We are surrounded by germs. No matter how clean we are, around our bodies we harbor billions of microbes. According to hygiene experts, the best thing to do in order to avoid germs is to strengthen our immune systems, so don’t rely on tricks to reduce germs—diet is key.
“The dirty secret about avoiding germs is that germs are everywhere,” says Alex Berezow, PhD, a microbiologist and the vice president of scientific affairs for the American Council on Science and Health.
“We have an immune system that kills off most of them. We definitely worry way too much about germs. Studies that show that bacteria are everywhere are just hype. Yes, of course, bacteria are everywhere. But most of them won’t hurt you.”
Here are 8 things we do to avoid germs that are basically useless, so you better skip them.
