By Dr Aftab jan
Health and wellness are not luxuries but the foundation of a meaningful life, yet in today’s world human beings themselves are destroying their health while calling it “modern living.” What is most painful is that people have begun to label dangerous, harmful, and destructive habits as modern and stylish, when in reality they are the exact opposite of advancement. The tea served in plastic cups on roadside stalls, the bottled water that millions consume daily, the dip teas people proudly sip in the name of convenience, and the junk foods that fill the stomachs of young and old alike are all presented as a part of modern culture, but modern science has itself declared that these practices are nothing short of suicide for health.
Every litter of bottled water contains around 240,000 microplastic particles, each invisible to the eye but sharp enough to damage cells, tissues, and vital organs. A single disposable plastic cup used for hot tea releases 25,000 to 100,000 microplastic fragments into one serving, which then enter the stomach and bloodstream. Dip tea bags, especially those made from nylon or PET plastic, shed an astonishing 11 billion microplastic particles and 3 billion nanoplastic particles into just one cup of tea. These are not minor details; they are the bitter reality that every sip is carrying hidden poison. These particles accumulate in the body, disturbing hormones, damaging the liver and kidneys, weakening immunity, and opening the door to cancers, infertility, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and early aging. Yet society blindly calls this habit modern, ignoring the truth that what they are consuming daily is not tea or water, but liquid mixed with plastic poison.
The food culture of today’s generation is no different. Home-cooked meals once considered the foundation of health are being replaced by so-called modern fast foods—burgers, pizzas, fried chicken, instant noodles, processed meat, chips, sweets, and colorful drinks. These items may look attractive and smell tasty, but they contain trans fats, excessive refined sugar, white flour, high sodium, artificial colors, preservatives, and chemical flavors that attack the body from within. Fried snacks and chips produce acrylamide, a dangerous chemical formed when food is cooked at high temperature, which is proven to increase cancer risk. Processed meats like sausages, salamis, and kebabs contain nitrates and nitrites, which are directly linked with stomach and colon cancer.
Carbonated soft drinks, considered symbols of joy and refreshment, are full of phosphoric acid, caffeine, and aspartame, which weaken bones, drain calcium, increase anxiety, disturb sleep, and harm the nervous system. Energy drinks falsely marketed as performance boosters actually overload the heart, create irregular rhythms, and damage the brain when consumed regularly. Sugary foods and drinks exhaust the pancreas until diabetes develops, while salty and oily foods choke arteries until blood pressure and heart disease follow. Instead of giving strength, these foods trap people in cycles of addiction, laziness, and poor concentration, weakening both the body and the mind.
The result of this so-called modern diet is evident everywhere. Children once full of energy now suffer from obesity, asthma, weak immunity, poor eyesight, and lack of focus. Teenagers and youth, instead of enjoying strong bodies and bright futures, are increasingly diagnosed with depression, hormonal imbalances, infertility, high blood pressure, and early diabetes. Adults collapse with strokes, kidney failure, heart attacks, cancers, and liver disease while still young. Elderly people spend their final years surrounded by medicines, hospital visits, and pain, all because of years of careless eating and plastic use. Along with this, poor hygiene habits make the situation worse.
Eating without washing hands, using dirty utensils, keeping kitchens and toilets unclean, leaving food uncovered, and throwing waste openly invite infections like cholera, typhoid, hepatitis, diarrhea, skin infections, tuberculosis, and respiratory illnesses. Flies, dust, and contaminated water spread bacteria and viruses that science proves are the root of 70% of preventable diseases. Antibiotics are overused because of such infections, making bacteria resistant and creating the danger of untreatable diseases. What society calls advancement is in reality a step backward, for true progress is not in adopting harmful practices but in living clean, balanced, and disciplined lives.
Islam already guided humanity centuries ago on how to live with true wellness. The Qur’an says: “Indeed, Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who purify themselves” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:222). The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: “Cleanliness is half of faith” (Sahih Muslim), reminding us that hygiene is not an option but a spiritual duty. Another Hadith states: “The son of Adam does not fill any vessel worse than his stomach. It is sufficient for the son of Adam to eat a few mouthfuls to keep him alive” (Sunan Ibn Majah), teaching moderation that science today confirms as the key to preventing obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. What the Prophet ﷺ taught about washing hands, covering food, eating moderately, avoiding excess, and keeping the environment clean are now proven by modern research as the most effective ways to protect against disease. True modernity is to follow what both divine guidance and modern science agree upon: natural eating, hygiene, moderation, and balance—not plastic cups, junk foods, and chemical drinks.
To restore health and wellness, people must abandon these false modern ways and return to natural, disciplined living. Plastic bottles and cups must be replaced with steel, glass, or clay. Dip teas must be avoided, and instead herbal teas or traditional boiled tea without plastic bags should be consumed. Junk foods must be rejected, and instead fresh, home-cooked meals with fruits, vegetables, grains, and clean meats should be the daily diet. Children must be trained to drink clean water, wash hands with soap before meals, bathe regularly, brush teeth, trim nails, wear clean clothes, and never share dirty utensils. Kitchens and toilets must be kept spotless to prevent bacteria. Food should always be covered, and water stored in clean containers. Families must reduce fried and processed foods, avoid over-sugary drinks, and replace them with milk, fresh juices, and water. Daily exercise, walking, and sports must become routine for young and old alike. Adequate sleep of 6–8 hours is necessary to repair the brain and prevent stress and anxiety. Mentally, people must also cleanse themselves by reducing useless screen time, avoiding overuse of mobile phones, and instead engaging in meaningful conversations, prayer, and reflection.
The greatest tragedy is that we call destruction modern, but the reality is the opposite. True modernity is when we use knowledge—both divine and scientific—to build lives that are safe, clean, and healthy. Real advancement is not in plastic or junk food but in protecting the body as an amanah (trust) from Allah. Real progress is in raising generations free from disease, not in filling hospitals with patients suffering from lifestyle-related illnesses. A society that continues to use plastics, consume junk foods, ignore hygiene, and embrace harmful habits is not moving forward but backward.
The future belongs to those who realize that wellness is not a choice but a necessity, that cleanliness is not optional but half of faith, and that protecting health is protecting life itself. If we truly wish to be modern, we must reject false modernity and embrace the real one—a lifestyle of hygiene, natural foods, moderation, and discipline that gives strength to the body, peace to the mind, and purity to the soul. Only then can we call ourselves advanced, only then will our future generations live free of disease, and only then will we truly achieve health and wellness.
Author can be mailed at jaanaftaab5@gmail.com
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