Health Tips You May Not Know

By Randi Morse

I remember my mother and grandmother telling me all sorts of health tips that weren't true. "Drink eight glasses of water a day, feed a cold and starve a fever, if you go outside in the cold you'll get sick." All of these old wives tales have been debunked, but there are still tons of health tips and tricks that we don't know that are true.

How You Cook Meat

When my husband and I first started dating, I was horrified to hear him ask for his steak to be cooked "well done." I wondered how he could find any flavor in the tough, tasteless meat! He said his mother had always told him you need to have beef cooked well-done to avoid parasites. The truth is actually the opposite. If you overcook, or burn, your beef harmful compounds form which can actually raise your risk of getting cancer. When it comes to meat, especially steak, medium-well is a great option if you're looking for good health and good taste.

Herbs and Spices

Growing up in a "meat and potatoes" family, I wasn't exposed to a lot of spices other than salt and pepper. Spices not only "kick it up a notch," as Chef Emeril Lagasse famously says, they can also help keep you healthy. Ginger and turmeric, for example, are both amazing at providing antioxidants and anti-inflammatory benefits to your diet. There are lots of spices that have healthy benefits associated with them, and thankfully the internet makes it easy to locate delicious recipes that incorporate those spices.

Don't Diet

We've always been told that we should diet and lose weight, but it turns out that dieting is not only bad for the body, it's counterproductive. Our bodies aren't designed to diet, they need a constant intake of specific nutrients in order to work optimally. It's also been proven that dieting is the biggest predictor of future weight gain. Instead of dieting, work on getting a healthy lifestyle. Cook healthier meals, eat out less, drink more water, and make healthy choices. 

Eggs Are Good

I remember being told over and over again that you can't have too many eggs, or that if you did eat eggs you should only eat the egg whites. This is a myth that has been proven untrue. Eating eggs doesn't raise your blood cholesterol for most people and, in fact, eggs are extremely nutritious and could even be called "nature's multivitamin."

Believing old family traditions and things that you've been told by others is easy, but before you choose to believe those old wives tales, take a bit of time and do some research. You may be surprised at what you learn.

To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Draper, Utah.