11 Wellness Trends: Healthy or Hype

Charcoal

HYPE: This one makes me cringe when I see people drinking it. Put it ALL over your body if you want, but please don’t put it INSIDE your body. It’s touted as a way to “detox” but charcoal cannot identify the good vs. bad internally and will strip good nutrients from the body as well as so called “toxins”. We have a liver that does a fantastic job of detoxifying so let’s just let it do it’s job and stay away from the charcoal bevvies. K thanks.

Celery Juice

BOTH: Celery is nutritious for sure…it’s filled with lots of vitamins and minerals like vitamin K, folate, potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin A. Celery is mostly water, but contains a good dose of fiber too. It seems like there a million claims for what drinking celery juice can do for your health, but there isn’t the science to back a lot of it up (hype). Eating celery as well as drinking celery juice first thing in the morning (or anytime) is great for getting in those extra nutrients and hydration, but this isn’t going to make or break your health, so don’t force yourself to jump on this trend. I tried it for a while and initially thought it was helping my gut, but then it actually started to give me a stomach ache so I stopped and just stick to drinking a big glass of water to hydrate first thing in the AM 😉

Cauliflower Food Products

BOTH: It’s trendy because following a low carb and/or gluten free diet is trendy plain and simple. I remember the days when there was a veggie tray at a party and the poor cauliflower was always the untouched vegetable…times have changed.

Cauliflower is now the cool kid…AND celery who would have thought?! The cauliflower trend is hot and I won’t lie I’ve been loving some of the cauliflower based products at Trader Joe’s lately. Cauliflower is versatile, so you’re seeing it pop up in a lot of different ways. Each product is different (health/nutrient wise) so always read the labels, but if you’re looking to cut back on total carbs and/or needing a gluten free option… cauliflower can be a good replacement.

Cauliflower is nutritious…it’s packed with vitamins C, K and B6 and folate. Brown rice, whole wheat pasta, and potatoes, etc. can still be part of a nutritious and balanced diet though. My recommendation (if you don’t have a gluten allergy) is to mix it in these new products here and there, but also incorporate other whole grains into your diet as well.

Matcha Tea Lattes

HEALTH: We all know that green tea is healthy (hello antioxidants!), but matcha powder is even healthier! First of all, matcha is a type of green tea made by taking young tea leaves and grinding them into a powder (picture above). This is different from regular green tea, where the leaves are infused in water, then removed…you’re actually consuming the whole tea leaf. There is caffeine, but less than coffee and black tea so this can be a nice alternative if you’re trying to cut back on your caffeine intake.

Matcha is high in a catechin called EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), which is believed to have cancer-fighting effects on the body. Be mindful when ordering a matcha tea latte…while the matcha has a lot of health benefits ask about the milk being used and any added syrups/sugars 😉 Unsweetened matcha tea lattes do not taste good, but try sweetening it with pure maple syrup.

Kombucha

BOTH: Kombucha has been around for a long time, but there still just is not much science to back up a lot of the health claims in regards to gut health. What we know: it’s a fermented tea, so it has the antioxidants + health benefits of tea + probiotics. Downside: many brands out there have a lot of sugar per bottle, so check labels. I do think there is some hype around it and there are better sources of probiotics out there, but it can be a functional beverage. I wouldn’t recommend drinking one daily. Aim to get a variety of probiotics via food (yogurt, kefir, kimchi, sauerkraut, tempe, etc) or supplement.

“Skinny” Lattes

HYPE: Non-fat milk + artificial sweeteners….2 wrongs do NOT make a right. Don’t let the marketing of a “skinny latte” fool you…while the total calories and sugar may be less it’s not your best option at Starbucks. If cows milk is your jam…get at least 2% don’t be scared of the fat it has health benefits and will keep you fuller longer. As for artificial sweeteners…I wrote a post all about it here, so I’ll let you decide what works best for you. If you’re wanting a hint of sweet in your latte, but mindful of calories and grams of sugar ask your barista for 1 pump of syrup (they usually put in 4-6 depending on what size you order). Retrain those taste buds to need less sweetness 😉

Bone Broth

BOTH: Bone broth can be very nutritious and a good source of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium. Some bone broth fans claim it can relieve joint pain and osteoarthritis, detoxify the liver, aid in wound healing, prevent aging skin, support digestive health, balance hormones, increase energy, strengthen bones, improve quality of sleep, alleviate symptoms from certain autoimmune conditions, and boost immune function. Sounds magical right?

Well…like most trends there isn’t the science to back all of this up and some of the studies that have been conducted don’t support these claims. Some studies show that consuming a high quality vegetable broth is more nutrient dense than bone broth.

While bone broth does contain some protein and calcium, so do other foods. Drinking bone broth is not going to make or break your health IMO but I do like using it occasionally because it’s very flavorful. I don’t think it has any magical powers though so don’t stress yourself out if you’re not sipping on it like a cup of tea daily. You can get those (potential) health benefits elsewhere in your diet.

Veggie Chips

HYPE: Veggie chips do not replace vegetables in your diet…bummer I know. The veggie chips in the first picture above claim to be more nutritious than potato chips because they contain 7 grams vs. 10 grams of fat. Other than that there is not much difference. Spinach and beet powder in the ingredient list is not adding a significant boost in nutrition, but more adding color to the chips 😉 No fiber…not much nutrition…they won’t keep you full so you might end up eating the whole bag.

However, you can now find “chips” like beet or kale chips that are way more legit! These do contain fiber and minerals, so I do think these are a good snack option esp. if you scoop some hummus on them 😉

Magnesium (CALM tea)

HEALTH: I drink this every night as you guys know…I’m a big magnesium fan 😉 Magnesium is an essential mineral and plays a significant role in our body’s overall health status. One of the big role’s of magnesium is its ability to affect our sleep. CALM is basically a magnesium supplement…the goal being to help balance the magnesium to calcium ratio in our body. Magnesium helps our muscles relax and blood to flow freely and we don’t always get enough magnesium in our diet.

Stevia

ON THE FENCE: Let’s break down the pros and cons…

Pros: Calorie free sugar substitute and about 100-300 times sweeter than sugar so you can use less. Some studies claim Stevia has potential health benefits for treating diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.

Cons: Many Stevia packages claim “all natural” and while Stevia is extracted from a plant, what you’re buying at the grocery store is much more than that. It is often mixed with sugar alcohols (hello bloating and gas!) like erythritol, so be sure to read the ingredients so you don’t end up with an upset tummy.

My thoughts: It appears to be safe, but use in moderation. I personally don’t LOVE the taste and can tell when it’s in a product, but I don’t completely avoid it either. Also worth noting it’s still relatively new to the market, so long term studies need to be conducted.

Mushroom Coffee

HEALTH: with a side of hype 😉 What is mushroom coffee?? Essentially it is boiled down mushrooms (specifics kinds of mushrooms are used for their different medicinal properties) blended with coffee. So you’re getting the benefits of coffee and mushrooms. The different types of mushrooms typically used are cordyceps, chaga, lion’s mane, turkey tail, and reishi. The brand you’re probably seeing the most is Four Sigmatic (pictured above).

Here are the claimed health benefits: helps with focus and concentration, high in antioxidants, decreases oxidative stress, aids in liver health and digestion, increased focus without jitters, etc. Mushroom coffee typically has less caffeine than a regular cup of coffee and is less acidic. It’s pricey though! Mushrooms are super healthy (great for the immune system)…so if you want to drink it- fab! If you’d prefer to add mushrooms to a stir fry instead…you do you.

Did I miss any nutrition trends you’ve been curious about?? Let me know in the comments!

xx,
Alix