6 health fads you should stay away in 2016

1. Black pudding

Apparently, this traditional fry-up favourite has joined the ranks of kale, quinoa and chia seeds as a so-called "superfood" of 2016. Such an accolade has been bestowed onto black pudding mostly on the basis of its blood content, which makes it rich in haem iron, a well-absorbed form of dietary iron. 

However, the website that sparked this wave of publicity has now confirmed that its endorsement was based on customer search trends, not as a result of scientific tests. The reality is that black pudding is calorie dense, high in salt, and a processed meat, consumption of which has been linked to bowel cancer. I wouldn't be blending it into your smoothies quite yet….

2. Weight loss teas

There has been a recent surge onto the market of slimming and detox teas that claim to "detoxify", "alkalise", "speed up the metabolism" and "burn fat" among other bold, and totally unfounded health claims. These so-called miracle teas very much fit into the category of "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is". No tea is going to make you drop a dress size, lose 10 lbs in as many days, or give you that washboard stomach you've been yearning for. The only thing that you might notice plummeting, is your bank balance. Plus, there have been some pretty serious concerns over how it works with the contraceptive pill.

3. Alkaline eating

The theory behind this highly popularised way of eating is that you can change the pH of your body with diet. By doing this you can lower your risk of disease, and put your body in a better state of overall health. What does the science say? The pH of your body is kept within a very narrow range by its own sophisticated system, independent of what you eat. In truth, you can't alter the acidity of your body with food. However, take away the gimmicks and the buzzwords, and what you're left with are some very simple principles; namely eat more fruit, vegetables and other unprocessed wholefoods. And this is very good thing to do. 

4. Gluten free

Let's get this straight, gluten is not the devil, despite having been given a seriously bad rap over the last few years. Being diagnosed by a doctor as coeliac is one thing, but gluten-free doesn't necessarily always mean "healthier". Whilst I'm not disputing that some individuals can experience an improvement in their health by cutting out gluten, what I don't believe in is eliminating any foods from your diet indiscriminately. Not least because gluten-free alternatives are often overly processed, and packed with unpronounceable ingredients. If you do decide to adopt a gluten free regime, understand why you are doing it, and even more importantly, seek professional nutritional advice on how to approach it in a healthy way. 

5. Low fat & fat free foods

We're hopefully all starting to understand that a healthy intake of fat is a vitally important part of our diets.  However, old habits die hard, and many of us still associate low-fat and fat-free products with weight loss. The reality is that these foods can actually do more harm than good. 

Food manufacturers often make up for the lack of fat by replacing it with other ingredients like sugar. As a result, they can then be higher in calories than their full fat alternatives, and conversely more likely to contribute to weight gain. A small pot of low-fat fruit yoghurt can contain up to 28g of sugar, that's the equivalent of 7 teaspoons! My advice; if it says fat-free or low fat, steer clear. 

6. "Healthy" cakes

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but in reality there's no such thing. That's not to say that you shouldn't switch refined sugar for dates, or white flour for ground almonds.  These substitutions are richer in vitamins and minerals, and will give you a better nutritional bang for your buck. But, whether your cake's sweetened with white sugar, dates or raw honey, to your body these are all forms of sugar, and will be processed in the same way. 

Just because a cake is "raw", "gluten free" or comes out of a cookbook written by your favourite health guru, doesn't mean you can eat it in unlimited quantities. Enjoy cake, most definitely, but keep it as a treat. 

Source:cosmopolitan