It seems like there’s a new healthy buzzword making the rounds almost every other day. Keeping up and learning what they actually mean can be difficult. Which ones are just marketing ploys designed to make you think you’re eating healthy when you’re actually not? Which are the real deal? Let us break it down for you:

Probiotics

Probiotics are all the rage these days, and they have been for a while. What are they exactly? Probiotics are live bacteria that help balance your gut and promote healthy digestion, which brings other benefits along with it (because we all know poor digestion can lead to many other icky side effects). You can find them in a variety of foods and they also come in supplement form. Sources of probiotics include yogurt, kefir, kombucha, sauerkraut, miso soup, kimchi and other fermented foods. 

Ancient grains

Ancient grains are essentially grains that have been around for centuries and the practices for growing and harvesting them have not changed. A lot of ancient grains are gluten-free, and also come along with their own distinct flavors, which makes them an interesting addition to your menu. Ancient grains you may have heard about include quinoa, teff, barley, kamut, millet, spelt and bulgur.

Antioxidants

You may have seen products in the store advertising the benefits of their antioxidant content, or heard about how foods like blueberries are high in them. But what are they exactly? An antioxidant is a molecule that stops the oxidization of other molecules. Oxidation is not always a bad thing. In fact, it is an essential part of life. It’s considered bad when it produces free radicals that can cause cell damage. Antioxidants are part of a healthy diet, and are most commonly found in the form of vitamins A, C and E, however, supplementation with antioxidants has yet to be proven effective for disease prevention—and may even be harmful—so don’t believe the marketing hype.

Clean eating 

If you follow any health and fitness enthusiasts on social media, you’ve likely seen the term ‘clean eating’ thrown around quite a bit. Clean eating goes beyond simply eating clean food. Essentially clean eating means eating as much whole, unprocessed food as possible, while reducing the amount of processed foods in your diet. Processing food isn’t inherently bad–many foods have to go through some sort of process before they can be eaten, but some processing methods can introduce additional salt, sugar, fat or chemicals designed to make food more appealing in some way. Processing can also remove a lot of the original nutritional content of the food, so ‘clean eating’ is really just about paying attention to the quality of food you’re putting in your body, and that’s a good thing!

Natural (or All-natural)

When foods are advertised as ‘natural’, my alarm bells automatically go off. This is because natural doesn’t necessarily mean good, but many people think it does, and that’s exactly what some food marketers want you to believe. For example, many dangerous chemicals are naturally occurring, so you could easily say something like ammonia is ‘all-natural’. Therein you see the problem with this claim. When a product claims to be ‘natural’ do yourself a favor and read the label to be sure you know exactly what those natural ingredients are–this is a good practice no matter what you are buying. 

Gluten-free 

I’m sure many people (who don’t have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity) are getting pretty tired of the whole gluten-free trend. But what is gluten and why has it gotten such a bad rap? I’m going to defer to our resident Nutritionist Samantha Cassetty to break it down for you:

“Gluten is a protein found in wheat (such as whole wheat, spelt and bulgur), as well as barley and rye. In people with celiac disease, eating even a speck of gluten can trigger a serious immune reaction that can cause symptoms that range from digestive problems to joint pain to skin disorders…

As many as 18 million people, however, suffer from another disorder–gluten sensitivity, which causes them to feel really crummy. Fatigue, brain fog, and bloating are just a few of the symptoms that these people describe…

And then there’s the third set of people–those who, like your neighbor or friend, replace the junk in their diet (think white bread, muffins, pretzels, and sugary cereals) with more wholesome, gluten-free foods, like brown rice, quinoa and oats. They might feel better or even lose weight, because these are the foods (along with gluten-containing whole grains) that help control blood sugar and keep your appetite in check. These perks have nothing to do with gluten–they have to do with making improvements to your overall diet…”

Read the rest of Samantha’s thoughts here.

Reduced sodium

Foods that advertise reduced sodium content are good for a number of reasons. While good quality sea salt is high in minerals that are essential for good health, and the body needs salt to function in general, too much sodium can be bad for you. High levels of sodium in your diet can lead to increased risk of heart disease and high blood pressure. Samantha also had a few words to say about sodium and how reducing the amount of it in your diet is good for you (this is also why many of our good-for-you entrées have reduced sodium content).

The lesson: always read food labels! 

As we continue to navigate the wide world of food and food marketing, more healthy buzzwords are sure to emerge. The important thing to remember is to always check the labels to be sure that the claims being made are actually providing the benefits you think they are. A little online research also goes a long way.

For more insights from our resident Nutritionist, check out her latest post, The Questions Everyone Asks Me When They Find Out I’m A Nutritionist.

Do you have any healthy buzzwords you’d like to promote or debunk? Share them in the comments or over on Twitter at @luvoinc.