{"id":14962,"date":"2025-06-22T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/?p=14962"},"modified":"2025-06-13T15:51:18","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T15:51:18","slug":"what-i-eat-in-a-day-tiktok-diet-culture-eating-disorders-body-image-harmful-trends-june-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernsciences.org\/staging\/4414\/what-i-eat-in-a-day-tiktok-diet-culture-eating-disorders-body-image-harmful-trends-june-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Those \u2018what I eat in a day\u2019 TikTok videos aren\u2019t helpful. They might even be harmful"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\n
\n \n
\n \n Iren_Geo\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n Catherine Houlihan<\/a>, University of the Sunshine Coast<\/a><\/em><\/span>\n\n

You may have come across those \u201cwhat I eat in a day\u201d videos on social media, where people \u2013 usually conventionally attractive influencers wearing activewear \u2013 list everything they consumed that day.<\/p>\n\n

They might seem like harmless fun but in fact they can reinforce dangerous ideas about food, weight and body image.<\/p>\n\n

I\u2019ve worked with people with eating disorders who watch these videos and have seen first hand how harmful this content can be. <\/p>\n\n

Here\u2019s what the research says and what you need to know.<\/p>\n\n

Videos that promote \u2018health\u2019 can be unhealthy<\/h2>\n\n

\u201cWhat I eat in a day\u201d videos have been popular for over a decade, with views reaching in the billions<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

They target both men and women and many claim to promote health and nutrition. Yet videos such as these can do more harm than good.<\/p>\n\n

Very few of these creators have formal qualifications<\/a> in health or nutrition, increasing the potential for misinformation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

They often depict<\/a> low calorie diets, exclude entire food groups or promote \u201cclean eating\u201d (a problematic idea at best).<\/p>\n\n

Some even encourage dangerous behaviours<\/a> such as skipping meals, eating very little or using laxatives to purge food.<\/p>\n\n

They can also send harmful messages about body image. Many such videos use beauty filters<\/a> to create images promoting unrealistic body ideals.<\/p>\n\n

These videos often feature shots of how the person looks from the front, the side, in the gym, and in tight, form-fitting clothes. There may even be some \u201cbefore and after\u201d weight loss pics, sending the harmful message this should be everyone\u2019s goal.<\/p>\n\n

The subtext is clear: \u201ceat what I eat in a day and you can look like me\u201d.<\/p>\n\n

But that\u2019s not just a dangerous idea \u2013 it\u2019s a totally false and erroneous one. <\/p>\n\n

Knowing what a certain person \u201ceats in a day\u201d doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ll look like them if you follow their lead. <\/p>\n\n

In fact, a 24-hour rundown of one person\u2019s food intake doesn\u2019t even provide accurate information about that<\/em> person\u2019s nutritional health \u2013 let alone yours. <\/p>\n\n

\n \"A<\/a>\n
\n These videos can target both men and women.<\/span>\n Veja\/Shutterstock<\/a><\/span>\n <\/figcaption>\n <\/figure>\n\n

You are not them<\/h2>\n\n

Like our health, our nutritional needs are unique to us and can vary day to day. <\/p>\n\n

What constitutes a \u201chealthy\u201d choice for one person might be totally different for another depending on things such as:<\/p>\n\n