Too many social media influencers who focus on food actually promote unhealthy eating habits.

Nicholas Perry, also known as Nikocado Avocado, began as a YouTuber with a small audience who created mukbang videos, or broadcasts of him eating, which were well received and led him to have a larger audience. He is diagnosed with attention deficit disorder, which he said he developed through his work and which caused him to choose fame over his health.

Due to his mental health, he started binge eating, which caused many health problems. As a result of his obesity, he has been seen wearing a breathing apparatus. Before he started getting fame, he was about 140 pounds. He is currently 340 pounds, and he blames his fame and fans.

Unhealthy eating habits result in major health problems, while having a balanced diet creates a healthier lifestyle. Influencers do not tend to show realistic, healthy eating.

The social media trend “what I eat in a day” normalizes not eating a lot — which sets standards that are unrealistic. Tiktok star Emily Mariko’s content consists of recipes and showing her meals.

The problem with this is that she only shows herself eating healthy foods. Fans have not seen her eat even a bag of chips or anything that is considered unhealthy. She has been receiving a lot of criticism for not showing a more normal approach to eating. 

Mariko says her viewers only like her for having a healthy lifestyle. But her unrealistic diet can harm their mindsets.

Stephanie Soo is also another YouTuber who makes mukbang videos, but she has more of a balanced diet. 

Although she eats high-carb foods that are unhealthy, she also consumes foods on the healthier side. In her mukbang videos, fans can see how she portions them out and in general, she focuses on her health more than fame or money. 

Having a balanced diet helps maintain healthy body weight and provides nutrients and energy.