Cottage cheese is making a glamorous protein comeback. 🧀
How our obsession with high protein diets contrasts with other countries, the intersection between belief and healing, and other news from the world of health this week.
Hello and happy Thursday!
This weekly roundup of health headlines is a collection of interesting news that crosses my desk, often pertaining to aspects of the Health Navigator system that I cover here in this newsletter and at The Health Navigator Group.
You know the drill by now: in order to de-mystify the headlines that are often designed to scare us or mislead us when it comes to our wellbeing, I’ve created an easy system for sorting health news. (Or any news, for that matter.)
It’s a simple mental filter — is the content encouraging you to buy and try? Is it trying to empower, scare, make you feel something, or educate you? Or is it simply someone’s opinion?
Alright, with that in mind, let’s get into the world of today’s wellness headlines, where protein seems to be having a big moment in the limelight…
A CLOSER LOOK
I’ve covered several of these topics recently here at Health Shift. Here’s a closer look at them.
🖥️ Doing your own health research? It’s super important to understand where and how to find quality information when using the internet to search for health advice. Dr. Jen Gunter lends some useful tips and tricks for doing quality searching in this thoughtful post — the power is in your hands, if you know where to look.
“Sending people out to do “their own research” just doesn’t work because the Internet is filled with good information right alongside misinformation, and unfortunately, distinguishing between the two can be challenging, even for an expert.”
😤 Your anxiety about your health is being exploited by big companies. This isn’t a surprise, of course. (We talked about it earlier this week - your health is not a commodity!)
This blanket obsession with ‘wellness’ is targeting health-conscious folks. So, what can providers and patients do about it? This article helps give us some context and a path forward.
THE LATEST NEWS IN HEALTH…
The latest health information articles contain many opinions but can also provide education and information.
🥩 The latest health craze is… protein. Yep, the high-protein diet is in right now, and cottage cheese (surprisingly) is making a comeback in a big way, as a younger generation embraces “unlearning the whole fat-free craze, the diet sodas, Splenda…”
You’ve heard of the keto diet, of course, as well as the infamous carnivore diet. It’s not surprising to me to see things trend this direction — would you guys be interested in a protein deep-dive?
Like anything, protein has its place. But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. Remember the days when carbs were the enemy, and eggs reportedly held the power to single-handedly destroy your cholesterol? These sudden flash trends are rarely all they seem.
(For example, look at this contrasting headline from the WSJ just a few days ago: Dear Men, You’re Eating Too Much Meat.)
(And this one, from Vox back in January, when the high-protein fad started to catch my eye: You’re Probably Eating Too Much Protein.) 😬
🪤 In case you didn’t believe me about cottage cheese trending right now.
🍳 This is, however, a very American trend. Contrast our habits with those of our neighboring countries — an interesting perspective on any of our current diet trends. (I wrote about this with my colleague Dr. Erin Nitchke a few weeks ago, if you’re curious to read more.)
THINK LIKE A HEALTH HERO
Empowering and educating topics.
🪽We are our health — and that includes our beliefs. In this great article, Dr. Erica Matluck discusses an often-overlooked topic in Western culture, asking what does spirituality have to do with healthcare? Her answer? Everything. Whole-body health includes not just our physical systems, but the intangible beliefs we hold.
🚘 Starting medication is easy, getting off is not. A less-often considered perspective on starting and stopping medication, and a reminder that thinking through a health decision all the way includes angles like these.
“You wouldn’t sell a car without brakes,” said Horowitz, “I think the same should apply to antidepressants. The drugs should come with instructions on how to stop them safely.”
That’s all for today! If you’re on the front range of the Rockies, I’m speaking tomorrow at the Connect2Women conference and I’d love to see you there.
What do you all think of this protein trend? (Especially curious about the cottage cheese situation, if I’m being honest — do you eat it?)
See you next week,
Dr. Alice
A little more about Dr. Alice Burron and The Health Navigator Group:
You can find more about The Health Navigator Group at our website: www.thehealthnavigator.org
On Instagram: @the.health.navigator
And learn more about Dr. Alice Burron at her website: draliceburron.com
Or via her personal Instagram: @dr_burron
You can even connect with her on LinkedIn, if you want to be professional about it. 👓
And if you’re not subscribed to our Substack, what are ya doing? It’s free, and packed full of useful tools to help you on your journey to better, faster healing.