Life
7 Food Trends That Need to End With 2014, Starting With Our Ridiculous Kale Obsession
I was having drinks with a group of fellow bloggers a while back and one of them asked why basically every food in Los Angeles has kale in it. I had no answer for her, because I wonder the same thing. It's not like kale is a new thing, and it definitely wasn't the worst food trend we rolled our eyes at in 2014. Just as fashion fads come and go, so do food fads — though there are definitely a few food trends we'd love to see end, like, now.
But let me preface all this by saying: I will never snark at people who try to eat healthy. Living a healthy lifestyle is an everyday commitment that involves a level of dedication that a lot of people don't have. However, there is a big difference between trying to follow a healthy and balanced diet because it's just common sense to eat things that are good for you, and following a fad diet because a few bloggers you follow on Instagram claim it's healthy.
These are just a few gross/weird/annoying food trends we saw in 2014 that I'm hoping and praying will not make it into 2015.
Kale
Yes, kale is nutritious, but so are a lot of other greens. Which is why kale is more of an overblown fad than a nutritional breakthrough. And let’s be real: it’s not the tastiest of foods. If you don’t cook it right, kale is pretty damn bitter with a flat texture — I don’t care how many people claim to enjoy it raw.
Image: Shutterbean/Flickr
Paleo
I don’t know about you, but I can’t afford to buy all my groceries from Whole Foods or spend hours cooking or preparing every meal in order to adhere to a Paleo diet. We can debate all day about the pros and cons of eating Paleo, but the bottom line is that Paleo is a diet for the privileged. It’s been around for a few years, and hopefully this will be the year it finally goes back to being on the fringes instead of in the mainstream.
Gluten-Free
Unless you are a part of the 1 percent of people who have celiac disease or the 6 percent who have non-celiac gluten sensitivity — you do not need to be gluten-free. Going gluten-free makes you miss out on the nutritional benefits of consuming whole grain foods, which can help lower your risk of some forms of cancer, type-2 diabetes, and heart disease. Plus, gluten-free alternatives (like most fad or specialized diet options) tend to be more expensive.
Black-Colored Foods
OK, seriously you guys. Black-colored foods, like the much hyped black-bun burger being sold in Japanese Burger Kings, look like they’ve either been burned or will turn you into a zombie. Of course, they are actually safe to eat, but no thank you.
80:10:10
Much like the seemingly insane “banana diet,” the 80:10:10 diet is basically just eating a ton of fruit and not a lot else. It may seem healthy — having a diet of 80 percent carbs from mostly fruits and some veggies, 10 percent from healthy fats, and 10 percent from protein — but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Most people need a lot more than 10 percent fat and protein in their diet, and eating that much fruit can make your blood sugar spike and then crash. You should probably just stick to a balanced diet.
Juice Cleanses
If you or someone you know has ever tried to do a juice cleanse, you know how sucky it really is. People can tell you how amazing they feel afterwards or how great it is for your heath, but you know that by Day 3 you’ve turned into a straight-up monster due to hunger. If you’re trying to get more fruits and veggies into your diet (lord knows I need to), there are other safer and more nutritious ways.
Ramen-Fusion
Maybe it’s all the anime I watch, but I think the traditional form of ramen is the best form. Even the Cup of Noodles, the super-duper processed stuff we all ate in high school, seems wrong. The ramen burgers I could maybe get on board with, but ramen donuts and ramen fries? Stop it.
