The wellness industry is designed to address an important topic – our health -, yet is highly convoluted by a sea of claims, trends and fads that can make deciding what's best for your health unnecessarily confusing. Few health experts stand by these “wellness trends,” as they often leave people disappointed in their results — or in worse health than they were before. So, while the idea that something as easy as celery juice could deliver the results that you’re seeking, it’s important to take a pause and do your research before hopping on the bandwagon.

Here we will clear up some of the mess up by addressing five popular wellness myths you should be aware of.
 

MYTH #1: EXERCISE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN DIET

We've all heard about the importance of exercise on our health. And it does play an important role in our overall wellbeing, helping to reduce inflammation, promote natural detoxification through the lymphatic system, and support the health of key organs like your heart, lungs, and brain. 

But did you know that diet actually plays a much bigger role in overall health? 

While exercise is an essential habit to maintain in supporting wellbeing, it's actually only responsible for about 20 to 30 percent of an individual's weight. The remaining 70 to 80 percent is determined by diet and other factors. This means that when it comes to weight loss or management, what you eat is actually far more important than how much you exercise. 

The relationship between the two is certainly dynamic, however tends to follow a certain role structure. Exercise plays an important part in the weight loss process, and is integral in both bolstering health and sustaining results. However, because diet is thought to be the most straightforward way to control energy intake, it's considered to be more impactful in achieving direct weight loss. So, while exercise may be important for sustaining results, diet is more important for actually achieving them.

Of course, this doesn't mean that you should give up on exercise altogether. Exercise has plenty of benefits beyond weight, including reducing stress, improving mental health and providing essential nutrients to the body. But if you're looking to make a change to your weight, it's important to focus on your diet first and foremost.
 

MYTH #2: YOU NEED A CLEANSE TO DETOXIFY YOUR BODY

Detoxification, also known as detox, is a common buzzword among healthy living proponents. It refers to the body's cleansing process, in which it rids itself of harmful toxins, chemicals, products and drugs.

However, a misconception many people have is that in order to do so, you need an extensive collection and regime of cleansing kits and tools. A number of 'detox' therapies, diets and regimens are available for you to purchase. You may already be familiar with them - promising treatments that are said to help cleanse your body of toxins, improve your health, and support weight loss.

But do you really need to go to such great lengths (and spend so much money) in order to rid your body of toxins?

The truth is, our bodies are very good at detoxing naturally. In fact, we have organs dedicated to doing just that - the liver and kidneys. These organs work together to cleanse and filter our blood, removing toxins and waste products from the body. The lymphatic system – an interconnected network of delicate tubes, vessels, and organs - plays a vital role in detox as it transports and removes cellular waste products from the lymph, while also filtering the interstitial fluid that contains proteins, toxins, cellular debris, bacteria, and waste products.

Therefore, a quick-fix “detox” usually does more harm than good to your overall health. The true benefits of detoxification lie in supporting your body's overall health with the fundamentals – nutrition, movement and sleep.

 

MYTH #3: PUTTING YOUR BODY IN KETOSIS IS GOOD FOR LONG-TERM HEALTH

Keto - it's all the rage, but is it for good reason? The ketogenic diet is high in fat and low in carbs, aimed at achieving what's called ketosis, a metabolic state in which your body uses fat for fuel rather than glucose.

The practice does have some proven benefits, with various studies demonstrating evidence that it can be helpful in things like weight management, cognitive function, and cholesterol reduction.

But while ketosis can be a short-term strategy for health, it's not necessarily good for long-term sustainability. In a prominent Yale study, researchers found that while the ketogenic diet was initially effective in its core goals, it ceased delivering productive benefits after one week. 

Focusing solely on limiting carbs can also lead to vitamin deficiencies in the long-run. The keto diet is often lacking in water-soluble vitamins – inclusive of all B-vitamins as well as vitamin C, which are essential for energy metabolism, supporting the immune system and nerve function. Many plant-based foods limited on the keto diet are good sources of prebiotic fibers that feed probiotics, the beneficial bacteria in our gut. These are essential to the health of our microbiome, which has been shown to be heavily involved in both immune system function as well as inflammation.

So, while ketosis might offer some benefits in the short-term, it's not recognized as a good long-term solution for most people’s health and wellness.

 

MYTH #4: YOU CAN GET ALL OF THE NUTRIENTS YOU NEED FROM FOOD ALONE

In a perfect world, we would all have equal access to the foods and resources we need to live healthy, nutrient-rich lives. Unfortunately, this isn't the case in reality, where it's estimated that nearly two billion people worldwide are nutrient deficient. Everything from soil quality, to fertilizers, to the availability of processed foods on grocery shelves, mean our food is lacking the essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients our bodies need to function properly.

This is where supplements come in.

Contrary to popular belief, supplements are not just a waste of money. They can actually be very helpful in getting the vitamins and minerals your body is missing, either from not consuming enough of a given nutrient or when external factors are using it up at a rate that exceeds intake. 

Of course, it's always best to get your nutrients from whole foods whenever possible, but when you're not able to do that, supplements can help fill in nutritional gaps. And by getting the nutrients you need, you create the optimal conditions for your cells to fuel, detoxify and repair itself the way nature intended it to.  

 

MYTH #5: LIVING HEALTHILY INVOLVES FOLLOWING COMPLICATED RULES

The world of health and wellness can seem like a confusing place, with all sorts of different rules and guidelines to follow. But the truth is, living healthily doesn't have to be complicated. In fact, many of the most effective strategies for living a healthy life are actually quite simple.

Whenever in doubt, it’s best to go back to the foundation. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, move your body regularly, prioritize sleep, drink lots of water, and avoid sugar and processed foods.

The bottom line is that there's a lot of misinformation out there, and it's important to be discerning about what you choose to incorporate into your life.