5 Bad Food and Drink Habits You Must Avoid

The world as we know it is becoming unhealthier by the day. With fast food chains and processed food taking over our eating habits. We are being told our children are less healthy now than ever before. Almost half of heart-related deaths are caused by bad food habits.

But with different dietary requirements and lifestyle choices being thrown at us left, right, and centre. Staying healthy can often be a very confusing and time-consuming task.

But DESIblitz has the lowdown on the 5 bad food habits you must avoid in order to maintain a healthy, active lifestyle. Read on to find out more.

Dieting with Juice/Tea Cleansers

We all see it on social media; miracle teas, juices, and vitamins claiming to have you shedding the pounds in days!

But substituting your meals for a glass of juice or tea does not provide your body with the nutrients it needs to continue functioning properly. Juice diets can cause problems with your digestive system, immune system, and general health.

Whilst it is easy to fall for these miracle diets, companies fail to tell clientele that primarily the drinks are laxatives.

Designed to help you ‘lose’ weight by keeping you on the toilet and draining you of basic nutrients and vitamins.
Juice cleansers and tea diets are a one-way street to dehydration, malnutrition and health problems.

So leave the cleansing juices out if you want to sustain a healthy lifestyle! Opt for exercising regularly and eating a balanced diet to have you shedding pounds in time.

Eating in a Hurry

We’ve all been there. Don’t have time for breakfast? Grab a cereal bar. Haven’t prepared lunch? Grab a shop-made sandwich. It’s easily done.

But it’s these types of eating habits that are filling our bodies with unnecessary sugars and processed fats. There is a reason why supermarket sandwiches stay fresh for 2-3 days. Much like cereal bars and other quick-fix breakfasts they are packed with more chemicals than we think!

Combining this type of dietary habit with no exercise can lead to problems with the heart and problems with weight gain.

To avoid this, make sure you prepare your meals in advance. This way you know exactly what is going into your food.

By eating a healthy three meals a day you are maintaining a balanced diet and providing your body with energy goodness it needs to get through the day!

Eating High Amounts of Sodium

Salt. Most of our foods are packed with it. If they’re not already packed with salt, we usually tend to add more to flavour. But eating more than 2g of salt a day can lead to things such as heart failure, strokes, and type 2 diabetes.

It is hard to control salt intake as most foods we purchase, particularly fast foods, and things like microwave meals can be crammed with different types of salt.

Often salt levels can be found on packaging, but when you have a busy life, do you have time to stop in a supermarket and read the salt level of every item you buy?

Some great ways to avoid having a diet high in salt is to opt for ‘reduced salt’ food products and avoiding adding extra salt to any food you may eat.

Not Eating Fruit & Veg

Eating 5 portions of fruit and veg a day can help boost immune systems, vitamin intake, energy levels, and make the body healthy overall.

However, a lot of us struggle to consume one portion a day. Lack of vitamins from fruit and veg can cause things like scurvy, acne, bowel problems and general health concerns.

Try to incorporate vegetables into your meals. For example, if you’re having pasta, throw in some broccoli. Why not take strawberries to work as a snack instead of a chocolate bar.

For children, hide carrots and other veg in parts of their meals. Getting your 5 a day doesn’t have to be a chore with these helpful tips!

Not Drinking Water

Water is essential to keep our bodies hydrated and healthy. It is a part of a balanced diet. Water should be the key beverage you consume daily, GP’s recommend you drink 8 glasses a day.

However, with fizzy drinks, coffee shops and other flavoured drinks on the rise, it’s easy to see why water isn’t the first thing many of us opt for.

Drinking water frequently can help to clear the skin, it keeps the body hydrated and it helps with our health. Coffee and fizzy drinks are filled with unnecessary sugars which can often leave us feeling more sluggish and tired than anything else.

To get your water fix always carry a water bottle in your bag which you can refill whilst you’re out so you don’t reach for fizzy drinks in shops. Don’t like plain water? No problem. Why not add sliced strawberries, lemon, or even mint to your water to give it a fruity flavour?

With these helpful tips and tricks, it’s easy to make a lifestyle choice to avoid these 5 bad food and drink habits. A healthy body means a healthy you so be sure to take care of yourself!