15 healthy foods that are harmful to overeat

While brown rice can be a source of whole grains, it may have higher levels of inorganic arsenic, depending on where it’s grown. “Arsenic is present in water and soil and as a result of polluted runoff that can drain into groundwater,” explains Maya Feller. “This, in turn, increases the arsenic content of water in some areas where brown rice is grown. Issues arise with frequent and consistent exposure; thus, eating brown rice and products with brown rice derivatives every day can result in higher exposure to arsenic.” She advises rinsing your brown rice and varying the type of grains you eat.

You might think drinking juice is just like eating fresh whole fruits, but juices are mostly sugar and they don’t have any of the belly-filling fibre you get when you eat real fruit. “Consumers are often confused about this and feel that having juice on a regular basis is a healthy choice,” says Feller. “The solution, skip the juice and have the whole fruit.”

Instead of reaching for a high-sugar, high-calorie fruit juice, try these slimming drink options instead.

We all need plenty of water, and most people don’t drink enough. In fact, we often confuse our thirst for hunger, warns Feller. “However, the other side of the coin is over-hydration,” says Feller. “Drinking too much water over a short period of time can disturb electrolyte imbalance and in turn result in dangerously low sodium levels.” That said, this usually only occurs if someone drinks gallons of water over a short period of time.

Spices are a healthy, low-calorie alternative to heavy sauces and condiments. But a little goes a long way when it comes to adding flavour. “I’m a huge fan of spices – I just wrote a book on their health benefits,” says Dr Melina B. Jampolis, author of Spice Up, Slim Down. “They’re loaded with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, but in the case of nutmeg, consuming excessive amounts may have a hallucinatory effect and can lead to nutmeg poisoning due to one of the active chemicals in the seeds called myristicin.” If you overdo it, you could experience intense nausea, dizziness and extreme dry mouth. But you’d need to eat at least a tablespoon before you were at risk of any of those effects, so putting a dash in your eggnog or adding a teaspoon to a recipe is totally safe, says Dr Jampolis.

Before you cut out Popeye’s fuel, remember that most people don’t get nearly enough leafy greens, including spinach, in their diet. “This is unfortunate because leafy greens are a terrific low-calorie source of vitamins and minerals including magnesium, lutein, folic acid and vitamin K,” says Dr Jampolis. “But for people with the most common type of kidney stones, calcium oxalate, too much spinach could be problematic, as it contains high levels of oxalate, which could lead to kidney stones in those at risk.”

Now discover 7 innocent mistakes that put your kidneys in trouble.

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Source: RD.com