Have you ever been scrolling on TikTok or Instagram and seen a “What I Eat in a Day” video or story? These can be fun and helpful, but most of the time, they just lead to tons of comparison and questioning of our own choices.
I’m going to be sharing what the problem with what I eat in a day videos or posts are, why I won’t post one, and how we can prevent ourselves from the comparison that they may lead to.
What are They?
If you’ve never seen a what I eat in a day video or post, let me explain. These are videos, posts, or stories, where people will show “every” piece of food that they eat in a day. They’re usually meant to be informative and educational. I understand that they have good intentions, but they usually can lead to more harm than good.
When we’re seeing what other people are eating, it can lead to quite a bit of comparison. Am I eating enough? What if I’m eating too much? These are the questions that can be swirling in your head when you see these posts, and it’s totally normal.
While I’m not a fan of these posts, they can have some benefits. If used and posted correctly, you can discover new foods that you may have never seen before. Always fun to try new foods!
You’re Only Seeing a Snapshot
One of the biggest problems with these videos is that we’re led to believe that they’re all realistic. I can guarantee you that half of the what I eat in a day posts you see are not 100% accurate.
Now I can be guilty of this, too. I don’t post what I eat in a days, but I will sometimes show my lunch or dinner on my Instagram story. As an outsider, it may look like a “good” meal. What I don’t always show is if I’m hungry an hour later or recipe testing, and have some chocolate, a protein bar, etc.
Nothing we see on social media is real, as much as we want it to be. We all want to put our best foot forward, which is a normal human reaction to have. Unfortunately, when we’re just seeing someone’s “best”, it can make our “worst” feel that much worse.
Leads to Comparison
As I said earlier, these posts and videos lead to the ultimate comparison game. Let’s say I see what someone eats in a day, and they’re eating a lot less than me. I’m probably then going to think that I’m eating too much.
No one knows your body better than you! If you’re honoring your body and giving it adequate energy, then you’re not eating too much. You giving your body energy is the ultimate form of respect and love.
You could even compare yourself with if you’re not eating enough. If you see someones what I eat in a day and they’re eating a lot more than you, then you may think that you should be eating more. No matter which way you spin it, you’re going to end up comparing your food choices to someone who you don’t even know.
Again, you have no idea if that’s really what they ate in a day. Maybe they had a few extra spoonfuls of peanut butter, forgot to take a picture of their snack, or binged at night. We don’t know what is truly going on in anyone’s life besides our own.
Most People Aren’t Qualified
I think my biggest pet peeve is seeing teenage girls on TikTok post a what I eat in a day. The best is when they’re only eating 1,200 calories (NOT). Most of the what I eat in a day videos you’re seeing are from people who have no nutrition qualifications or credentials!
I’ve said this in my nutrition myths blog, but 1,200 calories are the caloric needs for a TODDLER. Not a growing teenager or young adult! It seems like these TikTok’s are a competition to see who can eat the least and maintain their “skinny” body.
Please, whatever you do, don’t listen to these. The amount of misinformation I’ve seen on TikTok regarding diet trends, lemon water, fasting, etc, is honestly quite frightening. Skipping breakfast is not cool. Coffee is NOT breakfast.
If you’re going to watch a what I eat in a day video, I recommend watching on from a registered dietitian. This way, you know you’re getting solid knowledge and no risk of misinformation.
Think Before You Watch
Unfortunately, diet culture is running rampant in our world, and seems to just be getting worse. I don’t want anyone who posts these videos to think that I’m shaming or hating on them. I just want to make you aware of the impact that it can have on others.
If you find yourself in a position where you don’t want to watch these videos, you have every right not to. I recently had a video pop up on my Youtube from Cassy Ho of Blogilates titled, “What I Eat in a Day (photoshoot prep).” There’s already so much wrong with this video, just from the title.
Instead of putting myself in a position where I know I would compare myself and probably feel bad, I didn’t even watch it. You need to be your own advocate and protector of your mental and physical health. If you think that a video or post is going to be triggering for you, keep scrolling!
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with unfollowing or muting accounts that make you feel bad. I’m a huge proponent of this and think that it’s something everyone should do. You can make your social media feed anything you want. No one is making you consume content if it’s making you feel bad.
I hope that this has helped you understand what a “What I Eat in a Day” is, the potential problems with them, and ways you can protect your physical and mental health against comparison that comes from them.
xoxo
