Health and wellness trends are fun and can motivate you to live a healthier lifestyle, but not all trends are as healthy or safe as we might want them to be. Here are several wellness trends that seem healthy on the surface but may not be as beneficial—or safe—as they’re marketed to be:
- Juice Cleanses
- Claim: Detox your body, reset digestion, rapid weight loss
- Reality: Lacks protein, fiber, and healthy fats; can spike blood sugar and slow metabolism. Your liver and kidneys already detox your body naturally.
- Waist Trainers
- Claim: Instantly slim your waist and “train” your shape over time
- Reality: May impair breathing, weaken core muscles, and lead to organ compression. Results are temporary and not based in science.
- Overuse of Supplements
- Claim: More vitamins and minerals = better health
- Reality: Many people over-supplement without testing for deficiencies. High doses of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) can be toxic, and some supplements interfere with medications.
- Excessive Infrared Sauna Use
- Claim: Burns calories, detoxifies, improves skin and longevity
- Reality: While occasional use can be beneficial, overuse can lead to dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and over-reliance on passive “detox” strategies.
- Alkaline Water
- Claim: Balances body pH, boosts energy, prevents disease
- Reality: Your body tightly regulates its pH regardless of what you drink. No strong scientific evidence supports health benefits beyond staying hydrated.
- TikTok Health Hacks (like “nature’s Ozempic” or dry scooping)
- Claim: Rapid weight loss or energy boosts
- Reality: Many of these are anecdotal, untested, and sometimes dangerous. Dry scooping pre-workout, for example, can increase risk of heart issues.
- Colonics and Frequent Detoxes
- Claim: Flush toxins, promote gut health
- Reality: Can disrupt gut flora, damage the colon, and are usually unnecessary for healthy individuals.
- Overtraining or “No Days Off” Culture
- Claim: More is better when it comes to fitness
- Reality: Rest and recovery are essential. Constant training without proper rest leads to burnout, injury, and hormone imbalance.
Wellness should be about balance, sustainability, and evidence, not extremes or trends. While fashion trends can be tried and discarded with very few downsides other than embarrassment, health trends should be scrutinized more carefully.
Copyright 2021, GoHealthier.com
