7 Health Suggestions That Are Hurting You Rather Than Helping You
There is an overwhelming amount of health advice circulating in the world today. Some health advice is helpful, while other advice is not. It is important to be discerning when we are navigating health suggestions, as many pieces of advice can do more harm than good. Think over the health suggestions you have encountered over the past few months.
Maybe someone said to keep your calories below a certain number or to ensure you never eat anything you did not cook from scratch. While most people are trying to be helpful, sometimes their words can do damage to our mental health. Unhelpful health suggestions can lead to an increased risk of eating disorders, depression, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and heart disease. This is why we must be careful about which health suggestions we implement into our lives.
Here are 7 health suggestions that are hurting you rather than helping you. 
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1. Never Eat More than 1200 Calories in a Day
Most of us have been faced with the dreaded daily 1200 allotted calories on various health apps. In days past, this was the number of calories women were advertised to consume each day in magazines. The argument was that if women only consumed 1200 calories a day, they would stay lean and healthy. While this health suggestion is still highly circulated in the modern day, it is not helpful.
In all honesty, 1200 calories are enough for a toddler. This is not enough calories for a full-grown adult. Whether you are active or not, you still need more than 1200 calories a day. Without the proper number of calories, your cognitive and physical function will deteriorate. For women, you will lose your menstrual cycle if you do not eat enough calories each day.
If a person only eats 1200 calories or less for any period of time, they will suffer from health consequences. Not to mention, severely limiting your calorie consumption can lead to the development of an eating disorder. Avoid going down either of these roads by rejecting any health suggestions that are harmful. Eating only 1200 calories a day is one of those suggestions to remove from your life. 
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2. You Don't Need 8 Hours of Sleep
Due to living in a non-stop society, we often have a challenging time getting enough sleep. This is also compounded by the fact that many people try to tell us we do not need 8 hours of sleep each night. Numerous health influencers on social media try to convince us that we only need 5-6 hours of sleep a night. Only sleeping 5-6 hours a night is not healthy. The Mayo Clinic says anything below 7 hours can lead to an impaired quality of life.
Every person needs at least 8 hours of sleep a night. If you are in the habit of only sleeping a few hours a night, try to switch up your schedule. Aim for at least 7-8 hours a night. It is also vital to remove any false beliefs you have surrounding sleep. Remind yourself that sleeping is not “lazy,” nor is it unproductive.
Sleeping helps our body repair itself and recharge for the day to come. Sleep deprivation has been linked to high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Staying healthy means getting enough sleep and protecting ourselves from heart disease later in life. Create a peaceful bedtime routine and start reaping the benefits of true health advice. 
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3. Vampire Bat Facials
I first heard about vampire bat facials on a health podcast. On this podcast, the hosts were advocating for every woman to get at least one vampire bat facial in her life. A vampire bat facial is also known as a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) facial. It is done solely for cosmetic purposes, where microneedling is combined with your own blood. The purpose of vampire bat facials is to rejuvenate your skin and make it appear healthier.
Vampire bat facials are linked with an increased chance of infection. Although most health practitioners will ensure they are being sanitary, this is a known health risk. Not to mention, adhering to vampire bat facials can also pull you down a rabbit hole of ridiculous health fads. Rather than traveling down this road, choose to keep a level head and stay away from any fads.
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4. Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting has gained widespread acceptance over the past few years. The main idea behind intermittent fasting is that you fast for a set amount of time with the purpose of burning more calories. Fasting for a prolonged period of time (12-16 hours) will cause your body to start burning fat. Many well-meaning doctors promote intermittent fasting, but it is not healthy.
Intermittent fasting does more harm than good on your physical health as well as your mental health. Avoiding food for such a long time will result in heart issues, hypoglycemia, anxiety, and dehydration. If a person wants to pursue weight loss, they need to do so in a healthy way. Pursuing weight loss in a healthy way means eating more fresh vegetables and fruits, getting in daily exercise, getting enough sleep, and practicing stress management.
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5. Restricting Water Intake to Achieve a Flat Stomach
Sadly, many health influencers endorse the practice of restricting fluid intake to achieve a flat stomach. They promote the idea that you only need 3-4 cups of water a day. By keeping to this regimen, you will have a flat stomach and avoid bloating throughout your day.
Many actors have been outspoken about the struggle to have a flat stomach on the movie screen. For 24-48 hours prior to filming a scene, they had to fast from food and water. This achieves the desired flat stomach for the scene, but it causes the actor to become dehydrated and weak. This is dangerous as the human body should not go an extended period of time without proper fluids and nourishment.
Rather than adhering to this so-called health suggestion, we need to do what is actually healthy–and this means drinking water. Humans need at least 8-10 cups of water a day. Drinking below this amount will leave us dehydrated and weak. If this is a struggle for you, try adding flavored powders or eating more watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew. Water can also be absorbed through food intake, especially fresh fruits and vegetables. 
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6. Overexercising or Becoming Obsessive with Exercise
A health suggestion that is incredibly harmful is when health influencers tell us that we need to exercise at a high intensity every single day. This teaching is disordered. Sadly, the vast majority of health influencers are promoting anything but healthy living.
Rather than overexercising or becoming obsessed with exercise, try to get involved with a few different forms of exercise. Consider a dance class, playing soccer, or going for a walk with friends. Cycling or playing disc golf are also great choices to get your exercise in. It is also important to note that you do not have to exercise every day. The Mayo Clinic tells us we only need 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week. 
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7. Placing a High Emphasis on Your Weight & Image
Health influencers and even loved ones often place a high emphasis on our weight and image. While these individuals might mean well, their suggestions of losing weight or changing our appearance are more harmful than helpful. When someone tells us we need to lose weight to become “pretty,” we need to run what they are saying through the Bible. The Bible is the ultimate Word of God, which means everything it says is true (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
Whenever we are struggling with placing a high emphasis on our weight and image, we need to reflect upon the Bible. Here are some Bible passages to get you started:
“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7, English Standard Version).
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9, New International Version).
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10, New Living Translation).
“You are altogether beautiful, my darling, beautiful in every way” (Song of Solomon, New Living Translation).
As we see, we are loved, cherished, and known by God. He does not look at our weight or our appearance. Instead, He looks at our hearts. Reject any health suggestions that are not in accordance with the Bible. Rely on what God says about you rather than the number on the scale or the reflection in the mirror.
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Originally published May 13, 2026.
