their pilots, who ate many carrots to hide it from the world.
Although the presence of vitamin A in carrots can help enhance your eyesight, it's merely a myth that it can help you obtain night vision.
6. You use only 10% of your brain.
You might have come across this phrase at least once in your life. But when you are told it's not true, you should believe that even Albert Einstein would've raised an eyebrow at this revelation.
Several experiments and scientists have proven that almost the entire brain is active during your lifespan. The brain's different parts are all responsible for the performance of our body, and 10% of the brain could not be able to handle the functioning of our whole body.
7. "Using microwaves can give you cancer."
Microwaves don't cause cancer, and some expert scientists this has confirmed that. If you look at the heating method of microwaves, you will see that they produce radiation that heats the water molecules present inside the food, so making it warm. It doesn't change the food or turn it cancerous.
The only thing to be kept in mind is to use dishes and plastic containers that can be put in the microwave.
8. Yogurt/curd can improve digestion.
Curd and yogurt have both been famous for their various health benefits, including digestion regulation and weight management. The probiotics have entered our systems slowly, and they're ruling it. These probiotics are mentioned to be the "good kind of bacteria," which helps regulate our gut.
However, our body is full of different types of bacteria, how can it be determined that it's the bacteria coming from yogurt, which is helping? Besides, most of the yogurts are sweetened, and the amount of sugar in them is harmful rather than healthy.
9. Eating at night will make you fat.
You may be told that "Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a peasant." It's time to forget it since weight gain is proportional to the amount of exercise you get directly. "It does not matter what time of day you eat. It is what and how much you eat and how much physical activity you do during the whole day that determines whether you gain, lose, or maintain your weight, " stated by Department of Agriculture's Weight Control Information Network website. If you don't forget to exercise the next morning, the refrigerator is yours to open during the night.
10. Milk is good for you.
We were wrong to associate consuming milk with strong bones and enough amount of calcium in the body. The most recent studies have discovered that there is no association of milk intake with healthy bones and the avoidance of vitamin D and calcium deficiency.
11. Humans have five senses.
Anyone who has seen The Sixth Sense will remember being under the impression that humans have only five senses. It was found out that we possess more than 20 more senses. According to recent researches, there are many more senses, such as Equilibrioception (the sense of balance), Nociception (the ability to feel pain), and Thermoception (the sense of temperature).
According to different studies, there are more senses that are discovered in animals like Electroception, Magnetoreception, the ability to feel natural electrical stimuli, Polarized Light (the ability to use polarized light to decide which direction to go in), and sensing the earth's magnetic field. It is possible that such senses can exist in humans too.
12. Blind people can't see anything.
Maybe you were convinced that all blind people could not see anything except pitch-black darkness. Still, it is interesting to know that most of them sometimes actually miss being able to see darkness. It's not correct to believe that blind people cannot see anything at all. There are some conditions where blind people can see blurred patterns, outlines, and even shapes.
13. You should always stretch before you begin exercising.
Before exercise, We all spend a few minutes stretching. But is this really necessary? It is important to note that stretching before a workout can actually make you less efficient. According to Italian researchers, overstretching before running of cycling might decrease your efficiency by as much as 5%.
14. Your tongue is divided into four parts.
You might have heard that the tongue is divided into four separate parts, and the taste buds of each one are responsible for differentiating sweet, sour, bitter, and salty food. There are actually five tastes rather than four. The fifth taste is umami (it is like the taste of glutamate).
Indeed, there are thousands of taste buds on our tongue, and they all work together. If you want to evaluate this claim, try putting salt on the tip of your tongue. The salty taste you'll feel is sufficient to prove the tongue map is wrong.
15. Only a direct blow to the head can cause a concussion.
"It was just a minor fall." Think again before you let it go so easily. Any severe head injury that can have effects on brain function is a serious matter. Generally, it is believed that a concussion can be caused only by being directly hit on the head, but this is not the case in reality.
Any kind of blow to your upper body or headstrong enough to shake your head could cause a concussion. The brain is set into motion and slams into the inside of the skull. So, you should be cautious and get checked out by a doctor after any kind of head injury.
16. Eight hours of sleep is a necessity.
We have frequently heard that lack of sleep will endanger our health, eight hours of sleep is necessary for all of us, and some phrases as such. But are they scientifically valid?
These days, spending eight hours a day sleeping is like a dream for almost all of us. Even many individuals are worried about their health since they hold that lack of sleep may cause serious problems for them in the future. Indeed, they wonder how it is possible to manage all the tasks efficiently in a way that eight hours can be dedicated to sleeping in this fast-paced life.
If you are anxious about this issue as well, you don't need to worry anymore. Recent studies have proven that in the past, people used to sleep for six to seven hours at the max, and they did not encounter any health-related problems because of lack of sleep. Therefore, the fact that modern life does not let us have enough sleep is easily disproved.
Sometimes, we accept whatever we are told about the past tales without questioning them. Nowadays, with the easy access to scientific books and medical articles, searching about the reality of the things we hear in our daily life is not a difficult task. Even by surfing the internet, we can gain many different pieces of information about any topic or issue we like. In this case, we can share the realities with others as well and make them motivated to do the same. It's important to know that some problems, whether minor or complicated, are caused in our life only because of a lack of knowledge. Therefore, by acquiring knowledge about such simple issues, we can live a better life.
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