Uh-oh:

More and more health-minded individuals are coming to realize that genuine nutrition science can’t be replaced by viral gimmicks from self-proclaimed “wellness” influencers.

Because when you try, you end up with advice like this: someone staring into a camera and insisting that ice cream is healthier than salad, and somehow managing to say it with a straight face.

You end up with advice that’s no better than everyone else’s, and far worse than the insights shared by those who use science the right way, as a force multiplier for truth, just as a microscope reveals and magnifies what’s already there, instead of inventing what isn’t.

Now we have supermarket show-and-tells where a guy holds up a pint of ice cream and claims it’s “pure,” while a bag of greens is “toxic.” He points to lettuce, cabbage, and carrots and says, “void of micronutrients,” then warns you about maltodextrin and seed oils “hurting your hormones.” He’s not even joking.

First of all, he’s completely clueless about what he’s saying. The salad he’s dismissing, the Fresh Express Chopped Kit, Creamy Goodness variety, actually contains multiple vegetables, pumpkin seeds, and dried corn. I looked it up. It has more beta carotene, vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, copper, iron, and fiber than his beloved Haagen-Dazs.

The ice cream only beats it on calcium from the milk and a tiny bit of vitamin D. That’s it. Plus, it packs around 45 g of added sugar versus 6 g in the entire salad bag, and over 800 calories of mostly sugar and saturated fat.

There are large studies showing that even half a serving of ice cream per day increases cardiovascular risk by 70%. But apparently, in influencer logic, the cane sugar in ice cream “supports your thyroid,” while 6 g of maltodextrin in a salad “ruins your hormones.”

Sorry, what? Maltodextrin and cane sugar are both sugars. They both break down into simple glucose. How on earth does 45 g of one “support” anything while 6 g of the other “destroy” it?

The wellness world has now come full circle from condemning processed foods and glorifying “back-to-basics” butter-and-steak “purity,” to now promoting ultra-processed desserts over simple vegetables and seeds.

This is why so many health advocates are now racing to correct the record.

Unfortunately, real nutritional literacy is becoming increasingly rare, as so many rely too much on trending reels and let their understanding atrophy, or never develop it in the first place.

What an incredible opportunity for you.

Yes, learn everything you can about food labels, micronutrients, and metabolism.

But also hone your discernment to a razor-sharp point so you can cut through all the mediocrity and make choices rooted in both evidence and understanding.

Master both, the science and the common sense, and you’ll be unstoppable.

Irina Valeva

P.S. If you want to stay ahead of the misinformation herd, the fastest way to sharpen your nutrition skills is to simply compare ingredients.

I’ve done it myself, and so have most of the top researchers I know. It’s hands-down the best system for internalizing what makes food heal instead of harm.

Check it out next time you’re at the store. Pick up the “health-halo” salad bag and the pint of ice cream side by side. Read. Compare. The ingredients will speak for themselves and the truth will make you smile, wondering how anyone ever got it backward.

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