“Likes Don’t Equal Facts: Ditch Social Media for Evidence-Based Nutrition”

Only 2.1% of nutrition information on social media is accurate! That's right, folks—if you’re looking for reliable nutrition advice on Instagram, you might as well ask your cat for tips on quantum physics. Anyone who spends time scrolling through social media knows the amount of rubbish out there, but this is worse than finding out your favorite celebrity’s “secret” to weight loss is just a filter and some clever lighting.

A recent analysis done by Dublin University and MyFitnessPal found that:

• 87% of people use social media for nutrition advice—because who needs a registered dietitian when you have a friend of a friend who once saw a TikTok about kale?

• 57% have adopted advice and trends seen on social media—from burning belly fat (with what, a flamethrower?) to liquid detox diets (because who doesn’t want to feel like a walking water balloon?).

• 67% of all users try at least one of these trends a few times a week—because nothing screams “I’m healthy” like a green smoothie that tastes like a lawnmower accident.

• 31% have suffered bad effects as a result of trying these trends—proof that you can’t spell “diet” without “die” (and maybe a few other letters too).

From drinking chlorophyll water (which sounds like something you’d find in a science lab) to eating cabbage soup diets (because who doesn’t want to smell like a vegetable?), the extremes some people go to can pose significant risks—especially those with health problems that can be exacerbated by these trendy diets. Although social media can be hugely beneficial, we need to create evidence-based content with accurate information. So, let’s leave the nutritional advice to the professionals and stick to what social media is really good at: cat videos and memes about how we’re all just trying to survive Monday.