Four Fad Foods

 

A fad is defined as "a practice or interest followed for a time with exaggerated zeal." Nowhere is this more prevalent than at the grocery store. Once the Marketing Department gets hold of some new nutrition news, no matter how speculative or flimsily supported, you can bet a new superfood will shortly follow. Some of these die a mercifully quick death like gelato or frappucino. They are both still around but have lost their fad status. Others seem like they will never go away. Every year it seems there's a new "it" food. Suddenly, every restaurant is serving up the latest craze -- foams, sundried tomatos , kiwi cocktails. But soon the fad fades, and the "flavor of the week" settles into obscurity, or at the very least, the below-eye-level grocery shelves.

Some of these foods have promising research behind them - in fact the promising research is why they are heavily promoted. Others have little behind them other than skilled marketing. Here are four recent fad foods and the reality behind them from nutrition expert Janet Bond Brill, PhD (http://DrJanet.com).

Sriracha. Sriracha is a southeast Asian chili sauce made from chili peppers, vinegar, garlic, sugar and salt. It tends to be pretty high on the hotness scale. There is some evidence that the capsaisin in the chilis (in any chilis for that matter) has a small but positive effect on metabolism and may help with weight loss. On the downside, the high sugar and sodium content disqualify it as a healthy food. Use it sparingly as a condiment.

Oat milk. The popularity of oat milk is due largely to the clever marketing of a Swedish company named Oatly. Because it has a thick, creamy consistency it will froth up better than any other plant-based milk product. By marketing it to coffee shops, Oatly created a loyal following for what is otherwise a ho-hum product. It has much less protein than, say, soy milk, and most commercial oat milks are heavy laden with sugar and poor quality oils. If you like it, read the label and choose the one with the fewest additives.

Bone broth. This is a broth made by brewing the connective tissue and bones of animals such as cattle or poultry. It is low in calories and fairly high in protein. There is some evidence that bone broth can help with joint issues and digestive problems and it is a good source of collagen. There are recipes for it all over the internet, so make your own to avoid the additives.

Acai berries. These berries are a rich source of antioxidants and definitely a healthy fruit. Whether they do a better job of fighting disease and helping with weight control than other berries, as their proponents claim, has not been proven. But they are well marketed, and so very expensive.