TikTok users who post ‘What I Eat In A Day’ vlogs are now creating ‘recipes’ with water and flavoured ‘skinny’ syrups,’ using the hashtag #WaterTok. Picture: Pexels
The #WaterTok and "What I Eat in a Day" TikTok trends, according to a specialist who spoke to The New York Post, promote disordered eating in young people.
People who create "recipes" with water and flavour-enhanced "skinny" syrups, such as "Orange Creamsicle" and "Grape Gatorade," use the hashtag #WaterTok. Some influencers recommend drinking these to their followers instead of eating meals.
The 'What I Eat in a Day' trend involves people recording their daily meals and combining them into one tape, generally with a calorie count at the conclusion.
Users have been experimenting with flavoured water "cocktails" in a new TikTok trend known as "Watertok" in recent weeks, but the trend has generated many questions, including a debate over whether the drinks are still technically "water" and whether there are any health risks related to the most recent viral craze.
@takingmylifebackat42 WATER OF THE DAY☀️ USE TONYA42 to save $$ #water #drink #recipe #pinacolada #weightloss #flavoredwater #weightlosscheck #goals #motivation #vsg #wls #drinkwater #easyrecipe #yummy #fy @Simple Modern ♬ Forever - Labrinth
In "WaterTok" videos, women frequently fill up big glasses with ice and water, commonly Stanley tumblers, and then mix in various water flavourings to make an elixir. This is typically done in an effort to drink more water during the day.
According to Forbes, among the most well-known "water recipes" are birthday cake water, peach ring water, and pina colada water.
To make these beverages, designers employ powdered flavourings from companies like Skittles, Sonic, Crush, and Jolly Ranchers as well as syrups from Jordan's Skinny Mixes, DaVinci, and MiO.
@thewatergal_ BIRTHDAY CAKE WATER!!!!! 🎂![CDATA[]]>🎉 #skinnymixes #skinnysyrups #birthdaycake #cottoncandy #water #watergoals #stanley #obsessed #fyp #health #motivation #foryou #foryoupage #fypage ♬ Stylish Jazz HipHop - Future Oriented Triad
Although the flavourings are normally sugar- and calorie-free, people have questioned where to draw the line between water and juice because of Watertok's popularity and the colourful, sweet drinks.
Others have turned to making fun of the fad, such as in this TikTok video with over 330 000 likes and 2.5 million views where the artist attempts to prepare a water recipe but ends up making a pitcher of Kool-aid.
@grandpasyummytoes POV: You’re on WaterTok #watertok #water #drinktok #drinkwater #watertokdrama #h2o ♬ original sound - grandpa yummytoes
While some health experts applaud increased water consumption, others warn that substituting water for meals could result in disordered eating.
The trend, which started among weight-loss surgery patients who were advised to drink water before and after their operations, has gained traction on TikTok.
The Independent UK quoted Martha Williams, 28, a specialist for the eating disorder organisation Beat, as saying that she thinks these tendencies are "really dangerous" and only help to "make thoughts about disordered eating worse."
As the trends have grown, people are using them to teach their followers to engage in the same habits, which is extremely dangerous, according to Williams.
Extremely competitive illnesses include eating disorders. People who have a history of disordered eating will imitate the person on a screen if they desire to look like that individual. The experts caution her followers online that it's about who looks sickest and leaner.
According to the National Institute of Health, water loading entails ingesting a lot of water over a set period of time to hydrate your body.
Your body experiences fluid overload, or hypervolemia, as a result of the additional fluid.
Your body will attempt to rectify hypervolemia because it wants to keep everything in balance.
The process that follows involves flushing fluid from your body and causes water cutting.
Medical News Today's research indicates that 55% to 60% of an adult's weight is made up of water, which makes up a significant portion of the human body.
The hydrating liquid performs a variety of important bodily tasks. Our bodies constantly push and pull to maintain a healthy balance of water since it is so crucial to our health. The body weight may noticeably change as a result of these changes.
Healthline writes that excessive water consumption can result in impaired brain function and water intoxication.
The concentration of water in the circulatory system rises as a result. The electrolytes in the blood, particularly sodium, may be diluted as a result.
A spokesperson for TikTok said: "Our community guidelines are clear that any content promoting, normalising, or glorifying disordered eating is not allowed on TikTok and will be removed.
“Many people struggling with eating disorders or on a recovery journey come to TikTok for support, and we aim to help them do so safely.
“We provide access to expert resources on our app, and we continue to invest in new ways to customise content preferences, remove violative content, and diversify the discovery experience", writes Manchester Evening News.