The last few years have seen a rise in the food trends being a part of mainstream media. They range from small things like the rainbow food trend to the idea that the pinnacle of health is eating kale and doing juice cleanses. But just cause something is a trendy food now does not make it better than any other food.
Food Trends aren't the End All Be All of Food
I will be the first to admit to jumping on the bandwagon of food trends. I love smoothie bowls, chia seeds, and super foods just as much as the next person. But I also know that eating those foods doesn't make me better or "cooler", and those foods may not be the best foods for me.
Take the rainbow trend for example. Nothing about the rainbow food is better than the same type of food, it just has fun colors. Waiting in line for hours to get a rainbow bagel could be a super fun time to do with friends and family, but it also won't change your world. Let yourself enjoy the trends you like, but know that just cause the food is trendy, it doesn't make it better than other food.
Trendy Health Food Won't Make You Healthy
I have a work in progress relationship with my body and food, and I have definitely used food trends to motivate myself to be healthier. Smoothie bowls are one of my favorite things to eat, and I started to eat them more cause of the beautiful ones I see all over Instagram. But even if I eat a smoothie bowl once a day I am not transformed into a health goddess. I still binge on cookies with my roommate when I am stressed and order plenty of take away pizza. Eating one healthy and trendy food won't change that. But it can help motivate positive and healthier changes.
Food trends can make eating healthier seem easier and more fun. Healthy juice shots (sometimes even in syringes) are a quick way to get some extra greens into your diet. Wheatgrass shots are not the most fun thing to do but doing it with a friend can make it less painful, and it is less daunting than eating a giant bowl of kale. Even something small like adding hemp hearts or chia seeds to your salad can be a small, healthy step in the right direction. Doing these once won't make you the pinnacle of health, but can make it seem easier and more fun to be healthy.
The main thing to know is that trendy foods are not inherently better than any other foods. If your favorite celebrity swears by some new food trend, try it out but don't be blinded by the hype. Trends can be super fun, maybe you ate something you would have never tried before or found your new favorite restaurant which is awesome. But take the trends with a grain of salt cause following them doesn't make you cooler or healthier. Love the trend but don't live by the trend.