Everyone wants to live healthily.
Right?
But "healthy" seems to have a lot of meanings.
Many of the things we deem healthy and healing are often messy and problematic.
So it's time to make some changes.
And really do the research.
Redditor cheerfulspinach wanted to discuss the truth about being cleansed... so they asked:
"What is something people think is a 'healthy option' but actually isn't?"
We all need to research more to define 'healthy.'"
Sneaky, sneaky...
Hold On Waiting GIF by Nature ValleyGiphy"Sugar sneaks it's way into all sorts of 'healthy' foods. Make sure to check the nutrition facts if you are watching for it. I'm looking at you, granola."
cottonfist
Cleanse Crap
"Those stupid juicing detox programs... your body's liver and kidney's naturally detox your body so long as you drink plenty of water. This whole notion that you are detoxing your body with juice is a*inine."
fihiv13853
"The financial director of the WORST place I've ever worked decided to go onto a juice detox. Each tiny bottle was like £5 (this is back in 2016) and his diet was literally 5 of those bottles a day."
"However during work he would get agitated and lacking energy so he'd 'top up' with haribo throughout the day to make sure he didn't collapse. Very freaking healthy."
luv2belis
75 pounds in a year...
"I had a friend in college who believed sub sandwiches were healthy. Like... not specific ones. The Subway health based commercials made her think that anything served in sub form was healthy. She was eating footlong white bread covered in cheese with double bacon and ham sandwiches with extra cheese, extra mayo, extra oil or ranch and whatever else she wanted on them or chicken bacon ranch subs with double cheese and double bacon. Devouring them 2-3 times a day to lose weight."
"She hadn't told anyone she was trying to lose weight but after she gained 75 pounds in a year, some of her friends started asking why she ate so many unhealthy sandwiches every day. Her mind was blown when we told her that sub sandwiches aren't magically healthy just because of the form factor."
SadLaser
Bad Rep
"Smoothies from smoothie shops They use sorbets, ice creams, and juices with an insane amount of sugar in them. My sister worked at a smoothie shop, and people would always come in after going to the gym. It’s not what most people think it is."
wekig10581
"Depends on the smoothie but yes most of those mainstream chains are like that."
iast68
Options
"'Low-fat' or 'fat-free' options. These products often have added sugars and other unhealthy additives to compensate for the lack of fat. In some cases, these options may actually be worse for you than the full-fat versions."
Appropriate-Land9451
"And not to mention they STILL taste worse than the full fat versions. Lowfat yogurt is the bane of my existence."
fallout_koi
Low does not mean no.
Smell the flowers...
"Vaginal washes on a daily basis so it smells like lavender instead of what vaginas are supposed to smell like. It's unnecessary and changes your pH down there and pre disposes you to infections."
fihiv13853
Take a Brake
"I think a lot of Millennials and Gen Zers are beginning to catch on to how bad it can potentially be, but I think dedicating your life just to work is really unhealthy. I mean fair enough if you have a job you really enjoy, but even so if you dedicate almost every waking moment to your job there's a problem generally. Its not a great attitude, live to work."
sopica8678
Buying into the system...
"Toxic positivity. The people who tell you that you need to love yourself regardless of whatever debilitating disability or mental condition you have that makes doing so near impossible Or the people who, whenever you try to reach out, immediately try to downplay your problems (you don’t hate your body, society just MAKES you buy more products/your not depressed, society sucks)."
"People who try to take what you say about yourself and twist it beyond recognition into some pseudo-'woke‘ actually society is the problem’ bulls**t and passively blame you for not waking up farting rainbows because actually everything you’ve ever disliked about yourself was created by 3 white dudes 200 years ago therefore making any doubt you have just ‘buying into the system.'"
LavaRoseKinnie
Muffins
"Honestly, a lot of whether or not something is healthy or unhealthy (especially in the context of weight loss) depends on the specific person."
"For example, I have to avoid eating nuts as a snack because they're extremely calorie dense while not being at all filling to me and hence I can overeat them really easily without thinking about them without any benefits of affecting my hunger level."
"But for someone who doesn't have my issue with snacking foods, a handful of nuts as a snack would absolutely be a great part of a balanced diet."
"On a more general level though, muffins. Most muffins you can buy are basically cupcakes but people treat muffins like a diet food."
badgersprite
Be Calm
Relaxing Chill Out GIF by Talk StoopGiphy"Not getting angry. Holding in your negative emotions not only increases your cortisol stress levels, it also prevents you from opening up about the things that are holding you back."
"If you learn how to talk things out and express frustration before things boil over, you just might find that your relationships are more honest and fulfilling."
GoddessLeVianFoxx
Being healthy is all a state of mind.
Anything you'd like to add to this list? Let us know in the comments below.
The word diet or the phrase "healthier options," don't have to be curse words.
We've come a long way in food culture.
There are some foods that make a fantastic supplement to the foods that harm us.
No one is trying to control anyone, but there are healthy options that taste just as good if not better than the unhealthy.
Redditor daborabo asked:
"What healthy food tastes just as good as unhealthy food?"
Is wine healthy? It's made from fruits. Hmmm...
By the 5
“'Cuties' mandarin oranges."
avauli
"I'll grab like 5 and just hide in my room and eat them and then come out and grab 5 more. They're good."
SexyPineapple-4
Happy New Year GIF by SitecoreGiphyPop Pop Pop
"Homemade popcorn. Get some kernels from the supermarket, pop them in a pot or something, and chuck some salt on. Heck, lump some butter on too, then it may not quite qualify as 'Healthy,' but it's still a heck of a lot better than packaged microwave popcorn."
quantummidget
"I love popping the corn at home! My favorite is to just pop white popcorn plain, then spritz it with some olive oil (just a little), then top with chopped chives and fresh Parmesan cheese."
ImParticleMan
Delish
"Tzatziki."
Macarogi
"I make some fresh every 2 days! I'm Greek so I eat it with almost everything."
djfine
"Agree! I love it as a dip for fresh vegetables - cherry tomatoes, cucumber slices, bell pepper slices, baby carrots. I bring this to work for lunch occasionally and it’s simple and delicious."
Changolango
"Being Armenian of course we have tangents to the Tzatziki!!!.... with Falafels... Yum!!!"
totallytotal2020
I'll eat all of them...
"Pistachios."
septagon7777777
"Oh God I cannot keep pistachios in my house because I'll eat all of them. I once bought a Costco bag. Never again."
aquanonymous
"Really depends on how you define healthy. Pistachios contain 50% more calories than sugar, so unless you eat very limited amounts of them they're extremely unhealthy."
evr-
"A couple of friends said pistachios taste even better when you freeze them, because they take on a creamier consistency."
je4nine
Yummy
"Dried mango tastes like hairy gummy bears... personally, I like it."
"Dried mango is amazing, but I feel that you described it in the worst possible way, lol."
EverydayObjectMass
Gillian Jacobs Love GIF by NETFLIXGiphyMangos I love. Dry anything, no thank you.
In the Sun
"Fresh picked berries, especially when they're still warm from the sun. I can eat a bowl of them like a bowl of chips."
t12aq
Season 9 Eating GIF by The SimpsonsGiphyDo it Right!
"If you do it right, smoothies."
CringeBOIXD
"I put tons of veggies in my smoothies (spinach, kale, carrots, beets, arugula, parsnips, etc). Seriously half my smoothie is veggies and I mask the flavor with fruits. I usually also add half an avocado, protein powder, turmeric powder and hemp or flax seeds.
"I usually eat it for dinner and call it the 'lazy salad.' Bonus round: adding cinnamon, pure cocoa powder, fresh ginger, or dash of vanilla will seriously up your smoothie game!!"
ShineInThePines
The Peak
"Fresh peaches. When they are just ripe is their peak of flavor."
double_kcik
"I had a fresh peach only once in my life right off a farm, thing exploded into juice the minute I took a bite, I still dream of that damn thing and finally get why people keep saying farm stand/market beats store."
"I had one of these in Italy. Our tour guide told the bus driver to pull over to buy fresh peaches... and as soon as I bit into it, the peach juices were dripping down my chin and arm. Best peach I’ve ever had. I think about it a lot... and this was back in 2011."
peacharnoldpalmer
Fresh
"Homemade fresh guacamole."
AzukyPanda
"I ate guacamole like it was nobody's business... then developed an allergy. Stomach cramps and itching. Apparently its connected to my latex allergy and I have sensitivity to banana, papaya, kiwifruit, celery, and sometimes even prepackaged salads because they wear latex gloves during packaging."
wasabi_gem
Family Size It
"Hummus."
JadedHoneydew
"I mean hummus is healthy if you eat it like a normal person. For some reason, I can’t help but eat the whole family size hummus in one setting."
needadvice1234554321
hummus GIFGiphyI love hummus! #Hummusforever
When the global pandemic hit in March of 2020, everyone hoped that after two weeks or so of social distancing, cases would begin to drop and things would quickly get back to normal.
And though life is slowly getting back to what it once was, cases of COVID-19 continue to ebb and flow.
It almost feels like everyone must have caught COVID-19 at least once by now.
But even three years in and with multiple variants, there are still a very lucky, select few who have yet to test positive for COVID-19.
Redditor jwa8808 was curious to hear how those who have yet to see two red sticks on their rapid tests have managed to avoid catching COVID-19, leading them to ask:
"For people who have never caught covid even once, what's your secret?"
Having no social life comes with its advantages.
"I'm not very social even without a pandemic."- phorq
"Have no friends, lol."
Season 5 Friends Tv Show GIF by FriendsGiphyFear of big crowds... and everything else.
"Social anxiety."- mungiga123
"Agoraphobia."
"Extreme health anxiety."
"It sucks since its unnerving but I took every precaution in the book to not get sick."- _Lost__Light
Horror Reaction GIF by SpongeBob SquarePantsGiphyYou tell me!
"I really have no idea."
"I've been on building sites with people taking zero precautions, worked in London for a while, delivered into hospitals during lockdown, been surrounded by people who then go on to have covid a few days later."
"Not a clue how I haven't had it yet."- sammykoejoe
Best perk of a home office!
"Working at home and having no social life or sex."- I-P-Freely4ever
Pure, dumb luck!
'Neither me or my kids have been hit."
"The secret, I have no idea besides lure luck."- Hugh-Mahn
St Patricks Day Illustration GIFGiphyI can stay perfectly entertained at home!
"Don't go out."- To_enrich_my_life_17
Dilligence...or common sense?
"Wear masks, go out when you need to, get all the covid shots you are entitled to, stay away from ill people."- kitchen_clinton
The Grand Mask GIF by The Grand HealthcareGiphyOne can't help but sympathize with those too afraid to partake in outings and activities they enjoyed prior to the pandemic.
But hopefully the fact that they've avoided catching an illness which has taken the lives of over six million people worldwide is the comfort they need to feel good about their decisions.
Happily Married Couples Divulge Their Secret To Maintaining A Healthy Relationship
A couple wanting to take the next huge step in their relationship by walking down the aisle is a huge confirmation of their affection for each other.
Yet, a fiancé getting cold feet the day before the day of the nuptials or a runaway bride leaving the groom alone at the altar are a thing.
What is it about tying the knot that makes a couple have reservations? Could it be the high divorce rate in the country?
Maybe so, but what's the point in pursuing love if nobody is in it for the long haul?
Strangers online assured a long-lasting marriage was possible when Redditor Aelynd asked:
"Those of you who are happily married, what is your biggest piece of advice for maintaining a relationship?"
Communication is first and foremost the glue that holds a relationship intact.
Speak Up
"You can’t expect your partner to be a mind reader. Ever. Just say the words out loud."
– NervousHour4129
Being Honest
"This is so important and what my husband and I are currently working on. Communicating expectations, being honest about what you care about, and understanding the other person’s capabilities really alleviates some of the friction between us."
– _somelikeithot
Just Talk
"F'KING THIS! My husband and I've been married for 14 years. Our marriage almost dissolved twice. The first time, we went to therapy and he learned to talk to me (it was like talking* to a brick wall before then). The second time was because neither of us made time to talk to each other."
"Now, we put our kid to bed, go outside and smoke a bowl, and just f'king talk. No judgements, no yelling, just honest open discussion. And our marriage has never been stronger. It's been almost 3 years since we started doing this."
"Just talk to your spouse, people."
– irrelevant_echo
Expectations
"Unmet expectations are a killer. We have tons of expectations for our SO's - sometimes we need to check them at the door."
– MzFrazzle
It's not always wine and roses, though it can be. Still, relationships take work.
The Basic Foundation
"Communication, trust and respect."
– Goblinstomper
Support And Encouragement
"Help your partner achieve his/her goals with love and kindness."
– Just_a_Pym_Particle
Making Conscious Choices For Love
"15 years coming up in May. Marriage is not built on romantic feelings but on loyalty, trust, communication and perseverance. Every day I make the choice to spend the rest of my life with this man."
– BananaVixen
It's Not Always Perfect
"A lot of people forget this. Romantic feelings can be hard to come by during the tough times. It is a deliberate choice to persevere. And there are always tough times, a marriage isn't broken because they happen. A relationship between two people can be a roller coaster."
"Of course don't persevere through abuse. Perseverance is never worth it without genuine care and trust."
– Mental_Vacation
Stop Fixating On Little Things
"Don't sweat the small stuff."
"They're not going to fold your underwear the way you do it but does it really matter? If you criticize every little thing they do, they're not going to want to be around you for long."
– Rewdboy05
Comfort In Silence
"21 years together, 14 married this year. You and your SO should be comfortable and happy, and yes that's obvious but so many people "get bored " and either leave or start running around. If you cannot sit in silence with your spouse, as well as go and be spontaneous together, then you need to figure out why. I know so many married people who are absolutely horrid to each other. I asked one friend " would you be friends with spouse if you weren't married?" She said no. That's so sad and guaranteed to eventually end in disaster unless something is done. Be each other's best friends. Lust eventually may disappear, but the friendship and comfort you give each other will keep you going."
– NeverEnoughSleep08
Guilty During Covid
"I love this. My wife and I are best friends, we felt guilty during covid because we loved that we could just stay home, watch movies, play video games, whatever. A perfect day can be both of us in the same room, not even talking just playing our own games."
– HorseRadish98
It's easy to give in to negativity. These are simple fixes for that.
Stop The Trash Talk
"You are on the same team. Also, complaining about your spouse as a form of small talk is trashy, and you might start believing yourself after a while."
– thetrumpetingfairy
Listen More
"Know when to shut up. A lot of people say that communication is important and a couple should be able to talk to each other, but not many people mention that it's equally important to know when NOT to talk. Some things are just not helpful, they can only hurt your partner, and being honest with each other doesn't mean saying whatever comes to mind without thinking."
– june_a
Some Strong Points
"I’ll mention some things that haven’t been touched on:"
"Grace. The other person is human. They’re going to MESS up. You have to accept that (within reason) and understand that you also mess up. Forgiveness goes hand in hand with that."
"Learn to let stuff go. There will be epic issues for some marriages. But once you’ve put something to bed..it’s done. You don’t get to bring it up or hold it over their head or use it as a weapon."
"It’s not about you. Marriage is not for the selfish. Everyday you have to wake up and be willing to serve. I don’t mean be subservient, it shouldn’t be a power struggle. It’s about doing what’s best for your marriage and your spouse."
"You choose to love someone. You have a wedding once. You marry someone every day. You recommit yourself to them every day."
"Learn to embrace quirks. For example, my husband, every day, will come in and take off his shoes and socks and leave them wherever they get taken off. It drives me batty but my God if one day he didn’t walk through the door and yeet them off his feet…I’d be devastated. Because that means he’s gone."
"Set boundaries for self respect. Don’t put up with certain things but pick your battles. He can throw his socks wherever but I’m not his maid, either."
– TheRavenGirl13
Take A Time Out
"When getting into disagreements don’t try to solve it right away. Take 5-10 minuets to think it over separately, then talk it out."
"Taking the time to collect your thoughts will help prevent yelling, and big arguments."
– Limited_two
The tips for successful relationships mentioned here are not really rocket science.
They are very simple concepts that might be more difficult to execute.
But if you think about the person you ultimately fell in love with and chose to commit yourself to–in spite of their minor flaws and idiosyncrasies–isn't that person worth fighting for?
If they are, talk it out and hug it out.
Shame is a powerful force. When there are certain cultural or societal norms, we tend not to deviate from them to avoid feeling a sense of shame.
Now, shame when we say something mean or do something harmful is absolutely normal. It becomes a problem though when shame dictates our lives in a way that keeps us from living joyful and productive lives.
Things like eating or sleeping habits, how you dress, or what you enjoy doing can be scrutinized by society so much so we feel a sense of shame that holds us back from happiness or well-being.
We wanted to know what are completely normal and healthy behaviors that society tries to tell us are shameful.
Redditor dodongicepick asked:
"What is a healthy behavior that people shame others for?"
Redditors shared some very real scenarios that many of us have experienced before.
You don't have to be good at it to enjoy it.
"Doing something you enjoy but being bad at it."
- donwileydon
"I love dancing, not good at it but freaking love it."
- ominously-optimistic
"Keep at it then - and damn anyone that tries to shame you out of it."
- donwileydon
"Oooh I love this one. Capitalism has turned far too many activities and forms of self expression into competitions and products worthy of judgement by all."
"I adore hearing people sing tunelessly while they cook, or drawing a shaky sketch on a loving card, or doing silly dances to songs that make them happy. It’s joyful and human and real."
- chiro-petra
"I think it's globalism and the internet more than capitalism. It used to be that if you were pretty good at singing/playing an instrument your skills were very valuable to your community since the only way they'd be hearing music is from someone local."
"Now days, being good at something isn't worth much unless you're world-class, since you're compared to everyone else in the entire world and anyone can share their work online with the whole world. It has really upped the expectations of what is considered good."
- n64ssb
Everyone needs rest.
"Taking a healthy amount of time to take care of yourself, rest, or recoup."
- paintbrushvolcanoe
"Rest shouldn't be a reward, it should be treated as a necessary aspect of life."
- -Asher-
"Exactly! Even if the goal is to get work done, you cant be productive if you don't give yourself the proper time to rest before and after, but the society we live has subscribed to this perpetual cycle of working yourself to the bone and then not even getting eight hours of sleep until you have to do it all again."
- paintbrushvolcanoe
And go to bed when you want to.
"Going to bed early."
- Smooth_Arachnid8146
"This. Pre-COVID I had to be up at 5am for my job, yeah no I'm not staying up every night until passed midnight."
- Undarien
"I force myself to try and make it till 11:00. Although my mind and body tells a different story around 9:30."
- karmagod13000
"I’ve been called an old lady many times because I just get tired earlier and even when we used to go clubbing before C19 I’d always be either in a corner of the club or back in the car if it was safe because I just can’t sustain a high level of energy for prolonged times. I just always make sure my phone is charged and can be contacted."
- docasj
And conversely, waking up late."
"I've had people shame me for waking up at 11am or laughing at me. But I'm a night owl who sometimes works and conducts research until 5am."
- JackThreeFingered
Verbal processing.
"Talking to yourself."
"It's a good way to problem solve or even just vent about something."
- Vanilla_Neko
"Sometimes I tell myself the same joke five times and I laugh every time. It is nice to have your sense of humor appreciated."
- Koloristik
"I explain things to myself so I understand it better. It helps a lot when it comes to studying but then people look at me like I'm crazy."
- Mangobunny98
Cutting off parents.
"Estranging from toxic parents."
- doublestitch
"I think the problem is that people with good, supportive parents don't understand. They can't fathom it being that bad. At least that was the case for my husband and me."
- Quill_Strokes
"Exactly. Even within the family, some can't see the toxic/abusive individuals as they truly are. I've started explaining it to these types of people as... Imagine it being EASIER and less painful to not have them in your life at all. Imagine how awful they must be that it's easier to lose them than keep them. Most can't actually imagine it, but it helps them get the message a bit better. I hope you and your husband have reached a good understanding."
- handsinmyplants
Doing things alone.
"Doing things that are normally thought of as social activities by yourself. Like eating at a restaurant, or going to a concert, play, or movie. Stop shaming yourselves for enjoying life, friends."
- ipakookapi
"I went through a period in my 20's where I was single, for years. I had lost my father after a years-long battle with cancer and just really wasn't in the head-space to deal with a relationship. But, I still wanted to do fun stuff. I'd go out with friends when I was feeling up to it, but sometimes it was just nice to do things alone - go out for dinner, a movie, travel. I could do what I wanted, when I wanted and answer to no one. It was really nice, and exactly what I needed at that point in my life. I took solo trips to California, France and Spain during that time and enjoyed every single minute of it."
"To this day (and I'm pushing 50 now and have been married for 16 years), my mother and sister still talk about my 'weird phase where I did everything alone.' SMH. Not everything has to be a group effort and solitude is very underrated."
- SuchLovelyLilacs
You can still party without drinking.
"Not drinking every time you go out with friends."
- SoNotJohnny
"I came here to say this. I work in the bar industry so everyone drinks a lot. I used to drink a lot, too but now I just have a beer here and there because I actually hate being drunk and I really hate hangovers. My friends and coworkers just stopped inviting me out. People treat you so different, I don't even not drink, I just drink responsibly and my coworkers think that I don't like going out no matter how much I tell them that I do."
- SailorSpoon11
It's okay to be wrong.
"Being wrong. It's healthy to express opinions and ideas. When we shame people for being wrong, we tend to stop new conversations from happening. In this way, we lose opportunities to understand where others are coming from and squander opportunities to change minds. Further, we push all the wrong-headed people into groups where they can go nuts following their wrongness to its logical conclusion. Just stop humiliating people for holding opinions and having bad ideas. And remember everybody does."
- addisonaddisonii
"I’d add 'admitting you’re wrong (or that you f*cked up)' to this. Too often accepting blame is seen as either a weakness or a reason to lay into someone, when it’s actually a sign of integrity."
- EndApostrophe4Plural
If you relate to the things on this list, it's safe to say you're not alone.
Thousands of people have liked and commented similar stories and experiences of shame.
You do you.
Your happiness is worth more than someone else's judgement.
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