Doctor's warning over 'one-size fits all' TikTok trends that promise quick health fixes
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One person who has been consistent in debunking myths is Doctor Idrees Mughal. The doctor, known as Doctor Idz online is a qualified and certified medical doctor with more than 581 thousand followers on Instagram who helps grapple with the different food myths that swarm social media.
Dr Idz, 29, took some time to speak to the Mirror about the influence of his work in real life and online and why it's important that we stay away from the over saturation of food knowledge that comes with social media. He says: "The concept that changing your diet or having the perfect diet can literally fix anything, which is a terrible notion. It puts all the blame on the individual without taking into account any other factors, for example, that not all conditions are related to lifestyle and people will still develop cancer or autoimmune diseases or have heart attacks anyway.
"Not everyone has the means to consistently afford fresh produce nor do they even have access to it. For example, if you're in a lower income region, your local convenience store probably don't have it at all due to shelf-life issues," he continues. "The onus is not all on the consumer. It's also on the Government and on health policy. We have to make fresh, healthier foods more affordable and accessible. That being said, many people don't realize that lots of canned frozen and packed foods are also extremely healthy, for example, canned beans, canned tuna, and packets of rice.
He says: "If you can spot influencers' marketing strategies and you can understand why they're saying what they're saying, then you can acknowledge whether something is more or less likely to be trustworthy. Look out for absolute statements, like "these are the best things" or "these are the worst things for you," and buzzwords like "gut health" and "inflammatory.".
