TIkTok Gut Health Trends to Avoid
If you’re on TikTok or watch Reels, you’ve definitely seen some of the newest, hottest gut health trends out there. If you’ve got gut issues, you’re probably a mixture of excited and maybe a little bit wary when you see them. Today we are debunking TikTok’s gut health trends so you know what will help or harm your gut.
Why are #guttok and #guthealth trending?
Everyone wants to look thinner, more fit, and appear or feel more healthy. Gut health research is fairly new in the world of medicine being that it’s only been around for a few decades.
As more research is released, we learn more about how much the gut controls our health, well-being, and how we look and age. It also controls our brain chemicals and inflammatory biomarkers. To say our gut health is important is an understatement.
However, a lot of the trends on TikTok are only focusing on the outward appearance of our guts. They boast that these tricks reduce bloating and give you a slimmer waist or flatter belly. But does a flat belly equate to a healthy gut? And are the things suggested in the videos backed by any research?
What TikTok gut health trends should you avoid?
Any trends that promise overnight results are ones to be wary of. But some of the most common ones that you should stay away from are:
Drinking olive oil to cure bloat.
There is no evidence to support that drinking olive oil can cure bloat, especially overnight as some influencers are suggesting. While olive oil is a staple in the Mediterranean diet and is a great source of healthy fats, it is high in calories and can actually lead to weight gain instead of reducing it as TikTok users have stated.
Olive oil has been studied in small groups, which means there may be some promise for it, but more research is needed to conclude whether guzzling it straight from the bottle is the way to go. Some of the reported benefits include:
- Many people do not get enough PUFAs or MUFAs and olive oil is a great source of MUFAs.
- Drinking olive oil may relieve constipation. However, this does mean it may induce diarrhea so be wary of how much you use.
- Oleic acid, a major component of olive oil, has great effects on heart health. This is why the Mediterranean diet is regarded as one of the best to improve heart health. However, this is just people who consume it regularly in their diet, not necessarily drinking it.
- Olive oil may also improve bone density and health. Again, this is a dietary intake of olive oil and not necessarily a shot of it.
All of this to say, drinking olive oil isn’t going to cure your bloat. Figure out the source of your bloat and then you can figure out what will actually help. Incorporating more olive oil into your diet (cooking it with tomatoes or using it as salad dressing) is a great way to receive its many benefits. But taking it as a drink isn’t going to be your new cure-all.
Eating a surplus of one food (i.e. dragon fruit, lemon, ginger, yogurt, etc.)
Many TikTok trends find one thing to promote and go all in on that one thing. However, having a variety of healthy, nutrient-dense foods is what will actually help improve your gut health.
So incorporate dragon fruit, lemons, ginger, and yogurt into your daily routines. Try new recipes using these amazing superfoods. But don’t only eat those. These foods are high in polyphenols and fiber which is great, but a surplus isn’t going to be what you need.
Focus on a well-balanced, extremely nutritious diet, and don’t rely on one thing to be your source of wellness.
Demonizing foods that are actually healthy
Now, when we talk about this, there are foods that you should stay away from. Foods with high amounts of sugar or preservatives should definitely be eaten minimally.
However, people who attack whole food groups like nightshades or fats or carbs, really have no grounds to say these things. While there are some people who have food sensitivities or intolerances (and they should keep away from these foods) this isn’t for the majority of people.
So unless your doctor has told you to stay away from certain foods, make sure you have a well-rounded diet that provides your body with the nutrition it requires.
Weird trends involving medications or consuming objects how they weren’t meant to be used.
From Tide pods to Nyquil chicken, some trends should be an obvious no-go. However, we do need to shed light on these as things you shouldn’t do for your health.
Don’t consume things that aren’t meant to be eaten. And don’t misuse medications. Both of these are recipes for disaster, disease, and can cause death.
How to actually improve gut health — with science to back up the claims
We have mentioned it multiple times throughout this article already, but it is worth reiterating: eat a well-balanced diet full of highly nutritious foods. This should include:
- Polyphenols
- Prebiotics
- Probiotics
- Antioxidants
- Proteins
- Healthy fats
- Fiber
- Vitamins and minerals
Atrantil is a great source of polyphenols, prebiotics, and postbiotics. Atrantil has gone through several studies and has been proven to help reduce bloat and its major causes. It also has a stamp of approval that you should always look for on supplements: NSF Certified for Sport.
In addition to your diet, your lifestyle should be healthy too. This means you are:
- Getting enough, good-quality sleep every night
- Exercising daily (low to moderate workouts are best for gut health, walking, yoga, tai chi, dancing, etc.)
- Keep stress and anxiety levels low
- Practice mindfulness in every aspect of your life but especially while eating
How to pick out what tips are real vs those that are just clickbait
- If they don’t refer to legitimate studies, the tips are probably not real. If you go to PubMed, you can type in anything and get the latest published studies to understand what is truly good for your health.
- If they’re suggesting that what you have can be cured overnight, it is going to be untrue as well. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither were health problems. Since they took a while to cause the issues someone experiences, they take a while to fix, too.
- If they’re getting a paid partnership, you should definitely do your own research to make sure they aren’t just supporting the product to get paid. When advertising for paid partnerships, they legally need to state that they get compensation from sales made from their referrals.
- Products should be third-party tested to ensure that they are high quality and actually contain what they say they do. NSF is one of the most accredited associations to provide these stamps of approval.
- Trust your gut. If something seems off or too good to be true, it often is. Do your own research and make sure what you’re about to do sits right with you and makes sense. Remember that influencers can cut their videos and not show the entire story. So don’t believe everything you see, hear, read, or experience until you check it for yourself.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5875103/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25238699/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29897866/