An article in Prevention magazine suggests some small “vices” may actually offer some health perks – as long as you don’t go overboard with them! See if you can figure out which “bad” habits may actually be healthy for you…..
*Boosts brainpower and curbs cravings?
1. Smoking a cigarette
2. Eating a steak
3. Chewing gum
4. Texting a friend
Answer: 3. Chewing a stick of gum can boost thinking and alertness partly by increasing blood flow to the brain, according to a new study. Judy Caplan, RD, an Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson says previous research has found that chewing sugarless gum prior to eating may slow down cravings for sweets as well.
*Boosts your mood?
1. Having a couple of martinis
2. Eating a hot fudge sundae
3. Watching a How I Met Your Mother Marathon
4. Playing Farmville on Facebook
Answer: 4. Taking a break from a task to browse your friends’ status updates can make you feel better than viewing a slide show of relaxing pictures, according to a recent study.
*Helps you stick to a diet?
1. Having dessert with breakfast
2. Drinking whole milk through a colored straw
3. Eating buttered popcorn before dinner
4. Ordering a junior whopper at Burger King
Answer: 1. Having a small treat, like a cookie, along with a high-protein, high-carbohydrate breakfast (eggs and wheat toast) helped participants stick to their diets more effectively and lose more weight than a low-carb, low-calorie breakfast did, an Israeli study found. Why? Carbs and protein help keep you full, and a small sweet may suppress later cravings for something sugary.
Prevention Magazine July 2013