10 Health Crazes That Will Actually Damage Your Health

What Is It?

The idea of stuffing some of our five-a-day in convenient liquid form seems like a win-win and slurping a big old glass of violently green liquid couldn't be more chic at the moment...but it could also be pretty bad for you.

So, What's So Bad About It?

Whilst the leafy greens that lend their colour to green smoothies are chock full of nutrients and antioxidants, consuming large quantities of them can cause a build up of toxins in the body known as alkaloid build up.

Alkaloids are naturally occurring, nitrogen-based compounds found in plants. If you consume large amounts of the same greens every day (as many green smoothie drinkers do), then over time these can build up in the system faster than your body can get rid of them. This can lead to symptoms such as nausea, tingling in finger tips and fatigue and can eventually lead to thyroid damage.

All is not lost for smoothie lovers, however, as this can easily be avoided by changing up your green ingredients. Rotating between famlies of greens at least once a week and help reduced the risk of a toxic build up, as well as introducing a wider variety of nutrients in to your diet.

So rather than just dumping a load of spinach in your blender, day in, day out, mix things up a bit. Your body will thank you.