Once every week, social media gives us something called a “superfood,” from chia seeds and apple cider vinegar to detox drinks, and they all carry the same message: whatever is good for most people is good for you too. As a college student who wanted to take better care of my body than hostel mess food allowed, I bought into this belief as well. So I began soaking chia seeds every day and consuming them first thing in the morning, thinking I was doing my body a favor.
However, after six months, while traveling back home, my skin started breaking out in itchy red rashes, with no pain, just an uncontrollable desire to scratch. Creams treated it temporarily, but it kept recurring. The test didn’t confirm an allergy to chia seeds specifically, but it did reveal a tendency toward hypersensitivity. When I ran out of chia seeds, the rashes stopped completely. When I started eating them again to test if that was really the cause, the rashes came back within two days.
That was when it dawned on me that good health is not a universal thing, regardless of what every wellness page says. Genetic makeup, gut bacteria, and immune system differences all come into play. A particular food can work wonders for a million people but disagree with you personally, without being a “bad” food. The internet can point you toward healthy practices, but it can never tell you how your own body will react to them. Only you know that.
Has a “healthy” trend ever backfired on you the way it did for me?
We often assume that if something is called a “superfood,” it must be good for everyone but our bodies don’t always work that way. Your experience is a great reminder that health is personal. Trends can be a good starting point but paying attention to how our own body responds is far more important. Sometimes the healthiest choice isn’t the most popular one, it’s the one that actually suits us.
skipping almost every breakfast and dinner to “lose” weight didn’t help me at all but also gave me gastric so bad even the doctor thought i have an intestinal infection or appendicitis after a physical examination
Absolutely right. Nowadays, most people follow health trends on social media. They only see the results and benefits of consuming certain foods without considering their own body type. Every person has a different body and may react differently to a particular food.
Posts and information on the internet usually show only one side of the coin—the health benefits and preparation steps. The other side of the coin, such as the risks of overconsumption, possible side effects, the right time to consume it, and the appropriate quantity, is rarely discussed.
This is really nice post detailing the negative impact of a positive thing. Actually in most of such cases, I have seen people adapting a particular good superfood habit do not show any sign or symptoms immediately. But they do develop some health issues on continuous use. This is mostly due to major change in gut microbiome. So it goes when you when you stop eating them. If you re-start eating just in few days then it will again create problem; but, when you eat them after a long interval in small quantities then it doesn’t cause the same problem again. This is the way our gut microbiome changes and react.
Thanks for sharing your experience. It’s a great reminder to question trends, observe how our own bodies respond, and seek evidence rather than following what’s popular.