Bite Back with Abbey Sharp - Dietitians Are BEGGING People to Quit These 2025 Diet Trends Before it’s Too Late (SkinnyTok, Sketchy Peptides, Biohacking & MORE!)

Starting point is 00:00:00 There is zero world in which this is a good take. So yeah, Skinny Talk was really rock bottom 2025 for me. Welcome to another episode of Bite Back with Abby Sharp, where I dismantle diet culture rules, call out the charlatans spinning the pseudoscience, and help you achieve food freedom for good. We are coming to an end of 2025, and I think I speak for a lot of us. when I quote the great Jojo. It has been rough out there for everyone really, but my gosh, us science communicators are so fucking exhausted.

Starting point is 00:00:45 We have been banging our head against the walls or just staring into the abyss wondering how the F we got here. So yeah, it has been a dumpster fire of a year that feels like the problematic nutrition trends, were literally the least of my gripes. And considering that this was the year of skinny talk, that is saying a damn lot. But on today's episode A Bite Back, I thought I would attempt to de-influence you from some of the worst nutrition and wellness trends of the year, share why I am so exhausted by them,

Starting point is 00:01:20 and finish with some little moments of virality that are keeping me hopeful that we haven't completely lost our damn minds. Before we get into it, I want to remind you that we are weeks away from the launch of my new book, The Hunger Cushing combo method. And I would love all of your support. Pre-sales make a huge difference in the success of a book. So if you are looking to start your year with New Year's resolutions that you can actually stick to, I would love if you would check out the links in the show notes on where you can purchase. And if you pre-order today, you will get a free hunger-crushing combo holiday survival guide, so please be sure to check out the instructions in the show notes

Starting point is 00:02:02 on how to enter. All right, friends, let's dive in. So we really can't talk about the most egregious trends of 2025 without starting with Skinny Talk. I wish I could say that I didn't see this coming as collateral damage with the Ozempic era, but I totally did. Now, I've done a deep dive on this trend over the past year, and I've been interviewed on this by literally every media. outlet at this point, but I do believe that its popularity was at least partially a direct response to OZempic swooping in as the great skinny equalizer. You know, thinness has long been seen as a moral virtue and a status simple. And weight loss drugs like OZempic have essentially made thinness transactional. Meaning if you can afford it and you can get some shady doctor at a

Starting point is 00:02:51 many spot to sell you the shot, you can theoretically buy a smaller body. And this seems to threaten those who have built identity capital around achieving or maintaining thinness the quote and quote hard way. The result is basically a moral counter movement with its no pain, no gain mantras, and where suffering and deprivation are celebrated. Now, to be clear, I am not mad about Ozempic or other gLP ones, these are obviously improving the lives of thousands of people, and I think they are incredibly important when used as indicated. I'm also not criticizing straight-sized bodies or critiquing, quote-and-quote, skinniness. Folks who are longtime followers of mine know that I don't ever comment on people's bodies.

Starting point is 00:03:38 But when I talk about the dangers of skinny talk, I am doing so to call out the pro-starvation mantras, the low-calorie diet tips, and the toxic community-building tactics of the movement. We should not be seeing videos with hundreds of thousands of likes, telling young girls to think of hunger as their stomach giving them an applause, or encouraging them to call themselves a fat pig anytime they feel like skipping the gym. There is zero world in which this is a good take. So yeah, Skinny Talk was really rock bottom 2025. for me. But speaking of Ozempic and Medi spas, let's talk about the misuse and overuse of weight

Starting point is 00:04:23 loss peptides. If 2024 was really the year of the Ozempic boom, 2025 is when all of the little peptide players came out of the woodwork and every MediSpot Injector suddenly became an expert on various growth hormones and aptite suppressing injections. Peptides may seem like a new hot drug, but they're simply short chains of amino acids that make up more complex proteins and include everything from insulin to oxytocin. Ozempic is also a peptide. But outside of the world of regulated medications, you've likely heard influencers touting the benefits of peptide injections to help boost metabolism, burn belly fat, improve body composition,

Starting point is 00:05:06 and turn back the aging clock. There are too many of those peptides to go into specifically, but I do have a YouTube video that I'll link to in the show notes if you want more details on the popular ones. But perhaps you have heard names like C.J.C. 1295, ipamoralin, sarahmoralin, and somatropin on your feeds. Unlike weight loss medications like Ozempic and Weigovie, these peptides are not FDA approved, which means that they're technically not allowed to be made in compounding pharmacies or even sold for human use. But of course, you will find vendors, selling them online to consumers through the loophole of it being for research and lab purposes

Starting point is 00:05:48 only. Unfortunately, this means that we have no way to verify the quality or safety of these black market peptides. We also don't know if we can trust that these people who are selling them to us know what they're doing or even what they're selling. A lot of many spas these days tend to delegate all of their injectable products, including peptide administration, to estheticians and spa techs, often with little to know direct supervision from a trained medical professional. This isn't exactly kosher, but it's definitely happening. If the problem with this isn't obvious to you, consider that a non-medical professional is not equipped to be able to screen for contraindications, determine appropriate dosages, or know how to manage complications.

Starting point is 00:06:36 And there are absolutely complications with a lot of these peptides causing common side effects like nausea, vomiting, constipation, and diarrhea, and some also reporting skin irritation and rashes. Basically, what you could expect from something like Ozempic, but you don't have anyone legit following your care. So if you do walk into a meti spa and see the receptionist promoting peptide injections or microdose growth hormones, and you're interested in giving them a try, please at least ask yourself, who is prescribing this? And what are their credentials? Is there a physician reviewing my medical history and labs first? And what exactly is in the stack that you're providing and where is it from? None of the answers to these questions can guarantee that your

Starting point is 00:07:24 peptides are safe or effective, considering that there's little to know research on most of them, and they're completely unregulated. But if the staff are evasive, vague, or kind of clueless, it's probably a good cue to run. I also want to place the peptide trend in a greater movement, so let's talk about extreme biohacking. Honestly, the extreme biohacking trend is giving Silicon Valley fever dream and not exactly in a good way. In 2025, everyone seems to think that they can outsmart humanity and optimize their biology with the right Ivy drip, data collecting accessories, peptide stack, and cryopod. But what's being sold as cutting-edge wellness is often just poorly regulated experimentation dressed up as longevity science, most of which

Starting point is 00:08:15 is total junk BS. When we look deeper into a lot of these miracle hacks, we see that they have little to know long-term data and some can carry serious risks related to hormonal disruption, nutrient depletion, and even heart complications. I might be a minority here, but I'm not sure any of this is really worth it for the possibility of maybe shaving a few points off of your morning cortisol curve. But let's talk about what is really going on here.

Starting point is 00:08:48 Extreme biohacking is really just dye culture in a new outfit. And this time, it's one that feels a little more tailored to men. It's become the masculine version of clean eating, where eating becomes rigid, highly quantified, and heavily moralized. There's also a very scary growing overlap between these hyper-optimized spaces and red pill or manosphere subcultures online, where health becomes a competition and control over your body equals power. And I don't know who needs to hear this, but any mindset that encourages men to weigh out every gram approach, routine and hack their hormones and wake up at 4 a.m. for a multi-step morning routine and fast until two to build mental toughness very closely mirrors what we have long recognized in women as

Starting point is 00:09:40 disordered eating. Researchers even have a name for it. Muscularity-oriented disordered eating. Where men restrict overtrain, track, or supplement obsessively to achieve an ideal of leanness and muscle size. And because men are so rarely socialized to talk about body dysmorphia, their diets, or just general vulnerability, this obsession often hides behind discipline and self-mastery. It becomes celebrated and even more insidious. At its core, I would argue that extreme biohacking isn't about longevity or health at all. It is actually about control and identity. It promises perfection if you can just discipline your biology hard enough by tracking more, fasting longer, and buying more expensive, unregulated, and unproven gadgets. But as we talk

Starting point is 00:10:34 about often here on Byteback, health doesn't come from micromanaging your mitochondria. It comes from sustainable, evidence-based habits that let you actually live your life. Not just maybe try to extend it while existing in misery. And this is largely what I talk about in my book, the hunger-crushing combo method. In fact, I've got a whole chapter on fitness and building muscle goals that offers a gentler, more sustainable approach

Starting point is 00:11:04 to the rigid and obsessive rules of extreme biohacking. So let's check in with the boys and men in our life because diet culture is getting increasingly harder on them as well. Next, let's talk about something I am finding so exhausting, and that is the glorifying of animal fats over plants, a.k.a. the seed oil slander. I think I speak for most of my evidence-based colleagues when I say that the animal-based diet is one of the most outrageous trends that we have seen

Starting point is 00:11:35 since we were telling women to live off coffee, steaks, and cigarettes. And the consistent demonization of plant-based seed oils is one of the most pervasive talking points that has infiltrated communities well beyond the fringe carnivores. If you followed me on social media, you have for sure heard me state that the consensus of human research shows that varying the amounts of omega-6 in the body

Starting point is 00:12:00 from things like seed oils doesn't actually seem to increase inflammation. In fact, a huge meta-analysis and systematic review on over 300,000 people found an association between omega-6 intake and improved health. In contrast, the folks who are, were waxing poetic about the alleged dangers of seed oils are probably standing in frame shirtless telling you to eat more animal products rich in saturated fats like beef tallow and butter.

Starting point is 00:12:28 I'm sorry, but this is bad advice. Hard stop. Research actually tells us that if you were to swap out that carnivore beloved butter for those so-called bad seed oils, you actually would reduce your risk of death by 17%. We also have studies suggesting that diets rich in long chain saturated fats like those found in butter are more likely to promote visceral fat storage, aka the dangerous belly fat that's associated with chronic disease. Now, I want to make this super clear that I love butter. I'm not telling you that you can't have butter or beef or anything else.

Starting point is 00:13:07 But I am done with the fearmongering over plant-based oils and the categorically bad nutrition advice to eat more animal fats over plants. If any of these charlatans care to understand the research and interpret it thoughtfully, they would tell you to simply be mindful of excess added fats, particularly from highly processed fried foods. If there was any legit reason why omega-6 seed oil fats got themselves into a bad rep pickle to begin with, it's that they are guilty by association of being found in most highly processed or fried foods. I mean, if you're eating drive-through french fries every single day, you're not getting a ton of saturated fats, you're getting omega-6 fats because seed oils, not butter, is sort of stable in high frying heats. That, plus the fact that thanks

Starting point is 00:13:57 to the appeal to nature's fallacy, which we talk about a lot on the show, wellness culture has learned to demonize anything seemingly man-made. And seed oil will always seem more quote-and-quote unnatural than something like butter. But it's called a fallacy for a a reason here, folks, because ultimately it can be easily debunked. But speaking of an appeal to nature's fallacy, the next trend I want to die so badly is the recommendation to use food as sunscreen. As a fair, Freckley-Gurley, who has had a number of questionable moles removed, I take sun safety very, very seriously. And I feel extra-ragey when I see wellness influencers going off about the so-called toxins in commercial sunscreens while pushing antioxidant

Starting point is 00:14:58 rich foods and supplements from tomatoes and carrots to chlorophyll drops and astazanthin pills as quote-unquote natural SPF. And while yes, we do know that some nutrients like beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamin C, and polyphenols have been shown in studies to reduce oxidative stress and UV-induced skin damage. We're talking about very, very subtle internal effects. A tomato is not going to replace your sunscreen. I mean, unless you plan on, like, rubbing it all over your face like every two hours, and please do not do that unless you are looking for a DIY acid peel. Ouchy. But here's what the science actually says. Yes, these plant compounds may slightly increase your skin's resilience against UV damage over time. Basically like adding a very, very, very paper thin layer of extra protection. But we are talking in the equivalent of like SPF 2 or 3 and only after weeks and weeks of consistent intake. That is nowhere near of the SPF 30 to 50 protection that dermatologists recommend for meaningful defense. against burns, premature aging, and skin cancer.

Starting point is 00:16:12 Relying on edible sunscreen isn't holistic. It's honestly fucking negligent. So eat your tomatoes for your health or because they taste good, not because you think they'll stop UV rays from roasting your nose. And speaking of negligence, let's finish off with a brief rage sesh on my disdain for the raw milk trend. I've talked about this in a lot more detail in various videos and podcast episodes, but unfortunately, the raw milk groupies are just getting louder.

Starting point is 00:16:43 Probably thanks to RFK Jr. making false claims about its health benefits while doing shots at the White House with Carnivore MD. I think I speak for most healthcare professionals when I say, what the fuck kind of timeline are we living in? But anyhow, the TLDR is that raw milk is not the health elixir that enthusiasts claim it to be. While there may be slightly greater probiotic activity, you would need around 10,000 times what is found in raw milk to have any sort of potential probiotic health benefits. It's also not easier to digest for folks with lactose intolerance. It is not any less allergenic, and both raw and pasteurized milk contain the same fat, carbs, protein, and protein bioavailability. We do see a slight decrease in some B vitamins from pasteurization, but,

Starting point is 00:17:36 pasteurized milk is still considered an excellent source of B vitamins. So really, in my books, this is not a loss. And if you are thinking, well, I want those B vitamins, well, you have to consider that tiny, tiny boost in vitamins against the risk of pathogenic bacteria in your milk. Raw milk is a known vessel for deadly bacteria like E. coli, salmonella, staphoreus, campelobacter, Listeria, Burnetti, and even tuberculosis. Just to literally name a little bit the scary shit that can be in there. And while raw milk products account for only 1% of dairy production in the U.S., raw milk dairies were linked to 60% of those dairy-related outbreaks and 85% of all dairy hospitalizations. I would love for the raw milk enthusiasts to

Starting point is 00:18:24 help me make that math make sense. And honestly, if you do want to take the risk because you love the flavor or you trust your farmer or you want that extra bit of B vitamins, then absolutely you do you. But please do not put kids who rely on you for their safety at risk with raw milk and do not spread lies about the safety of pasteurized milk for folks who do not want to play with fire. I know I'm getting a little heated up here, but I thought in an effort to bring my own blood pressure down, we could close off here with a few trends that leave me a little bit more hopeful. The first being fiber. I mean, yes, of course, the internet is going to try to take this too far with the fiber maxing, aka asking for an IBS flare. But it's no secret that

Starting point is 00:19:10 North Americans need to consume more fiber. That means more fruits, veg, beans, legumes, and seeds. In other words, the exact opposite of the carnivore trend that I loathe. The next is an interest in women's health. Women have been traditionally overlooked in the medical space. But today, we're seeing women bring paramenopause and menopause out of the closet, we're seeing greater pushback against medical misogyny, and we're seeing some really new exciting research emerge on things like PCOS, endometriosis, and infertility. Obviously, there's dangers here with commercial opportunism with marketers offering BS pink taxed snake oil to vulnerable populations, but I'm still hopeful that more conversation means more research, which ultimately means better solutions long term.

Starting point is 00:19:57 And finally, gut health. This ties into the fiber and the women's health really, but we know that the health of the gut is reflected in the health of literally every other body system, from digestion to immunity to weight regulation, mood, and brain health, just to name a few. So we are seeing a lot more evidence on the vagus nerve and the brain gut access, fermented foods, probiotics, and prebiotic fiber, shifting away from a calorie-focused approach to nutrition to one of nourishment for our gut microbes and for us. And on that note, here's hoping for less BS in 2026.

Starting point is 00:20:34 I would also love if you would leave me a little comment on this episode and a five-star review because these reviews really do help me get the word out to grow and reach a bigger audience with this very important message. Also a reminder that if you are looking for a no BS, fad-free, sustainable, and evidence-based approach to help you meet your wellness goals as we head into 2026, I would love if you would check out my upcoming book, the hunger crushing combo method, which is on pre-sale now to be released January 13th. And if you pre-order today, you're going to get a free hunger crushing combo holiday survival guide.

Starting point is 00:21:09 So definitely check out the details in the descriptions on how to redeem that. Yay! All right, folks, signing off with Science and Sass. Happy holidays. I'm Abby Sharp. Thanks for listening. Thank you.

Bite Back with Abbey Sharp - Dietitians Are BEGGING People to Quit These 2025 Diet Trends Before it’s Too Late (SkinnyTok, Sketchy Peptides, Biohacking & MORE!)

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