Why Are TikTok 'Girl Dinners' Getting Nutritionists Worked Up?

Girl dinners walk the thin line that separates lazy snacks from disordered eating. Here's how to figure out if you've crossed it.

By Jourdan Travers, LCSW | October 10, 2023

The TikTok "girl dinner" trend has recently come under fire, having been called "disturbing" by nutritionists and health professionals. Seemingly wholesome, the trend involves women worldwide sharing their snack-like lazy dinners.

Some of the meals featured on the viral TikTok sound are quite relatable. A single packet of spicy ramen. Pasta for one drenched in olive oil. An assortment of cheeses and deli meats. These are the kinds of lazy, low-effort meals that everyone indulges in every once in a while after a long day.

However, some of the most viral 'dinners' within the trend are barely dinners at all. A can of corn. A can of Coke Zero. A glass of ice cubes. One of the most viral posts under the trend is a video of a woman getting straight into bed without eating at all. 

The various videos under this trend range from cute and relatable to concerning and restrictive. Even after accounting for exaggeration, humor and irony, we have to be mindful about the fact that disordered eating behaviors are quite commonly masked behind levity. 

If you frequently fall into the girl dinner trap, here are some ways for you to tell whether your girl dinner is disordered or intuitive eating.

Girl Dinner As A Form Of Intuitive Eating 

Many claim that girl dinner is a form of "intuitive eating," which has become popular on social media and promoted to be one of the healthier ways to go about getting your daily calories in. Intuitive eating refers to relying on your body's hunger and satiety cues to guide your eating.

Essentially, intuitive eating is making food choices by trusting your body to choose what it needs and wants at that moment. You eat food for physical rather than emotional reasons, you rely on your body to tell you when it is and isn't hungry and you allow yourself permission to eat unconditionally.

According to a study published in Appetite, a journal specializing in the psychological influences on eating, intuitive eating has been shown to be beneficial in various ways. The study found that those who trusted their bodies to tell them how much to eat had lower chances of falling into disordered eating habits. It was also found that those who used intuitive eating to stop eating once they were full had less chances of engaging in binge eating or restrictive dieting.

Girl dinner can definitely be intuitive. If you're in the mood for an assorted snack plate, and you feel full and satisfied afterwards, research shows you're doing the right thing by listening to your body. By allowing yourself to eat what your body tells you it's craving, as well as listening to your body to figure out whether you are satiated or not, you're less likely to binge or feel guilty about yourself post-meal.

Girl Dinner As A Form Of Disordered Eating

While some girl dinner videos are great examples of honoring your body and your needs, other videos are indicative of a more concerning pattern of disordered eating. Eating is considered to be disordered when it isn't diagnosable as a fully developed eating disorder—such as anorexia or bulimia nervosa—but still could be causing negative effects to your mental or physical health.

This means that your eating habits might be causing some of the consequences of an eating disorder without it being directly visible to you. You may not be significantly under or overweight, your food intake might not be something you obsess over daily, but you could still be causing yourself harm by engaging in unhealthy eating behaviors.

If you partake in girl dinners a bit too frequently, you may be putting yourself at risk of developing an eating disorder or maybe even showing early signs of one. According to research, there are various disordered eating behaviors that are known precursors to developing an eating disorder. If your girl dinners include any of the following behaviors, you may need to take a deeper look into your eating habits:

1. Skipping meals or only eating tiny portions of food. Your eating habits may be problematic if you persistently eat girl dinners that are small and snacky, like a few chips, cookies or other nibbly bits—or, if you frequently partake in the no-dinner girl dinner.
2. Avoiding certain food groups or only eating certain foods. Your eating habits may be problematic if you persistently opt for girl dinners consisting of single food groups, like a plate of sliced fruits or veggies, or safe foods, like reaching for your comfort pack of ramen as a daily dinner.
3. Eating the same thing every day. Your eating habits may be problematic if you find yourself repeating the same girl dinner every day of the week, no matter what it includes.
4. Engaging in rituals related to eating or food. Your eating habits may be problematic if putting together a small girl dinner becomes a routine that you feel the need to keep up every day, or routinely watching videos about girl dinner.

As harmless and satisfying as girl dinners may seem in the moment, persistently opting for small portions with little nutrition or variation could potentially heighten your risk of developing an eating disorder. 

Research also shows that consistently engaging with online content that promotes disordered eating behaviors can also contribute to your likelihood to engage in those behaviors yourself. If the TikTok algorithm is constantly feeding you girl dinner ideas that are restrictive or disordered, then it might be time to find a different trend to engage with.

Conclusion

Girl dinners can be a great way to satisfy your needs with little effort. However, ritually opting for single food groups, small portions, or not eating at all can be harmful to your health. If you find yourself falling into the girl dinner trap more often than you are eating balanced and hearty meals, remember to listen to your body. Food is fuel, and you deserve to eat a meal that satisfies you, whether it's trendy or not.