We've collected 5 of the most bizarre digital diet fads from self-proclaimed experts, that you should definitely not try at home
Trigger warning: Mentions of disordered eating behaviors
1. Do It for the 'Gram!
We love to talk about celebrity diets – and the way we talk about them has changed significantly in the past decade. With celebrities increasingly becoming parasocial role models, even their eating habits have become DIY guides for fans. Models like Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner flaunt junk food escapades on social media, but reveal their healthy habits taken to an extreme in interviews. Behind the scenes, Bella Hadid apparently spends hours at the gym, Kendall Jenner admits to drinking up to twelve cups of detox tea daily, though these details rarely make the cut in their Instagram feeds.
The double standard surrounding women’s bodies in media became evident when Kim Kardashian revealed her diet for the Met Gala in 2022. Kim openly admitted that to fit into Marilyn Monroe’s dress, she had to lose 4.5 kilograms and wore a sauna suit while running on the treadmill twice a day, and cut out all sugar and carbohydrates out of her diet. Several media outlets called her radical diet dangerous and unsustainable, despite turning a blind eye to similar habits shared by other celebrities – like drinking detox tea and ridiculously intense daily workouts.
2. Diet Fads at Lunchtime
A counter-movement is emerging among Hollywood’s older generation: purity fanaticism. Countless Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow have founded lifestyle blogs promoting “pure” foods and holistic health. But once you take a closer look, you’ll notice that this trend is driven mainly by privileged white women advocating for a “clean” lifestyle, in order to combat the “toxins” of a modern 21st century life – whatever that means. Goop.com, founded by Gwyneth, hosts an annual “Goop Detox” that encourages you to cut out caffeine, alcohol, dairy, gluten and nightshade vegetables just to name a few. Mother of Bella and Gigi Hadid and former model Yolanda Hadid swears by the “Master Cleanse”, which consists of consuming a concoction made of only water, lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper for days.
Stephan Bischoff, a nutritionist at the University of Hohenheim, clears up the misconception around detoxes in an interview with Spiegel: The most harmful substances ingested through food can be expelled without any external help. Despite the lack of any real science behind them, these detox diets have not only spread like a wildfire on the internet, but have become a representation of the upper-class and wealth: the more detoxifying the diet is, the healthier and therefore wealthier one appears. With a constant societal pressure to be thin, women detox and starve, paying a high price both with their bodies and their wallets.
3. Carnivore Cults: Of Meat and Men
Brian Johnson, also known as the “Liver King”, advocates for a carnivorous lifestyle with raw foods under the mantra: “Bring back what the modern world left behind.” His daily regimen includes raw eggs, yogurt, liver, bone marrow, raw milk, and a (not so raw and primal?) protein shake from his own supplement business. Dinner features cooked red meat with a side of raw bull testicles or other organ meats.
Brian promotes this diet as a return to our primal, in his words, “fittest version” (despite humans being biologically omnivorous). His approach extends to lifestyle choices like sleeping and sunbathing akin to our ancestors. His online store is a treasure chest full of odd pills and tablets, featuring gems such as the “King” testosterone supplements for ultimate male performance.
In 2022, a data leak revealed Brian Johnson’s has been abusing steroids for years and that his muscles were, after all, not due to his superior caveman lifestyle – I guess the term primitive took a whole different turn.
4. Raw Veganism: Eating as a Full Time Job
The Australian influencer Freelee, known as “The Banana Girl”, promotes a controversial raw vegan diet primarily based on fruit. She claims eating 30 bananas or up to 4000 calories of fruit daily can magically aid weight loss, despite some of her followers reporting an initial weight gain. (We wonder why.) Freelee herself apparently initially gained over nine kilograms, attributing it to her thyroid adjusting over time. In addition, she claims her diet can heal medically unproven and controversial conditions like “metabolic damage” and swears by nonsensical food combining rules like having no fruit after a fat-heavy meal.
In her YouTube video “What I eat as a human frugivore (raw food diet)”, Freelee showcases her daily meals: starting with something called “chocolate tree nectar”, then a snack consisting of eight bananas, and having a whole raw durian for lunch. Dinner includes raw vegetable patties, self-fermented sauerkraut, homemade coconut milk with bananas, raw dips, and avocados. Critics warn that such a diet lacks essential nutrients like calcium, iodine, and iron. Freelee advises against most supplements except B12 and is known for her highly controversial claims, such as bananas being a cure for mental illnesses and the idea that losing your period is a natural and healthy response of the body.
5. Diet Cults: Air, Love and a Pinch of Prana
Breatharianism is a movement where people believe they can nourish themselves on light, particularly through Prana, a cosmic life energy based in Hinduism. Participants should gradually reduce their food intake and instead replace it with meditation sessions. The most famous advocate, Australian esotericist Jasmuheen (born Ellen Greve), claims to have lived on Prana for 13 years, believing the “diet” redirects the energy that is normally used on digestion to reach a higher state of being.
Her book “Light Nourishment” suggests a 21-day fasting process to tap into that cosmic energy. Obviously, there’s no scientific evidence supporting this regimen. However, her methods have been linked to at least five deaths, which she denies any responsibility for til this day.
In 1999, a TV program called “60 Minutes” put Jasmuheen under the test. They closely monitored her during her fast and recorded severe dehydration after only four days, forcing them to quit the experiment. Wiley Brooks, another famous Breatharian, claimed to have not eaten for 19 years – but was caught sneaking food from a convenience store in 1983. As a response, in 2003, he included coke and a McDonald’s menu to be a part of his regimen and claimed it to be the best food to fuel up on before a meditation.