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photos: getty

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Habits

You use mouthwash...

but it contains alcohol

Alcohol can dry the mouth and reduce its

ability to produce healthy saliva – your body’s own

defence against germs in the mouth. Dentist Dr

Harold Katz (thebreathco.com) says, ‘Bad breath

is caused by the anaerobic, sulphur-producing

bacteria found beneath the surface of the tongue

• and this bacteria thrives in a dry environment.’
  ✿ Choose an alcohol-free mouthwash such as
  The Breath Co. Oral Rinse (£14, Boots). And avoid
  mint sweets which contain sugar because sugar
  feeds bacteria and can cause bad breath.

3

You walk to

stay healthy...

but don’t do it fast enough

If walking is your main form of exercise,

you need to pick up the pace to get

heart-health benefits. If you can sing a

song without difficulty while walking,

you’re not working hard enough – it

means there’s spare air in your lungs

which you could use to walk faster.

✿Aim to walk a mile in 12 to 15

minutes. If you can’t maintain this speed

at first, try ‘interval training’. This is

where you walk at your normal pace

for two minutes, then speed-walk for

30 seconds. Keep repeating the pattern.

You take a multivitamin...

but swallow it with your morning cuppa

According to research, 46% of us take a daily

supplement, often as part of our breakfast routine. But if

you’re taking pills that contain iron, be careful what you

swallow them with, says Dietitian Noor Al Refae (noor-

nutrition.com). ‘Avoid taking them with tea and

coffee - tannins in these fluids inhibit the

absorption of iron.’

✿Most supplements are best taken after food,

and washed down with water or a

small glass of orange juice.

but you brush your teeth straight after

Apples are a great source of fibre and are full of disease-

fighting antioxidants. But fruits also contain sugar, so scrubbing

your teeth after eating them might seem a good idea.

However, the acid in the fruit weakens the enamel and

brushing weakened enamel can cause damage and erosion.

✿Wait at least 30 minutes before brushing to give your

saliva enough time to neutralise the acidity and harden the

enamel. Try swishing with water immediately after eating,

or eat apples with cheese or milk to help neutralise the acid.

You eat an apple a day...

you’re getting wrong...

& how to fix them

1

You buy

low-fat food...

but don’t check the label

It’s good to limit your intake of unhealthy

fats. But in order to remove fat without

losing taste, many companies add extra

salt, sugar and additives to ‘low-fat’ foods,

which can make them less healthy and

more calorific than the ‘regular’ version.

✿Always read ingredient lists and labels

to check that low-fat versions of foods

actually do contain fewer calories than

their ‘regular’ counterparts.

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