I've fallen for a lot of wellness bullshit over the years, but the most cringe was probably when I avoided any coloured vegetables for MONTHS.
A nutrition programme I'd joined in Singapore claimed they had way too much sugar. So that meant no tomatoes, no carrots, no beetroot. Don't even get me started on fruits.
I know, I know...
WHAT. THE ACTUAL. FUCK?
Over the years, I've tried so many diets, workout programmes, 'advice' from podcasts.
I consider myself pretty smart, and I'm sure you do too, which is why it feels sooooo rough when we fall for wellness BS.
There's ALWAYS something new we're supposed to be doing.
Right now it's fibermaxxing, peptide injections and gadgets that promise to "regulate your nervous system".
And the annoying bit is that every single one of those trends has a little something true in it. That's exactly what makes them so believable.
Every health trend starts with a little grain of truth
Most health trends aren't TOTALLY made up.
There's always a little grain of truth somewhere. But then it gets coated in BS, layer after layer, like a little M&M, until you can't even see the grain anymore.
Fibre IS a genuinely important nutrient most of us don't eat enough of. Fibermaxxing didn't invent that.
Same with protein. It IS genuinely important, especially for keeping your muscles as we get older.
But now protein is in literally everything (protein water is the most ridiculous idea I've ever heard, and a lot of protein bars are just the nutritional equivalent of cake).
And when we hear the same claim often enough, it starts to sound true.
Psychologists call this the illusory truth effect. A claim you've heard before is easier for your brain to process, and your brain mistakes easy for true.
So the first time you hear it, you might raise an eyebrow and be like WTF, but by the 10th time, it just starts to sound true.
And the wildest part? In a 2015 study, this happened even when people already knew the right answer. Isn't this mental?
That's how we got "fat makes you fat" in the 90s, "carbs are the enemy" in the 2000s and "seed oils are poison" now.
And a lot of the salt goes on before it even reaches your feed. In 2014, a group of researchers compared 462 health press releases from 20 UK universities with the actual studies behind them, and found that 40% exaggerated the advice to readers. 33% took a simple link between 2 things and sold it as cause & effect.
And guess what? When the press release exaggerated, the news coverage usually did too. Which is exactly how we ended up with headlines like "A glass of red wine is the equivalent to an hour at the gym". The study was on RATS. And there wasn't even any wine in it, just a compound found in grapes (sorry to everyone who cancelled their gym membership).
So by the time a friend or colleague sends a link to a study or news article in your group chat, it's probably already been 'seasoned' a few times.
(wow, I'm really embracing the whole salt analogy...)
You don't have to bin the trend. Just scrape off the SALT.
Take fibermaxxing, and the grain of truth here is massive because most adults really don't eat enough fibre.
Then it got amplified: some influencers now push 50 to 70 grams a day, though intakes that high haven't been studied well enough.
Then it got taken over: earlier this year, the food company Kraft launched a high-protein, high-fibre mac and cheese.
Because nothing says gut health like a box of orange pasta...
So here's the 1-minute test I use now to question health trends and claims:
🧂 The Grain of SALT Test
Step 1. Find the grain of truth. Before anything else, ask yourself what's actually true here, and who it's true for.
Step 2. Count the SALT. Go through the 4 questions below and give yourself 1 point for every yes.
S for Stretched: was it true for some people, and is it now being sold as true for everyone?
A for Amplified: has "a bit of this is good for you" turned into "the more, the better"?
L for Locked in: has a helpful nudge become an always/never rule, with good foods, bad foods and a way to fail?
T for Taken over: has a tribe made it their whole identity, or a brand made it a product, and do they need the extreme version to keep it going?
Step 3. Check your SALT Score.
0 points: the advice is probably fine as it is
1 or 2 points: go ahead and try it, just leave out the extreme bits
3 or 4 points: skip the trend, and keep only the grain if you can still find it
And before you hit buy, 1 last question: who's selling the salt?
Try it this week: next time you catch yourself thinking "ooh, I should try that", stop and run the test. Or pick 1 piece of health advice you've heard lately, from a colleague, a headline, a podcast or a box at the supermarket, and score it.
Fibermaxxing, for example, scores a 2: Amplified and Taken over. Keep the grain (eat more plants), definitely leave the maxxing.
You honestly don't have to keep up with every new health trend. You definitely don't have to try them all to find out (ask me how I know). You just have to count to 4.
On Friday's podcast (YES, it's BACK!), I go further into why trying to be healthy is so exhausting.
What health trend have you fallen for, and what's its SALT Score? Hit reply or leave a comment, I read every one!
For the record, that weird diet with no carbs and no coloured vegetables? Max SALT Score 4.
I owe every baby carrot in Singapore an apology.
With love,
Noemie x
P.S. Last Christmas I wrote you a list of wellness trends that need to die. The 2026 edition is already writing itself.
What health trend have you fallen for, and what's its SALT Score?
Key Sources
Vernon W Dolinsky and others, 'Improvements in Skeletal Muscle Strength and Cardiac Function Induced by Resveratrol during Exercise Training Contribute to Enhanced Exercise Performance in Rats' (2012) 590(11) Journal of Physiology 2783 <https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3424731>.
Lisa K Fazio and others, 'Knowledge Does Not Protect against Illusory Truth' (2015) 144(5) Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 993 <https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26301795/>.
Petroc Sumner and others, 'The Association between Exaggeration in Health Related Science News and Academic Press Releases: Retrospective Observational Study' (2014) 349 BMJ g7015 <https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g7015>.
Debra Melani, 'Can a Fibermaxxing Social Media Trend Reverse America's "Abysmal" Intake?' (University of Colorado Anschutz, 26 January 2026) <https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/can-a-fibermaxxing-social-media-trend-reverse-americas-abysmal-intake>.
Kraft Heinz, 'The Best Thing Ever Just Got Better: Kraft Mac & Cheese Unveils PowerMac, Offering Added Protein and Fiber with the Same Cheesiness Fans Know and Love' (Business Wire, 17 March 2026) <https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260317869993/en/The-Best-Thing-Ever-Just-Got-Better-Kraft-Mac-Cheese-Unveils-PowerMac-O>.
'Peptides Promise Longevity and Healing. Does the Science Back Them Up?' (Scientific American, 2026) <https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-science-behind-the-peptide-craze/>.
Emilee Coblentz, 'Tech, Sleep Tracking, and Social Fitness: Where Health and Wellness Is Heading in 2026' (Outside, 8 March 2026) <https://www.outsideonline.com/health/wellness/health-and-wellness-trends-2026/>
Noemie Mooney is an ACE Certified Health Coach, ICF-trained Behaviour Change Specialist, certified yoga instructor, and creator of the MAKE SPACE Method™. Trained in design thinking at the Stanford d.school, she writes Unwritten Potential, a newsletter about evidence-based wellbeing, sustainable habits, mental wellbeing, and health behaviour change for smart, health-curious people who want to feel their best without making it a full-time job.