5 Habits That May Seem Harmless But Are Actually Bad for You

The future of our health and self reflects in our daily routine and habits. A strong reason why we always encourage you to focus on small wins every day with discipline and consistency.

While most of us constantly strive to make the right choices for our health, some of these practices may seem harmless on the surface until you break them down and realize they are bad for you.

Here are five such habits we identified after consulting thousands of clients across the globe. Have a closer look to check if you subconsciously do it too.

Waking up to a shrill alarm

Do you set alarms to wake up? If yes, here’s one thing we want you to know. Sound-based alarm clocks shock you into waking up and cause a sudden jolt of wakefulness. When these are shrill, they can cause a sudden increase in cortisol and adrenaline, which can shock the heart and disrupt your natural cycles, and everything can go down from here. The ideal way to wake up is naturally and gently with the rising sun, just like people did before alarm clocks came into being. But we know it can be easier said than done. So, begin with small steps by choosing soothing nature sounds like chirping birds or waterfall as your alarm tone to wake up gently.

Consuming tea or coffee empty stomach

Yes, there is goodness in tea and coffee. But how and when you consume it makes all the difference. The bed tea trend or not being able to start your day without a piping hot cup of tea might sound cool. But it can be detrimental to your stomach. Why?

When we wake up in the morning, we have a slightly acidic body, and our stomach is empty because it has processed food through the night. Imagine putting something acidic in an already acidic body on an empty stomach! It can irritate delicate intestinal linings and cause inflammation and irritation. Several cases of acidity that come to us have their roots deep in this unhealthy morning habit. Have coffee or tea if you want to, but the right way. Line your stomach with plain or lemon water, fruit, or soaked nuts, and then brew a cuppa.

Not rinsing your mouth after meals

Do you rinse your mouth after every meal? If your answer is yes, you may have noticed how many food particles get stuck between your teeth. Now, imagine not rinsing and letting these bits and pieces of food sit in your mouth for a long time! Scary, right? Hence, it is a good habit to rinse your mouth after meals. This simple practice can be super powerful not just for dental hygiene but also for your overall health. Remember, your mouth is one of the major entry points for disease-causing bacteria and toxins to enter your system. So invest in these everyday rituals.

Not soaking your nuts

How many of you reading this grew up with your mothers and grandmothers encouraging you to soak nuts overnight before consuming them? What is the science behind this? Why is the practice passed down in various traditions?

Nuts are great for our health as they contain essential fatty acids, protein, amino acids, and minerals. They are one of the best raw foods you could ever add to your meals. But nature protects them in their raw form by covering them with enzyme inhibitors, tannins, and phytic acids.

When we eat nuts without soaking them, these enzyme inhibitors get into our system and bind to certain minerals and vitamins. They interfere with our enzymatic reactions in the body and impair digestion. Similarly, tannins are not bad, because coffee, green and black tea have them too. But these can block the absorption of iron into our bodies when consumed the wrong way. For instance, if you are having a meal and eating unsoaked nuts, the tannins you ingest can block iron absorption.

Phytates are antinutrients that bind to iron, magnesium, copper, and zinc in our colon. So even if you are consuming good food, the presence of phytic acids may not allow you to absorb it optimally. So, it is best to wash and soak your nuts. It will help you increase their bioavailability and eliminate the antinutrients, enzyme inhibitors, and tannins.

Negative self-talk

The power of life and death lies in our tongues. And this is true. Every time we comment on ourselves, whether positive or negative, we feed that message to our subconscious mind. So, imagine doing it repeatedly! Constant negative thoughts can slowly become our reality. That is how our mind is conditioned to believe things. For example, if you constantly say, “I am good for nothing,” you unknowingly instruct your mind to believe it. The good news is that you can do the same thing with positive thoughts and rewire the negative thoughts to positive ones. For instance, “I am worthy.” So, the next time you look at yourself in the mirror or engage in self-talk, be kinder to yourself.

Do you indulge in any of these habits? Let us know about some powerful habits that have worked for you in the comments.

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