Staying healthy and following the latest health trends should go hand-in-hand.
However, despite their cool names and claims, many of the biggest health fads are sadly unfounded or overrated. Following them blindly may not give you the results you imagine, or worse, could be detrimental to your health.
With that in mind, let’s look at a handful of some of the most popular health trends you should avoid.
The keto diet
Low in carbs and high in fat, the ketogenic (keto) diet promises to help you burn fat. The theory is that this forces your body into a metabolic state of ketosis, in which it relies on ketones for energy rather than carbohydrates.
If it all sounds too good to be true, well, it could be. Cutting out an entire food group may be detrimental to your health.
“Restricting a major food group such as carbohydrates is a dietitian’s worst nightmare!” says Lorraine Chu, MS, RDN, CDN, a registered dietitian and founder of cacaocachu. “In addition, a huge concern of the keto diet is a loss of muscle mass despite an adequate or increased protein intake, as well as micronutrient deficiencies and gut health.”
Gluten-free diets
People following a gluten-free diet forgo the protein found in wheat, barley, and rye – which is good if you have celiac disease, an autoimmune condition, or gluten sensitivity. However, it may be less efficacious if you switch to gluten-free processed foods and desserts to lose weight (which have the same calories as the gluten versions).
The Paleo diet
The Paleolithic diet, or paleo diet, allows only foods that cavemen would have eaten 500,000 years or so ago.
That means nuts, fish, lean meat, fruit, and vegetables without a lot of starch are acceptable while dairy foods, grains, processed foods and starchy vegetables are off the table. Having said that, note that the long-term results aren’t proven and the diet is difficult to maintain.
Juice cleanses
A juice cleanse may sound like the ideal solution to restore vitamins to your body, but does it really work?
The short answer is no. What’s more, you could be starving your body of essential fibre.
“Many clients tell me they need to start a cleanse to give their body a reset after a vacation or prolonged celebratory weekend,” says Chu. “But here’s the thing—your organs already do that for you! Your organs are already cleansing your body on a daily basis and don’t need you to punish it in order to detoxify. It was built for this.”
In addition, she says, “If this is a juicing cleanse, you’re stripping all the fibre from the fruits and vegetables, which regulate sugar absorption and aid in digestion of nutrients. Juicing will leave only the sugars, which will get absorbed super fast by your body, causing blood sugar levels to spike. The best thing you can do for yourself is to just carry on and eat how you normally would in your daily life.”
Related: 5 food trends that are worth trying
Losing weight with apple cider vinegar
You might have heard this one before. “A popular health trend is [the idea of] apple cider vinegar as a miracle cure for weight loss,” says Anju Mobin, licensed nutritionist and the managing editor of Best for Nutrition.
“But, there is no [significant] research to back up any of the apple cider vinegar claims. The weight-loss claims surrounding apple cider vinegar are based on several small studies, mostly on animals. These studies do show some possible benefits of apple cider vinegar, but more research is needed.”
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