We’ve all been there: aimlessly scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, and you suddenly see it. A video about what now seems to be the infamous cotton candy burrito with a, you guessed it, cotton candy exterior and ice cream/candy filling. The famous cotton candy burrito now even has variations trying to out-do its original sickeningly sweet phenomenon. For some reason, these obscene foods have taken over social media, and there is almost no representation of any fun and tasty healthy foods-its almost as if they don't exist, which is definitely not the case.
There’s the 40-pound cheeseburger pizza (yes, you read that correctly, and it’s as bad as it sounds) the price tag of which is higher than most Mac laptops at $2000. These are just two examples, but there’s a lot more of this content on social media-pictures, videos, and blogs all devoted to showcasing foods with excessive amounts of sugar, fat, and calories. These foods look and probably taste incredible, and can, of course, be eaten in moderation. But the reality is that they are extremely unhealthy, and offer almost no nutritional benefits.
Where are all the healthy foods that also taste amazing on my timeline?
This insta-foodie trend of showcasing ridiculously unhealthy foods is bad for a lot of reasons. Obviously, its never fun to see food on your timeline that makes you hungry. I mean yeah, a cookie dough ice cream pie does sound amazing, but since I really don’t envision myself eating one anytime in the near future, seeing it on my Facebook page really isn’t helpful. But more importantly, seeing this amount of unhealthy food just sends a message that this food is not only the standard of delicious food but also that it’s an acceptable part of our regular diet.
Don’t get me wrong, lots of my favorite meals aren't in the healthy category- I probably wouldn’t be who I am today without chocolate and thin crust pizza - but the fact is that these foods are extremely bad for you. And let's be honest and address the fact that the United States isn’t exactly the healthiest country; approximately 90% of Americans eat more sodium than is recommended for a healthy diet, and fewer vegetables, fruits, and whole grains than recommended. So while these videos and pictures of ridiculously unhealthy foods are fun to look at, they glorify an unhealthy lifestyle.
Instead of innovating new ways of eating unhealthy foods like ice cream and Nutella, why can’t we devote some of this energy to promoting healthier foods? It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that all healthy foods are hipster and gross, but that just isn’t true. There are tons of healthy foods which are great for you, and also taste amazing! For example, when made well, smoothies (and yes, this includes Açai bowls) are delicious and much more healthy!
In fact, making or buying fruit smoothies can help you get the three servings of fruit that everyone needs to eat every day; drinking a smoothie can even help you increase your vegetable intake if you add some greens! Sweet potatoes, a healthy alternative to regular potatoes, can be made into a thousand different creations, and taste delicious when you include the right seasoning. Also, they have high amounts of vitamins B and C, and even have enough iron to help raise your levels!
There are even some ~vegetables~ that can actually taste great:
kale chips are amazing and are incredibly easy to make at home, and steamed broccoli paired with parmesan cheese is also a favorite of mine.
Right now, the narrative on social media is that unhealthy food is what tastes and looks the best. We all need to devote more time and resources to show how healthy foods can also be also fun and delicious!