Most of us tend to look out for ‘superfoods’ or special diets, either to shed those few extra kilos, solve existing health issues or prepare our bodies to fight poor environmental conditions and create a strong immune system.
While the intention is good, unfortunately, the majority of us fall prey to social media — especially Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp forwards. And the results are the worst.
This edition of Health Matters is based on several interactions and interviews of dieticians and doctors that I conducted to delve deeper into the issue.
This column is an extension of a previous article I wrote about how Instagram reels and DIY videos are leaving users with damaged skin that ultimately needs expert intervention.
Stories of self-prescription & damage
Sample this: A 44-year-old man was brought into the emergency ward of a hospital in Bengaluru. Reason: An impending heart attack.
He was treated immediately with stenting to the LCX artery. He was diabetic since he was 10 years old but when he approached the hospital, his HbA1C was 14 per cent — more than double the normal levels. HbA1C measures the amount of blood sugar (glucose) attached to your haemoglobin.
The case study was shared by Dr Deepak Krishnamurthy, a senior interventional cardiologist at Sakra World Hospital, Bengaluru, on Twitter.
“Veeramachaneni or VRK diet recommends the consumption of 100-gram ghee in one meal. The patient was inspired by social media. There are umpteen YouTube videos on this VRK diet,” Krishnamurthy told me about the diet which is often dubbed as the ‘desi’ version of a Keto diet.
Not just Krishnamurthy, but several doctors face a similar issue as social media users ignore the fact that the ‘one size fits all’ approach does not work in the real world.
In another instance, a 40-year-old man diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and on medication opted for intermittent fasting and a low-carb diet sponsored by an influencer.
“He followed it without any medical supervision. As a result, he developed severe hypoglycemia. One day, he fainted at work and injured his back severely,” Dr Subhasree Ray, PhD in clinical nutrition and a wellness expert, told me over a WhatsApp chat.
Such stories are endless now.
In Kerala, a fruit called Averrhoa Bilimbi, famously known as Bilimbi, is used in making a tangy fish curry. A WhatsApp forward made it famous for lowering cholesterol levels, Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), told me.
“This trend of drinking bilimbi juice became an inferno,” he added.
People thought of it as a quick-fix solution, put it in a blender and drank the juice. However, these people ended up with irreversible kidney damage and many required a kidney transplant as the juice acted like Fevicol for the kidneys — the filters for the human body — and blocked the pores.
“The kidneys were clogged with oxalate crystals. This fruit is a flavour enhancer and safe for human consumption only if taken in small quantities,” he said.
Another common fad is consumption of soaked fenugreek (methi) seeds, especially among diabetics. However, people who have consumed decoctions of fenugreek have landed in trouble.
Fenugreek seeds in large doses lead to thinning of blood and can dangerously cause bleeding events in people with or without any medical history.
Social media inspiration much higher in post-Covid world
Taking tips on dieting or an ideal diet from Instagram influencers or social media can be harmful because they may not be qualified to give nutritional advice and may promote fad diets or quick fixes that are not sustainable or healthy in the long term.
According to Dr Varsha Gorey, senior clinical dietician and head of the department of dietetics at Apollo Hospitals (Navi Mumbai), the social media influence got much more aggressive due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
“During Covid-19 times, there was more influence of social media on people as good health suddenly became the key requirement for survival,” she pointed out.
“Due to the same, now every 8 of 10 patients are looking at social media for designing or tweaking their diet plans instead of approaching any clinician or a specialist.”
Influencers often present a highly edited and curated version of their lives, which can create unrealistic expectations and body-image issues.
There are numerous examples, experts told me, of people experiencing negative health consequences from following fad diets and quick-fix weight loss plans that are promoted by unqualified individuals on social media. These can include malnutrition, nutrient deficiencies, and an increased risk of developing chronic diseases.
Once a young girl visited Dr Ray (quoted above) with severe nutritional deficiency due to her self-chosen restricted dietary plan.
She was taking just 600 calories a day. “She became malnourished, lethargic, had problems with regular menstruation cycle, and issues with sleep and mood,” Ray said, adding that there were numerous examples like her.
Why you need to visit dieticians or doctors
Every individual is different and one diet plan will not suit everyone.
Apart from many other aspects, dieticians need to consider anthropometry, ideal body mass index (BMI), biochemical parameters and clinical conditions while planning the diet of an individual.
Anthropometry is the scientific study of the measurements and proportions of the human body, whereas the biochemical parameters include urea, creatinine, potassium, glucose, albumin, sodium and other important details of our body functioning and balancing.
It would be harmful to believe that ‘superfoods’ have no side effects. Every food can have a deleterious effect rather than a benefit if taken inappropriately.
When you visit a medically trained professional, the diet plan is made as per your clinical history. For instance, one may need a low potassium diet related to their diabetes or kidney ailment or related to poor heart function.
“We look at minute things. The idea is to give you a balanced diet based on your weight and medical history,” Dr Payal Sharma, a dietician at Delhi-based Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, told me.
In case a person needs a more protein-based diet, the plan goes like this.
“If you have an ideal body weight, you need to take one gram of protein per kilogram weight. If you are overweight, 0.8-gram protein/kg and if under-weight, I may decide 1.2 to 1.3-gram protein/kg,” she said, adding: “This protein will be divided into two categories based on choices of patient — plant-based protein such as soya and animal-based protein such as chicken or eggs.”
To sum up, it’s important to be critical of any dietary advice you receive, especially when it’s coming from an unqualified or untrained source.
It’s always best to consult with a qualified healthcare professional, such as a registered dietician or physician, for personalised and safe dietary advice.
After all, your health matters.
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