Every season, a new food, no matter how exotic or downright weird it may be, becomes trendy – usually because of its health-related benefits. And often, these health claims turn out to be a just hype. Yet, many of us pay for these expensive super foods that are not super at all. We’re seeing all kinds of food trends and we’ve decided to look into them more closely. Here are the most overrated food trends you’re probably buying right now.
Acai berries
Nobody heard of acai berries a few years ago, but they are now everywhere. Besides their supposed weight loss properties (which are practically non-existent), they are known to have a lot of antioxidants. Antioxidants are great, but there’s no way of telling their exact effect as scientists still have no clue how, when and in what quantities they work. So, it seems like there’s not much difference between acai berries and lemons, for instance. Not to mention, we’re actually buying frozen acai berries, acai berries powder, yogurt, iced tea, or something else with acai berries, where their content is very little.
Quinoa
Quinoa is said to be one of the most protein-rich foods on the planet and in addition, its protein is supposedly high quality or “complete”. In fact, a cup of cooked quinoa contains only 8 grams of protein, which is just a little more than in a hard-boiled egg. However, a cup of lentils has 18 grams and a cup of chopped chicken breast has 43 grams of protein. The so-called “complete” protein means it delivers all 9 amino acids we need, but as long as you eat a varied diet, you’ll get them all either way.
Coconut water
Basically, everything with coconut in it is a huge trend right now and coconut water is popular among fitness goers and athletes because it hydrates “more naturally” and is low in sodium and calories. It’s also rich in potassium. But, if you work out hard, you will need not only water and potassium. You actually need calories and sodium, so no thanks – coconut water is absolutely useless for fitness.
Agave nectar
The nectar from agave (tequila is made from agave) is sweet, but it has a low glycemic index, which means your blood sugar levels won’t jump too high if you drink it. This may sound great, but the truth is agave nectar contains fructose – another type of sugar, which isn’t healthy at all. Some experts say it’s even worse than glucose. If you want a healthy sweet drink, you just have to accept that there’s no such thing. Just drink water, or for a cheaper alternative to agave, try maple syrup.
Placenta
Yes, placenta, and yes, it’s about human placenta that comes out of the woman’s body right after birth. Some people believe this organ is very healthy and eating it will make the mother’s connection with the baby easier. Now, this is total nonsense – there is no single scientific evidence for that. Besides, it is totally disgusting and is closer to cannibalism than anything else we’ve seen so far. So, we hope that hype will die out soon.
