Everywhere you look today, you will hear or read about things that can cause physical and mental harm. “Don’t eat this, don’t eat that,” nutritionists remind us.

Food options with a shadowy dark side, like margarine, fast-food combos, farm-raised salmon with contaminants, and the so-called Dirty Dozen fruits are but some of the items that have gotten a bad rap. Throw in sugary sodas, candy, doughnuts and ice-cream and you are in for one big battle with the bulge.

Science can come to the rescue

Most health reminders, in fact, rest on valid reasons.

With hefty pounds, for instance, come an array of health issues ranging from a general feeling of malaise to obesity, heart problems, diabetes, inflammation, and other disorders.

Apart from attempting to veer away from highly saturated fats commonly found in animal food and other “unhealthy” picks, you may have also heard about lifestyle practices that can make you unwell sooner or later. You stand to develop adverse health conditions if you lack exercise, or are deprived of sleep, or consume too much caffeine.

Other things that may contribute to some form of physical distress, such as back pain, are poor posture or straining to lift heavy objects. Doctors also keep advising you not to over exert yourself when engaging in sports activities, not to delay antibiotic treatment when found necessary, not to have poor posture, not to overthink, not to have unprotected intercourse, and so on.

Every day, people are bombarded with messages expressing countless things they should not do, and it can get quite overwhelming. When relaxing at home, health experts cite how excessive electronic screen time can obstruct sleep and affect general performance. People are also advised not to engage in distracting activities just before bedtime.

The flip side

On the Flip Side, healthy reminders are also constantly expressed by healthcare practitioners to people. Drink moderately, get started on a physical conditioning regimen; manage stress, commune with nature, go through counseling or therapy, and other health-related suggestions.

Yet it is the endless list of things to avoid that can get taxing after hearing them for the nth time.

It can get wearisome when you begin to realize most of them do not really spell impending doom. Then again, there is the adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

If you happen to be among those who are not yet fed up with the constant reminders of things that may be bad for you, science and social media have numerous studies and news updates you can keep scouring through. As for me, I tend to lean to the side of Laura Entis from Fortune Health who wrote that "French fries aren’t great for you, but they don’t spell impending doom, either."

Most of the items on lists you may stumble onto may not necessarily kill you. At the end of the day, though, the benefits of checking out such findings may outweigh the perils of not giving a hoot.