Health Fads: Are You In or Out?

What are everyone’s thoughts on health fads? Has anyone used one and loved it? Here are some of the ones that have caught our eye: 

Everyday there seems to be a new way of doing everything.  Once a celebrity endorses something, it’s only a matter of time before we’re all giving it a go, but which of these health trends and fads are really worth your time and which should you avoid? We’ve analysed some of the top health fads to see what they are all about. Keep in mind that we are not endorsing any of these health fads – just offering our analysis.

Ear Candling

This well established alternative treatment uses a fabric tube that has been soaked in wax, inserted in the ear and set alight as a way of removing earwax. The theory behind it is that candling will create a vacuum-like suction that will pull earwax and toxins out of the ear canal. However research has shown that the practice does not create a vacuum and that the ear has its own mechanisms for removing earwax and infections simply can’t be ‘pulled out’.

Thigh Gaps

Who knows where this came from but a quick glance around women’s glossy mags and online chats, it seems that women aspire to have thighs that don’t touch. There are many different body shapes and women that naturally have wide hips, may be able to get a ‘thigh gap’. Others never will, no matter how skinny their legs are.

Gluten Free Food

People who are coeliac have an immune reaction to the protein found in grains. The disease affects the small intestine and the absorption of nutrients from food. Symptoms vary but are typically severe abdominal pain and diarrhea. People who have coeliac disease have to follow a gluten free diet and if you think you might suffer from this, you should get tested by your doctor.

Some people follow a gluten-free diet because they believe it will assist in weight loss or they think that gluten is bad. However gluten is only a problem if you have sensitivity to it; grains can form a part of a healthy balanced diet for much of the population.

Commercial gluten free products often contain more added fat, salt and sugar than the non-gluten free version because the gluten has gone and taken the taste with it. Manufacturers compensate for the loss of taste by adding more of the things we want to avoid. Make sure you read the labels and if in doubt, make your own gluten free food.

Juice Diets

Juice cleanse diets have been made popular by celebs and are seen as a great counter to periods of indulgence and over eating. A cleanse will require you to consume nothing but liquids for a few days and then generally you slowly re-introduce food.

Drinking nothing but juice or some other liquid for a few days will make you lose weight. It’s also likely to make you feel lethargic, a bit cloudy and give you a few digestion issues.

The problem is that the weight that you lose is unlikely to be fat, but water and then muscle. Losing muscle is bad because muscle is essential and losing it will decrease your metabolism. Once you start eating again, you’ll likely gain all that you lost and maybe even gain a bit more as you’ll be starving hungry.

Health Fads and Trends – Are you In or Out?

These are only a few of the recent health fads out there.  And while health fads seem to come and go depending on what celebrity has endorsed them, clean eating and exercise never seem to go out of style.

Have you ever tried a health fad? We would love to hear your thoughts on them!