Written by: Maddie Puto, SLU Intern
Since you are reading this blog, that probably means you are a part of the 70% of Americans who have a social media account (Demographics of Social Media Users and Adoption in the United States). Our phones are a constant weight in our hand that give us a connection to our friends, a news source, a memory creator, and entertainment. But with social media comes the mindless scroll that we are all too familiar with. The rapid thumbing across our screen allows us to see hundreds of perfectly filtered pictures in a matter of seconds. Influenced by the media, children learn at a young age that it is natural for women to be obsessed with their bodies. Social media has ingrained in our heads the fallacy that skinny = healthy with many influencers capitalizing on this belief. Influencers are the new Hollywood celebrities. They self-proclaim their credibility to sway our decisions by rising to fame on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. I’ve seen young women skip lunch and chug odd combinations of liquids all because of posts they saw online. With these posts inches away from us at all times, it feels like we are perpetually trapped in a cycle that promises a quick fix, but at the end of the day, does not deliver results.
A part of the reason I decided to study nutrition is because I’ve fallen into this trap too. In high school, I went vegan because a woman on YouTube convinced me it was the absolute ONLY way to be physically and mentally healthy. I ate grapefruit, ice cream, and hotdogs together because I saw a claim that it would “boost my metabolism.” I’ve done the Whole30, gone gluten free, failed at many juice cleanses, and ate only potatoes for a week all in an effort to be healthy. Did any of these actually make me feel good? No. They just fueled a pattern of restrictive eating and an unhealthy relationship with food. With an overload of conflicting information, how was I supposed to know what was real or not? These influencers weaponize food as good or bad then thrive off of your confusion in order to sell their own products, meal plans, and boost their platform. It wasn’t until I spoke with a dietitian that I was able to look at food to fuel my body instead of a tool to make me “skinny” or “fat.”
The Research
A 2019 survey showed that 50% of Gen Z and Millennials (16-40-year olds) trust influencers to provide accurate information on products and brands (Sujan 2021). But do these influencers have our best interest in mind? A study by the University of Glasgow looked at 9 of the most followed nutrition influencers in the United Kingdom. Each had over 80,000 followers and a blue verification checkmark on at least 2 social media platforms. Many people see this coveted blue checkmark as a sign of trustworthiness, when in reality, anyone can obtain it based on their follower count. The influencers were rigorously analyzed for 12 criteria including their meal plans, weight management advice, evidence-based references, trustworthiness, and adherence to nutritional criteria. Of these 9 influencers, the only person who passed all 12 tests was a degree-holding Registered Dietitian. Not even a Medical Doctor passed these nutrition credibility tests. (Sabbagh 2020). The other influencers provided some truth to their posts, but overall the study shows that most social media influencers are not a credible resource for nutrition.
The Right Info
I get it, it’s confusing and you don’t know what to trust. The
best thing you can do is become your own detective to help sift out false
nutrition information. Here are 5 detective skills you can use when reading
articles or blogs:
1) Check the Author
If the author of the blog has a “RD” or “RDN” behind their name,
it means they are a Registered Dietitian. A dietitian differs from a
nutritionist in that anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, but only
someone who has completed a rigorous curriculum, immersive internship, and a licensure
exam can call themselves a dietitian. RD’s are truly the nutrition experts and
you can bet they are giving you nutrition advice based on scientific evidence.
2) Look for evidence
This ties into the first one, but nutrition is a science and you
can’t become an expert overnight. You would not
trust someone without a medical degree to perform surgery on you, so why would
you trust an unlicensed individual with your nutrition needs? Dietitians
go to school for years to learn about the science of nutrition and are required
to take continuing education courses, so they can stay up to date on all of the
latest evidence.
3) If it sounds too good to be true, it is.
I apologize for this one, but deep down, you already know
this! You want to believe that you can
lose weight fast or that a scoop of red powder can count as all of your fruit
servings, but that is just not healthy or sustainable. Looking for buzz words
like “quick fix,” “meal replacement,” “recent breakthrough,” or “super food”
can indicate that the advice isn’t based on real evidence.
4) Selling Products
This isn’t always a red flag, but you have you use critical
judgement. If the person you are receiving nutrition information from is
constantly trying to sell supplements, powder, or “fit coffees,” they probably
aren’t a nutrition expert, they are just trying to make a quick buck.
5) Do
what’s best for you!
Many nutrition influencers promote what has worked for them, but not every diet plan is going to work for everybody. Step back and realize what you see on the screen isn’t always real and even if you ate just like your favorite influencer, you are still going to have a different body than them. Every body is different and only you know what works for your body.
The bottom line is that I’m sorry. There isn’t a quick fix, there
isn’t a healthy way to lose 10 pounds in a week. The powder your friend is
promoting won’t make you lose weight, it will just make you run to the
bathroom. Social media is the most perfect version of someone’s life that can
be highly manipulated to draw you in. The advice I have for you isn’t sexy or
glamourous. Eat your fruits and vegetables but have the cake too. And not a
“skinny” cake, just eat the real cake. A
healthy diet requires you to forget everything these influencers have told you.
Focus on mending your relationship with food. If you are feeling confused, a
dietitian can help keep you on tract and will help work out what’s best for
YOU.
The Sources
“Demographics of Social Media Users and Adoption in the United States.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, Pew Research Center, 5 June 2020, www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/social-media/.
Sujan Patel. “How to Become an Influencer in Any Industry.” Sujan Patel, 18 Feb. 2021, sujanpatel.com/marketing/become-an-influencer/#:~:text=But there are plenty of,means you have an audience.&text=And it gives you respect,that's more valuable than money.
Sabbagh C, Boyland E, Hankey C, Parrett A. Analysing
Credibility of UK Social Media Influencers' Weight-Management Blogs: A Pilot
Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Dec 3;17(23):9022. doi:
10.3390/ijerph17239022. PMID: 33287374; PMCID: PMC7731114.
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