Feeling the influence of social media diet claims? Instead, find what works for you
Remember the werewolf diet? It made the rounds about 10 years ago and told adherants to fast according to lunar cycles, claiming to help you lose two to six pounds in the span of a day. Or how about the five-bite diet? This one says to skip breakfast and take only five bites of lunch and dinner.
You may be used to seeing these kinds of claims, usually pitched by beautiful, shredded individuals on the internet. You may even be tempted to believe them.
Don't, says Colleen Christensen, a registered dietitian based in Michigan who goes by @no.food.rules on Instagram. "I don't recommend following any sort of specific diet plans or having really any food rules or saying you should do something or you shouldn't do something," she said. "I embrace living in the gray."
She's one of a group of nutrition experts on social media who are fighting diets they consider harmful — by encouraging healthy lifestyles, rather than playing off people's insecurities. Christensen and Erin Holt, who has a bachelor's degree in nutrition and dietetics and hosts the from New Hampshire, can help you sort facts from fads.
