Nutritional Hypebeast
People eat food everyday. I am guessing (or hoping) you already knew that. But that is not interesting. What is interesting, is what people eat and why they choose to eat it. What is the deal with everyone all of a sudden claiming “I have a gluten intolerance” and so many products introducing gluten free versions of themselves. Is this a true need that scientist and nutritionalists figured out or is it a fad that companies have bought into?
I can vividly remember that fateful day that my house went gluten free. I came home after a long scorching hot day at school. And this is not California heat but Oklahoma heat, the type that mixes with the dust in the air that dries your lungs out. I dragged myself into the kitchen to obey my thirst with a cold sprite and top that off with multiple handfuls of flavor blasted goldfish. (Wait one second as a run to target to re-up on snacks). As I opened the cabinet to start chowing down on goldfish a shocking revelation revealed itself. Another cabinet had fallen at that hands of gluten free branding. Who in their right mind wants to eat Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies!!! This was the first of many run-ins with alternative diets. My family loves to stay at the cutting edge of each new instagram health fad.
Gluten free is not the only fascinating nutritional trend. This is especially apparent attending a school located in Los Angeles which seems to be the unofficial hub of nutritional trends. Here there are first hand accounts of people trying every diet known to man. There are the basics: vegetarianism, no sugar diet, no carb diet. These are boring because essentially its for you average person trying to lose weight by completely cutting out a single ingredient. But then there are the extremes: veganism, ketogenic diet, Paleolithic diet, Inuit diet along with countless others. This is where diets and plans become captivating. They ask for an insane amount of dedication not only mentally and physically but also monetarily.
Veganism is has reached a cult like following. Not only can you start eating like them but there are websites that want you to help spread veganism throughout the world. I am not kidding here is the link. You can donate to “make veganism more accessible,” to “help vulnerable vegans out of difficult situations” and to help “promote vegansim worldwide.” This sounds less and less like a diet and more like a religion.
In future posts I plan on delving into these questions: How can there be so many different trains of thought on the best nutritional plan? How do these trends spread? Are there inexpensive options? Are they actually beneficial for the average person? Why has my favorite athlete switched to this? Should I trust someone on instagram supporting a diet or nutritional plan? Why is there a mythical aura surrounding those who successfully embody one of these diets?
The big question I want to answer is: Is this all hype or are people really making a difference in their long term health?
