New Year: Health vs. Hype

A couple of weeks ago I asked you guys to share New Year’s nutrition/wellness/fitness related trends you’re interested in learning more about, thinking about trying, or just wanted to get my take on. Below are my thoughts on all the fun topics you guys sent in.

Modere TRIM Collagen

I tried the LIFE one for a few months when I was trying to lessen postpartum hair loss and personally did not see a difference. I know a lot of bloggers tout this product and it’s $$$.

Modere marketing is definitely catchy and makes their product sound promising about CLA’s fat burning potential. As far as the actual science goes for CLA health claims…there are limited studies in humans and very limited long term studies. The non-human studies are promising, but those findings are not translating when tested on humans as shown in this review paper. I don’t think the science is there to totally back up Modere’s product claims, but CLA is deemed a GRAS (generally recognized as safe) food by the FDA. Therefore, I don’t think their is any harm in trying this product, but it might be a waste of $$$.

75 Hard

75 hard is a new trend I’ve been seeing on IG. The 75 Hard program rules revolve around 5 “critical” daily tasks that you must complete every single day for 75 days straight.

The critical tasks are as follows:

1. Follow any nutrition plan designed for your goals, with zero alcohol and no cheat meals.
2. Complete two 45-minute workouts every day, one of which must be outside.
3. Drink a gallon of water daily.
4. Read 10 pages of an educational or self-improvement book every day.
5. Take a progress picture every day.

My thoughts: I’m mixed on this one. I’m all up for having tasks to follow to help stay motivated and on track. I like that it does not specify a diet and that you can create your own meal plan to best meet your individual needs. I hate the term “cheat meals”, and think that is just setting someone up for failure if you have to eat “perfect” for 75 days. Two 45 minute workouts a day seems excessive and I also think the progress pictures are silly and you should go by how you feel not only how you look. I do like the focus on water drinking and reading daily. I think sleep is something that is missing and would be a better task to focus on rather than a second workout or progress picture.

Anyways, I think you could modify this to be something that is realistic and works for you. It looks there there is also a 75 medium and 75 soft and of course there are cute trackers on Etsy. These “programs” might be more realistic places to start.

Whole 30

This is such a popular diet especially come January. I know people who love it, thrive on it, and follow a Whole 30 lifestyle. But like every diet, especially a very restrictive one, it has it’s pitfalls. My issue with Whole 30 is that it is so restrictive and when the 30 days are up most people go right back to their old eating habits. It doesn’t really teach you how to feed yourself in a realistic, long-term way.

While I like the fact that the diet focuses on whole, minimally processed foods such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds it is ultra restrictive which I’m never a big fan of unless medically necessary (like a true food allergy/sensitivity vs. desired weight loss).

Whole 30 is meant to be an elimination diet with the idea that after 30 days of eliminating possible trigger foods you will slowly add them back one by one and see how your body reacts. Most people don’t do that 😉

Also keep in mind, if you eliminate a food/food group for a long period of time your body will decrease the enzyme production needed to properly digest that food causing you to have a reaction to a food you didn’t previously have any problem with.

Whole 30 can also make cravings worse…making you obsess over food and even set you up for a binge. If you’re someone with a history of disordered eating I would not recommend this diet. If it’s something you enjoy and have success with…go for it!

Noom

Many of you wrote me when I asked about Noom on IG a while ago and most responses were positive. I have never personally tried this, but I know people who have had a lot of success on it. I don’t know a lot about it because you have to sign up and pay to try it which I’m not going to do 😉 They do claim to be anti-diet which I think is silly because you do count calories and log food which is a form of dieting. Some people have significant success and need that guidance when trying to eat better, lose weight, and focus on their nutrition. For those type of people I think this could be great option.

Once again, for those with a history of disordered eating I don’t encourage anything that focuses on food logs, weigh-ins, and calorie counting.

I don’t know a lot about this and the specifics, so if you’ve tried it please share your experience in the comments!

Vegan Collagen

First of all let’s define collagen. Collagen is the most abundant protein in our bodies and it is found in muscles, bones, skin, blood vessels, digestive system and tendons.  It’s like the “glue” that holds our joints and tendons together. Sadly, the natural production of collagen slows down as we age and our bodies begin to show signs of aging. Therefore, collagen supplements have been exploding in the market.

There are no natural sources of vegan collagen as collagen is 100% animal based. Vegan collagen on the market right now is typically considered a “collagen booster”. These products contain ingredients that promote the body’s natural production of collagen. You’ll likely see ingredients like silica, phytoceramides, amino acids, minerals, and antioxidants, and especially vitamin C.

The body naturally uses vitamin C to produce collagen, so simply increasing your vitamin C intake could be a cheaper route than buying a vegan collagen product.

Here is a list of foods (animal and plants) you can add to your diet to increase collagen production.

Dry January

Someone asked if dry January is too restrictive? I think this is an individual choice and depends on what your health goals are. I support all my friends who partake in dry Jan, but I personally do not like to cut things out of my diet/life completely that don’t cause me direct harm. I’m personally not a huge drinker. I love a glass of wine or champs throughout the week/weekends, but I never feel like I go overboard for weeks or months at a time. Therefore, I never feel like I have to completely cut it out to “re-set”.

If better sleep or weight loss is a goal then you might consider looking at alcohol intake depending on how much and how frequently you drink. There are obvious benefits to cutting alcohol, but rather than one month of being dry then going back to old habits, I think it’s healthier in the long run to find ways to enjoy what you like in moderation and not feeling like it’s excessive to the point where you have to completely cut it out. That’s just my opinion of course 😉

GAPS

Another elimination diet. GAPS stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome. The GAPS diet was desgigned for people suffering leaky gut causing conditions that affect your brain like autism and ADD (mostly used in children).

This elimination diet takes place in phases and the first phase is very restrictive and can last up to one year. If you are suffering from severe gut issues (like possible leaky gut) I would encourage you to meet with a GI specialist before trying to do this on your own because it is pretty restrictive. I’d encourage you to work with someone to first assess if this diet is appropriate for your case then get support to ensure you’re following the protocol correctly while still getting in all the nutrients your body needs.

If you’re simply looking for better overall gut health check out a post a while back on how to feed a healthy gut and how to diversify your diet for better gut health.

Plant Based Diet

The more plants in your diet the better! Plant based means prioritizing whole fruits, veggies, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds. Most protein is coming from plant-based protein sources, like beans, peas, lentils, and soy products (tofu, tempeh, and edamame) but I don’t think you need to eliminate animal protein completely in the name of health.

There is no denying eating more plants is amazing for your health. I liked the eating style of “plant-based” instead of vegan or vegetarian because while it focuses on eating more plants it doesn’t completely eliminate animal protein. I wrote a post about the rise in popularity about plant based eating where I dive into this a bit more.

Athletic Greens

I have not personally tried AG this product yet, but have heard great things and plan to try it. My stance on green powders is that they are a great back-up plan when you’re traveling or feeling like you’re not consistently getting in enough greens in your diet.

However, a product like AG is covering all your bases with it’s 75 ingredients including essential micronutrients, pre and probiotics for gut health, digestive enzymes, adaptogens including Rhodiola, chlorella, reishi & shiitake mushroom powder and much more. The major downside I see is that it’s VERY expensive!

xx, A