Did You Know These Health Habits Could Kill You? :)

Drinking Water

Yep, it’s true. Water is great for your body, and you need to drink water throughout the day to rehydrate, but if you drink too much water for the kidneys to process – for adults, roughly 15 liters over the course of a day – you could risk water overdose.

Excess water that the kidneys can’t process flows into salt-rich areas in the body, specifically the cells. Because there is a finite amount of space inside the brain, water-logged brain cells will cause the brain to swell with no room for relief.

According to Scientific American, this condition can result in seizures, coma, respiratory arrest, brain stem herniation, and death.

Eating Vegetables

If you’re a big fan of spuds, you’d better double check the skin before you settle on baked potatoes for dinner.

Solanine is a naturally occurring toxin that forms when potatoes are exposed to too much light. If the color of the potato just under the skin is green, it’s a good indicator that Solanine has built up in the potato. If ingested, symptoms include headache, nausea, fatigue, and intestinal issues.

Don’t chuck tonight’s dinner plans if you find your potatoes look a little green, though. Just make sure you cut away the green portions of the skin before you cook and eat them.

Eating Fruits

Apples, pears, peaches, mangoes, and apricots all have one thing in common: they contain a chemical called amygdalin, which in large amounts can turn into hydrogen cyanide.

Amygdalin is found in the seeds, pits, and kernels of these fruits, and in (very) large quantities can be fatal. So you shouldn’t use it as an excuse to skip healthy fruits altogether, but it’s a good case for consuming foods in moderation.

Eating Popcorn

If you’re eating popcorn on a frequent basis, you may be ingesting a harmful level of a FDA-approved chemical called diacetyl. That is the chemical used in the fake butter flavoring, but it has also been linked to respiratory illness.

If that popcorn is of the microwaved variety, you also may be ingesting possible carcinogens that transferred from the interior lining of the bag into the popcorn.

Eating Fish

Eating seafood is a necessary part of just about any diet, because fish and shellfish are tremendous sources of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Unfortunately, all fish and shellfish contain traces of mercury in varying amounts, and intaking too much mercury could lead to harmful mercury poisoning. In particular, the FDA and EPA have advised women who are pregnant, are considering pregnancy, or who are nursing to avoid consuming seafood, because the traces of mercury could put young children and fetuses at severe risk of mercury poisoning.

Sources: Cooking Light, Modern Man, Doctor Oz online, How Stuff Works, EPA, Listverse, ChaCha.