Supermodel snacks, #SkinnyTok bans, and ‘guilt-free’: Our nutritionist shares her advice on how to achieve food freedom in today’s toxic diet culture climate
We speak with Marta Decarli about the grey areas that will follow the #SkinnyTok ban, and how to navigate them in a conscious, sustainable, and balanced manner.
#SkinnyTok has recently been banned on TikTok. European regulators warned it was promoting extreme modes of eating, and saw unhealthy habits and body image problems take hold of young people's algorithms, and thus, the platform took action.
The hashtag is gone, alongside some major content creators who were pioneering the dangerous trends within the nutrition world. However, despite this positive step, users are finding ways around it. Buzzwords like ‘guilt-free’, ‘deficit’, ‘clean’ and ‘low-cal’ are all boosters in the algorithm, and fads like ‘supermodel snacks’ driven by the likes of Real Housewives of New York star Bethenny Frankel have become staples in the toxic culture. ‘Swaps’ are huge in the TikTok sphere, seeing dates with almond butter as meal alternatives, Lemme (Kourtney Kardashian’s supplement brand) releasing their ‘Curb Cravings’ product, and ice being the ultimate snack to reinforce one’s ‘willpower’ in weight-loss challenges.
Though this may all seem rather obvious as dangerous content, it proves a grey area for social media regulators, who can’t extricate the hidden byproducts of diet culture from its core. To counteract this style of content, it is important to honour our relationship with food and promote a more sustainable and freeing method of approaching nutrition and our diet.
So whilst we cannot completely remove these pressures from our online world, we can start to build communities for ourselves that believe in recognition and research to improve and fund the education around diet culture. Furthermore, we can redirect our algorithms to help at-risk individuals steer towards a healthier and more balanced way of living.
As we swim in the murky waters of content with no qualifications or evidence to support their claims and agendas, we want to shift the narrative to spotlight those who do know how to navigate nutrition. Here, we speak to nutritional lifestyle coach Marta Decarli on the issue, and how you can rehaul your social media to a freeing pool of content that helps, nourishes, and empowers you.
#SkinnyTok is all about promoting restrictive eating. Why is this an issue from your standpoint?
Marta Decarli: Restrictive eating, especially when glorified as a lifestyle trend, can disrupt our natural hunger cues, lead to nutritional deficiencies, and increase the risk of disordered eating. From my perspective, #SkinnyTok is just another way that diet culture has been reinforcing the idea that thinness equals health, which isn’t true. Health is multidimensional, and eating well should be about nourishment, not punishment.
The ban on #SkinnyTok in TikTok is a positive thing, but could it be too late?
MD: It’s a step in the right direction, but we’re already seeing the impact #SkinnyTok has had, especially on younger users who are still developing their relationship with food and their bodies. This kind of content didn’t emerge in a vacuum. For decades, diet culture has quietly shaped the way we think about food, not just through social media but also through food marketing, packaging, and product development.
We see it in phrases like “guilt-free,” “clean,” “low-cal,” or “cheat day,” which moralise food and suggest that eating should be a performance of control. We’ve been taught to fear certain foods (carbs, fats, sugar) and idolise others (anything labelled “skinny,” “detox,” or “light”)—regardless of their actual nutritional value. Even supermarket shelves are loaded with “diet” versions of products that often leave people unsatisfied, leading to overeating later or reinforcing the belief that they “lack willpower.”
Social media simply amplified what was already happening. It gave diet culture a faster, more visual platform, where trends spread quickly and influencers without qualifications are mistaken for health experts. So while banning hashtags like #SkinnyTok is important, it also highlights how deeply embedded diet culture is in our everyday lives. Real change requires not just digital regulation but also more transparency and education around how our food choices are shaped by profit-driven narratives, not our health needs.
Why do you think the ban is a good thing?
MD: Because it sends a strong message that platforms must take responsibility for the well-being of their users, especially the younger ones. TikTok has a huge teenage user base, with many starting as young as 10 or 11. These are formative years, both emotionally and neurologically. The human brain—particularly the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for critical thinking, decision-making, and impulse control—isn’t fully developed until around age 25. That means younger users are more likely to internalise radical messages around body image and eating without questioning them.
When a 13-year-old sees video after video glorifying ‘skinny girl meals’ or skipping dinner as a wellness hack, it can lay the groundwork for a disordered relationship with food. These messages don’t just bounce off—they shape how young people see themselves, how they value their worth, and how they treat their bodies.
What’s even more concerning is that TikTok’s algorithm learns fast and goes deep, so a few clicks or views on diet content can quickly spiral into a feed saturated with restrictive eating tips, before/after weight loss content, and body-checking videos. Banning hashtags like #SkinnyTok helps slow this cycle and creates a safer space where more body-inclusive, science-backed voices can be heard. It won’t fix everything, but it’s a meaningful start.
Should other platforms follow suit, or is this a bigger issue that we can't control?
MD: Yes, other platforms should take a stand. But ultimately, this is a cultural issue. Social media reflects our society’s obsession with thinness. Tech companies need to be part of the solution, but we also need to educate people on how to spot toxic trends and prioritise self-compassion over size.
Why is the idea of ‘skinny’ counterproductive in nutrition?
MD: Because “skinny” isn’t a health goal—it's a body ideal rooted in diet culture. It oversimplifies wellness and reduces our worth to appearance. Nutrition should be about how we feel, function, and thrive, not shrinking our bodies at any cost.
What are some warning signs that we could be moving from healthy eating posts to an algorithm that promotes disordered eating?
MD: Watch out for content that promotes extreme calorie deficits, glorifies skipping meals, uses “what I eat in a day” to compare bodies, or suggests that thinness equals discipline. If your feed starts to feel like a competition or triggers guilt, it’s likely slipped into disordered territory.
A lot of content creators will use #SkinnyTok or buzzwords like ‘skinny girl meal’. How do we know when we are listening to a trained professional in nutrition vs a creator looking for clout?
MD: Look for credentials: registered nutritionists, dietitians, or qualified health professionals will reference evidence and avoid moralising food. Be cautious of anyone selling quick fixes, detoxes, or one-size-fits-all tips. If it sounds too good—or too restrictive—to be true, it probably is.
What behaviours in ourselves or others should we look out for that could be promoting #SkinnyTok?
MD: Normalising skipping meals, obsessively tracking calories, labelling foods as “good” or “bad,” or praising others for weight loss without understanding the context. If food choices are driven by fear rather than care, that’s a red flag.
What wellbeing resources can help people out there?
MD: Books like Intuitive Eating by Tribole & Resch, apps like Recovery Record or You Are Not a Before Picture on Instagram, and working with non-diet nutrition professionals. Also, diversifying your social media to follow people in different bodies and with inclusive wellness perspectives is powerful.
What should we do to work against #SkinnyTok in our day-to-day, or on a wider scale?
MD: Unfollow or report harmful content, actively engage with body-neutral or body-positive creators, and talk about these issues openly. In conversations with friends or children, challenge language that links thinness with worth. The more we question these narratives, the less power they hold.
How do we balance seeking weight-loss tips but not falling into a trap?
MD: The key is to shift the focus away from shrinking your body and toward caring for your body. Sustainable weight loss—if it’s even needed—tends to be a by-product of consistent, balanced behaviours, not the result of obsession, restriction, or punishment.
Many people don’t realise that we each have a natural weight range—often called the set point range—which is the weight our body tends to return to when we’re eating enough, moving regularly, and not under chronic stress. This range is largely influenced by genetics, and it’s different for everyone. Some people are naturally leaner; others carry more fat or muscle, and all of these can be healthy. Trying to force your body below this natural range often leads to short-term results followed by long-term weight regain, metabolic stress, and disordered eating habits.
Instead of obsessing over the scale or aesthetic outcomes, it’s more effective—and protective—to focus on behaviours that promote health regardless of your size. Things like:
Eating enough whole, satisfying meals throughout the day
Including fibre, protein, and healthy fats for fullness and blood sugar balance
Moving your body daily in ways that feel good (walking, dancing, lifting, yoga, anything!)
Getting quality sleep and managing stress
When you take care of your body consistently, your weight will settle where it’s meant to be—and you’ll feel stronger, clearer, and more energetic along the way. If weight loss does happen, it’ll be a side effect of those healthy habits, not a forced goal that can backfire.
The trap of #SkinnyTok and diet culture is that it tells you the goal is to be smaller at all costs. But true wellness looks different on every body—and the more we honour that, the more sustainable and freeing our relationship with food becomes.
What do you think of #SkinnyTok, and how do you think we can eat better for a balanced lifestyle, without compromising on vital nutrition?
MD: #SkinnyTok often glamorises disordered habits under the guise of health. Real wellness is about balance—making sure meals have a mix of protein, carbs, fats, and fibre; listening to hunger cues; and enjoying food without guilt. No food group should be demonised.
What is your number 1 piece of advice for people out there who may be looking to eat healthily and lose weight, but don’t know where to start?
MD: Start by adding, not taking away. Add more colour to your meals, more water to your day, more ways to soothe your nervous system. When we focus on nourishment, we make choices that are easier to stick to and better for both our body and mind.
What’s a good alternative to the ‘snacking’ (‘supermodel snacks, snacks over meals, eating ice instead of dessert, etc) that is promoted by #SkinnyTok?
MD: A satisfying snack could be a banana with peanut butter, Greek yoghurt with berries, or a small handful of nuts and dark chocolate. Snacks should bridge the gap between meals, not replace them. They should energise and not deprive.
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