11 of TikTok’s dumbest ‘gut health’ trends

“Skinny” is such an outdated concept; too much diet culture for 2022. “Flat belly” sounds better, but we’re also sick of it. What should the trend-driven online influencer culture do?

Enter “gut health,” TikTok’s latest euphemism for having a slim waist — this time with added wellness baggage. This sounds like it’s a scientific journey to better nutrition, but it’s really more bullshit. So let’s explore the most questionable gut health hacks the video platform has to offer. Grab a towel, because it’s time for your internal shower!

Indoor shower

An “internal shower” is a drink that contains two full tablespoons of chia seeds, plus a squeeze of lemon. Chia seeds swell in water, forming a lumpy gel-like texture. (That’s both what makes them good in pudding and allows them to stick to the terracotta planters of Chia Pet fame.)

So why drink them? Well, they are high in fiber and you also consume a glass of water in the process. In other words, it’s a trendier version of Metamucil. The sudden increase in fiber in your diet can lead to bloating and diarrhea if you’re not used to it, but it’s unlikely to be harmful otherwise.

Avoid cheese

Screenshot: thatnextlevelgirl/TikTok

It’s true that a diverse diet with lots of plant foods is probably better for your gut than a crap diet — but not for any gut-specific, game-changing reason. Your gut is healthy when your body is healthy, and a variety of fiber and other nutrients are good for your gut microbes and the rest of you. This amounts to “eating your vegetables” and is therefore not exciting TikTok advice.

So you have to spice it up. While there are plenty of other clips suggesting going on an elimination diet, eliminating whole food groups, I especially liked (hated) this video that demonizes pepperoni sticks, cheese slices wrapped in plastic and Lunchesthe only joy of my childhood lunchboxes, because they contain “chemicals”.

L-Glutamine

Screenshot: Caroline Arreola, MD/TikTok

The pursuit of “gut health” has influencers telling you that you need go out and get some L-glutamine (available in the supplement aisle of any store) to cure or prevent your leaky gut. Some of these videos include real science facts about what we understand glutamine does in the body. But that in itself should set off alarm bells: when someone talks about the mechanism of how something is supposed work, without presenting data indicating whether it Actually works for the expected result, chances are you are on the wrong track. (Dr. Arreola, to his credit, points out that L-glutamine is not a tummy flattener or panacea.)

L-glutamine is an amino acid that our body can usually produce on its own. Supplementation is proven to be helpful for people with severe bowel disease, sepsis, injuries such as extensive burns, and immune disorders. The Canadian Society for Intestinal Research notes that you should see a doctor if you think you have conditions serious enough to affect your body’s ability to make enough glutamine.

Anything involving an “elixir”

Screenshot: Hanna/TikTok

There is a whole genre of TikTok videos featuring a woman with visible abs making a drink in her kitchen. The identity of the woman and the purpose of the drink vary, but the abs are a constant.

So, of course, there are elixirs for gut health. The lady above makes one that includes a fresh squeezed lemon (of course), mango juice, aloe juice, and coconut water. What does all of this have to do with gut health? Beats me, but hey, she has abs. I mean, gut health.

Wash your fruit

Screenshot: thatnextlevelgirl/TikTok

Video after video tells us that we need to wash our fruit before eating it, to remove the pesticides that will ruin our intestines and prevent us from tearing our stomachs out.

This is It’s a good idea to rinse fruit before eating it, but there’s no link between barely detectable traces of pesticides on fruit and the health of your gut or the size of your waistline. It’s not a gut health trick, it’s just sensible food preparation.

Pilates

Screenshot: Jaz Turner/TikTok

Pilates is low-key strength training. We’ve already covered the trend of TikTok influencers making up imaginary benefits of Pilates, but “gut health” is new to me. What does a specific exercise routine (here, Pilates and hot yoga) do for your gut and microbial health? “I mean, look at that body,” the narrator says as the camera shows her slender waist. So…not gut health at all.

Eat 30 plants a day

Screenshot: EMILY PESCH/TikTok

I kind of like this as a hack to increase the diversity of your diet: count the number of plant species you eat each week and aim to get more of them than you currently do. Lettuce and tomato on your sandwich? Add the wheat from the bun and you are already up to three. This idea originated with research from the American Gut Project, which found that people who ate a more varied diet had a more diverse gut microbiome – although there was no specific link to the health, and that scientists still haven’t found a way to determine what a “healthy” microbiome looks like.

But all this has mutated quite a bit on TikTok. In this clip, the narrator tells us that the difference between her before and after photos is not due to “cardio and a restrictive diet”. But she clearly lost fat. Gut health is just the new code word for losing fat. Almost all of the videos I’ve highlighted here start with a before and after of someone’s soft, then toned belly. If it really was “bloating,” you might see the same abs in both photos.

Take a walk in the morning

Screenshot: HORMONAL HEALTH CO/TikTok

Walks are good! Morning routines are good! And it’s true that your gut has its own “clock” to tell what time it is. This influencer takes a step back, however, when she suggests turning on the morning light to set your gut clock. In truth, the gut sets its clock based on when you feed it.

If you want to set your gut clock in the morning, try eating breakfast. Like a real full breakfast, not a glass of lemon water.

Oil extraction

Screenshot: Gracie Norton/TikTok

This old thing? (I have to stop being surprised when old health trends make a comeback.) Oil pulling involves swirling coconut oil around your mouth, sometimes for up to 20 minutes, in addition to (or instead of) brushing your teeth. It’s not particularly good for this job, and there’s no reason to believe it’ll do anything for your gut health. Where your abs.

Chewing

Screenshot: ClaireLaNutritionniste/TikTok

Another archaic that keeps popping up, the idea of ​​chewing your food too much always reminds me of that scene in The Wellville Road where the dining room erupts in a chorus of “Chew chew chew is the thing to do / Chew chew chew, good food is good for you..”

Yes, your mouth produces salivary amylase to help break down your food. But there’s also a lot of amylase in your small intestine. Studies have shown potential, subtle effects of prolonged chewing on satiety (how hungry you feel), but the idea that you’ll get a flat TikTok stomach by spending more time chewing isn’t supported.

Drink water before or after meals, but not during

Screenshot: Esragram/TikTok

Lemon water makes its appearance again. But no during meals, okay? Even if the water you drink before, during and after a meal goes to the same place. Sigh.