Healthy Food Trends Yields Trashy Outcome

There are those who despise health trends and some that are indifferent to them. Hi, I’m ThumpyRose, and I was indifferent to healthy food trends. That was until they included a product I love: carbs. I don’t want to stir up old wounds, but I have a duty to speak honestly about some of these overrated food trends that I fell for. Here at Humble Vege, we learn about African countries by creating and sharing recipes for plant-based foods. In doing so, we are met with a blast of suggestions for low-carb diet recipes, carbohydrates to avoid, and carbs phobia sentiments. You would think the content on how to change your relationship with food might be asked for, but it is bleak. This opinion edition shares gritty details about types of overrated food trends and how healthy food trends lead to trashy foods.

Saturated content of carbohydrates to avoid 

Carbs anxiety is most prevalent in America. Sadly, we in America seem determined to be divided concerning food, to the extent that fake healthy food trends came up to guilt and shame obese people. Online written materials are filled with lists of carbohydrates to avoid and numerous recipes for a low-carb diet, which may have birthed the overrated food trends market. And we will discuss this based on experience. A muffled few are teaching how to change your relationship with food. This begs the question, ‘how can the plants and animals on your plate nurture you if they are abused, and people carry disdain towards them?’

For example, the mere mention of rice, bread, or potatoes, and someone (fat or skinny) jumps in to say, “You know that’s filled with carbs, right?” People know others are overly processing our food (plants and animals included), so why don’t they police the food cultivators and not the grains or animals? May they not wear you down with details on carbohydrates to avoid.

Accidentally duped by healthy food trends

Overrated food trends need to go. Plain and simple. No one wants to spend their hard-earned money, time, and effort to buy and cook something that is a lie. This was my experience with the healthy food trends ingredients like zoodles, veggie pasta and coconut flour. For those in America, you might remember the zoodle era. Such healthy food trends products were shown everywhere; TV, online ads, influencers picked them up, and grocery magazine stands featured glossy images.

Related: Social Media Recipes That Makes You Nauseous & Hungry

Immediately I knew zoodles (aka veggies spirals) were a lie. Because I’ve cooked zucchini before and understood there is no way it would hold up like pasta or come close in flavor to pasta. No matter how much you heavily season it. With that logic, I didn’t buy or pay attention to zoodles. A few months later, they switched it up and started to use red lentils and black beans in the shape of pasta. This tactic lured me because I was newly plant-based and wanted to have enough protein in my diet. Healthy food trends like this prey on plant-based lifestylers and those with carbs anxiety. The following headers offers detailed insights into each one of these failures. Oh, the injustices against carbohydrates!

Recipes for a low-carb diet: flour swap flops

To be clear, the technique and execution of using coconut flour to make an edible cookie worked. Until you look closely and taste it, then you realize you’ve wasted your money. Coconut cannot replace regular cooking flour, and there are many other suitable alternatives, like baobab, rice, millet, and sorghum flour. Why haven’t you heard of them? Because ‘carbohydrates to avoid’ sounds better than ‘grains that will keep you full longer and lower your sugar cravings’. Worse, they don’t want you to know how to change your relationship with food as that might end overrated food trends.

Coconut flour is a flop. Why? For starters, if you mix it with regular flour, the coconut taste overpowers the entire recipe. When I experimented with it, only grated lemon rinds could compete with coconut’s strong flavor. Moreso, it tasted dry, and I felt like I was choking while trying to eat it. I love coconut, but I had to donate the remaining flour before I could risk ruining my love for this delicious fruit.

Carbs phobia tried to swap rice for cauliflower 

Africans and other people who eat rice daily dearly want to know why you do not like rice? And do not say it makes you fat, lol! I kid. But seriously, oga, how far? Weretin dey worry you? Cauliflower is a big, lovely-looking vegetable that many of us have not started to experiment with yet. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I do not believe we have cauliflower in Africa. Cauliflower is one of the least eaten or bought vegetables in America, right next to broccoli. Plant eaters have warmed up to broccoli for protein and fibre, though. So you can imagine our surprise when cauliflower popped up in other healthy food trends. They hailed it to be one of the top recipes for a low-carb diet, encouraging us to put rice aside and buy cauliflower rice- an overrated food trend.

The African in me thought, ‘you have started your wahala again, abi.’ Keep in mind; they fooled me with black beans pasta, red lentils pasta, and coconut flour, so why would I give away the holy grail, which is rice? I sacked their substitutions. Yes, this is rich coming from me since I replace animal meat with plant protein. But plant protein holds up in shape, holds flavors well and has a good texture. Don’t believe me? Have a taste yourself. At this point, how to change your relationship with food is the next best thing.

Love what loves you back

Respectfully, when animal food parts were on my plate, my body was not at peace. How to change your relationship with food regarding carbs anxiety involves your willingness and determination to feel better physically, mentally, and emotionally. These are some points to consider when starting or nurturing your food relationship: 

(1) Bring Down false truths you were told about food. 

(2) Accept adults in your early life who introduced food to you had applied what they knew, and allow them to be blameless. 

(3) Begin to view food as a medicine and a source of physical & emotional balance. 

(4) Be willing to explore food possibilities outside of satisfaction.

(5) Is food worthy of your respect and recognition? 

(6) Are you teachable? Products containing carbs have many things to teach us. 

How to change your relationship with food begins with acknowledging ways food is disrespected and misused/abused (not getting into animal cruelty stuff). Believe you can do it, and you will. After all, your body is one of your best allies. Start a healthy relationship with food today. May you not wait for your body to retire, for food is here to heal and love you back.