The wellness industry is promoting complicated mechanisms over simple solutions, leading to over-supplementation and neglect of basic needs like proper nutrition and sleep.
If you’ve spent any time on wellness TikTok or Instagram recently, you’ll know how easy it is to start believing the answer to more energy, a sharper mind, thicker hair and more radiant skin comes in capsule form.and biotin to electrolytes and medicinal mushrooms.
Even the most level-headed among us can start to believe they’re necessary to function as a normal human. I know this all too well, having invested in a ridiculous amount of pills and powders over the years, simply because my algorithm told me to .
“We need to come back to basics; stop overthinking it,” she tells me, with the calm energy of someone who definitely had a sensible lunch. The trouble is, we live in an overthinking world, and wellness marketeers know it.
“Complicated mechanisms, rather than simple solutions, are definitely what’s selling at the moment,” she says with a rueful smile. Her central thesis is that many of us are trying to out-supplement exhausting lifestyles. Which felt a bit personal since I had just snarfed a 3pm chocolate bar to “power me through” the afternoon.
“People are quick to assume tiredness must be a deficiency,” Porter tells me. “But there are lots of reasons we might be struggling with energy. ” This is slightly annoying for those of us who’d prefer to believe our exhaustion can be solved with an expensive capsule rather than, say, sleeping more than five hours a night. Porter explains that energy is influenced not just by nutrients, but by stress, lack of sleep and being sedentary.
One of the biggest issues? Many of us simply aren’t eating properly.
“Having balanced meals or snacks every three to five hours helps stabiliseNobody is making viral videos about the sexy concept of having lunch at lunchtime, but it’s hard to overstate how many nutrition problems boil down to “eat proper food, consistently. ”That said, iron deficiency is genuinely common, especially in women. This is because of menstruation, obviously, but also because we often eat less red meat, which contains heme iron, the form most easily absorbed by the body.
Porter is careful not to frame red meat as the answer to everything.
“We don’t necessarily want people relying on red meat all the time, particularly processed versions,” she says. Instead, she recommends diversifying iron sources. Nuts, seeds and wholegrains all contain non-heme iron, and pairing it with vitamin C boosts absorption. There’s also a surprisingly easy tweak that can help: avoid tea or coffee with meals.
“Tannins interfere with iron absorption, so leaving a gap makes a meaningful difference. ” Hair thinning is another source of anxiety for women, often blamed on everything from hormones to hard water.
“Iron plays a role in that, too,” says Porter. If hair loss appears alongside fatigue, she strongly recommends asking your GP for a blood test rather than blindly self-prescribing.
“If someone is truly deficient, supplementation can be really important. ” Beyond iron, Porter points to what she calls “nutrient multitaskers”: foods that support skin, hair and nails. Omega-3s , and B vitamins all help support what she describes as your “glow”, i.e. healthy hair, skin and nails. Despite all the wellness discourse about oily fish, most people in the UK don’t eat enough.
“You only need around one portion a week for enough omega-3,” she says, “but lots of people aren’t getting that. ” Omega-3 might be worth supplementing because, while chia seeds, flaxseeds and walnuts contain plant forms, our bodies don’t convert them especially efficiently.is a big one.
“If someone eats a vegetarian diet including eggs and yoghurt, it’s relatively easy to get enough,” Porter explains. “The bigger concern is vegan diets because B12 occurs almost exclusively in animal products. ” Most of us don’t really think about our bones in our 20s and 30s, but bone health is a huge issue for women inCalcium-set tofu is one of her favourite alternatives, alongside fortified plant milks, but again, it’s not all about diet. Resistance training matters.
“Nutrition and movement really work together here,” she says. Which brings us to perhaps the least marketable but most convincing part of her philosophy: health doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s a hard no. Porter explains how poor sleep makes healthy choices harder, chronic stress impacts digestion, and exhaustion makes exercise feel impossible.
“They feed into one another,” she says. That’s partly why supplement culture is so seductive. It offers the fantasy that we can bypass the boring stuff, biohacking our way out of
Wellness Industry Overthinking Nutrition Sleep Energy
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Game of Thrones Star Hannah Murray Reveals Psychotic Break in 'Wellness Cult'Actress Hannah Murray, known for her role as Gilly on HBO's Game of Thrones, detailed her harrowing experience in an undisclosed 'wellness cult' that led to a psychotic break, participation in bizarre rituals like drinking her own urine, and a subsequent bipolar diagnosis, as recounted in her upcoming memoir The Make-Believe: A Memoir of Magic and Madness.
Read more »
'Useful AI has arrived': Jensen Huang insists industry will fuel economic growthI'm not sure I agree, guv.
Read more »
Embracer CEO Reflects on Company's Restructuring and Industry ShiftsEmbracer CEO Phil Rogers discusses the company's restructuring following years of acquisitions, layoffs, and closures, including the sale of Gearbox in March 2024 and the upcoming split into three separate companies in October 2025. Rogers reflects on the industry's growth during the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent changes, calling it a humbling experience.
Read more »
3 Prenatal Beauty Tweaks I’ve Made As Vogue’s Pregnant Beauty & Wellness EditorMorgan Fargo explains how she's adapted her skincare routine for pregnancy – from clever, gentle acids to old school facial tools and more.
Read more »