Instagram diets: Should we listen to celebrities in matters of food
Instagram and other celebrity social networks provide an opportunity to look into their lives, learn about the latest news, and some follow the stars in order to unravel the secret of the "impeccable" appearance. Celebrities do not miss the opportunity to share "secret" information, including about their diet - is it worth saying that they can not always follow their advice. We analyze popular instagram diets and explain why they are harmful.
Slim bitch club
The SlimBitchClub community appeared in March last year, and its first participants were Ksenia Sobchak, Polina Kitsenko, Nika Belotserkovskaya and Matilda Shnurova. At the presentation, the girlfriends reported that they had put together a healthy menu, dishes from which you can try at one of the Moscow health and beauty centers. Members of the club share tips on losing weight and a "healthy" lifestyle, which help them personally, and in instagram they publish recipes for "healthy" dishes, videos from workouts and advertisements of beauty salons, which they go to themselves.
Nutritional advice consists mainly of intimidation by the terrible effects of excess calories and overeating ("Walnut is a sinful waist!"). The club instagram lists lists of "acidic" and "alkaline" products according to the unscientific classification used by adherents of separate nutrition. We have already said that separate nutrition is a pseudo-diet, and the ideas behind it have nothing to do with the biochemical processes in the body. But other posts devoted to the nutrition of the club members do not contain references to scientific evidence or studies confirming the effectiveness or usefulness of certain dietary changes. But they abound in myths - for example, instagrama authors explain the usefulness of goji berries to the fact that this is “superfood”, and they suggest to drink dietary supplements instead of “chemical vitamins”.
In fairness, Slim Bitch Club calls for an active lifestyle - in which the participants are fully supported by WHO, recommending aerobic exercise of medium intensity for at least 150 minutes a week or at least 75 minutes of high intensity, as well as strength exercises at least twice a week. But the recipes offered by the club are more suitable for a light snack, and not for a regular way of eating, and certainly they do not bring special benefits.
Many posts talk about the "benefits" of avoiding certain foods - from milk to spinach and broccoli - although in reality such restrictions will only make the diet less varied and make you nervous, and in the long run can lead to a lack of certain nutrients. The main thing in a healthy diet is not individual foods or their components, but how a person eats for a long time. To improve the nature of nutrition, it is better to turn to evidence-based dietetics, even if its principles are set out in popular science and even game form (such as the British Eatwell dish).
Weight Loss Teas and Mixtures
The instagram hit, including Russian speaking, is different powders and slimming fluids with names like FitTea, BooTea or TeaTox. In fact, these tools really help to easily lose a few kilograms - but not at the expense of this weight loss, but due to the laxative and diuretic effects. Most often, it contains senna, a herbal laxative that is sometimes prescribed for constipation. Abuse of such mixtures can lead to dehydration and bowel problems.
Many celebrities promote these products, including Kylie Jenner, Nicky Minaj, Britney Spears, Hilary Duff. A simple idea (usually the set includes two teas, morning “for weight loss” and evening “for detoxification”) and not exorbitant cost made the market for such teas huge - now they are produced by hundreds of companies around the world who, according to some sources, pay fees to stars 250 thousand dollars for advertising. Since teas are officially registered not as medicines, but as food additives, their composition is not subjected to rigorous checks, and there is nowhere to get unbiased safety information. However, even the composition is not always revealed, and unknown substances can lead to real health problems.
Detox diets
The myth that the body can be cleared of certain "slags" with the help of "detox" seems to be impossible to get rid of: advertising of detox juices, smoothies and nutritional supplements does not become less. Usually, detox means taking a product that must "remove" all harmful substances that have accumulated in the body, or partial or complete starvation. The compilers of liquid (on juices or smoothies) diets also rest on the unloading of the digestive system, which will “rest” without a solid food - but in fact such breaks are not needed by a healthy person. As for the fresh juices themselves - they contain a large amount of readily available sugar and can harm the teeth, and over time increase the risk of diabetes and diseases of the cardiovascular system.
Detox smoothies are popular among celebrities: they are followed, for example, by Jessica Alba and Courtney Kardashian (the latter generously shares with her readers a smoothie recipe “for weight loss after giving birth”). Recall that for the constant cleaning of our body are primarily responsible liver and kidneys, which filter about 180 liters of blood every day. In addition, all tissues have systems that help get rid of harmful and foreign substances, and this is the work of immunity. We can confidently say that only a balanced diet and an active lifestyle, but not a small bottle of juice, will contribute to quality “detox”.
Diet fashion
Star diets are in tight rotation. The Atkins diet (which is ketogenic), which is followed, for example, by Halley Berry and Courtney Kardashian, the paleodiet, among which are Megan Fox and Jessica Beale’s fans. Separate nutrition in general (the diet of Katya Lel, Larisa Dolina and Anita Tsoi) is still popular with Russian stars, but the passion for the “blood type” diet, fashionable in the 90s and 2000s, seems to have gradually faded away.
Relatively new directions are fruitarianism (rejection of everything except fruit) and interval starvation. The first can be considered an extremely vegan diet, promoted mainly by bloggers who are not known for anything else. The second is gaining increasing popularity in Silicon Valley, it is practiced by biohackers. All of these options are one thing - the lack of scientific evidence that they are effective and safe, or at least something better than a balanced diet like a Mediterranean diet.
Why is it harmful
Tips on nutrition and diets, stars give the same ease with which they advertise cosmetics or clothing, without thinking that blind adherence to these recommendations can harm people's health. In addition to pseudoscientific terms like "detox" and "superfoods", you can often see demonization of certain food groups (flour, sweet or fat), and even such posts contain a huge amount of advertising - hidden or direct.
At the same time, both the instagram celebrity and their subscribers forget that losing weight, nutrition and lifestyle are as difficult topics as, for example, reproductive health and control of chronic diseases. Nutrition and eating habits are unique to each person, and if you have a desire to change or improve them, you should first of all listen to the specialists. In other words, the diet and needs of each person require an individual and professional approach.
If we are talking about losing weight, it’s also better to determine its necessity with a doctor: on the one hand, those who do not need to lose weight often find "extra" weight in themselves. On the other hand, if the weight is indeed higher than the medical norm or obesity has developed, then it may not only be an imbalance in the calories consumed and consumed: metabolic disorders, hormonal changes and mental spectrum disorders are possible. Although in social networks we are offered to “get rid of” a few centimeters in waist in a short period of time, we need to understand that the harm of such interventions can greatly exceed their benefits.
Stars often recommend strict low-calorie diets that allow you to lose a few pounds in a few days, for example at some event. There is no scientific basis for these diets, and if you follow them often, problems will arise - both physical and mental. Exclusion of whole food groups disrupts the nutrient balance, and strict restrictions affect eating habits and disrupt the perception of hunger and satiety signals. Studies show that frequent adherence to short-term diets has a strong effect on morale — leading to eating disorders, reduced life satisfaction, and other disorders. There is also a link between short diets and the incidence of a number of diseases (up to general mortality and mortality due to coronary heart disease), although the main reason remains to be established.
How to recognize the catch
Faced with celebrity nutrition tips, it’s worth thinking about why a person talks about it — perhaps you are just trying to sell something. It is important to remember that there are no magic products that can dramatically lose weight or solve health problems. "Unique ingredients", including those of "natural origin", can be dangerous if not studied in clinical studies. In addition, instagram is usually not told about the side effects, and one cannot be sure that the celebrity follows its own advice. If you have never heard of the advertised product, it is best to consult your doctor or nutritionist.
It is necessary to check the sources. If, talking about diet, the author refers solely to personal experience (for example, gives advice on losing weight after childbirth), then it is better to be skeptical. In the end, many people use social networks about the same way - showing beautiful pictures; we do not see how the rationality and lifestyle of the account holder actually looks like. Finally, advice on a "healthy lifestyle" is often not aimed at improving health, but at correcting the appearance, and it is impossible to equate these concepts with an equal sign. Short-term diets and laxative teas can really help you quickly get into your favorite dress — but it has nothing to do with maintaining health.
Photo: Zamurovic - stock.adobe.com (1, 2)
