14 health and wellness fads to avoid in 2025

As we move into a fresh year, health and wellness are front and centre for many of us. More people than ever are focusing on trying to improve their diet and lifestyle.

With diet-related illnesses, like obesity and type 2 diabetes on the rise, this renewed interest is good news for global health.

But it comes with a problem — because human biology and medical science are complex, and because there’s money to be made, there’s plenty of room for wellness grifters, nonsense-peddlers, and misinformation moguls.

Most people are confused about how to achieve health and wellness. This isn’t surprising: The many sources of contradictory advice and promises of “quick fixes” can quickly become overwhelming. 

So, in this article, we’ll briefly run through 14 health and wellness hacks that are unhelpful, dangerous, or both. We’ll also link to additional information on each so you can dive into the science.

Then, at the end, we’ll tell you what will work.

1. Bovine colostrum

Colostrum has become popular with social media wellness gurus. Some claim it can “boost” your immune system, support your gut, and much more besides. 

Colostrum is the first milk a female mammal produces after the baby is born. It’s the perfect drink for a delicate, developing animal, containing a precise cocktail of nutrients and hormones.

But what about when grownups drink it? Currently, there is no good evidence that colostrum has health benefits for adults. It’s also cruel, as most commercially available products are taken from cows (bovine), so the baby cows have to go without. 

2. Okra water

Okra water is made by soaking chopped okra overnight in your fridge. You then strain it and drink the remaining juice. 

Okra is “mucilaginous,” meaning that when cooked, it produces a slimy goo. This goo also turns okra water into a fairly challenging and unenjoyable drink.

Some claim that okra water can support heart health, benefit your skin, help you lose weight, reduce stress, boost your immune system, and even improve women’s sexual health. But what’s the truth?

Okra water certainly isn’t bad for you (although unpleasant), but — and this is an important “but,” — it’s nowhere near as good for you as eating the whole plant.

When you consume it whole, whether cooked or raw, you get more of the plants’ nutrients, including fiber.

3. Celery juice cleanse

Juice cleanses in general have been popular for a long time on social media. One of the most persistent forms is the celery juice cleanse.

Among the laundry list of health claims are weight loss, reduced inflammation, lower blood pressure, better liver health, treating cancer, promoting a healthy gut, boosting energy, and improving mental health.

Sounds too good to be true. And sadly, it is. While whole celery can certainly be part of a healthy diet — it’s a plant after all, there’s no evidence that juice cleanses have any benefits at all.

But is it bad for you?That depends on how you do it. For instance, if you just add celery juice to your existing diet, it’s not going to cause you any problems. 

However, some suggest you should only drink celery juice for a set amount of time, and this can be bad for you. For instance, there’s some evidence that it’s linked to eating disorders.

Also, because celery contains some sodium, if you drink a lot and you already have high blood pressure, it could be risky.

Some people swap celery juice for their normal breakfast. If you’re replacing a healthy, fiber-rich breakfast with celery juice, you’ll be worse off.

4. Collagen supplements for skin, hair, and nails

Available in creams, capsules, gummies, drinks, and shots, collagen supplements and creams are everywhere. And they’re very profitable.

Currently, the global market for these products is worth more than $5.5 billion.

Collagen certainly is an important protein. It helps your body maintain its structure, which includes your skin, tendons, bones, and ligaments. As you age, your body makes less collagen, which explains why your skin becomes less firm and more wrinkly.

Sadly, oral supplements and creams are not a miraculous cure-all for aging.

Scientists have carried out studies, but they’re generally small and funded by the products' manufacturers, which means they have a vested interest in presenting their results in a positive light.

5. Drinking borax water

This is perhaps the most unusual Tik-Tok trend we’ll cover here. Borax is a naturally occurring compound that’s used as an insecticide, in laundry and cleaning products, in tooth whitening formulas, and as a fertilizer.

According to wellness influencers, adding a pinch to your drinking water can help improve symptoms of arthritis, swollen tongue, mouth sores, painful eyes, urinary infections, and menstrual cramps.

One of the primary components of borax is boron.

“In the early 1900s, boron was used as a food preservative until it was discovered that consumption causes headaches, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting.”   

“For this reason,” Will explains, “it’s banned as a food additive in most countries. It’s also classified as a reproductive toxin.”

As you’ve probably guessed, adding it to your water is unlikely to improve your health. And if consumed in large doses, it can make you sick. At very high doses, it can be fatal.

6. Detoxes

Detoxes come in a dizzying array of forms, and you’ll have seen people talking about and advertising detoxes everywhere. The health claims attached to these products range widely from preventing cancer to supporting mental health. 

However, there is no evidence to support any of these health claims. As the authors of a review of detoxes write, “No rigorous clinical investigations of detox diets have been conducted.”

7. Calorie counting and low-calorie diets

There’s nothing new about calorie counting or low-calorie diets. They’re incredibly popular. Despite this popularity, studies show that they’re ineffective at achieving and maintaining a healthy weight in the long run. 

For example, a review and meta-analysis examined 80 weight loss clinical trials. The researchers compared different methods of dieting, which included low-calorie diets.

They found that a diet focused on drastically reducing caloric intake initially produces dramatic weight loss. But people's weight steadily rises back.

And at the 3-year mark, most people — around 80% — are rapidly approaching their starting weight. Prof. Tim Spector, ZOE’s Scientific Co-Founder, explains:

“In real life, these figures are likely to be much worse without the backup of all the resources and psychological support of a clinical trial.”

8. Gluten-free

Gluten is a type of protein that naturally occurs in wheat, rye, and barley. People with celiac disease need to avoid gluten. Similarly, people with gluten sensitivity or sensitivity to other compounds in wheat need to minimize or reduce their intake.

But these individuals are in the minority. For most of us, gluten is absolutely fine to eat and causes no problems. 

So why are so many people cutting it out? The answer, sadly, is money and marketing. 

Today, the gluten-free food market is worth almost $7 billion. Experts expect this figure to rise to $14 billion in the next 10 years.

In reality, cutting out gluten often means opting for more heavily processed gluten-free products and cutting out healthy foods that contain nutrients, like fiber. 

9. Avoiding seed oils

Most vegetable oils are seed oils, and if you’ve spent any time on social media, you will have likely seen wellness influencers explaining how they are linked to an increased risk of weight gain, heart disease, and many other diseases.

Thankfully, none of this is true. Seed oils are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, and evidence suggests that these can support good health.

10. Brain foods

You might have come across products that claim to be “brain foods.” According to the hype, these products will improve your brain function or protect your brain health as you age.

The reality is a little more complex than the marketing blurb suggests. Some foods can support your brain health — like foods containing omega-3s and leafy greens — but these foods also support your overall health.

So, you don’t need to focus on fueling your brain, specifically.

11. Electrolyte drinks

Electrolytes are minerals with a positive or negative charge when dissolved in water. And they’re vital for your health. But do you need to drink electrolyte drinks every day as some suggest?

In reality, your kidneys keep your electrolytes in balance, so there’s no need to drink them every day. In the same way that most people don’t need multivitamins if they’re eating a diverse, healthy diet.

There are some situations when electrolyte drinks are helpful though:

• If you have experienced vomiting or diarrhea.

• If you have just completed a particularly intense workout that lasted more than 1 hour. 

• If you have heat stroke.

Other than that, these are just a marketing ploy, and for people with certain conditions — like kidney disease or hypertension — they might even cause you problems. 

12. Drinking urine

In some dark corners of the internet, certain influencers sing the praises of drinking their own urine. This sounds like a bad idea, and it is.

You might have heard that urine is sterile, but that’s not true. Your body uses urine to remove stuff that it doesn’t need, which includes bacteria, some of which can make you sick. 

13. Raw milk

Interest in raw milk has been rising since 2022, but interest has skyrocketed in recent months.

Some online peddlers proclaim that raw milk contains more nutrients, useful enzymes, and probiotics than pasteurized milk.

They also claim that drinking it will reduce the risk of developing allergies and infections.

None of this is true. Raw milk significantly increases your risk of infections, particularly for young children, older adults, people who are immunocompromised, and pregnant women.

14.  NAD+ supplements

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is vital for your metabolism to work. It’s a co-enzyme, which means it helps enzymes complete their chemical reactions. In fact, more than 400 enzymes rely on NAD to function. 

One of its most important jobs takes place in your mitochondria, where it helps you make energy from nutrients.

You really couldn’t do without NAD, so it makes sense (at least on the surface) that people would take it as a supplement.

However, there’s no good evidence that these supplements work. Although there has been very little research, the authors of a review explain that “supplementation has very few clinically relevant effects.”

Despite this lack of evidence, NAD+ supplements are the talk of the town, promising an extended lifespan and improved “mitochondrial health.”

What should you do?

With weird wellness trends and unusual health hacks all around, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. That’s why at ZOE, we’re keen to cut through the noise and provide simple, science-backed advice.

If you’d like to understand how your metabolism responds to food and how to eat well for your body, start today by trying our free quiz.

For more information on how to eat well and stay healthy, here’s some content to get you started: