If you’re a People Magazine fan (I live in a household of them), you’re probably familiar with the “Where are they now?” segments that profile actors who were child stars 20 years ago.  Today, I thought it would be interesting to look at nutrition fads from days gone by and where they’re at today.

Bee Pollen.  Unbelievably this fad ingredient is still hot.  You may not see it in the press, but sales of bee pollen supplements are still high.  While it was touted in the 1980s as a superfood with the potential to prevent cancer, manage allergies and hay fever and help with weight loss, none of these have proven to be true.  Wasn’t true then, isn’t true today. 

My advice?  If you’re looking for a great superfood, stop by the grocery store and grabs some blueberries or broccoli.

Juicing.  Remember the infomercials?  They were shown practically 24/7, and the hotlines for purchasing them were ringing off the hook.  Instead of actually eating fruits and vegetables, the concept was to juice them – thought to be more tolerable in flavor while you still benefitted from all the nutrients.   I haven’t seen a juicer in anyone’s house lately, and my sense is this trend was absorbed into the smoothie trend. 

My advice?  Whole fruits and vegetables (vs. juice) are the best choice.  If you’ve moved onto the smoothie trend, use whole fruits and vegetables. 

The grapefruit diet, the cabbage soup diet.  I have a friend who ate nothing but cabbage soup for a week.  While she did lose 6 pounds, there’s obviously no way she could sustain this for long periods of time.  More importantly, she was getting very few of the nutrients her body needs to stay healthy, sustain her through the day, etc.    Common sense tells us all that these are unrealistic eating plans, but the allure of quick weight loss is appealing to many.

My advice?  Include foods like cabbage and grapefruit in your eating plan, but look for methods of weight management you can sustain for the long haul.

The Atkins Diet.  Yes, another diet fad.  But this is one that has come and gone, and come and gone.  While this diet recommends a very low carbohydrate eating plan that is unrealistic for many people to stick with, there has been some benefit from this diet cropping up every decade or so.  What we’ve all learned is to make better carbohydrate choices and that just because many high carb foods are fat free, it doesn’t mean we can eat them in unlimited portions.  Just like all food types, portions of carbohydrates and the type we eat need to be managed.  Research is emerging to suggest that some people can be effective at weight management and loss by managing their carbohydrates (which is different than eliminating them). 

My advice?  Focus on whole grains, high fiber carbohydrates, and limit starchy foods made from white, refined flour.  Limit portion sizes of carbs. 

Have a favorite nutrition fad from the 1980’s or 1990’s?  Send it in, and I’ll let you know where it’s at today.

Visit www.nuval.com to create your own fad of high scoring foods.