I start my day off with a big ol’ cup of wariness and a bowl of skepticism toward the trend of “What I Eat in a Day” videos. These videos have circulated online for years, and they really gained steam in 2020 during the COVID lockdown.
The Problem with “What I Eat in a Day” Videos
Many mental health and medical providers started to respond to advocate against the harmful impacts of promoting one person’s eating habits to the generalized public. Therapists, dietitians, and body-inclusive advocates have highlighted the harm in following one eating strategy without considering a person’s biological, emotional, and environmental factors.
In my personal scrolling, I have seen an uptick of influencers adding qualifiers to make themselves seem more qualified to give dietary advice than they really are. “What I eat in a day as a _______ [insert profession, weight loss history, specific specialized diet, body size, un-dieter, wellness influencer, fitness expert here.]”
In a study by Topham & Smith (2023), data was collected from 84 “What I Eat in a Day” videos across 59 YouTube accounts. Their results show “misinformation is presented in ways that invoke expertise, scientific credibility, and personal experience, making it more difficult to identify and respond to.”
The Impact on Adolescents
As a therapist in an adolescent eating disorders program, I hear many patients describe the negative impacts the videos have had on their thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. As adolescents’ identity and brain development is happening, it makes sense that they would want to find a person they could emulate and feel the urge to follow. It also makes sense that an adolescent looking for advice on how to eat would want to look beyond their parents or scary or unapproachable adult medical providers. Adolescents need support learning how to use critical thinking skills when bombarded by this online trend.
Guiding Adolescents Toward Critical Thinking
When supporting and guiding your adolescents to engage in critical thinking skills, it is important that you acknowledge and validate the emotions they may feel when watching these videos. Other critical thinking talking points could include:
- You could eat the exact same things and not look like that person.
- This person may not be telling the truth.
- Genetics, metabolisms, and lifestyle (including activity levels) are different for everyone.
- People at different ages require different amounts/types of nutrients and energy.
- You are not seeing the medical information of that person as to whether or not they are adequately nourished.
- You are seeing one day of eating and not their overall eating habits.
- You are seeing highlight reels versus real-life
- Look for the strategically placed wellness (or other) products to sell in the video.
- Who profits off this post?
Moving Forward: Raising Critical Thinkers in a Digital World
The next time you or your adolescent comes across a ‘What I Eat in a Day’ video, pause before scrolling. The goal isn’t to shame young people for watching, but to help them build the tools to engage critically and trust themselves first. As parents, providers, and advocates, guiding adolescents through what they’re seeing online can be one of the most powerful tools we have.
Laureate Eating Disorders Program is a small, not-for-profit Eating Disorders Program in Tulsa Oklahoma. Laureate is a relationship based program, and takes important steps to preserve that culture, including: 1:3 therapist to patient caseload; therapists engage patients for 6-8 hours per day in individual and family therapy and groups; therapists and Dieticians share meals with patients in the dining room; and patients keep the same therapist, dietician and psychiatrist throughout treatment. As a non-for-profit program, Laureate continuously reinvests in staff and facilities. For more information, please visit www.saintfrancis.com/laureate/eating-disorders-program/.