Issue #17: Brands Making You Feel Better About Your Bad Habits
How brands are helping you justify your guilty pleasures.
About two weeks ago I shared an up-and-coming “healthy” nicotine brand, NOAT. I paired that with the “Zyn Routine” I overheard on the subway, and the 333 community was buzzing. I received many messages, ranging from jokes about having your own “routines” to some questioning the legitimacy of that conversation altogether. Just to clarify, yes, that was, in fact, a real conversation.
This got me thinking: what other bad habits are brands adding a “healthy” twist to? And with that, are they really better for us… or is this just a marketing scheme to make us feel better about consuming chemicals? If you’ve ever wondered if alcohol, cannabis, or vaping could be considered “healthy,” just keep reading.
🍸 Prebiotic Alcohol
When I first came across this prebiotic alcohol brand, my first thought was a Poppi x High Noon cocktail. With summer just around the corner, what more could you want? But then, I became a bit skeptical, and well, here we are.
With the rise of Poppi and Olipop, we’ve already seen a shift in consumer preferences when it comes to “diet” beverages and better-for-you sodas. But, what about a better-for-you alcohol? Not the non-alcoholic, adaptogen-infused mocktails… I mean the real deal. As we all know, alcohol at its core is poison. So, does mixing poison with some apple cider vinegar and plant-based fiber cancel out the negative effects?
PopSips is making a spiked prebiotic soda containing 6% alc/vol and only 1g of sugar.
Although this sounds hangover-friendly, don’t let a trendy term blind your common sense. Alcohol is toxic to your liver cells, and prebiotics support your gut health. However, your gut ≠ your liver. No matter how many prebiotics are added to a drink, this will not completely counteract the harmful effects of alcohol on your liver.
So, what do we think — healthy or trendy?
🍃 Is Taking the THC Out of Weed “Healthy?”
One of my friends recently shared that she tried Nowadays — the THC-infused, non-alcoholic drink. The brand promotes itself as “Cannabis in a Bottle,” delivering “a light and buzzy experience without the negative effects of alcohol.” But, what about the negative effects of cannabis? Let’s not forget that THC/cannabis hasn’t been federally legalized in the U.S., even though it’s legal in many states. Meanwhile, alcohol has been federally legalized since 1933 (21st Amendment).
Nowadays uses THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), the psychoactive compound in cannabis. Although you can control the THC dosage you’re consuming, like alcohol, it can still lead to cognitive issues like memory loss, impaired focus, and increased anxiety — especially in high doses.
So, why should we feel better about consuming a relatively new, federally unregulated substance, compared to a drug that’s been federally legalized and regulated for almost a century?
In the end, Nowadays is a prime example of a brand that makes us feel better about a bad habit. However, it’s still a drug with its own set of risks and side effects.
🚭 Add This to Your Supplement Routine: Vitamin Vapes
A new trend has emerged in the vaping world: “vitamin vapes” — marketed as a “healthy” alternative to traditional nicotine vapes while delivering health benefits. Among these “vitamin vapes,” the most popular supplement is vitamin B12 — a nutrient the body cannot produce but requires to function properly. However, a vitamin B12 deficiency is rare, as most people get enough from their diet alone.
Breathe sells a range of flavored vitamin B12 puff diffusers, boasting that “each serving contains many, many times your daily vitamin B12…”
This flex was quickly shot down by Dr. Ron Crystal, the chair of the genetic medicine department and a practicing pulmonologist at Weill Cornell Medicine & New York Presbyterian. He shared, “if you have normal [B12] levels, adding more doesn’t do anything. It doesn’t help.” Also, there is no medical data suggesting that the body can absorb vitamins by inhaling them. So, the entire premise of Breathe lacks scientific backing, except when it comes to its ingredient list. Vegetable glycerin, the first ingredient in all Breathe products, has been linked to lung inflammation. I’d say that puts the nail in the coffin… “Vitamin Vapes” are hardly a health hack.
That’s all for this week, see you next Sunday!
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I think brands such as Popsips are trendy vs. healthy. Many companies have learned that "marketing what people want to hear" can be very successful! Not only do people think they are drinking something "healthy or healthier", they probably think they can drink more since after all, it's "healthy"!