The Rise of "Real" Food
Eilidh Miller
21/03/24
(Image Source: Masahiro Ihara on Creative Commons)
Diet trends are constantly changing. In recent years, veganism, and meat-free diets, have taken centre stage as trendy eating habits to adopt. Supermarket shelves have seen an influx of cruelty-free alternatives, from vegan eggs to plant-based burgers. But the tides are changing once again and as the vegan boom stabilises, a new way of eating is on the horizon – an unprocessed, whole foods diet. But what does this entail, why has it grown in popularity, and how healthy is it?
Vegan surge to vegan stagnation
Around 2018-2019 the vegan diet really took off. It seemed like everyone was going vegan, or at least cutting down on their meat intake, for several environmental, health-related, and animal-rights-related reasons. Changing to veganism had a positive impact on people’s lives and many claimed to feel happier, healthier, and more energised when following this diet. The movement gained mainstream popularity and even had backing from a plethora of A-list celebs.
But fast-forward to 2024 and the vegan boom seems to be levelling out. Many former advocates of veganism have now started to reincorporate meat and animal products into their diets. Miley Cyrus, once a vocal vegan and animal-rights activist, said she had to give up her vegan lifestyle due to feeling malnourished and energy-less. One of the most critical ex-vegans is Bear Grylls, although he wrote a plant-based cookbook during his many years as a vegan. Grylls told the Daily Mail that he feels “embarrassed” about being vegan for so long after realising just how harmful vegan and vegetarian alternatives are both for the environment and for our health.
(Image Credit: Creative Commons)
“I started looking at the ingredients and just thought hold on, this is horrific” (Bear Grylls, Daily Mail).
On top of this, many big fake meat companies have announced cuts to their production lines amidst a dip in demand. Could it be that more people are now choosing to avoid ultra-processed foods and opting to eat fresh produce instead?
Ultra-processed Poison
If you check the back of your favourite supermarket snacks, you will find a list of ingredients that look like they are written in another language. These are the fillers, additives, stabilizers, and synthetic ingredients that make foods ultra-processed. While these ingredients can help to improve shelf life, they can also cause harm.
A study showed that ultra-processed foods are harmful to every part of our bodies and can increase the risk of multiple illnesses including cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
(Image Credit: The Guardian)
Despite this, the UK has the highest level of Ultra-processed food consumption in Europe. But people are now being made aware of the sour impact our favourite sweet treats can have.
Dr Chris Van Tulken set out to test just how severe an impact ultra-processed foods can have on our bodies by switching his usual balanced meals for foods that come exclusively out of packets. After eating this way for a month, he told National Public Radio that he “became very unwell very quickly. I felt terrible. I stopped sleeping, I developed anxiety and became very unhappy”.
Although there is evidence of the harm that consuming ultra-processed foods causes, we continue to eat them. But what if there was an alternative way of eating that tasted good and made us feel good?
Whole foods are good foods
Recently on social media, adopting a wholefoods diet has blown up. Fitness influencers and healthy eating accounts document how they stay fit and healthy by eating unprocessed, wholefoods and this has encouraged others to hop on the trend and give this way of eating a go. This type of diet includes things like grains, grass-fed beef, fresh fruits, eggs, and vegetables and focuses on eating simple meals with fresh ingredients.
(Image Credit: @organic_arch on TikTok)
The biggest surge for this movement can perhaps be credited to ex bodybuilder, Eddie Abbew, whose strong messaging, and passionate catchphrases have convinced others to follow his diet. Abbew shares videos of his unprocessed diet which often includes eating 12 eggs for breakfast.
While some may think this is a bit extreme, many people have given the Eddie-diet a try. TikToker @isabellahill_ said she felt fuller after eating wholefoods, and in one video she explains: “I had that lunch and I felt full, normally I have lunch and I’ll be snacking throughout the day.”
Image Credit: @isabellahill_ on TikTok)
Eating unprocessed wholefoods has been shown to keep you fuller for longer while also being beneficial in terms of cholesterol levels, blood pressure, and weight. But should we really deprive ourselves of a weekend takeaway in favour of eating 12 eggs? As with most things, the key is to find a balance but being more aware of the harm that ultra-processed foods can cause and trying to cut down on how often we eat them can only have positive effects.