Read this before trusting your gut health to TikTok trends.
When your gut feels bad—bloated, gassy, painful—you want to feel better as fast as you can. 50 years ago, you might have reached out to your family practitioner or a trusted friend to find a solution. A decade ago, you might have consulted Doctor Google for a quicker way to find relief. Nowadays, many people are turning to influencer videos on TikTok and Instagram to get their gut health advice.
Unfortunately, a vast majority of the advice you’ll find on social media is just plain wrong… Some of it may even be harmful to your health.
Of course we all want digestive comfort, and in a perfect world, we’d all be able to snap our fingers to eliminate bloat and carve out six pack abs.
And while there ARE clinically proven ways to get your gut into healthy balance, so you can take control of your tummy and enjoy digestive excellence… Now there’s also an ever-emerging body of advice on social media that you DEFINITELY want to steer clear of.
See below for the biggest offenders…
5 Gut Health Trends You DON’T Want to Follow
You can find thousands of videos on social media promising “proven” hacks to improve your gut health in no time at all. Many have gone viral… but going viral isn’t always so great for the bacteria in your gut microbiome. Here are five things that social media is getting very wrong about gut health.
1. A flat stomach means a healthy gut.
Instagram and TikTok influencers promise that a flat stomach equates to a healthy gut, showing heavily bloated before and sculpted abs after photos. And while good gut health will reduce bloating, that’s far from the only issue that comes with poor gut health.
According to studies, you can have a flat stomach and an extremely unhealthy gut.[1] In fact, an unhealthy gut can lead to many non-digestive issues like autoimmune conditions, thyroid issues, rheumatoid arthritis, mood changes, and even diabetes.[2]

2. Apple cider vinegar shots cure all your gut problems.
Apple cider vinegar—in moderation—does offer some health benefits. It contains both helpful probiotics and antioxidants, which your body needs to stay healthy.
But only relying on shots of straight apple cider vinegar (ACV) to fix an unhealthy gut is a recipe for trouble. Worse, frequent daily shots of ACV can potentially damage your esophagus or eat away at the enamel on your teeth.[3]
3. Drinking olive oil fixes bloating.
One popular video, with millions of views, claims that drinking olive oil gets rid of bloating. Pure olive oil from a quality source does deliver lots of health benefits… But drinking full glasses of it can bring on its own set of gut problems.
It can irritate your stomach and potentially cause loose stool. Plus, over-consumption of olive oil can cause a significant drop in blood pressure and may lead to problems like dizziness, lightheadedness, stroke, and even kidney failure.[4]
4. Your gut loves it when you stop snacking.
It’s true that unhealthy snacks packed with sugar, fat, and additives can harm your gut health. But it’s the snacks themselves, not the snackING tha