A Dietitian’s Thoughts on the ‘Girl Dinner’ TikTok Trend
“Girl dinner” is the latest trend on TikTok and as a registered dietitian and nutrition expert, I am going to weight in on whether the trend is healthy or not.
If you’re new here, welcome! My name is Hannah and I am a non-diet dietitian here to help you decide if you should be taking part of current diet and wellness trends. And the latest trend on TikTok seems to be a little something called “girl dinner”. With over 600 million views and counting, “girl dinner” have taken over TikTok.
In this blog we will discuss:
What is “girl dinner”?
Why “girl dinner” is so popular
The problematic side of “girl dinner”
How to make your “girl dinner” a balanced meal
What is “girl dinner”?
If your TikTok for-you-page is unlike mine and you have no idea what “girl dinner” is, allow me to catch you up to speed. “Girl dinner” is a trend where girls show their simple and oftentimes random assortment of foods that they eat for dinner, usually when they are eating by themselves. The “girl dinners” are typically just for one person. A lot of the videos involve charcuterie-style snack plates. You know, meat, cheese, dips, crackers. But “girl dinner” can be anything from popcorn to tortilla chips and cheese to sugar and cinnamon toast.
My initial reaction was that “girl dinner” rocks! The girlies are feeding themselves and at the end of the day, that is all that matters from my perspective as a dietitian.
Why is “girl dinner” so popular?
There are a few reasons why I think “girl dinner” has become such a popular TikTok trend.
“Girl dinner” is relatable
“Girl dinner” keeps it real! Social media is notoriously a highlight reel and often shows people eating these elaborate, colorful meals that take a long time to prepare and may include lots of expensive ingredients. Not all the girlies have the time, money, or energy to eat meals like this all the time.
Authenticity on social media is becoming more valuable than over edited and rehearsed content, especially on TikTok. And “girl dinner” is nothing if not authentic.
“Girl dinner” doesn’t involve a lot of cooking
Let’s be honest, cooking can be a challenge, especially for those with a lot of anxiety, stress, and depression. Snack plates, or what I call “adult lunchables” are a great option. Although “girl dinner” goes far beyond snack plates, this type of food does seem to be a common theme. Snack plates, mini charcuterie boards, adult lunchables, whatever you want to call them allow people to eat without having to cook. Some quick assembly is all that is required. This is going to be a great alternative to skipping that meal or eating something that just doesn’t satisfy you. Speaking of satisfaction…
“Girl dinner” allows us to experiment with the sensual qualities of food
When we think of a balanced meal, we often think about what nutrients are in the meal, right? Are we getting enough protein, enough fiber? But what can really take a meal from just physically satisfying to both physically and mentally satisfying is to incorporate various sensual qualities (taste, smell, textures, temperatures, colors, etc.)
Think about it - what is going to be more satisfying - a plain bowl of warm oatmeal or warm oatmeal with some cold berries, smooth peanut butter, and some toasted coconut? Not only does the latter involve more variety of nutrients, but the different textures, temperatures, colors, and smells are likely going to increase the satisfaction factor of that meal.
This is why I myself love a nibble plate for dinner. I can add something salty and crunchy like crackers, nuts, pickles, fresh cucumbers and bell pepper, something sweet like a piece of chocolate, some fresh or dried fruit, and something more smooth like a veggie dip or nut butter. The possibilities are truly endless.
The problematic side of “girl dinner”
It couldn’t be a TikTok food trend without having an ugly side. Unfortunately, as I dug a little bit deeper into the “girl dinner” trend, I did notice that it did take a problematic turn and diet culture took over.
Disordered eating
There are some creators posting using the “girl dinner” sound and insinuating that their dinner is taking a nap, drinking a diet coke or iced coffee, or vaping. Some are using “girl dinner” as a way to promote weight loss by skipping the meal. This is not what girl dinner is supposed to be about!
In my opinion, “girl dinners” are all about eating a random assortment of foods. It is meant to be a fun and quirky and relatable. “Girl dinner” not about skipping meals or using zero calorie beverages to replace a meal. Even though this may be relatable to many, these disordered eating habits should not be promoted. It is not cool or trendy not to eat.
You might be thinking “it’s not that deep, chill out. It’s just a TikTok trend”. But you gotta understand that even if the intention was not to promote disordered eating behaviors, that is how these videos come across to many.
I don’t care if your dinner is a plate of dino nuggets and some chocolate milk or a dozen rolls with butter from Texas Roadhouse. You gotta eat some dinner for it to count as “girl dinner”.
Food comparison
Similarly, another possible problem with the girl dinner trend is the high likelihood of food comparison. Some TikTok users are commenting and saying things like “this is not enough food” or “that is way too much food”. Honestly, this is something that happens anytime a person shares their meals and snacks on the internet. And there is a tendency for us to try and eat as little as possible just because of the diet-obsessed culture we live in.
Even if we don’t mean to, we are going to compare someone's food choices and portions to our own. This is a reason why “what I eat in a day” and “full day of eating” videos have the potential to be problematic.
This is where I remind you that even if we all ate the exact same, we would still look completely different. That’s just how bodies work. I think it can be fun to share your meals online and it can be fun to watch what other people are eating. But these videos should not be taken as an example of what you have to eat. If you notice that your body image is impacted by these types of videos, be sure to scroll past and even block accounts that frequently post content in that area.
How to make your “girl dinner” a balanced meal
As a dietitian, I would be remiss to not share some tips to make a balanced and satisfying “girl dinner”. Before I do, I want to remind you again that not every meal you eat has to be chock-full of all the nutrients. Sometimes dinner will be a random assortment of whatever you can find, and that is more than fine. As long as you are feeing yourself!
Try to incorporate at least 2 of the 3 macronutrients
Add a protein, a carbohydrate, and a fat source to your snack plate. Bonus points if you can add a little color with fruits and/or vegetables! Your “girl dinner” likely will not keep you full for long if it is void of multiple macronutrients.
Protein sources
Boiled eggs
Cheese
Deli meat
Nuts
Edamame
Greek yogurt
Carbohydrate sources
Fruits and vegetables
Crackers
Chips
Pretzels
Popcorn
Sweets
Fat sources
Olive oil
Cheese
Pesto
Chili oil
Hummus
Olives
Eat a portion size that is right for you
If you do eat a snack plate for dinner, it should have larger portions than you would eat for a snack.
It’s great to see that the girls are eating, but unfortunately there is still this idea that we should always be striving to eat as little as possible. Meals are meant to provide us with calories and sustenance. Eating snacky foods as a meal is great, just make sure you are eating meal-sized amounts of the snacky foods.
If your girl dinner does leave you feeling hungry shortly after, do not be afraid to add in a bedtime snack. If you can avoid it, don’t be going to bed on an empty stomach.
Bottom line
Fed is best. If that looks like sour patch kids and take-out orange chicken, I love that for you. If you’ve got mac and cheese and a cosmic brownie in your cabinet - whip those babies up. I’m glad you are eating!
There are absolutely ways to implement some gentle nutrition here by adding fruits and veggies, making sure there are multiple macronutrients, etc. But not every single meal needs to be the equivalent of a multivitamin. Being alive is honestly really hard sometimes and feeding yourself can feel like the last thing you want to do.
I will say one thing is for sure - a true girl dinner is not going to sleep on an empty stomach or drinking an iced coffee or diet coke. Your body needs calories. Period.
What do you think of the girl dinner trend? Leave a comment below with your take on this trend and be sure to watch my “girl dinner” video on YouTube!
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