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This mini article is part of The Unprescribed, a series of reflections on the prescriptions doctors wish they could write, but never do. Shared on Sundays.

By Dr. Maria K. Jimmy

Not everything labelled ‘healthy’ is automatically healthy. Some habits sound good on social media but can become unhelpful, or even harmful, when taken too far.

Here are four worth reconsidering.

1. Drinking “detox” juices

Your body already has organs such as the liver and kidneys that handle waste and metabolism. There is no compelling evidence that commercial “detox” diets or juice cleanses remove toxins from your body.

Severely restrictive cleanses can also leave you short of essential nutrients, while some detox programmes may cause dehydration or electrolyte disturbances.

2. Assuming packaged “healthy” foods are healthy

‘Healthy,’ ‘natural’ or ‘high-protein’ on the front of a packet doesn’t tell you the whole story.

Some packaged foods can still contain substantial amounts of free sugars, sodium or unhealthy fats. WHO recommends prioritising a varied diet based largely on minimally processed and unprocessed foods.

3. Replacing every meal with a smoothie

A smoothie can absolutely be nutritious—but drinking your fruit isn’t automatically better than eating it.

Depending on what goes into it, a smoothie can become a concentrated source of calories and free sugars, particularly when made with fruit juice, syrups or sweetened ingredients.

Whole fruit provides fibre in its natural form.

4. Sleeping in on weekends to “catch up”

After a week of poor sleep, sleeping much longer on weekends can feel like the obvious solution. Catch-up sleep may help reduce some effects of sleep loss, but it doesn’t fully replace consistently getting enough sleep.

A more sustainable approach is to aim for adequate sleep every night and keep your sleep and wake times reasonably consistent. Adults should get at least 7 hours of sleep per night.

Remember

Sometimes, the least exciting advice—eat a varied diet, sleep well, stay active and avoid unnecessary supplements or restrictive ‘cleanses’—is the advice with the strongest evidence behind it.

Sources

• World Health Organization (WHO)
• National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The Unprescribed / Advice that never makes it onto the prescription note.