Ridiculous ‘water-based cooking' trend slammed as ‘phony' hack: ‘Bro invented soup'
Gen Z has seemingly cornered the market on creating things that have already existed, from 'girl dinners' to 'silent walking.' Now, 20-somethings are being roasted online after espousing the health benefits of 'water-based cooking' — with critics claiming that they've simply discovered 'soup.'
In a clip with more than 320,000 views, a TikTok user is seen steaming and simmering a variety of vegetable and noodle dishes.
Advertisement
The caption reads, 'Pov you started water-based cooking and now your skin is clear, your stomach is thriving and you recover from illness overnight.'
Social media users claim they can 'wok' on water in viral new videos.
@alyssadiaries/TikTok
'I'm actually aging backward because I've been nourishing my body using water,' declared one water-based cooking trumpeter.
beats_ – stock.adobe.com
Advertisement
Others claim that H20-rooted methods like blanching, steaming or poaching can help wind back father time like a gastronomic Benjamin Button.
'I'm actually aging backward because I've been nourishing my body using water,' declared one breakfast baptism devotee on TikTok.
Critics were quick to throw cold water on the trend with one steaming-mad detractor snarking, 'Gen Z discovers soup.'
'This is just everyday food in Asian cultures,' scoffed another while referencing the technique, which some experts claim dates as far back as 5,000 BC in ancient China.
Advertisement
'TikTok has a term for the most basic things,' critiqued a third.
Terminology notwithstanding, is cooking with water a panacea or a bunch of snake oil?
Nutrition scientist Michelle Davenport, who frequently touts water-based cooking techniques on social media, explained in a March video that 'when you cook with broth or water you block AGEs or aging compounds from forming.'
Advertisement
'These are the compounds that crosslink our skin and age us from the inside out,' she said.
Meanwhile, nutritionist Jillian Kubala wrote for Health.com that steaming allows vegetables to retain more nutrients than boiling and other higher-heat methods.
'Boiling is associated with greater nutrient losses than steaming because it completely submerges vegetables in water,' she wrote. 'Water-soluble nutrients in the vegetables leach into the water, decreasing certain nutrients and phytochemicals like vitamin C and beta-carotene.'
We guess a broken 'Tok' is right twice a day.
Although one could perhaps be forgiven for treating this trend with a grain of salt, given the amount of so-called cure-alls that proliferate on the platform.
Last year, doctors dispelled the TikTok-popular myth that ingesting large amounts of castor oil can help detox the body, claiming that this can conversely cause 'explosive diarrhea' and other issues.
Other misconceptions peddled on TikTok have included the idea that putting potatoes in your socks can cure the flu and that marshmallows are antioxidants, proving that TikTok users may have reinvented the old wives' tale as well.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
3 hours ago
- Axios
Mushroom boom hits your sips and snacks
Mushrooms are sprouting up all over the place: in coffee, soda, chocolate and meat blends. Why it matters: Centuries after they were considered medicinal, mushrooms are today's go-to "functional" food — with a brain-boosting, sustainable aura. State of play: "Mushrooms have such a health halo," says Chicago-based registered dietitian Janet Helm. Plus, they're versatile. "Particularly with Gen Z, if you put it in a beverage, they love it." That's largely because of sustainability and brain-boosting reasons. And mushrooms are a key ingredient for the emerging category of part-veggie, part-meat foods. The big picture: "It's not just your white buttons anymore," Helm says. Specialty mushroom varieties have doubled in sales in the past decade, according to Mushroom Council president Amy Wood. Between the lines: We're not talking about "magic" mushrooms. "Functional" mushrooms include lion's mane, chaga, reishi and cordyceps (something "The Last of Us" fans might be familiar with). Zoom in: Mushrooms are a good source of the antioxidant ergothioneine and B vitamins, which could all support the brain, Helm says, referencing a growing body of research on mushrooms' cognitive health benefits. By the numbers: Sales of food and beverages with functional mushrooms are up over 450% in the U.S. since 2021, according to NielsenIQ. Mushroom coffee is one driver of that growth. Dollar sales are up about 55%, and with volume sales up 74% so far this year (through July 13) compared to the same time last year, that's a clear sign it's gaining momentum, according to Circana industry adviser Darren Seifer. Reality check: Mushroom coffee is still a "very, very tiny" slice of the coffee market, making up less than 1% of sales, he says. Catch up quick: After mushroom coffee company Four Sigmatic kicked off the trend about a decade ago, starting the day with a mug of mushrooms caught on. How it works: To make the "coffee," mushrooms are blended with coffee beans or tea, or they're often used as part of a coffee alternative powder that might contain added caffeine. The drinks don't taste mushroomy, per se, but can err on the "earthy" side. Often, though, they're made with sweetener and prepared with milk, so the flavor is more "chai" or "mocha latte" than "topsoil." 💭 Carly's thought bubble: Consuming mushrooms is a vibe.
CNBC
8 hours ago
- CNBC
#Fibermaxxing is trending on TikTok: It's pretty safe, dietician says—but could be 'too much of a good thing' if you're not careful
For most of this year, health-conscious folks have been pretty obsessed with how much protein they're eating every day — and sharing it all on social media. But recently, a different essential nutrient has come into focus: Fiber. These days on TikTok, users are #Fibermaxxing, or increasing their fiber intake to get, or exceed, the recommended daily amount, and encouraging others to do the same. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourages getting 25 to 28 grams of fiber a day for women younger than 50, and 31 to 34 grams daily for men under 50. On social media, users are loading bowls up with chia seeds and fresh fruits and mixing together salads with vegetables and nuts to get as much fiber as possible, touting benefits like decreased bloating. "People are doing that because it probably helps with digestion, weight management, weight loss [and] gut health," says Mia Syn, registered dietitian and author of the cookbook, "Mostly Plant-Based." "Fiber is kind of becoming the new protein," she says. As with any emergent health trend, it's wise to exercise caution and consult with a qualified professional. The optimal fiber intake for one individual might prove excessive for another. Here, Syn breaks down the benefits and drawbacks of fibermaxxing. Most people could actually benefit from more fiber, Syn says: "Fiber is considered a nutrient of public health concern. Most Americans are not meeting the recommendation." Typically, adults in the U.S. are eating an average of only 10 to 15 grams of fiber a day, according to Harvard Health Publishing. And just 5% of Americans get enough daily fiber, according to a 2016 analysis published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. "Low-fiber intakes link to higher risks of certain chronic diseases like heart disease, certain cancers and Type 2 diabetes," Syn says. "We know that inadequate intake can also lead to digestive issues and constipation." Syn notes that everyone should get a sufficient amount of both soluble fiber and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber can help lower cholesterol levels and stabilize blood sugar, while insoluble fiber can support digestion, regular bowel movements and prevention of constipation. "Fiber is really synonymous with plant-based foods. Not your meat or dairy, but more like your whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes." High-fiber foods include: "The best way to get fiber, and any sort of nutrient, is from food, rather than supplements," Syn says. There are studies that show excessive fiber can cause gastrointestinal issues like bloating and disrupt the absorption of nutrients like calcium. Some experts, including Syn, advise that eating 70 grams of fiber or more may exceed the amount that most people should have in a single day. "It is possible to do too much too soon," she says. Also, hydration is extremely important when you're upping your fiber intake, she notes. Not drinking enough water — whether you're fibermaxxing or just aiming for the recommended amount — can cause abdominal cramps, constipation, diarrhea, bloating or gas. As for the trend? Fibermaxxing is pretty safe, Syn says, but she suggests introducing more fiber-rich foods into your diet slowly over time to avoid discomfort. Harvard Health Publishing recommends adding "one more serving of a high-fiber food to your daily diet for a week, then see how your body feels." And then continuing that pattern until you reach your quota. "There is such a thing as too much of a good thing, so you want to be mindful of that," Syn says. "You want to stay within the recommendation, [but] going a little bit over for most healthy people will not be harmful."
UPI
9 hours ago
- UPI
Your heart could be aging faster than you are
The research team theorizes that telling folks their heart age might help spur them to healthier lifestyles and treatment. Photo by Adobe Stock/HealthDay July 31 (UPI) -- Researchers who have developed a new "heart age" calculator say many Americans have unhealthy hearts that are physiologically older than their chronological age, with men faring worse than women. The research team theorizes that telling folks their heart age might help spur them to healthier lifestyles and treatment. "Many people who should be on medicine to lower their risk for heart attack, stroke or heart failure are not on these medications," explained study senior author Dr. Sadiya Khan in a news release. "We hope this new heart age calculator will help support discussions about prevention and ultimately improve health for all people." The new heart age calculator, which is free to the public, is available online. Study findings were published Wednesday in JAMA Cardiology. Khan, a professor of cardiovascular epidemiology, and her colleagues at Northwestern University in Chicago, note that the calculator is based on the American Heart Association's PREVENT equations, which talk about a patient's heart risk in terms of percentages. For example, a doctor might use the equation to tell a patient, "8 out 10 people with your [cardiovascular] profile may have a heart event in the next 10 years." Khan's group hoped that expressing the heart's condition as an age might be easier for folks to grasp. To test the new heart age tool, they applied it to data on 14,000 nationally representative U.S. adults, ages 30 to 79, who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2011 and 2020. None of the participants had any prior history heart disease at the time of the analysis. In most cases, people's heart age was older than the number of candles on their birthday cake. For example, over the whole cohort, women had an average heart age of 55.4 years, compared to an average chronological age of 51.3, the study found. The news was worse for men: Their average heart age was 56.7, compared to an average chronological age of 49.7. Certain demographic factors were in play, Khan's group noted. Among men, for example, nearly a third of those who had achieved a high school education or less had a heart age that was 10 years or more older than their chronological age, the study found. For men and women alike, being Black or Hispanic also tended to widen the gap between heart age and chronological age. "Black men had a heart age 8.5 years older than their actual age, compared to 7.9 years for Hispanic men, 6.7 years for Asian men and 6.4 years for white men," a Northwestern University news release said. "The gaps were 6.2 years for Black women, 4.8 years for Hispanic women, 3.7 years for white women and 2.8 years for Asian women." The key to shrinking these health gaps is prevention, Khan said. She hopes the new tool can help motivate people. "We hope this tool helps doctors and patients discuss risk for heart disease more effectively so we can better inform what therapies can prevent heart attacks, stroke or heart failure events from ever happening," Khan said in the news release. "The important thing is that we have very good options available in our toolbox to help slow that aging down if we can identify it," she added. "This may be even more important in younger people who don't often think about their risk for heart disease." More information Find out more about keeping your heart healthy at the American Heart Association. Copyright © 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
