We are not necessarily surrounded with people who think the same way we do - which is fine because these are opinions and opinions are bound to differ.

But when it comes to serious issues concerning health, disease and food – social media and its new breed of ‘Stars’ – “The influencers’’ – the sustainable public figures full of inherent contradictions – especially, Instagram celebrities who have the power to influence or change their audience’s behaviour can make matters so confusing.

Therefore, knowing and selecting the right influencer is absolutely essential. You have qualified ones like doctors of medicine, therapists, physiologists and fitness professionals. But the majority of freelancers publicising themselves as qualified are nothing less than the ‘copy-and-paste’ types who are out there only to maintain reach and engagement.

How to lead our lives – What to eat and what to avoid, whether taking eggs are heart healthy or can actually lead to strokes –
Is cholesterol good or bad –
Should one rely on statins and/or anti-diabetic medications or choose alternative medicines and lifestyle changes as management –
What to do and how to avoid inflammation –
Which magical supplements to buy –
Whether to eat one meal a day (OMAD), or 2 to 6 meals a day, or put an end to this farce altogether –
When to workout and how to exercise – are some examples out of many which are doing the rounds – and the worst thing is: Qualified or unqualified – there are contradictions all the time.

Example:
Some influencers say eggs are bad on account of high cholesterol content found in egg yolks (186 mg, that is 62% of the recommended daily intake). Even cardiologists (influencers) say that. These guys say that even a single egg can spike blood cholesterol levels. Some cardiologists say: “Eat one egg on your anniversary if you don’t want to clog your arteries.” According to them there is a direct link between eating eggs and heart disease.
On the flip side there are those who stretch to the extent of saying eating eggs may even help prevent certain types of strokes and can actually bring down your bad cholesterol and that eggs are heart healthy.

Now whether these conclusions are coming from observational / questionnaire study or experimental study, or self-reported studies we don’t know.
But we do know that most of what’s being thrown around is very confusing and contradictory.

Simply put, what was “true” yesterday may not retain in “trueness” today. Take another example of Red Wine. NYT has debunked its previous much touted goodness. https://nyti.ms/3leHrnj

So make your own decisions, use your common sense and remember each body is different in its requirements and therefore what is being said may or may not apply in your case.

Zareer Patel – Black Belt, Personal / Fitness Trainer, Fitness Columnist and Consultant on call (since 1972).