BMI : Never Mind | Body mass index was introduced 200 years ago by Belgian mathematician Lambert Quetelet. It makes no allowance for muscle mass and distribution of fat. Waist-hip ratio is a far better index. BMI is just a waste of time and doesn’t carry any weight in scientific circles.
Detox: It’s A Crock | Juice cleanses to invigorate the gut. Warm water diets that elevate the soul. Digital detoxes that de-clutter the brain. Everyone is cleansing everything. Except for the polluted air and smog choking our larger cities. If we could shake up govt inertia and clear the air, that would be a detox worth doing.
Ozempic: Bypass | Easy solutions have always seemed attractive. But whether it’s bariatric surgery or the newest trend of GLP-1 drugs, the gaunt sunken face is not really aspirational. There is no substitute for hard work and the long scenic route to good health – through regular exercise and sensible nutrition. Delulu cannot be the only solulu.
Korean Glass Skin: Impossible | Filters and AI enhancement have created unreal beauty standards. Layering on hyaluronic acid, retinol and snail mucin is not going to change genetics or ethnicity. Beauty is more than skin deep. Deeper still are the pockets that pay for these treatments that promise to make you someone else.
Health Influencers: Terrible Tips | Everyone is an influencer, from the nosy neighbourhood aunty to the trainer in the gym. But the worst are the social media gurus spouting gyan and garbage equally. Toothpaste for acne, onions for hair loss and surplus supplements. They are paid to promote so don’t be influenced. Keep scrolling.
Dr Google: Disastrous Diagnosis | Stop checking the internet for a diagnosis. Everything from a toothache to lower back pain could be cancer. Get up and go for a walk – to your doctor’s office. Get a sensible opinion and some lifestyle change. Dr Google needs to retire – and take his artificial intelligence and natural stupidity with him.
Complete Body Checkup: Blah | Random unwanted tests are a trend that must go away. Targeted specific tests for a specific problem make sense but checking everything from magnesium to molybdenum levels and testing allergies to rare Mexican beetles or scanning for cancer markers in a healthy individual is a waste of resources and a form of fear-mongering.
Marketing Bait: Don’t Bite | The hook phrase catches your attention and baits you into biting. The Ultimate Protein. The Single Vitamin that solves everything from Insomnia to Infidelity. Completely Natural. Organic and Orgasmic. It’s time to start reading labels. The small print. That’s where the real story is told. God is in the details.
Supplements: No Substitute | There is no substitute for whole foods. Supplements are a million-dollar industry, but they cannot and should not replace food. Especially not self-prescribed supplements. Get rid of that array of colourful capsules and consume the rainbow on a platter – bright orange carrots, fresh green palak, plump purple egg-plant and sunny yellow bell pepper.
Sugar, Spirits, Stress: Unholy Trinity | Creating stress through unreasonable working hours and compensating with stress eating, spirits and sleepless nights of scrolling has to go away in 2026. Superfast snacks available in ten minutes are not a convenience – it’s the sound of palm oil and preservatives clogging our coronaries. Suphalam Sujalam Sheetalam is the new Satyam Shivam Sundaram.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
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