This was a weird year听for听food. Scientists grew (surprisingly good) plant-based meat products in labs, some people decided to eat nothing but听尘别补迟, other people听. Seltzer had a comeback,听researchers developed wearable tech that could tell you when you needed to hydrate, and an 国产吃瓜黑料 editor experimented with drinking an entire gallon of water a day. Amid the madness, a few ideas drifted to the top, ones that were evidence based and reasonable and could actually help you live a little听more healthfully. Read on to learn which听trends you should forget about in the new year听and the few that you should carry with you.
Skip: Celery Juice听
In May, wellness guru听Anthony William published a book claiming that daily celery juice could detox听your body and provide all kinds of dubious health benefits, like flushing toxins from your brain and curing asthma, addiction, and Lyme disease. It caught on in certain circles, but none of his claims were backed by听scientific evidence.
鈥淭he idea that we need to detox our body with a product or certain food is really unfounded,鈥 says Brenna O鈥橫alley, a registered dietitian. Your entire digestive system breaks down the food you eat, and your liver works as a detoxifier听by filtering out any unwanted substances. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have much, if any, research to support the claims that celery juice is miraculous or a detoxifier,鈥 O鈥橫alley says. Your body breaks down celery juice, just like it does any other vegetable juice.鈥 While drinking celery juice won鈥檛 do any harm, it likely won鈥檛 do any good either. The closest thing to an endorsement of the stuff is a听听during which 30 adults with high blood pressure took celery-extract supplements (pills, not juice) for six weeks and reported slightly lower blood pressure at the end of the trial. Caveats? The extract was far more concentrated than juice, there was no control group, and the lead researchers worked for the company that made the celery extract.听
Keep: Fermented Foods for Gut Health
The gut microbiome is a relatively new area of study, but there鈥檚 promising evidence that the unique makeup of healthy bacteria that exists in each of our bodies is a key factor in overall health. A 听found that ingesting both probiotics (bacteria) and prebiotics听(a type of dietary fiber that feeds bacteria) can support a healthy microbiome.
But听getting probiotics and prebiotics in supplement form probably isn鈥檛 your best bet. 鈥淐urrently, there鈥檚 no evidence that long-term, continued consumption of supplemental probiotics听maintains wellness,鈥 said听, a researcher at the University of Chicago, in a previous interview.听Instead, it鈥檚 best to get probiotics through . Prebiotics, on the other hand, can be found in fruits, vegetables, beans, and other high-fiber foods.
Skip: Extreme Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting (IF) is a time-restricted diet during which you only eat听for a set period of time each day. It鈥檚 more of an umbrella term than a rigid protocol: one popular approach is to eat during an eight-hour window each day;听another is to eat normally except for one or two days of听extremely low-calorie intake per听week. But this year, the more extreme one-meal-a-day (OMAD) approach . Experts warn against OMAD for a variety of reasons. One small of 21 adults over eight weeks found that eating one meal a day resulted in lower body-fat percentage听but听higher hunger levels,听blood pressure, and cholesterol levels compared to subjects who ate three meals a day. And that doesn鈥檛 take into account the emotional and social toll of听such an extreme diet.
The benefits of any kind of IF are still up in the air, but if you鈥檙e curious about it, stick to a gentler approach. Eating within a 12-hour window鈥攆rom 8 A.M. to 8 P.M., for example鈥攚ill likely deliver many of the same potential benefits, nutrition scientist Stacy Sims previously told 国产吃瓜黑料.听
Keep: Intuitive Eating
Intuitive eating has been around since 1995, when听registered dietitians Elyse Reich and Evelyn Tribole published . But it gained mainstream traction this year:听we wrote about it in May, The New York Times published 听in June presenting it as an antidote to toxic wellness culture, and dozens of nutritionists encouraged their clients (online and off) to start eating a little more freely.听
This听relaxed approach to food听is guided by ten principles,听like 鈥渉onor your health,鈥 鈥渞espect your body,鈥 and 鈥渃hallenge the food police,鈥 and it鈥檚 all about tuning in to听your own preferences and needs听and tuning out messages about what you should or shouldn鈥檛 eat.听While more research is needed, there鈥檚 evidence that intuitive eating is good for , and it might even be associated with a more nutritious diet overall.
Skip: Keto听
Going keto听means getting 75 to 80 percent of your calories from fat, 15 to 20 percent from protein, and less than 5听percent from carbs. It鈥檚 also one of the most popular extreme diets out there at the moment. There is that ketosis鈥攁 metabolic state wherein the body starts using fat as a primary fuel source due to a lack of carbs鈥攈elps reduce seizures in people with epilepsy. But there aren鈥檛 many evidence-backed benefits beyond that.听
, a registered dietitian in the New York City area, explained听that while short-term weight loss often happens on the keto diet, it generally isn鈥檛 sustainable. Maintaining ketosis is difficult, since going over your carb allotment just once can trigger your body to start using glucose (carbs) as fuel again听instead of fat. And many people gain back any weight they lost once they begin to eat regularly, Gorin said. 听choice than any other calorie-restricted diet, but if you think they might be right听for you, Gorin suggests a more moderate approach than听keto.听
Keep: Plant-Based Eating
Plant-based burgers blew up this year. You can now get an Impossible Whopper at Burger King听or an Impossible Slider from White Castle, both engineered to look, cook, and taste like meat. If that isn鈥檛 proof enough that plant-based foods are here to stay, consider the fact that, according to , the global plant-based 鈥渕eat鈥 market was valued at $10 billion in 2018 and is forecasted to hit $31 billion by 2026.听
These new plant-based meats aren鈥檛 intended to be a healthier version of beef鈥攖he nutritional profile is actually quite similar; instead, they鈥檙e meant听to be a more environmentally friendly way to eat what tastes like听尘别补迟, explained听, a registered dietitian in New York.听
The research on the health benefits of limiting your consumption of听animal products is still evolving, but it鈥檚听promising. A of several randomized control trials found that vegan and vegetarian diets are linked to improved metabolic health. You don鈥檛 have to go full-on vegetarian, according to听, an internal-medicine physician at the New York University School of Medicine. Even swapping out a handful of animal-based meals every week will benefit you.听
Skip: Adaptogens
Using plants for healing purposes is , but Western wellness culture听really dug its teeth into the idea this year. Adaptogens, as plant-based substances thought to enhance the body鈥檚 resistance to various听kinds of physical and mental stress, are showing up all over: keep an eye out for 听or听.听
Any wellness claims that brands make about these ingredients are hopeful guesses at best. Ashwagandha鈥檚 many purported benefits (pain relief, diabetes management, and anti-aging, among others)听. And听although some people believe that maca can improve reproductive health and fight cancer, these claims also .听That said, adaptogens are unlikely to hurt you, so if you don鈥檛 mind the taste (or the cost), keep on eating them. But听don鈥檛 claim听that they鈥檙e magic.
Keep: Seaweed
Sushi has been popular for years, and crispy seaweed snacks are available everywhere from Whole Foods to Trader Joe鈥檚. Still, most of us don鈥檛 yet think of seaweed as a comparable alternative to green vegetables like kale and spinach. 听explained that seaweed is a much lower-impact crop, since听. In fact, it can even听help the environment: kelp has been shown to drastically improve water quality. Like other green vegetables, seaweed is packed with micronutrients, but it鈥檚 not your typical green. The rich听umami flavor can add depth to many dishes.