#WhatILearntThisWeek
We have all fallen for food fads… it seems to be unavoidable in the developed world. Gluten free, Paleo, Kale… the list goes on. The truth is that these fads only serve one purpose… they make a couple of people a lot of money… that is until the next fad comes along.
Let’s examine some recent fads…
- Kale: people lost their minds over kale… however, long term people did not see a lot of benefit and it was later revealed that you can have too much kale… some people experienced low level poisoning and mental issues.
- Coconut oil: I went hard on coconut oil when the fad was at its peak. What I didn’t realise at the time was that it was extremely high in salicylates… something that I have a severe intolerance too. There are benefits to eating good fats but too much coconut oil can lead to an increase in blood cholesterol.
- Gluten free: I was gluten free for 5 years (prior to finally figuring out what it was I was allergic to) but the benefits of this diet fad is not what you would think, unless you are a true coeliac. For me it was moving away from heavily processed foods that benefited me the most.
- Turmeric: last year people lost their minds about the health benefits of turmeric. It is meant to cure all kinds of things… it has just been revealed that it is very difficult for our bodies to absorb the beneficial molecules and that the effects are not as great as first reported.
- Paelo: there is so much wrong with this fad including the fact that Palaeolithic ‘man’ cultivated and ate potatoes and judging by Palaeolithic art… they had their own weight problems. The long term effects of this diet on cholesterol and heart health is untested and the benefits are usually derived from eating less processed food and cutting out sugary drinks (which anyone can do).
An example of Palaeolithic people represented in their art… it seems that weight was an issue back then LOL
There seems to be a bit of a theme in all of this… STOP FOLLOWING FOOD FADS. You don’t need to change your lifestyle and diet every time a celebrity chef or beauty blogger writes about the benefits of the NEXT BIG THING.
Eat sensibly, eat what you need… nothing more and incorporate aspects of the only scientifically proven diet known to man… the Mediterranean diet. Lets spend our precious energy on things that will really improve our lives like following our dreams or finding new ways to connect with family and friends. FUCK FOOD FADS!
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