TikTok's Toxic Diet Culture Needs to be Stopped

TikTok's Toxic Diet Culture Needs to be Stopped

I’ve been asked to take a look through the diet + weight loss content on TikTok so many times recently. Social media is full of scams and hearsay and I hope this video’s a little reminder to show love to anyone online who might be struggling and point them towards qualified voices: Registered Dietitians and Medical Doctors.

For science-based home and gym workout programmes to build muscle, lose fat, or get athletic, my training + nutrition guides approved by a world-leading nutrition expert behind the British Olympic team are available on www.natachaoceane.com ❤️

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My Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natacha.oceane/
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My video on the science of why restrictive diets fail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTpjQs0atxs

A few of my favourite papers assessing the impact of undernutrition on health and the effectiveness of a highly restrictive diet on long term weight loss (there are lots more but I am hitting YouTube’s word limit! ☹️)
* https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325536514_Low_energy_availability_surrogates_correlate_with_health_and_performance_consequences_of_Relative_Energy_Deficiency_in_Sport
* https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2007/10000/The_Female_Athlete_Triad.26.aspx
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4951875/pdf/624.pdf
* https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/52/11/687
* https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/3/835
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2895000/
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2720870/
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6251190/
* https://academic.oup.com/pch/article/9/7/487/2648606
* https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6163/23c6089e51428efe02b25ea644cf7f4741d1.pdf
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4207953/pdf/40618_2014_Article_169.pdf
* https://www.clinicaltherapeutics.com/article/S0149-2918(20)30052-7/pdf
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7053439/pdf/JCRPE-12-18.pdf
* https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/52/11/687.full.pdf
* https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2468867319300458?token=16F8E25BB8AAA2D834D571A2C82FBFE491917FE486FF75380C8E44362DC7D4FFFBCF2D9AB82AE4AB1FF7C8D0EFC43602
* https://ebn.bmj.com/content/ebnurs/3/3/88.full.pdf
* https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/6163/23c6089e51428efe02b25ea644cf7f4741d1.pdf
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5568065/
* https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27136388/
* https://www.dishlab.org/pubs/2013%20Compass.pdf
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12079865
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4069066/
* https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1038/oby.2006.275
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4766925/
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5756630/pdf/in_vivo-31-1047.pdf
* https://www.researchgate.net/publication/5950331_Ghrelin_obesity_and_diabetes
* https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550413118301190
* https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212877815000605
* https://www.jneurosci.org/content/jneuro/30/48/16399.full.pdf
* https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/track/pdf/10.1186/1550-2783-11-7
* https://journals.physiology.org/doi/pdf/10.1152/ajpregu.00192.2009
* https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1038/oby.2012.34
* https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/D6D0B3464F524B8D29A7C6D5AFF111F0/S0007114501001234a.pdf/evidence_for_the_existence_of_adaptive_thermogenesis_during_weight_loss.pdf
* https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5839290/

If you’re interested in the interviews with RDs and MDs about lemon water, ACV, cayenne pepper etc below are some examples (I haven’t found any rigorously conducted and peer reviewed scientific literature into this, which says something already!)
* https://time.com/collection/guide-to-weight-loss/4701447/lemon-water-weight-loss/
* https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-eating/a22886377/lemon-water-health-benefits/
* https://www.insider.com/does-drinking-lemon-water-really-work-2018-11#myth-lemon-water-will-help-speed-up-your-weight-loss-efforts-1
* https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/nutrition/diet/benefits-apple-cider-vinegar-weight-loss/
* https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/nutrition/diet/benefits-apple-cider-vinegar-weight-loss/
* https://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/diet/apple-cider-vinegar-nutrition-facts-health-benefits-risks-more/
* https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/apple-cider-vinegar-diet-does-it-really-work-2018042513703
* https://www.self.com/story/diet-tips-you-should-ignore
* https://www.abbeyskitchen.com/nutrition-how-speed-your-metabolism-dietitians-review-common/
* https://www.chatelaine.com/health/diet/weight-loss-myths-fad-diets-debunked/
* https://www.livestrong.com/article/452709-the-lemon-juice-cayenne-pepper-diet/

Where I get my youtube music! http://share.epidemicsound.com/zBRBF (30day free trial) — (this is an affiliate link ❤️)

50 Comments

  1. Natacha Océane on April 21, 2021 at 5:04 pm

    In case it helps, Britain’s NHS shares that 2,223 calories is the average estimated energy requirement for a 13 year old girl. This only increases through adolescence (it’s nearly 2,500 calories for 17 y/o girls) and bear in mind that this is assuming an average level of activity which realistically isn’t going to be that much. Growth and development have significant energy requirements and we shouldn’t just take them as assumed ♥️ I hope it helps, love ya 💛

    https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/childrens-health/how-many-calories-do-teenagers-need/



  2. Hannah Dee on April 21, 2021 at 5:04 pm

    I would love for you to do a video on arbonne/mlm “health” products and the science (or lacktherof) behind them. I’m tired of seeing people fall into these schemes.



  3. Lindsay Mansur on April 21, 2021 at 5:05 pm

    THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS



  4. Cloud on April 21, 2021 at 5:05 pm

    I hate seeing people say "oh well I guess I’m not eating today" to a skinny person. I think that is so gross.



  5. Anna Puchalski on April 21, 2021 at 5:05 pm

    education is dead in america



  6. A.A.A. Vernier on April 21, 2021 at 5:06 pm

    Are you sure the cookie dough wasn’t the extra guac that spilled out of the burrito ? XD Nice one, we love you too ^^



  7. Katy P on April 21, 2021 at 5:07 pm

    Arbonne is a MLM, hence the hate, lol.
    I can’t believe the stupid cayenne-lemon drink is still around. It’s been debunked a million times.



  8. Dilly 00F on April 21, 2021 at 5:12 pm

    This is the first video I have watched of you, but could you tell me some tips to lose weight. I’m young teen that just doesn’t feel comfortable in my body.



  9. Baelea on April 21, 2021 at 5:15 pm

    I thought 1.5k calories was normal 😂😂 my doctors say im fine but it could just be me. probably different for everyone especially since my diet is so strick since I have allergies, some are deadly. I take supplements though. I eat whatever I want as long as I can have it, I don’t restrict anything that I can actually have. I did get covid and had to recover from all the weight I lost which was very hard, did it though.



  10. shannondollie on April 21, 2021 at 5:15 pm

    “Its alright to have that opinion…but not everyone should hear it” 👏🏼



  11. niqhs on April 21, 2021 at 5:16 pm

    Me watching this while eating 800 calories a day 🙃



  12. Lok-man Yeung on April 21, 2021 at 5:20 pm

    if i only sit in front of my computer and attend lessons and revise etc does that mean i could eat less? because i am not using up as much calories and energies.



  13. pig cat on April 21, 2021 at 5:21 pm

    Thank you for this video. I hope it reaches some people that really need to hear this. Thank you for standing up for health and science, not trying to achieve a certain look.



  14. Sharona's Hill on April 21, 2021 at 5:24 pm

    Please make another video like this! It’s going crazy! 😅



  15. C NK on April 21, 2021 at 5:24 pm

    i mostly watch the workout videos, but after i watched this start to finish i have to say i’m really touched by the way she point out her views and her cares for people who are undereating. i used to hate my body a lot (im overweight) and kept feeling guilt because of eating foods, even though sometimes it’s healthy food. but now i have such a nice relationship with food and no longer think "body goals" is everything. it’s very hard as a young girl when all you can see around you is pretty girls and fit youtuber or instagram celebs (before tiktok) while you sit there with a fat tummy and an ice cream bowl xD. But like everyone’s body is different. yes, some can eat 5 big meals a day and dont put on any weight, some can eat normal portion and still gain weight (like me). and you shouldnt punish yourself that way, just because you dont have body goals or whatever. I’m happy eating food. thank’s to quarantine i somehow just stopped caring about how my body look like, and actually think the fat tummy is not that bad. i try to exercise and eat more healthy food, but i dont stop eating pizza, or cookies, or ice cream, and stuff like that every now and then. I’m healthy and even though I’m overweight it’s not the end of the world. I dont have to try lose weight if I dont want to, screw those beauty standards. Imma do what i wanna do. and like, i dont need to lose 10 pounds in a week (its not healthy anyway), but i can try lose the weight slowly, throughout years, which what im doing rn. it takes patience but it’s a lifestyle, not a diet. its your body where you literally need to keep living, we should be gentle with it, love it, nourish it. and to those who are undereating: you only live once. are you seriously saying that you’re gonna spend the rest of your life just comparing your body to others and never gonna feel good about yourself, your food, your health? what a shame.



  16. alena on April 21, 2021 at 5:25 pm

    Have a look at Stephanie Buttermores channel:

    https://youtube.com/c/StephanieButtermore

    She went "All in" two years ago, after being constantly hungry and very near or even at an underweight. Her journey is really interesting and helped me a lot with my eating disorder.

    Love this channel, Natacha you are such a lovely person and the content you are creating is important to be out in the internet, especially during times where there is so much Missinformation 💜



  17. jamesandvicki07 on April 21, 2021 at 5:26 pm

    I want to give this video a million likes. I wish that I had known this stuff when I was younger.



  18. Aqua Gail on April 21, 2021 at 5:29 pm

    WHERE DO I FIND THOSE BURRITOS <3



  19. 1997Kaffe on April 21, 2021 at 5:29 pm

    I just recently found your channel and i already absolutely love your content ! I get a lot of Inspiration regarding my fitness plan but in a really healthy way….thank you for that 🤗 also you’re just too lovely 🥰



  20. Alanis Davidson on April 21, 2021 at 5:30 pm

    don’t the doctors not research it because they don’t want to stop pharmaceuticals? isn’t that a big incentive to ignore natural ways to support health.



  21. mugiwaranopenny on April 21, 2021 at 5:32 pm

    I do really drink one lemon with half a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar with cayenne pepper because I just found it so tasty 😂 but it is kinda acidic, so I only do it once a week. I feel like it it does give me a lot of energy throughout the day and i don’t have this dip in the afternoon anymore, I don’t need to nap. I guess it’s probably just a placebo effect but it still helps. Do you think drinking this is really bad?



  22. xina.notcena on April 21, 2021 at 5:32 pm

    "this platform shows you perspective that align with what you already have, that’s what the ‘for you’ pages are for, it’s for you and not for others, you’re actually being fed by what you like, not what’s right "



  23. Eesh on April 21, 2021 at 5:33 pm

    I just had two cheat days that was intense cos of my pms and idk how to avoid this every month



  24. Charlyn Liquido on April 21, 2021 at 5:33 pm

    I’m so grateful for this . Losing my period (3 months and counting, I’m regular way back then), problem with digestion ( I don’t poop for 4 months, I only poop when I drink tea and I’m sad ) and more negative feelings and that’s because of undereating. I lost weight, yes. But, I’m not really happy. Hopefully, tomorrow will be the day to eat again. I want to be back to my old self where my body is normal. Really, I’m healthy back then that I don’t get sick for years. I regret my months of undereating. If you’re reading this, please you deserve to eat. We deserve to eat.



  25. Raja on April 21, 2021 at 5:33 pm

    Stephanie Buttermore is also an amazing youtuber, who also shares the research



  26. Elisabetta on April 21, 2021 at 5:34 pm

    ok on my way to eat a cookie <3



  27. King Leonida on April 21, 2021 at 5:35 pm

    you read "detox tea" i read "scam tea"



  28. Rachael Fish on April 21, 2021 at 5:35 pm

    This video just made me go and grab a packet of crisps I’ve been wanting all evening 🥰



  29. Myafosya on April 21, 2021 at 5:37 pm

    When you said 1200 cal is small I was like "but if i go above that I start to become objectively overweight"
    Ig it’s because I spend too much time simply sitting in my room due to depression
    My body stopped growing at 11 yo dunno if there’s some connection



  30. Réka Nóra Leveli on April 21, 2021 at 5:38 pm

    me watching this while im drinking lemon water 👁👄👁



  31. Tam P on April 21, 2021 at 5:39 pm

    That ACV, lemon, cayenne pepper mixture hurt my stomach just looking at it. If I drink tea in the morning it makes me sick from too much acid so that definitely would fuck me up lmao.



  32. Ella Ronci on April 21, 2021 at 5:39 pm

    This helped me feel a lot less shitty about how many calories i eat in a day, and im now moving towards realizing that its not bad to eat over 2000 calories in a day as a 13 year old who exercises a fair amount. I weigh 116 pounds currently and people on social media (like in their 20s) saying they weigh like 125 and they feel "fat" does not help my mindset at all. This was on my recommended and you now have a new subscriber/fan!



  33. Margaret Cummings on April 21, 2021 at 5:39 pm

    Tiktok really is a nightmare sometimes, if you’re vigilant about what you engage with your For You page can be really great, but it’s so easy for nasty shit to sneak in, and to think "if they can do it, why can’t I?", about anything really, losing weight, looking a certain way, having a curated life. But it’s all fake!! It’s all staged and sponsored and planned out to look good on camera. Especially during the pandemic I feel like it’s so hard to stay grounded in what real people look like and eat like and do with themselves.



  34. Ban Ana on April 21, 2021 at 5:40 pm

    "Now extra guac ;)" made my day! <3



  35. don keigh on April 21, 2021 at 5:40 pm

    it’s just kids trying to teach kids.



  36. Jenny Steiner on April 21, 2021 at 5:40 pm

    I recently started to go back to my healthy life that was completely destroyed during my uni time. I don’t even know about this tik tok content but still I always think "no you can’t eat this and that if you want to be thin". But then I remind myself that i was used to eat everything before uni and was completely fine with my health and weight. I was working out 7 days a week, I was a dancer, in a swimming team and also in the gym for 4 hours. I loved it, I still love being active everyday, I’m just not heatlhy anymore. I ate a lot of food back then everyday and was healthy, fit, happy with life. I think that undereating is promoted in so many ways, also on YouTube, Instagram, in schools, uni… We see so much fake content about women or young girls that are really skinny and eat things like 40 calorie" cake". Girl, if I want to eat cake , i eat a piece of cake without worrying about the calories. Just eat one or two and you’re good to go. Moderation is key, not limiting your food until you only eat one apple a day. Makes me really sad to see content like this.



  37. Anna Puchalski on April 21, 2021 at 5:40 pm

    honestly this is the second video of yours that i found and did not expect at all from how i know you on ig … & u go girl! finally, some science! this is speaking to my soul



  38. Mi-Mi Canterbury on April 21, 2021 at 5:43 pm

    I have a question I am 4ft 11inches what do you suggest my daily calorie intake should be, oh and I am 41 and weigh 114 lbs and I used to be 158 and Obese now I just want to maintain my weight? Thank you 😊 💓



  39. Rockabilly In China on April 21, 2021 at 5:45 pm

    THIS video is amazing!! Subscribed!

    I am starting to properly recover from an ED (on and off for 10 years) and am becoming a certified personal trainer to help women like me. You are amazing and keep doing what you’re doing <3



  40. Klára Pohanková on April 21, 2021 at 5:46 pm

    When I was 12 I had this time where I probably ate like 1000 calories. Maybe even less. Now I realize how fkn MESSED UP that was. Im so glad I decided to recover from that. I dont count my calories, but I probably eat more than 2000 calories, workout, I gained muscle and I am SOO happy 😀



  41. Rihanna Rih on April 21, 2021 at 5:46 pm

    What about ppl in my family who think i’m undereating when i actually think i eat enough. Like i come from a culture in Balkan europe where’s really common we eat a lot of pork and sausages and personally they make me nausious so i avoid it as much as i can and whenever my family makes pork(they do it anyway since they think i’m a brat) i only tend to eat the side salad and potatoes but like i actually eat a lot of side salads and as meat i only eat fish chicken and sea food but eat tons of fruit and veggies and where i’m from if u don’t eat much meat it means you starve yourself especially since i’m the only one in my circle who takes workout really seriously
    I also have this tendency to not eat much at one meal(i just get filled really easily but get hungry just as easily) but eat like 5 times a day instead of 3. But i do eat a lot of junk food though. But i do have the mentality that if i don’t like a certain food I’ll rather go hungry than eat it and i mean it. I kind of think that what u “should eat” isn’t the same for everyone



  42. Shatakshi Singh on April 21, 2021 at 5:46 pm

    This made me realize that how badly I treat myself by not eating enough



  43. TheMixedBarbie on April 21, 2021 at 5:48 pm

    I eat around 3000 calories a day when I eat intuitively and often feel guilty about that despite me being a healthy weight. It’s drilled into our heads that a grown woman should eat 1200-2000cals which is a laughably small amount. Can we please reject diet culture and take GENERALIZED nutrition guidelines with a grain of salt?



  44. Faith Wetzel on April 21, 2021 at 5:49 pm

    That doctor of pharmacy is giving the rest of the pharmacy community such a bad rap. Pharmacists (at least in the US) receive a pretty extensive education that involves taking several semesters of biochemistry and other classes that provide an in depth look at the human body, metabolism, and nutrients needed to keep it running. That, combined with the knowledge on how to critique medical literature provides an excellent foundation to quickly disprove those “metabolism boosting” recipes



  45. Mic on April 21, 2021 at 5:50 pm

    About the first video
    My resting metabolism is 1100 kcal I work an office job and try to burn 400 kcal a day through exercise but that isn’t always possible

    We don’t know if this girl is truly eating ‘too little’ we don’t know her height and weight



  46. Sophie_LouFitness on April 21, 2021 at 5:50 pm

    There’s also certain youtubers doing what I eat in a day videos and they’re having about 1000 calories. It’s awful to sit and watch especially with this day and age 💔



  47. Cheyenne Watson on April 21, 2021 at 5:50 pm

    The second girl with the Arbonne shake is clearly following an Arbonne diet plan. Arbonne is a predatory MLM; so this girl was targeted by someone who sells it because of her weight; costing her roughly $300-$400 for the ‘diet staples’ of a 30 day supply for any of their diets. They quiet literally are all 800-1200 calorie ‘body reset’ diets and very unhealthy.

    In addition, all their diet plans were not created by registered dieticians or any form of nutrition specialists; they consulted "Holistic medicine experts" to design all the products and diets. So the actual science and healthy weight loss/diet science is barely there.

    That poor girl is dropping so much weight because this ‘diet’ is making her significantly under eat, and she’s getting conned by what is essentially a pyramid scheme selling products.



  48. ossiferfunk on April 21, 2021 at 5:53 pm

    I just had 2 double cheese burgers 🤟🏽😗



  49. oyasumii on April 21, 2021 at 5:56 pm

    "Because that’s bullshit. That’s bullshit-based" GOD DAMN



  50. Alicia Spinnet on April 21, 2021 at 6:01 pm

    Ok I just realised I am under eating when you described all the problems that can come with under eating… I just thought I was just a bit sensitive to lots of different foods… but I am just eating too little…
    I think my dad was right