4 Bad Habits That Are Good For You

You can't kick your snicker doodle addiction?,or you Spend too much time on Facebook?,or some Some "vices" you've long assumed were naughty or simply unproductive can actually offer pretty nice health perks—as long as you don't overdo it. See if you can guess the surprising answers to the following questions:

1.Which bad habit...Boosts brainpower and curbs cravings?

 

1. Having a smoke
2. Eating a T-bone
3. Chewing gum
4. Sniffing a cleaning solvent


Answer: 3. Chewing gum boosts thinking and alertness in part by increasing blood flow to the brain, finds a new study. Previous research found that people who chewed sugarless gum before eating had fewer sweet cravings and ate about 36 fewer calories, says Judy Caplan, RD, an Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson. (Well, as long as you don't choose mint gum.)

2.Which bad habit...Helps ease allergies?

1. Living like a slob
2. Swimming right after eating
3. Biting your fingernails
4. Eating 8 ounces of processed cheese
Answer: 1. Not being a total neat freak may help you breathe easier. A Kingston University study found that dust mites—which can cause hay-fever like symptoms and even trigger asthma attacks in some people—were less able to survive in messy, unmade beds because conditions were too warm and dry for them.

3.Which bad habit...Helps you stick to a diet?

1. Supersizing your bacon cheeseburger
2. Having dessert with breakfast
3. Eating buttered popcorn before every meal
4. Drinking whole milk with a swirly straw
Answer: 2. Having a small treat, such as a cookie, along with a high-protein, high-carbohydrate breakfast (think: eggs and whole wheat toast) helped participants stick to their diets better and lose more weight than a low-carb, low-calorie breakfast did, found a recent Israeli study. The reason: Carbs and protein help keep you full, while a shot of sweet may quell later cravings for treats.

Which bad habit...Boosts your mood?

1. A shot and a beer
2. Watching a How I Met Your Mother marathon
3. Playing Farmville on Facebook
4. Eating chocolate
Answer: 3. You may think of Facebook as a total time suck, but taking a little brain break from a project to browse your friends' status updates or new vacation photos can make you feel better than viewing a slide show of relaxing pictures, found a recent study.