{"id":13773,"date":"2021-08-02T12:02:17","date_gmt":"2021-08-02T11:02:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/?p=13773"},"modified":"2023-03-01T09:52:44","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T09:52:44","slug":"the-biggest-health-food-traps-busted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/the-biggest-health-food-traps-busted","title":{"rendered":"The biggest \u2018health food\u2019 traps busted"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are a lot of myths out there about \u2018superfoods\u2019 or healthy \u2018healing\u2019 foods, as well as the craze for vegan alternatives – but the scientific evidence is lacking. What\u2019s more, having a \u2018vegan\u2019 label doesn\u2019t necessarily mean \u2018healthy\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some of the common \u2018traps\u2019 when it comes to health food fads – and how to avoid them.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Gluten-free<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

Those who cut out gluten from their diet when they don\u2019t have coeliac disease (an autoimmune condition where the immune system attacks the intestine when exposed to gluten) have been shown to have a less diverse range of gut bacteria.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An observational study of close to 200,000 people (without celiac disease) showed that those with the highest gluten consumption had a 20% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared to those with the lowest gluten intake. The researchers were able to explain this, at least in part, by the fact that those who cut gluten also tended to eat less grain fibre, which is known to protect against type 2 diabetes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Researchers (including my colleagues from King\u2019s) have also shown that not only were gluten-free foods 159% more expensive, but they also, on average, contained more added sugar and salt, and less fibre and protein than their gluten-containing alternatives. Long-term food restriction can also be socially isolating and may lead to greater sensitivity to certain foods. I delve deeper into this phenomenon in my new book <\/span>Eat More, Live Well<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

My advice: <\/b><\/span>don\u2019t assume it\u2019s gluten and cut all sources from your diet before considering alternative causes – the 3R Method in my first book<\/span> Eat Yourself Healthy<\/span><\/i><\/a> & <\/span>Love Your Gut<\/span><\/i><\/a> can help you objectively assess food intolerances, just as I would in my <\/span>clinic<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Bone broth<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

It\u2019s worked it’s way up from a humble cold remedy to \u2018superfood\u2019 status hyped up for aiding digestive issues, \u2018boosting\u2019 immunity and removing wrinkles\u2026 but it\u2019s no magic fix.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The claims are mostly down to the collagen. Collagen is a protein, and protein is important, but it\u2019s not a \u2018complete\u2019 protein because it lacks one of the essential amino acids (the protein building blocks). When your gut is breaking it down, it can\u2019t necessarily tell whether the amino acids (which your body uses to build its own muscle) are coming from the bone broth or other protein foods like beans or eggs.<\/span><\/p>\n

Restricting this fibre long-term (e.g. the \u2018bone broth diet\u2019) will essentially starve your gut bacteria \u2013 a bad idea for your gut health. We don\u2019t want our GM to go hungry! Many shop-bought versions can also be high in salt, which can contribute to high blood pressure and risk of heart disease.<\/span><\/p>\n

My choice: <\/b><\/span>go for plant-packed soups instead!<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Vegan \u2018mock meats\u2019<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

While a vegan diet that focuses on high-fibre whole plant foods can be beneficial, a vegan diet that relies on highly processed \u2018meat-free\u2019 alternatives and white grains isn\u2019t going to do your gut health any good.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Take vegan cheeses, for example. \u2018Normal\u2019 cheese is fermented by bacteria, which are considered to be beneficial for our bodies. However, vegan cheeses are not fermented and the processing could degrade many of the beneficial nutrients usually found in plant-based foods.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Fake\u2019 meat products, from pea protein patties to tofu \u2018chickn\u2019, also tend to be loaded with additives, by trying to create the same texture and flavour as real meat.<\/span><\/p>\n

While preservatives and other food additives have been rigorously tested historically and accepted as safe by the food safety authorities before they\u2019re allowed into our food, their impact on our gut microbes has largely been ignored \u2013 simply because we didn\u2019t recognise the importance of our gut back when most of the testing took place.<\/span><\/p>\n

Updated testing is underway, but there are still many unknowns. Animal studies so far have suggested some additives may not be good for our gut microbes, as they can trigger gut inflammation in those susceptible. This is something my team at King\u2019s is currently exploring a world first Clinical trial. Stay tuned for more research results!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My advice: <\/b><\/span>check the label for mysterious ingredients, or make your own plant-packed veggie burgers (recipe for my Spicy Bean Burgers in <\/span>Eat Yourself Healthy<\/span><\/i><\/a> & <\/span>Love Your Gut<\/span><\/i><\/a>)<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are a lot of myths out there about \u2018superfoods\u2019 or healthy \u2018healing\u2019 foods, as well as the craze for vegan alternatives – but the scientific evidence is lacking. What\u2019s more, having a \u2018vegan\u2019 label doesn\u2019t necessarily mean \u2018healthy\u2019. Here are some of the common \u2018traps\u2019 when it comes to health food fads – and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":13774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[48,30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-or-nutrition","category-myth-busting"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe biggest \u2018health food\u2019 traps busted | The Gut Health Doctor<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are a lot of myths out there about \u2018superfoods\u2019 or healthy \u2018healing\u2019 foods - here are some of the common traps!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguthealthdoctor.com\/the-biggest-health-food-traps-busted\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The biggest \u2018health food\u2019 traps busted | The Gut Health Doctor\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are a lot of myths out there about \u2018superfoods\u2019 or healthy \u2018healing\u2019 foods - 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