Most of us like to think that we’re at least trying to be healthy. We brush our teeth twice daily, try to ensure our family gets a few servings of fruit and veggies with each meal, and schedule regular checkups with the doctor.

Those are the obvious habits that we can do to strengthen our health long term. But what about the ones that are less obvious? The little habits that may be harming us? Read on for a few common ones:

Using plastic food containers

One habit a lot of families have that could be potentially dangerous is the habit of storing food in plastic containers. According to some experts, plastic containers often contain something called BPA which can leach into food and cause you to feel less satiated than usual, which can lead to overeating -who knew? If you must use plastic food containers, check they’re BPAS free, or even better, switch to metal containers instead.

Wine time

If like many other parents, you enjoy relaxing with a few glasses of wine once the kids have been put safely to bed, you could potentially be harming your health. Although it’s true that moderate amounts of red wine can be good for you, it’s really easy to slip into excessive drinking, which is much less drinking than you may think, and thus put yourself at a higher risk of various ailments including addiction, liver disease, and heart issues. Ideally, you should try to drink no more than one small glass of wine each day, and have a few days where you don’t drink any alcohol at all each week.

Drinking diet soda

You may think it’s better than giving you and the kids a huge dose of sugar in the form of regular soda, but diet soda really isn’t great for your health. There is some evidence to suggest the sweetness of diet soda can make your body crave the real thing, which means you’re more likely to overeat junk food later on. Switch to sparkling water flavored with fruit and your body, not to mention your waistline, will thank you.

Bringing the screen to bed

If you or your kids have trouble sleeping, and you tend to use your phones, tablets, or TVs either in bed or in the hour before heading to bed, you might want to impose a strict no-screens in before bed ban. You see, the blue light emitted by many devices messes with the body’s melatonin production due to the fact it simulates daylight. This can make it impossible for your body to wind down and do what it needs to do.

Washing too much

You may think that keeping your bodies clean is a good thing for your health, and it is providing that you don’t take it too far. You see, washing too often can cause your body’s natural flora to get out of balance, which could lead to all sorts of issues including dry skin and infections. Shower once daily, and maybe even think about skipping the soap occasionally and your skin will thank you.

What of these habits are part of your routine?

Category: Health

Tags: habits