When you search for “food,” “cooking,” or “recipes” on the video-sharing platform TikTok, #FoodTok alone brings up 26 billion search results. And millions of us use recipes for meal ideas.
If you look closely, many of them are downright unhealthy. That’s because, unlike food on supermarket shelves or many restaurant menus, platforms like TikTok and Instagram aren’t subject to the offline world’s healthy eating laws, and foodie influencers also share the nutritional content of their recipes. Because it doesn’t need to be displayed.
Harry Snell, a nutritionist who specializes in emotional eating and weight loss, warns that many of them contain “hidden dangers” to our health.
So how bad are they?
The nutritional breakdown and secrets of four recipes from some of the UK’s top food influencers, with help from Harley Street nutritionist Kim Pearson, nutritional therapist Sarah Roe and gut and hormonal health expert Alex Allan. Identifying health risks.
The NHS recommends a daily calorie intake of 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men (this varies depending on your age, metabolism and level of physical activity).
Spoiler: Each serving of each recipe below exceeds the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) for saturated fat for women (20g per day) and more than half the salt for adults (6g). 2 is more than double your daily calorie intake.
So if you’re hungry, look away now…
Caught Snackin’ Mac and Cheese
Who? With over 2.5 million followers, Caught Snackin’ (quick and easy comfort food recipes with a “feel good factor”) is a sensation on TikTok. It was started by colleagues at a London creative agency, including Lydia Vernon, 34, a video retoucher turned chef who also publishes cookbooks.
Popularity? He started posting daily videos during the pandemic (some videos now have 40 million views). This macaroni and cheese recipe has been viewed 3.2 million times.
Chef’s special dish? Macaroni and cheese, like many of Caught Snackin’s dishes, is made in the air fryer. It’s loaded with cheddar, Edam, and mozzarella cheese, as well as double cream, Worcestershire sauce, spices, macaroni, and six slices of butter.
sarah says Due to its high saturated fat and carbohydrate content, this is very palatable, but ideally eaten as a side dish with a variety of vegetables.
alex says “This is a calorie and fat fest. I want to make something else.
Nutritional information (per serving):
Calories 2,341kcal
Protein 102g Fat 166g
93g saturated fat
Carbohydrates 147g
Fiber 44g
21g sugar
Salt 3.89g
@boredoflunch chicken
Who? Air fryer king Nathan Anthony, 32, a former communications manager from Northern Ireland, has won fans with his quick and easy dishes.
Popularity? @boredoflunch, who has 2.3 million followers on Instagram and 1.1 million followers on TikTok, became an internet star during lockdown and has now published three best-selling cookbooks.
Special dish? Some are healthier, but most, like this example, are not. Contains 2 chicken breasts, striped bacon, potatoes, barbecue sauce, cheddar cheese, paprika, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
alex says “No vegetables here. Reduce the amount of potatoes to a quarter of your plate, and fill half your plate with salad or steamed broccoli to increase the amount of fiber.”
Nutritional information (per serving):
Calories 1,109kcal
Protein 89g
Fat 59g
23g saturated fat
carbohydrates 50g
Dietary fiber 7g
13g sugar
Salt 4.18g
@samseats steak frites
Who? Sam Way, 25, from London, is a self-taught cook who used social media to attract potential employers, went viral and is now writing a cookbook.
Popularity? A whopping 34.8 million people have viewed this date night recipe by @samseats, who has 10 million TikTok followers..
Chef’s special dish? Two butter-cooked ribeye steaks with truffle salt Parmesan potatoes and chimichurri dressing.
sarah says “One drawback is that the chips are fried in vegetable oil. These oils are extracted at high temperatures, so they oxidize. They are highly inflammatory, and chronic inflammation is a disease of many health conditions. involved in the process.
alex says “That’s a huge amount that could feed three or four people.”
Nutritional information (per serving):
Calories 2,776kcal
Protein 66g
Fat 170g
50g saturated fat
Carbohydrate 79g
Dietary fiber 12g
2.5g sugar
Salt 2.3g
@thomas_straker double burger
Who? Thomas Straker, a trained chef with experience at The Dorchester and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, has been working as a freelance chef during lockdown to share his favorite ingredients: Created the first recipe video focusing on butter.
Popularity? As @thomas_straker, he has 2.4 million followers on TikTok, as well as on Instagram. He runs his own brand of butter and the restaurant Straker’s in Notting Hill, London.
Chef’s special dish? The recipe has been viewed 2.8 million times on TikTok, with drooling commentators declaring it “life-changing” and “heavenly.” However, nutritionally they are completely different. Beef patties are fried in olive oil, generously seasoned, topped with Red Leicester cheese and served on a brioche bun with a heaping dollop of chili relish, lemon mayonnaise, hot sauce and pickles.
alex says “Chefs use whole ingredients, so individually they don’t matter, but the meal as a whole is high in calories, high in fat and saturated fat, and high in sugar and salt.”
Nutritional breakdown (per serving):
Calories 2,794kcal
Protein 157g Fat 212g
63g saturated fat
Carbohydrate 73g
Dietary fiber 17g Sugar 30g
Salt 8.72g
