Clean eating cult leaves younger generation at risk of fragile bones
Osteoporosis charity warns of the danger of following social media diet fad that cuts out major food groups
By THE cult of “clean eating” on social media could leave a generation with weak bones, a charity has warned.
Research by the National Osteoporosis Society shows four in 10 of those aged 18 to 24 have tried the diets, which are now coming under attack for cutting out major food groups.
The regimes have become increasingly fashionable among celebrities who have cut out gluten, dairy, grain and refined sugars.
But the charity said many following the trends had no idea they could jeopardise their health.
Earlier this year food bloggers Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley moved to distance themselves from the clean eating recipes that propelled them to fame.
The London sisters, who presented Eating Well With Hemsley + Hemsley on Channel 4, said their emphasis was on eating foods without additives, not on restriction.
The charity’s survey of more than 2,000 adults found 70 per cent of those aged 18 to 35 are on or have been on a diet, with those aged 18 to 24 most likely to have tried clean eating.
More than 20 per cent had severely restricted intake of milk or cheese.
Experts said the diets, made popular on photo-sharing websites such as Instagram, were putting a generation at risk of developing osteoporosis – a condition that causes bones to become fragile and break easily – in later life.
Half of all women and one in five men develop it after the age of 50.
Prof Susan Lanham-New, clinical adviser to the charity, said: “By the time we get into our late twenties it is too late to reverse the damage caused by nutrient deficiencies.
“Without urgent action being taken to encourage young adults to incorporate all food groups into their diets and avoid clean eating regimes, we are facing a future where broken bones will become the norm.
“Osteoporosis is a painful and debilitating condition and young adults have just one chance to build strong bones.”
The charity’s A Message to My Younger Self campaign is being led by wellbeing expert Liz Earle who said she feared for her own daughters.
She said: “When I was growing up, my meals weren’t photographed and shared on social media.
“The pressure young women are under to match what their idols on Instagram are eating is really high.”