10
Loading video...
By Lucy Notarantonio
Senior Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Since the early days of social media people have been taking photos of their food and posting them online. However, Gretchen Adler has gone a step further.
In a video clip that has racked up 5.6 million views, the 38-year-old records everything she consumes in a day, including drinks. However, the California-based mom's choice of food has stunned some Instagram users and many thought the footage was "satire."
Using the handle @gretchy, she begins the video by stating she is on an "ancestral diet," which means eating natural whole foods not produced using industrialized methods. She then shows how she makes everything from scratch, including grass-fed beef sausages and sourdough blueberry muffins. But people are struggling to believe the content is real.
Read More on Food & Drink
More From Newsweek Vault: What Is a Health Savings Account?
"The people who think this is a joke—very telling of the times," Adler told Newsweek. "We have veered so far from what real food is that people now think eating and preparing nutrient-dense foods is a joke. Ultra-processed foods are considered the norm and are foods I, myself, wouldn't consider as foods.
...
"Our nation has a health epidemic and obesity, diabetes, and cancer rates have never been higher. One must wonder why."
More From Newsweek Vault: Compare the Top Health Savings Account (HSA) Providers
Foods often contain a lengthy list of unfamiliar ingredients such as preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and artificial flavors and colors. Increasingly, we are discovering that these ultra-processed products are linked to a higher risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, mental health issues, diabetes, and certain types of cancer.
During the May 3 video, the mom-of-three starts by drinking a glass of filtered water with fresh lemon, followed by a coffee with "organic mold-free beans and raw cream." Then she makes her own sausages from 100 percent grass-fed beef, paired with pasture-raised eggs and bakes muffins.
In the afternoon, she makes a probiotic smoothie with raw kefir and homegrown frozen peaches and tamarillos, garnished with bee pollen.
Adler has chicken noodle soup for dinner with a slice of raw cheesecake for dessert.
In some states, raw dairy products are illegal as they have not been pasteurized to kill off bacteria. The California Department of Public Health advises individuals at higher risk for severe food-borne illness (children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems) and anyone looking to reduce their risk to avoid consuming raw milk and raw dairy products. If illness occurs after consuming these products, they should consult a doctor.
However, raw products seem to be the least of some Instagram users' concerns, with many questioning if our ancestors would have eaten a diet like Adler's.
"Ancestors didn't drink smoothies due to lack of nutribullet," said one commenter. Another said: "Ahhh yes. The ancestral coffee, ancestral muffins, the ancestral vitamin pills.... All the things our ancestors had."
In the distant past people may not have enjoyed such luxuries but their food, like Adler's, contained no added sugars or fats nor any additives.
Adler explained that she has seen many benefits in the past seven years while following her "ancestral diet."
"It has improved my energy levels and brain function. I also have healthy skin and hair," she said.
Adler also states that she doesn't experience mood swings and had healthy pregnancies and births with her children, who are eight, five, and two years old.
Another video shows a snippet from Adler's time on The Spillover Podcast hosted by Alex Clark. In it she speaks about the time she was mom-shamed for making healthier and homemade alternatives to fast food for her kids. She also states that they have never eaten Goldfish crackers, Oreos, or chicken nuggets.
Despite ruffling a few feathers with her food choices, Adler says she does receive positive comments too.
She told Newsweek: "For as many naysayers there are, there are many more who support this lifestyle and want to get back to traditional methods of preparing food, getting closer to their food source, and respecting 'food as thy medicine.'
"I hope that I can inspire others to take back their kitchens and start making foods from scratch again—vital for the health of our future generations."
One Instagram user said: "She is very well researched, mentioning how to breakdown phytic acid which inhibits nutrient absorption in the gut. She discusses mold free coffee, which is exceptionally important because 90% of commercially available coffee in the U.S. has mold which substantially dehydrates you and causes range of issues. You don't just find these things overnight, she's been paying attention for a while. Big kudos."
If you have a personal dilemma, let us know via life@newsweek.com. We can ask experts for advice on relationships, family, friends, money and work and your story could be featured on Newsweek's "What Should I Do? section.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines