It doesn’t take a genius to notice that social media, and pop culture in general, constantly floods us with the newest diet trends, ideas of what an ideal body should look like, and other not-necessarily healthy influences. In a recent podcast interview, Gwyneth Paltrow discussed what she eats in a day, and the reactions were anything but positive. Now, you may wonder why. So, let’s discuss what she said and what others have said in response.
Dr. Will Cole, a functional medicine physician, welcomed Gwyneth Paltrow on his podcast, The Art of Being Well.
According to a write-up of the interview from Today, when discussing habits she has to maintain wellness and overall health, Paltrow mentioned that she usually practices intermittent fasting, followed by drinking bone broth, taking IVs, following extensive periods of exercise, and using the sauna. Then, she stated that she ends her day as follows:
“For dinner, I try to eat according to paleo. So lots of vegetables. It’s really important for me to support my detox.”
As a response to the interview, several people took to TikTok to voice their opinions. They labeled Gwyneth an “almond mom,” a coined term that the same article from Today defines as someone who “encourages eating a handful of almonds to tide over hunger, rather than satisfy needs through a substantial meal.”
Below is one of the TikTok response videos:
Taking a look at the comments can show that the impact of this ”wellness” promotion can be dangerous. In this interview, Paltrow talks about doing extensive exercise with little in her stomach. The foods she eats don’t have any healthy carbs, protein, or fats. As a result, this “diet” does not make for a sustainable way of eating. We live in a culture that constantly floods us with images promoting unhealthy body image. This can influence others to pick up dangerous, health-threatening habits to try and achieve what is now perceived as mainstream.
When it comes to the impact of media on young people and their body image, an article from the National Library of Medicine states,
“We observed that BD (body dissatisfaction) increased with increasing media influence, and there was a significant moderate positive concordance for adolescents of both genders. Media influence determined that boys had a seven times higher likelihood of presenting body dissatisfaction, while in girls, the figure was eight times higher .”
When the TikTok went viral, GP, as Paltrow prefers to be referred to, took to her Instagram to respond. Though her main goal was to address that she was not trying to promote unhealthy habits, I personally think she just justified it further. An article summing up her post quotes her as saying,
“But my baseline really has been to try to be healthy and to eat foods that will really calm the system down.”
The moral of the story? There is no cookie-cutter diet and wellness plan for everyone. It usually takes a lot of trial and error to figure out what works for each person and their dietary needs. Do not let social media dictate how you feel about yourself and how you should look. No two bodies are the same nor should they be.
If you struggle to maintain a healthy relationship with food or your body image, consider talking to a medical or mental health professional. Examine the influences you have from social media and how they may be impacting you. Remove yourself from any social circles that aren’t serving you and replace them with those helping you be your best self. And remember: You are beautiful just the way you are.
Featured image via Flickr
