From “what I eat in a day” videos, to food fads and viral recipes, there is no shortage of information on social media about what a person should or shouldn’t eat. “The amount of people online that are giving health and professional advice that have absolutely no experience let alone degrees and education in the area is frightening to me,’” says registered dietician Diana Dibblee. Researchers at Flinders University in South Australia put this to the test. The team reviewed 300 TikTok and Instagram videos tagged with healthy eating hashtags. Of the videos studied, 78 per cent were posted by untrained creators, while 22 per cent came from creators with nutrition or fitness qualifications. “I say avoid all these crazy trends,” says Dibblee. She lists some of the unsolicited advice that can show on social media feeds. “You’re looking at intermittent fasting and many diets like the carnivore diet, the ketogenic diet, but those are not healthy. Certainly, in the short term you may see some difference, but in the long term you are avoiding different micronutrients and macronutrients like fibre and plants which are so beneficial for us,” she explains. Flinders University’s study also found that nearly 70 per cent of diet advice on TikTok and Instagram is misleading. Dibblee says there are some content creators who come with science behind their claims. Overall, she urges people to listen to qualified health professionals for diet advice. “My motto is, ‘Dieticians unite’ because registered dieticians, it’s our job. We help even medical professionals and doctors figure out the best nutrition for their clients. “It’s what we do, and we study it, we are passionate about it, and we know every single individual has their own preferences and their own choices in what they like to enjoy,” adds Dibblee. She stresses the importance of knowing your source and the motivation behind what they share. “Some of these things that are being pushed by the big influencers with a lot of clout and followers, maybe they are trying to sell something,” says Dibblee. “There is always an agenda behind it. So, I think you really have to think about whether this will work long term, and most don’t,” Food analyst and Dalhousie professor Sylvain Charlebois says content creators are adding creativity when it comes to food and meals. But when it comes to science, he says fact check to make sure its accurate because it’s your health. “Some videos do go viral just because of their appeal, not necessarily because they are scientifically sound. However, what we have noticed is that there are several trends that do start on TikTok and will impact the food industry overall,” says Charlebois. He explains that there is no doubt that influencers are affecting the market. “There have been a few viral videos about sardines, it’s all about proteins these days. I mean finding the cheapest protein is really helpful and you can condemn some of the things happening on TikTok, but often TikTok will support viral trends that are also healthy for you,” says Charlebois. He says online trends can impact what people buy at the grocery store. “We have seen that with cucumbers, celery and right now I think the big one is cottage cheese, cottage cheese sales are through the roof,” he says. Charlebois says cottage cheese sales have soared in the last three months alone. “Sales have increased the most is cottage cheese by 17 per cent, and prices have actually gone up 7 per cent, and that’s due to TikTok really,” he says. The main piece of advice from these experts is to be mindful of who is sharing the information and fact check to make sure it’s accurate before giving the trend a try. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
