Umpteenth Tiktok trend, a diet based on mustard and fresh cheese could make you lose a few pounds. Alexandra Murcier, dietitian nutritionist gives us her opinion on this new viral phenomenon.
More than 380 million views for the latest TikTok diet which consists of eating mustard, cottage cheese (a fresh English curd cheese), raw vegetables and sausages… at all meals! A trend launched under the hashtag #veggieswithmustard by influence Tiffany Magee who claims to have lost nearly 40 pounds. Is it really serious?
@tiffanyymagee Cottage cheese and mustard #lunch #weightloss #eatlunchwithme #mustard #applesausage #veggieswithmustard #asmr #crunchy #crunchylunch #healthyrecipes #healthylifestyle #chickensausage #applechickensausage #mukbang ♬ original sound – TiffanyElizabeth | Weight Loss
Not so bad nutritionally?
Compared to other curious diets found on the net (by colors, based on baby food or chlorophyll water…) this “veggies with mustard” is not entirely devoid of advantages. Indeed, the plate offered is rich in calcium through the cheese, in protein, through the sausages, and in fiber through the raw vegetables, and can indeed lead to weight loss.
Mustard, if grain, provides both flavor and various antioxidants. But make no mistake about it: the cottage cheese and mustard diet is not a gift!
Deficiencies and significant weight regain behind
For the dietician-nutritionist Alexandra Murcier, contacted by Doctissimot, this TikTok diet is in fact nothing more than a high protein diet. It has proteins and vegetables, but zero carbohydrates, whether fruits or starches. “So yes, this has the effect of causing rapid weight loss, but it also creates deficiencies and induces significant weight regain afterwards, as in any high-protein diet!”.
The expert thus lists all the negative points of the proposed menu:
- Without carbohydrates on the menu, it is a diet that will generate fatigue, “you can easily suffer from hypoglycaemia and chronic fatigue with such a menu”;
- In the long term, followers risk deficiencies “in vitamins, vitamin C provided by fruits, B vitamins by starches, or omega 3 in the absence of fish will quickly be felt”;
- It is a diet that can cause eating disorders: “Any restrictive diet induces frustration which means that we will crack much more when resuming a normal diet”;
- Finally, it is your organism that you put to the test: “Removing carbohydrates will induce weight loss, but also reduce basal metabolism and the natural ability to burn categories”.
Watch out for trends on social media!
What can we conclude from this umpteenth diet? For the professional, it is necessary to remember that what we find on social networks does not constitute sufficient and reliable information.
“The challenges and diets on these social networks are not dispensed by food professionals, and can be dangerous. Our body is made to feed on a variety of foods in order to cover all our needs in vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates… All these trends that say the opposite can be dangerous.”
Alexandra Murcier concludes by reminding us of the basic principles for starting weight loss:
- Rebalance your diet over the long term, without aiming for something too restrictive;
- Work on the behavioral aspect of food which is often linked to weight gain;
- Increase your physical activity.
Advice that is not often discussed on TikTok…
Slide: 10 myths about diets
