The start of a new year is often seen as a time for new beginnings, and many people take advantage of the opportunity to start a new diet or exercise program. But instead of seeking advice from healthcare professionals, many people turn to the internet, particularly social media, for support and guidance.
A survey by Sortlist found that 20% of social media users trust influencers more than health specialists, and 47% of the 1,000 respondents said they used social media as their primary source of health information. However, this approach may not be effective as the weight loss methods promoted on social media are often short-term solutions that are not sustainable.
Newsweek researched popular diet trends on TikTok and consulted with experts to learn more about juice cleanses, the carnivore diet, volume eating, and other fads. According to the Boston Medical Center, around 45 million Americans yearly go on a diet. When speaking to Denise Cervantes, a personal trainer, she warned against relying solely on TikTok for health information.
TikTok Diet Trend Clickbait
Cervantes stated that "the goal of social media influencers is to go viral, and to achieve that, they often post and create extreme and attention-grabbing videos with catchy titles to grab people's attention when browsing social media."
According to Cervantes, "most health and fitness posts aim to hook consumers to keep them watching. Unfortunately, the health and fitness field is a concern, and radical ideas are amplified, deceitful, and flat-out inaccurate. How frequently have you noticed videos that state, 'The secret to obtaining a leaner waist as well as bigger butt,' or '6-pack abs mysteries you never knew about?'" She also pointed out that social media creators and influencers compete for followers and likes.
"A guaranteed way to get ahead in social media is being extreme. Unfortunately, knowledgeable, reasonable information is lost among the never-ending clickbait nonsense. Most famous personalities in the health and fitness field are not giving you the most useful facts, just the [information] soundest at grabbing your awareness. Health and fitness information on social media is another reason the fitness industry is loaded with misinformation," Cervantes said. But is following viral diets the most effective way to lose weight? Newsweek spoke to experts to find out more.
Carnivore Diet
The carnivore diet, which involves consuming large quantities of high-fat animal products like beef and liver, has gained popularity on TikTok with 650,500 million views. However, it is also controversial, and registered dietitians such as Abbey Sharp disapprove of it. Sharp, the founder of Abbey's Kitchen Inc, said, "there are countless diets and diet hacks on TikTok that are problematic. But the one that I take the most issue with currently is the carnivore diet.
It goes against all of our best quality evidence regarding good health and longevity." She also mentioned that some people might be able to thrive on this diet because it eliminates certain foods that may cause adverse symptoms. Some followers of this diet may eat fish and dairy, but fruits, vegetables, and grains are not allowed.
Sharp argues that a diet high in animal products and low in plant-based products can limit the beneficial gut bacteria and diversity, which can affect immunity, digestion, weight, and more. However, one TikTok user, Courtney Luna, has had a different experience. She said that since May 2022, when she weighed 192 pounds, she has dropped 37 pounds by following the carnivore diet. She has a TikTok account dedicated to the diet, @itscourtneyluna, and three million people have watched her videos.
@itscourtneyluna What I eat in a day on a high fat carnivore diet #carnivorediet #carnivorelifestyle #highfatdiet #fatfueled #whatieattoloseweight #carnivoreketo #ketovore ♬ original sound - Carnivore | Animal Based
Juice Fasting
Luna said that the diet had improved her life, as she has lost weight and still has more to go but so far, the benefits include increased energy, even her acne has cleared up, and better digestion. She added that she has zero gas or bloating, and her mental health improved. She added that she no longer obsesses about foods that do not serve her well and that she no longer goes through the mental gymnastics of trying to fit treats into her diet or binging and restricting the next day. Some people turn to consume fresh fruit and vegetable juices as a way to lose weight. However, this method is not recommended by experts such as Lauren Harris-Pincus, a registered dietitian from Dunellen, New Jersey. The hashtag 'juice cleanse' has received over 97 million views on TikTok. Some users like @nirvana.kiana have shared videos of how they lost weight by following this diet. Newsweek also spoke to Kiana Ballew, who drinks juices made from fruits and raw vegetables for three days a month. Ballew, from Phoenix, Arizona, said she went from 242 pounds to 216 in January 2022. She believes juice cleansing is a great way to start a weight loss journey, but it should be combined with clean eating and regular exercise to maintain the results. She said losing weight is not a linear process, and there are many ups and downs. Juice cleansing can provide an extra boost of confidence to keep going in the beginning stages.
@nirvana.kiana DOWN 10LBS IN 3 DAYS from my OWN juice! My body & mind deserved this break. #juicefasting #weightlosscheck #fyp #fypシ #viral #health #DisneyPlusVoices ♬ Can't Stop Won't Stop (feat. Kodak Black) - King Combs
Lose Weight Safely
Abbey Sharp, the founder of Abbey's Kitchen Inc, suggests a plant-forward diet for weight loss. This style of cooking emphasizes plant-based foods but doesn't strictly limit them. She argues that plants are naturally lower in calories, cholesterol, and saturated fat, nutrient-dense, and packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
She also pointed out that in the Blue Zones, pockets of communities around the world where people live the longest and have low rates of chronic disease, these people are not following a low-carb diet. They're eating a high-carb diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes with little meat and dairy.
According to her, if you want to achieve a healthier diet, don't follow the latest trend, and don't follow a low-carb diet because it's going to do more harm than good; it's a never-ending cycle of restricting, feeling deprived, falling off the diet, feeling guilty, and starting it all over again.
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