Clean Eating Trend & Mental Health: Social Media Study Reveals Impact

KOMPAS.com – Train clean eating which is widespread on social media is considered not always to have a positive impact on women’s mental health.

A study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology 2025 found that content exposure clean eating does not improve mood and has the potential to decrease body satisfaction.

This research shows that food posts labeled “healthy lifestyle” can give psychological pressure, even though they do not show the human body.

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Social media is known to have a big influence on the way a person views their body and dietary habit.

Launch News Medical, a number of previous studies have shown that high social media use is associated with decreased body satisfaction and increased problematic eating behavior.

Food content on social media usually contains nutritional tips, food photos, and healthy lifestyle recommendations.

Among these various trends, clean eating became one of the most followed.

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What does it mean by clean eating?

Clean eating generally defined as a diet that consumes more fresh food and minimal processing.

This pattern also recommends avoiding foods that are considered “unhealthy”, such as refined sugar and alcohol.

Even though it looks positive, clean eating often accompanied by strict eating rules and restrictions on the type of food. These restrictions have the potential to fuel an unhealthy relationship with food.

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Research methods used

This study involved 129 adult women who were divided into two groups randomly.

The first group viewed themed social media content clean eating, while the second group viewed the content foodie which displays food in a more relaxed manner.

Both social media accounts were created specifically for research and had equal numbers of posts and interactions.

Researchers measured mood, body satisfaction, and food choices before and after exposure to the content.

Results of research on mood

The study results show that content foodie able to reduce negative feelings after being seen. Instead, content clean eating does not provide an increase in positive feelings in participants.

This means that food posts that emphasize enjoyment are actually better for your mood than content that overly controls your eating habits.

These findings indicate that food narratives also influence emotional states.

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Impact on body satisfaction

Researchers found early signals that exposure clean eating can reduce body satisfaction.

This effect appears even though the upload seen does not show a human body, but only a photo of food.

This shows that the message of a “healthy lifestyle” alone is enough to influence the way a person evaluates their body. Although not yet conclusive, these findings still need attention.

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Risk of unhealthy eating behavior

Research also addresses the risk of developing restrictive eating behaviors, such as orthorexia.

Orthorexia is a condition when a person is too obsessed with healthy food to the point that it interferes with mental and social health.

Previous studies show that women aged 18 to 30 years are among the groups most vulnerable to this pressure.

Too strict food restrictions can worsen body image and relationship with food.

Expert opinion on clean eating

Dr. Priyom Bose, Ph.D., author of the study review, emphasized that clean eating does not always have a positive impact on everyone.

He explains that food content that is too controlling can maintain negative feelings.

According to him, a rigid approach to food can actually be detrimental to mental health.

Train clean eating on Instagram needs to be addressed more critically and in a balanced manner. Healthy eating patterns should not be developed through excessive restrictions or social pressure.

Disclaimer: This article is informative and does not replace consultation with a professional health worker or nutritionist.

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