{"id":3856,"date":"2023-05-17T16:53:37","date_gmt":"2023-05-17T09:53:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/wellness-diets-are-a-slippery-slope-back-to-dieting\/"},"modified":"2023-05-17T16:53:37","modified_gmt":"2023-05-17T09:53:37","slug":"wellness-diets-are-a-slippery-slope-back-to-dieting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=3856","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Wellness&#8217; Diets Are a Slippery Slope Back to Dieting"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"post-share hidden md:flex justify-center relative bg-transparent text-justify bottom-0 md:bottom-auto left-[20px] right-0 md:right-auto z-10\" data-module-init=\"post-share\">\n      <a class=\"post-share__button inline-block mx-[4px] py-[11px] text-center text-gray no-underline leading-4 border-0\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fdanger-wellness-diets%2F\" data-vars-event=\"Facebook\" data-vars-info=\"\/danger-wellness-diets\/\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n      <span class=\"text-sm sm:text-base icon-facebook\"\/><br \/>\n      <spann class=\"visually-hidden\">Share on facebook<\/spann><br \/>\n    <\/a><br \/>\n      <a class=\"post-share__button inline-block mx-[4px] py-[11px] text-center text-gray no-underline leading-4 border-0\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=The%20Sneaky%20Insidiousness%20of%20%E2%80%98Wellness%20Diets%E2%80%99%20via%20%40iamwellandgood&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fdanger-wellness-diets%2F\" data-vars-event=\"Twitter\" data-vars-info=\"\/danger-wellness-diets\/\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n      <span class=\"text-sm sm:text-base icon-twitter\"\/><br \/>\n      <spann class=\"visually-hidden\">Share on twitter<\/spann><br \/>\n    <\/a><br \/>\n      <a class=\"post-share__button inline-block mx-[4px] py-[11px] text-center text-gray no-underline leading-4 border-0\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/link\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fdanger-wellness-diets%2F&amp;description=The%20Sneaky%20Insidiousness%20of%20%E2%80%98Wellness%20Diets%E2%80%99&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2023%2F05%2FWG_BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_inset.jpg\" data-vars-event=\"Pinterest\" data-vars-info=\"\/danger-wellness-diets\/\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n      <span class=\"text-sm sm:text-base icon-pinterest-p\"\/><br \/>\n      <spann class=\"visually-hidden\">Share on pinterest<\/spann><br \/>\n    <\/a><br \/>\n      <a class=\"post-share__button inline-block mx-[4px] py-[11px] text-center text-gray no-underline leading-4 border-0\" href=\"mailto:?subject=The%20Sneaky%20Insidiousness%20of%20%E2%80%98Wellness%20Diets%E2%80%99&amp;body=The%20goal%20of%20%E2%80%9Cgetting%20to%20the%20root%20cause%E2%80%9D%20that%20is%20so%20pervasive%20in%20the%20wellness%20industry%20is%20alluring%20to%20us%20all%2C%20but%20some%20of%20the%20tactics%20used%20to%20get%20there%20are%20restrictive%20eating%20in%20disguise.%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fdanger-wellness-diets%2F\" data-vars-event=\"Email\" data-vars-info=\"\/danger-wellness-diets\/\"><br \/>\n      <span class=\"text-sm sm:text-base icon-paper-plane\"\/><br \/>\n      <spann class=\"visually-hidden\">Share on email<\/spann><br \/>\n    <\/a><br \/>\n  <\/aside>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> In the summer of 2020, Jaime (who asked that I use just her first name) was struggling with irritable bowel syndrome, depression, headaches, and acne. She paid a visit to the primary care physician she\u2019d been seeing for years, who recommended an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.positive-nutrition.com\/post\/2017\/07\/19\/the-problems-with-elimination-diets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener sponsored\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.positive-nutrition.com\/post\/2017\/07\/19\/the-problems-with-elimination-diets\">elimination diet<\/a> that she said would help get to the root of all these concerns. Jaime trusted the doctor and didn\u2019t think to question her. After reading over the elimination diet materials her doctor provided, Jaime embarked upon the recommended restrictive meal regime \u201cwholeheartedly,\u201d she says. She removed seven broad categories of foods, plus \u201canything <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-processed-food\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-processed-food\/\">processed<\/a>,\u201d from her diet\u2014and kept this up strictly for about four weeks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> Jaime\u2019s digestive issues proceeded to worsen over the course of the month that she was following the elimination diet, including \u201csevere simultaneous diarrhea, constipation, and constant bloating,\u201d she says. She also lost weight quite rapidly on the restrictive diet. Alarmed by the sudden change, Jaime went back to her doctor to discuss how to start reintroducing some of foods she\u2019d eliminated and determine whether she had sensitivities to any of them. The doctor, however, told Jaime that revising the \u201cplan\u201d was unnecessary, and that she never needed to eat any of those foods again because she was getting \u201call of her required nutrition\u201d from the restrictive diet.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> That advice is a complete falsehood. In reality, even evidence-based elimination diets <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/jhn.12530\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener sponsored\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/jhn.12530\">aren\u2019t meant to be continued long-term<\/a>\u2014particularly if a patient\u2019s symptoms or their relationship with food are worsened by the diet.<\/p>\n<div class=\"block-wide min-h-[400px] py-5 w-full flex flex-col justify-center items-center text-gray font-serif mt-[58px] mb-[40px]\" data-type=\"acf\/premium-article-media-text\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col md:flex-row justify-center md:items-center w-full gap-[18px] md:gap-[37px] lg:gap-[48px] xl:gap-[54px]\">\n<figure class=\"w-full md:w-1\/2 m-0\">\n<div class=\"image-2021 overflow-hidden h-0 relative\" style=\"padding-bottom: 146.33027522936%; \"> <picture><source data-srcset=\" https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_4_872x1276_true_75.webp 872w,https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_4_1308x1914_true_75.webp 1308w,https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_4_1744x2552_true_75.webp 1744w, https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_4_872x1276_true_75.webp 872w,https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_4_1308x1914_true_75.webp 1308w,https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_4_1744x2552_true_75.webp 1744w, https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_4_872x1276_true_75.webp 872w,https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_4_1308x1914_true_75.webp 1308w,https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_4_1744x2552_true_75.webp 1744w,\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\" (max-width:640px) 872px,  (max-width:768px) 872px,  872px\"\/><img data-module-init=\"image-2021\" data-module-immediate=\"\" alt=\"\" class=\"image-2021__img             lazy                         w-full !h-full min-h-full inset-0 !absolute block left-0 top-0 object-cover\"\/> <\/picture> <\/div><figcaption class=\"text-left text-gray-light text-[13px] leading-[20px] mt-[10px]\"> Getty \/ David Crockett <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"flex-1 w-full md:w-1\/2\">\n<h3 class=\"text-h3\"> <\/h3>\n<p class=\"text-big\"> Jaime was 27 at the time, and she had never dieted or worried about her weight\u2014a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3745223\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3745223\/\">rarity for a woman<\/a> living in diet culture. But going on the elimination diet changed all of that for her. The doctor\u2019s recommendation to restrict and monitor her food intake so meticulously triggered two years of rigid disordered eating behaviors that Jaime only was able to let go of when she got pregnant. To this day, she says she still struggles in her relationship with her body.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Jaime\u2019s situation is all too common, as I\u2019ve witnessed both in my work as a dietitian who specializes in disordered eating recovery and in my personal experience seeking help for several chronic illnesses. Often, the wellness industry sells us on the idea that adhering to particular eating habits, many of which are sneakily restrictive\u2014a diet that, for instance, vaguely promises to \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/hormone-balancing-diet\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/hormone-balancing-diet\/\">balance your hormones<\/a>\u201d or \u201cheal your gut\u201d\u2014is necessary for optimal health. The same goes for related pursuits, like trying to reduce inflammation through food and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/continuous-glucose-monitoring\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/continuous-glucose-monitoring\/\">monitoring blood glucose in the absence of diabetes<\/a>.\u00a0 <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> Today, all manner of health problems are blamed on an \u201cunhealed\u201d gut microbiome, an \u201cimbalanced\u201d hormonal state, or other immeasurable-yet-discouraging-sounding metrics\u2014as we\u2019re reminded every time we use social media or innocently Google a symptom. It\u2019s easy to default to blaming a person\u2019s diet and lifestyle for physical issues that are otherwise challenging to diagnose (especially in fields where <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2023\/02\/230208155714.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener sponsored\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2023\/02\/230208155714.htm\">research is still limited<\/a>, like gut and hormonal health). Many corners of the wellness industry rely far too heavily on these assumed \u201croot causes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> The goals of \u201cgetting to the root cause\u201d and \u201ctreating the whole person\u201d that are so pervasive in wellness culture are understandably alluring to many people. But these concepts can be particularly appealing\u2014and potentially damaging\u2014to those coping with chronic health conditions. The same can be said for anyone who\u2019s historically struggled with disordered eating and\/or felt dismissed or unheard by the conventional health care system.<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> Yet these so-called \u201chealthy\u201d habits are leading many people down a dangerously unhealthy path. For one thing, these \u201cwellness\u201d diets generally aren\u2019t backed by sufficient evidence for widespread use; instead, they\u2019re often based on early-stage research in animals, cell cultures, or very small, non-randomized groups of people\u2014not the kind of <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/randomised-control-trials-what-makes-them-the-gold-standard-in-medical-research-78913\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener sponsored\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/randomised-control-trials-what-makes-them-the-gold-standard-in-medical-research-78913\">robust science that\u2019s needed for making clinical recommendations<\/a>. What\u2019s more, the dietary changes popular in the wellness world can trigger or exacerbate disordered eating in vulnerable people, which in my experience is the majority of the population (though of course not everyone).\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"next-core\/paragraph core-heading text-h3 block-thin\" style=\"\"> Why \u201cfood-first\u201d approaches to resolving health issues can be appealing<\/h3>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> It\u2019s easy to see why natural-sounding, harmless-seeming, food-first approaches to wellness are so popular in a conventional health care system where many <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/gender-bias-health-care\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/gender-bias-health-care\/\">people don\u2019t get the care they need<\/a> and deserve. But eliminating entire food groups is not the panacea it\u2019s made out to be, as Sarah-Jane Garcia learned the hard way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> Garcia is a pharmacist who struggled with binge eating for years. When she saw a doctor for help with her disordered eating, all she got was a prescription for an antidepressant, because the doctor said she had anxiety and chronic fatigue (although exactly how those were related to her bingeing was unclear).<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> Garcia wanted to understand the underlying reasons for her disordered eating and felt dismissed by the doctor, but she tried the meds anyway\u2014to no avail. After trying another medication that didn\u2019t work to stop the bingeing, Garcia was at a loss. She confided in a coworker about her issues with eating, and the colleague told her about a wellness influencer she should follow on Instagram for tips to help her with bingeing: a naturopathic doctor (not an MD) who claimed to have healed his own health problems through detoxes and certain protocols from &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.ie\/life\/health-wellbeing\/functional-medicine-is-it-the-future-of-healthcare-or-just-another-wellness-trend\/37437566.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener sponsored\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.independent.ie\/life\/health-wellbeing\/functional-medicine-is-it-the-future-of-healthcare-or-just-another-wellness-trend\/37437566.html\">functional medicine<\/a>&#8221; (an alternative to conventional medicine that often prescribes diets and supplements) that have little scientific backing. His content immediately resonated with Garcia. She felt hopeful, inspired.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> \u201c[The Instagram naturopath\u2019s] story tracked so closely to mine. He went for conventional help, he couldn\u2019t get the answers he needed, and finally he just \u2018did his own research\u2019 and found the answers in naturopathic-based medicine and other wellness components,\u201d Garcia says. \u201cAnd so I started to really buy into him.\u201d From there, she got into Paleo diets, fasting, detoxes, herbal supplements, and more\u2014and her binge eating only got worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> The longer Garcia spent prioritizing these restrictive methods, the more her mistrust and wariness of the conventional health care system grew, even though she was a part of it herself as a pharmacist. Much of what Garcia was learning in wellness spaces was new to her, which made her think that her doctorate program in pharmacy hadn\u2019t taught her \u201cthe latest research\u201d on how to treat various conditions. She began looking to integrative and naturopathic medicine for all of her continuing education, and eventually got a certification as an integrative health practitioner\u2014which only strengthened her distrust of conventional medicine. \u201cI started to become a pharmacist who was anti-drugs,\u201d Garcia says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> As Garcia\u2019s experience reveals, problematic aspects of wellness culture such as restrictive diets and a rejection of evidence-based treatments have increasingly begun to filter into conventional health care spaces, from retail pharmacy counters to regular doctor\u2019s offices. Jaime\u2019s doctor had been a general practitioner at a local low-income health clinic, with a specialty in family medicine. Jaime had no idea that her longtime doctor was interested in using food restriction as a way to resolve health issues like depression until she gave her the reading materials for her prescribed elimination diet. The doctor left that clinic shortly after this, and Jaime heard it was so that she could practice functional medicine more openly in her new job.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"next-core\/paragraph core-heading text-h3 block-thin\" style=\"\"> Social media feeds into the problem\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> The reasons why conventional health professionals begin recommending risky approaches like restrictive diets are varied, and sometimes include preexisting disordered eating, as was the case for Garcia. But social media can also play a role, and sometimes health professionals can be just as vulnerable to online wellness misinformation as anyone else.<\/p>\n<div class=\"block-medium font-serif py-5 w-full flex flex-col mt-[40px] md:mt-[56px] md-[24px] md:mb-[40px] justify-center items-center\" data-type=\"acf\/premium-article-image-quote\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-col w-full mx-auto justify-center ml:items-center\">\n<div class=\"ml:w-full gap-[18px] mb-[9px] flex flex-col ml:flex-row-reverse ml:-mx-[8px] xl:-mx-[9px]\">\n<div class=\"w-full ml:w-1\/2 text-center\">\n<div class=\"flex justify-center items-center h-full px-[23px] md:px-[73px] ml:px-[24px] py-[30px] min-h-[400px]\" style=\"background-color:var(--article-accent-color-2);color:var(--article-accent-color-2-text)\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-wg-quote block-thin flex flex-col relative mx-0 mb-0 p-0 !mt-[30px]\"><p><span class=\"text-quote !text-[95px] absolute top-[-10px] ml:top-[-30px] left-0 right-0 mx-auto\">\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"quote-quote text-center text-quote\">\u201cA simple search for a healthy recipe quickly led me to pro-anorexia content&#8230;This persistent barrage of harmful material severely damaged my sense of self and led me towards disordered eating.<\/p>\n<p><cite class=\"quote-credit text-center text-big italic opacity-60\">\u2014Emma Lembke<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"w-full ml:w-1\/2\">\n<figure class=\"w-full h-full m-0 max-h-[600x]\">\n<div class=\"image-2021 overflow-hidden h-0 relative\" style=\"height: 100% \"> <picture><source data-srcset=\" https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_2-1_872x1276_true_75.webp 872w,https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_2-1_1308x1914_true_75.webp 1308w,https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_2-1_1744x2552_true_75.webp 1744w, https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_2-1_872x1276_true_75.webp 872w,https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_2-1_1308x1914_true_75.webp 1308w,https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_2-1_1744x2552_true_75.webp 1744w, https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_2-1_872x1276_true_75.webp 872w,https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_2-1_1308x1914_true_75.webp 1308w,https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/BodiesIssue_WellnessDietTrap_bodyimageportrait_2-1_1744x2552_true_75.webp 1744w,\" srcset=\"\" sizes=\" (max-width:640px) 872px,  (max-width:768px) 872px,  872px\"\/><img data-module-init=\"image-2021\" data-module-immediate=\"\" alt=\"\" class=\"image-2021__img             lazy                         w-full !h-full min-h-full inset-0  block left-0 top-0 object-cover\"\/> <\/picture> <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-gray-light text-[13px] leading-[20px] text-center\">Getty \/ MileA<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> \u201cAll of my information came from these wellness groups I engaged with on social media,\u201d Garcia says, in retrospect.Any question she had about her own health or her kids\u2019, she asked wellness groups on Facebook\u2014not her pediatrician or family doctor, who actually knew her and her family\u2019s health history. \u201cWhoever was on the other side of that computer screen and wanted to answer I would accept at face value, because they were all integrative health practitioners,\u201d Garcia says. Unfortunately, many of the answers she got were problematic or simply wrong, leading her to try things (such as fasting and detoxes) that were ineffective, harmful, and perpetuated her binge-eating habits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> Social media platforms are rife with wellness misinformation, largely because of a central feature (or flaw) in their design: Their algorithms are designed to maximize engagement, which means to keep us on the platforms for as long as possible so that we\u2019re served more ads. And it just so happens that what drives the most engagement is content that is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2021\/03\/11\/1020600\/facebook-responsible-ai-misinformation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener sponsored\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2021\/03\/11\/1020600\/facebook-responsible-ai-misinformation\/\">novel and provokes moral outrage<\/a>, presents controversy, and goes to extremes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> Wellness misinformation often hits each one of those notes. Just think about all the posts that rail against the pharmaceutical industry or medical system and then pitch some sketchy supplement as a cure, or the viral TikTok trends in which bizarre diet tips spark outraged comments and breathless reporting from mainstream media. A 2018 study found that misinformation on Twitter spread <a href=\"https:\/\/politics.media.mit.edu\/papers\/Vosoughi_Science.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/politics.media.mit.edu\/papers\/Vosoughi_Science.pdf\">six times faster<\/a>, to more people, and by more people than the truth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> Not only do social media algorithms tend to privilege misinformation, but there\u2019s also strong evidence that they can radicalize people by exposing them to more extreme content over time, including in the realm of health and wellness. Multiple <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/facebook-knows-instagram-is-toxic-for-teen-girls-company-documents-show-11631620739\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/facebook-knows-instagram-is-toxic-for-teen-girls-company-documents-show-11631620739\">reports<\/a> from 2021 found that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/10\/04\/tech\/instagram-facebook-eating-disorders\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener sponsored\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2021\/10\/04\/tech\/instagram-facebook-eating-disorders\/index.html\">Instagram\u2019s algorithm<\/a> was driving users\u2014especially young girls\u2014from general \u201chealthy eating\u201d and weight loss content to extreme diets and pro-eating-disorder content, and often very quickly. A <a href=\"https:\/\/counterhate.com\/research\/deadly-by-design\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener sponsored\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/counterhate.com\/research\/deadly-by-design\/\">recent report<\/a> from tech watchdog <a href=\"https:\/\/counterhate.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener sponsored\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/counterhate.com\">Center for Countering Digital Hate<\/a> (CCDH) found that TikTok is doing something similar: The app began recommending harmful eating disorder content within eight minutes of CCDH researchers setting up new accounts with the term \u201closeweight\u201d in their usernames.<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> \u201cAs I read the [CCDH] results, I felt as though I was reading my own story,\u201d says Emma Lembke, now a college sophomore and the founder of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.logoffmovement.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.logoffmovement.org\/\">LOG OFF<\/a>, a youth-led movement dedicated to helping young people rethink their social media use. Lembke started using social media at the age of 12 when she signed up for Instagram, and soon found herself inundated with harmful messaging.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> \u201cA simple search for a healthy recipe quickly led me to pro-anorexia content,\u201d she says. \u201cThis persistent barrage of harmful material severely damaged my sense of self and led me towards disordered eating. While my experience of harm began with Instagram, this [CCDH] study affirms that this is an issue across social platforms. We must hold these companies accountable for the harm they are causing young people, especially young women, around the world.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> It\u2019s important to remember that influencers who share unsubstantiated and\/or extreme wellness information on social platforms are benefiting from spreading these harmful messages. And if it weren\u2019t for these algorithms privileging the most novel, sensational, out-there content, our society might not be so awash in misinformation about gut health, supplements, dieting\u2026 and most other aspects of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/fda-definition-of-healthy\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/fda-definition-of-healthy\/\">so-called \u201chealthy\u201d eating<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"next-core\/paragraph core-heading text-h3 block-thin\" style=\"\"> A way forward means filtering, fact-checking, and unfollowing\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> Occasionally, however, social media algorithms can surface information that helps pull people out of wellness traps. Take comedian Jessica Fostekew\u2019s experience as an example. Fostekew is host of the podcast <a href=\"https:\/\/play.acast.com\/s\/hoovering\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener sponsored\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/play.acast.com\/s\/hoovering\"><em>Hoovering<\/em><\/a> (which is all about food and her road to recovery from disordered eating), so she tends to get an influx of pitches from diet and wellness companies in her inbox. \u201cI\u2019m interested in the science of how we eat and how what we eat affects us,\u201d Fostekew says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> Approaches that promised to heal her gut microbiome were incredibly appealing to Fostekew, even after she stopped restricting and swore off diet culture. \u201cI fully fell in with this idea that there\u2019s some untapped <em>thing<\/em> that we\u2019re just learning about\u2014it felt very new and exciting,\u201d Fostekew says of the gut-health world\u2019s lure. But soon she began overthinking her menu and feeling guilty any time she had a meal without fruits and vegetables. She realized how problematic her mindset had become when she came across a comedian online doing a hilariously exaggerated impression of a person who\u2019d \u201cdiscovered\u201d gut health after seeing one documentary about it:<em> Sorry I was late, I\u2019d only eaten 59 different plants today and I needed to track down another 12<\/em>. For Fostekew, the joke hit a little too close to home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> \u201cI was like, \u2018Oh no, oh no, that is me,\u2019\u201d she says. \u201cI realized that I had found another way [back into diet culture] through yet another secret backdoor. While it wasn\u2019t necessarily obsessive control, it was another way to fill my head with to-do lists about how I\u2019m eating and what I\u2019m eating. And I could sense that I was becoming tiresome to the people around me. I felt like I sounded like one of my own aunts talking about \u2018superfoods.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> Garcia, too, found that social media could be an asset <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/dietitian-red-flags-social-media\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/dietitian-red-flags-social-media\/\">when used consciously and mindfully<\/a>. In fact, she says the thing that finally helped her address the binge eating head-on was an approach she found online: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-intuitive-eating\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/what-is-intuitive-eating\/\">intuitive eating<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> This practice got on Garcia\u2019s radar when she was searching for information online about how to feed her baby. Today, she uses the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/intuitive-eating-principles\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/intuitive-eating-principles\/\">principles of intuitive eating<\/a> to support her in a peaceful relationship with food, and she\u2019s become a certified intuitive eating counselor. Garcia also tries to think critically about wellness culture as well as what she sees on social media, and has let go of her previous food rules. \u201cI don\u2019t binge anymore,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"core-paragraph block-thin text-big\" style=\"\"> The quest for \u201cwellness\u201d can go from being the path to achieving purpose to feeling like the purpose itself. But wellness diets won\u2019t guide anyone towards true meaning, joy, or connection, nor will subscribing to any one-size-fits-all approach to physical and mental health. Rather, real well-being means having social support, economic security, just and equitable treatment, purpose, and satisfaction in life. Because that\u2019s what we all deserve.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div class=\"block-thin flex flex-col uppercase font-sans text-gray text-[13px] tracking-[1px] mt-[42px]\">\n<h4 class=\"text-h4 text-center mb-[14px]\">\n    Production Credits<br \/>\n  <\/h4>\n<p>\n    <span class=\"font-medium\">Designed by<\/span><br \/>\n  <span class=\"font-normal\"><span>Natalie Carroll<\/span><\/span>  <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on pinterest Share on email In the summer of 2020, Jaime (who asked that I use just her first name) was struggling with irritable bowel syndrome, depression, headaches, and acne. She paid a visit to the primary care physician she\u2019d been seeing for years, who recommended an elimination &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3857,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3856"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3856\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}