Skip to main content

A doctor tells us why the latest TikTok trend might actually be a problem for your health

Is this new TikTok 'trend' the start of something great? Or are we too far gone?

If you’ve grown up in the States, chances are, the idea of an “eat what you want” diet sounds too good to be true. That’s likely because of the toxic, all-consuming diet culture we’ve been submerged in for the last several decades. Between fad diets, ridiculous “miracle” workout equipment, supplements that don’t do a damned thing, and social media influencers making everything even more confusing, being told to “eat what you want” is, frankly, a little rattling.

The idea is a good one, albeit hardly a new revelation. Instead of restricting certain foods — which, most certainly, causes you to crave those particular foods more than you ever would have in the first place — indulge in them. Go ahead and enjoy that pepperoni pizza, those greasy french fries, or that bacon cheeseburger. Just eat less of it, then add in the healthy stuff that your body actually needs to thrive.

TikTok is full of videos setting examples of what this “new trend” might look like at mealtime. This example from user lizaslosingweight shows one thoughtful eater indulging in a favorite — instant ramen. Only, instead of making two or three packages and eating them solo, she makes one package and tops it with the good stuff — protein in the form of steak and eggs, and a variety of vegetables.

@lizaslosingweight

Eat What You Want, Add What You Need #ewywawyn Instant Noodles! I do this to lose weight and keep it off for good! #weightloss #weightlosstransformation #eatwhatyouwantaddwhatyouneed #healthylunch #healthylunchideas #balancedeating

♬ Karma – Taylor Swift

What’s the TikTok “eat what you want” trend?

The arugula pie (pizza) at Fat Olives Flagstaff.
Fat Olives Flagstaff

The trending catchphrase is, “Eat what you want, add what you need,” meaning, of course, go ahead and have the “bad” food you want, but make it healthier by adding proteins, vitamins, and minerals in the form of healthier ingredients.

The absurdity of it all is that this is how we’re meant to eat — no restrictions, no counting calories, no apps telling us how many steps to take. But, as a culture, we’ve become so focused on the scale and “healthy” fads, that we’ve completely forgotten to live healthfully, naturally. So much so, in fact, that we actually need doctors telling us that eating an entire pizza is probably a bad idea. And watches that remind us to get up and move our asses every few minutes.

Why is this TikTok trend potentially dangerous?

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The laughable reason doctors are concerned about this trend is that they fear many Americans may hear “eat what you want and add what you need” and translate that to “eat a dozen donuts every day, but don’t forget to add in an apple slice.”

Dr. Amy Lee, Head of Nutrition for Nucific, says, “I think overall, this method of ‘eat what you want, add what you need’ could work only if you accept the idea that the food that you want (assuming it is usually junk food) should be a much smaller amount than the food that you need (high lean protein and fiber). Dangers would be dealing with a person who just doesn’t have a concept of portion control and literally ends up eating thousands of calories and then complementing it with a few pieces of lettuce.”

Of course, portion control is also an enormous concern in our culture, and in this new way of thinking. We’re a country of Big Gulps and King Sized candy bars and single restaurant entrees that could feed a family of four.

Dr. Lee goes on to say, “Human behavior is notorious for underestimating calories. People could find themselves not improving their health if these concepts are not understood. My fear is that someone who is using this method eats 5-6 meals daily and think it is ok to eat 5-6 portions of junk food to follow the program. What amount is too much is my main concern.”

How you can eat a more balanced diet

Roasted pork chops and a salad on a wooden board.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s much easier said than done, but truly, moderation is the key to healthy living. At its heart, that’s what this trend is about. Thankfully, we’re starting to veer away from the restrictive diet culture that has absolutely poisoned generations of people, and this is a step in the right direction.

“Overall, what people should know is that sometimes, it is the fear of missing out and/or feelings of deprivation that cause them to not follow a plan. Truly, no one gains 3 lbs overnight by eating a small bowl of chips,” says Dr. Lee. She then poses the question, “But can a typical person eat just a small bowl of chips and be able to walk away?”

Dr. Lee’s skepticism made us wonder — is our culture so obsessed with jumbo-sized everything and binge eating that we simply cannot control ourselves with food? Or is this new “fad diet” the start of something wonderful? A reminder of sorts that eating is meant to be an enjoyable, even romantic experience, nourishing our bodies with both pleasure and the essential nutrients it needs to properly function? Or are we just a lost cause?

Editors' Recommendations

Lindsay Parrill
Lindsay is a graduate of California Culinary Academy, Le Cordon Bleu, San Francisco, from where she holds a degree in…
You’re probably not using the broiler setting on your oven, but it’s a game-changer — here’s why
What is a broiler, you ask? Only the best oven setting you're not using.
Pizzas on oven racks

In the summertime, we talk an awful lot about grilling. And who can blame us? Grilling is a hoot, and grilled foods are spectacularly delicious. But for many reasons, grilling isn't always an option. Perhaps you haven't yet been inspired to buy a grill for yourself, or you live in a place that's especially rainy with no covered patio. Maybe you had a particularly embarrassing experience years ago that involved burning off your eyebrows, and you've been too scared to pick up the tongs ever since. Whatever the reason, it's okay. There is another option. In fact, it's likely something you already have in your kitchen and may not even be aware of. It's your broiler setting.
In addition to being a fantastic substitute for a grill, your broiler can also do a multitude of other impressive culinary tasks, from cooking to crisping to browning to brûléeing. So it's in your best interest to learn how to use this handy tool as soon as possible.
Broilers come standard with almost every oven on the market, be it gas or electric. In most cases, the broiler will be on the inside of your oven, the heat coming directly from the top. You'll access the broiler's heat by placing one of your oven racks on the highest setting — usually two to three inches from the broiler. In other cases, the broiler may be located in a drawer at the bottom of the oven and will work similarly, but with less control as to how closely your food can be placed to the heat source. Either way, it should be fairly obvious when you give your oven a quick inspection. So in case you've ever wondered what that button is for, or, if you're just noticing it for the first time since you moved in, this is how to use your broiler.

Cook
A broiler is, essentially, an upside-down grill inside your oven. If you know your way around a grill and think about it this way, cooking with the broiler will become quite simple. It gives off very high heat, so it's designed to cook quickly. Anything that cooks well on fast, high heat will do well in the broiler. Things like thin cuts of meat, smaller vegetables, and even pizza all cook beautifully this way. Simply adjust your settings according to your ingredients.

Read more
Stop tossing your garlic and onion skins: Here are 6 incredible reasons why
It turns out you might be throwing away the best part of your everyday ingredients
Onions and garlic

They may be the first thing we toss in the bin when it comes time for dinner prep, but it turns out that papery onion and garlic skin actually has some pretty incredible talents other than frustratingly sticking to our fingers. These are our favorite onion skin and garlic skin benefits.
Benefits of onion and garlic peels
1. They add nutrients to your diet
It may sound peculiar, but you can actually eat your onion and garlic skins. And while that papery skin may not be the first thing you want to turn to when it comes time for a midnight snack, it can actually be incorporated into your recipes. Add garlic and onion peels to stock for added flavor, grind, and mix them into savory baked goods. However you choose to include them in your cooking, you can rest assured that you're getting extra boosts of vitamins A, C, E, as well as many additional antioxidants. Skins are also a hefty source of flavonoids, including quercetin, a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
2. They add protection and flavor during the cooking process
Keeping the skins on onions and garlic during the roasting process has many benefits. Firstly, all of the wonderful health benefits mentioned above. By keeping the skin intact as long as possible in the cooking process, more nutrients can make their way from the skin into your dish. But by keeping that skin on, you're also protecting the ingredients themselves from harsh cooking and over-browning. Onion and garlic skin will help to protect the more fragile flesh beneath from high heat, providing you with a softer, gentler, more flavorful ingredient.
3. They can relieve muscle cramps
Onions — especially onion skins — are rich in anti-inflammatory properties. By steeping your onion skins in hot water for a few minutes to make tea, you can help to alleviate muscle cramps and tension throughout your entire body. Enjoy before bedtime for full-body relaxation.

4. They're great for the garden
It turns out all those added nutrients in onion and garlic skins aren't just good for your body. They're great for your garden, too. Instead of tossing those skins in the garbage, compost them and put them right back into the ground where all of those wonderful nutrients can help other ingredients grow and flourish.
5. They relieve itchy skin
In addition to all of their other health benefits, garlic and onion skins contain anti-fungal properties that help to alleviate itchy skin ailments, including bug bites and athlete's foot. Simply apply onion or garlic skin-infused water to the affected area for instant relief.
6. They're to dye for
Did you know that onion and garlic skins can be used for dyes? By boiling skins in water, you can create a solution that will give a beautiful golden brown hue to most fabrics, including wool, linen, and silk. It will even help to eliminate gray hairs and give them a natural shine and bouncy texture. Who knew?!

Read more
You might want to steal this pro chef’s ‘Jesus juice’ for use in your home kitchen
No matter where you land on the religious spectrum, Jesus Juice is your new savior
Olive oil and lemon

Every now and then, you might find yourself watching a cooking video, or hell, a how-to video about anything, really, and suddenly — bam — there's a genius tip that will change your life forever. A tip so good that you're mad you're only just getting the information. This is one of those tips.
How to Cook Perfect Scallops Every Time
In a recent YouTube video, Chef Will Murray of London's Fallow restaurant demonstrates how to perfectly cook scallops. And while his scallop cooking lesson is wonderfully informative, it was his finishing touch that really caught our attention. In one of those blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments, Chef Murray finishes his perfect scallop with what he calls...Jesus Juice. No mention as to why exactly it's been named Jesus Juice, but we like it, and we're keeping it.
The quirkily named condiment, he goes on to say, is a mixture of pickled lemon juice and rapeseed oil that can finish just about any dish.
Intrigued, we decided to try Jesus Juice for ourselves, and it's not an exaggeration to say it was the best decision we've ever made.
By mixing one part pickled lemon juice with one part oil (Chef Murray calls for rapeseed oil, but any neutral oil will work just as well), you're creating a condiment that can be splashed on just about any dish for an immense boost of texture and flavor. The perfect balance of zingy acidity and fat combine beautifully on seafood, chicken, pork, steak, salads, or absolutely anything else that just needs a special touch.
At this point, you may be wondering where pickled lemon juice comes from, and we're here for you. Just like anything else in the produce section, lemons can be pickled. The result is a zippy, complex, pleasantly sour, intensely lemony ingredient that can be used in an array of both savory and sweet dishes. The pickled lemon juice is what remains in the jar with the lemons, and it makes for an incredibly delicious and versatile ingredient. This is our favorite preserved lemons recipe so that you can try Jesus Juice for yourself.

Pickled lemon recipe
Ingredients

Read more