6 conveniences that stole our health

Making life easier and freeing up time to do other things is of course appealing, and something we've become accustomed to with the advancements of technology. But has this convenience come at the cost of our health? There are a few conveniences that are genuinely helpful and don’t impact our health, and then there are many we don't really need that greatly impact our health. Just because a new way of doing something or a time-saving bit of technology has come along, doesn't necessarily mean we should adopt it straight away.

You may already have some ideas, such as non-stick pans and fast food, but what else has been sold to us under the banner of convenience while quietly stealing our health? That's exactly what we'll look at in this article, along with what to use instead. Let's get started.

1. Non-stick cookware

As mentioned above, non-stick coatings on pans and other cookware items such as air fryers, are one of the clearest examples of how convenience has come at the cost of our health. From PTFE to PFAS, often referred to as forever chemicals, non-stick coatings are among the most dangerous endocrine disruptors. These pans were sold to us with convenience at the forefront of the marketing, but did we really need them?

There is little arguing over the dangers of non-stick coatings, whether that's Teflon, which is a plastic-based coating, or newer supposedly "PFAS-free" coatings, the harm is still there, and newer coatings haven't been around long enough for us to know their full effects.

Instead, we should return to cookware that has always been around: basic metals that do not leach into our food. The irony is that very little convenience is lost, it's all about using the equipment correctly, such as waiting for stainless steel pans to warm up and performing the water bead test to see their natural non-stick action, or in the case of carbon steel, allowing it to develop a natural non-stick patina over time.

Cookware can be a real minefield for chemicals, from plastics to coatings. Instead stick to natural materials such as stainless steel, carbon steel, cast iron, and wooden or stainless steel utensils. The change in convenience is minor but the change in health is huge.

2. Wearable technology

It's no surprise that wearable technology has exploded in recent years, with everyone wanting to track their data and get insights into their health. But with this dependency on technology, we forgot how to listen to our own bodies, we started paying attention to algorithms telling us we're stressed or aren't sleeping well, instead of feeling it for ourselves.

The convenience of on-demand insights robbed us of our intuition. Not to mention the harm that wearing technology 24/7 does to our bodies, we do not want nnEMF (non natural electromagnetic frequency) emitting devices against our skin all day and night, interrupting our bodies natural frequencies and causing hotspots on our skin where we wear the devices.

Whether it's an Apple Watch or an Oura Ring, the EMF output clearly varies, but I would encourage the reader to rely less on tech to tell you how you feel and begin listening to your body again. After all, when did you last go for a walk just to walk, not to hit your step count or promote fat loss?

3. Detergents and soap

Cleaning has never been easy, so naturally, when people are offered something to make the task simpler, many can't wait to buy the latest product that promises to save time and effort.

But cleaning has gone too far. We now fragrance everything, destroy all bacteria, even the good kind and disrupt our hormones in the process. Unless you're dealing with biohazards or chemicals, you can safely revert to natural soap made only with ingredients you could eat (save for the lye, which is neutralised during the soap-making process).

It's more convenient to add a squirt of detergent from a bottle, but nearly all of these will disrupt hormones through their ingredient lists. Instead, it's best to keep things truly natural. Aleppo soap for washing dishes, hands, and body, a simple mix of bicarbonate of soda and soda crystals for laundry; and a white vinegar and water mix to wipe down surfaces. There is truly little else you need and again, the trade-off is minimal in terms of time and effort, but the health rewards are huge.

4. Tap water

Many city dwellers will already avoid their tap water, but the concept of genuinely clean water from the tap has long eluded us. Most tap water is full of chemicals, from the basic chlorine used to treat it, to fluoride (a neurotoxin), medications, mould, and heavy metals. Instead, we should look to filter our water or source it from a spring.

Often the only inconvenience is installing the filter and remembering to change it. If you want the best option, go for reverse osmosis and always re-add minerals back into the water afterwards. Filtering shower and bath water is also highly recommended.

5. Plastic

Unfortunately, plastic is everywhere in the modern age, but that doesn't mean we can't cut down on our usage and therefore our consumption of it. When buying food, this is the hardest area to tackle, but throughout the home we can return to natural materials quite easily and with little inconvenience.

As we know, plastic can degrade into microplastics that we end up ingesting, a problem made worse when heat is involved. 

Plastic is estrogenic and often contains BPA, a known carcinogen. It was pushed on us as a convenient way to store, cook, and eat food, but now we know the dangers, not just to the environment, but to our health. Plastic also made its way into our clothing, where it affects hormones by leaching chemicals through the skin. Natural clothing not only feels better to wear, it also lasts far longer than polymer-derived alternatives.

Switch back to natural materials and avoid these estrogenic and carcinogenic compounds, whether that's glass for food storage, wooden utensils, or cotton clothing and bedding. It's worth looking at curtains, carpets, and sofas in the long term too. The less plastic we have in our homes, the better.

6. Bluetooth and WiFi

As touched on above, non-natural EMF is constantly bombarding us in the modern environment, from WiFi that stays on all night to Bluetooth devices and headphones. Sure, it's convenient, but prolonged exposure with no rest is gradually degrading our health.

Turning off the WiFi at night and ditching Bluetooth headphones in favour of wired ones can greatly reduce your EMF exposure. Combined with getting outdoors more often and grounding yourself, you'll be doing your body a great deal of good and giving it the break it needs.

Switching to ethernet cables or turning off the WiFi isn't feasible for everyone, so reducing exposure is a good place to start. Spend some time each day grounded, and forget about what you cannot control.

Opting for less convenience

Convenience can certainly improve our lives, but it should never come at the cost of our health. Opting for a little inconvenience, especially while you adjust to a different way of doing things, can also help you focus more on the task at hand. 

We often want to free up time to do more, but end up filling it with scrolling through social media. Your health will thank you for taking the harder route, and you'll think twice before jumping on new technology just because it promises convenience. If you think I've missed anything, drop it in the comments below for others!