Instagram diets ‘making people ill’
INSTAGRAM influencers pushing “extreme” diets are causing young people to suffer from malnutrition and eating disorders, nutritionists have warned after a popular vegan vlogger admitted she fell ill following her own diet plan.
Yovana Mendoza Ayres, known to her fans as “Rawvana”, has more than 3.6million followers across Instagram and Youtube, but admitted becoming dangerously unwell as a result of her raw vegan diet and 25-day fasts.
The influencer, who posts her “cleanse” and “fast” diet programmes online, was condemned by her fans after a video posted by another Youtuber showed her appearing to eat fish.
She said that because of her diet, “something wasn’t going right” with her body, and she began to lose her menstrual cycles, and that doctors told her she needed to eat more fat, and she started eating cooked food again.
“I wasn’t ovulating,” she said in a video explaining why she ate fish. “I was basically anaemic and my thyroid levels were low. It was really bad, but it was borderline.”
Posts promoting the extreme diet are still up on her social media channels, as nutrition experts warn that following the advice of influencers can lead to health problems.
Rhiannon Lambert, a Harley Street registered nutritionist, said she had seen seriously unwell clients come to her practice after they followed the advice of Instagram celebrities.
She told The Daily Telegraph: “This is extremely worrying, with social media stars replacing qualified health professionals something has to be done. I have seen a rise in my clinic of poor nutrition and in severe cases eating disorders from poor advice online.”
Another nutritionist, Pixie Turner, said: “I think ‘influencers’ with no nutrition degrees have no right to give out advice about food and nutrition. They can share their own choices, sure, but even then there needs to be a clear distinction that this isn’t advice.”
The British Nutrition Foundation has also warned against getting nutrition advice from Instagram, and told The Telegraph: “Making big changes to your diet can increase the risk of not getting all the nutrients and energy you need to be healthy. If you’re thinking of making significant changes, speak to a professional who can help.”