What You Eat in a Day Doesn’t Make You a Better Person

Anyone who has Tik Tok (or any other social media platform, for that matter) is well-aware of the “What-I-Eat-In-A-Day” trend. It’s usually a video of someone logging “everything” they ate in one single day. Actually, I quite enjoy watching these videos for meal inspirations on how to get more protein in my diet, more calcium, etc. In particular, I used to love watching these videos when I was pregnant to see how other mamas-to-be were fueling their pregnant bodies.

With all that being said though, I cannot help but to question the motive behind the filming whenever I see one of these videos. These “What-I-Eat-In-A-Day” clips are rarely ever just about food. They usually feature a good looking woman flexing her flat stomach in a very clean and white-washed apartment while she prepares a heavily privileged diet of organic foods and dairy substitutes.

And look, these videos might be real. Maybe there really are women out there who prepare perfectly balanced meals and snacks of almonds and spinach leaf frittatas after completing a seven-step skin care routine after running four miles at 4:00 AM. This is all possible.

To be fair, my family rarely eats out. I prepare almost every meal in my house. And we do eat organically whenever possible. And I do incorporate greens into every meal. And healthy fats. And lean proteins. The list goes on… I am not criticizing any one for their healthy (or unhealthy) diets. (In fact, I hate the anti-healthy food trend.)

However, to be crystal clear: what you eat in a day does not make you a better person. That is my issue with the “What-I-Eat-In-A-Day” trend. It seems to be about moral superiority most of the time. Someone is not morally superior to another because they choose kale chips over potato chips. The idea that any food has a moral compass is bizarre and disordered.

There are so many things that determine someone’s morality. Food should not be one of those things. (And it’s really not.)