Toronto influencers help cut through false messaging on dieting

It’s January and no doubt your feeds are inundated with dieting propaganda. But through the clutter of random advice and tips from anyone with an social media account, you’ll find Toronto influencers Abbey Sharp, 34, of @AbbeysKitchen and Jordana Hart, 33, of @iHartNutrition.

Not only do they promote healthy messaging, but they’re anti diet-culture, body positive and practice what they preach authentically.

Sharp is a registered dietitian who believes in sustainable gentle nutrition and teaches people how to learn to eat intuitively. She frequently posts advice on her TikTok, Instagram, YouTube channel in hilarious and entertaining bite-sized videos where she debunks popular dieting myths and food trends, breaks down celebrity/influencers problematic diets and/or weight loss videos and offers tips on how to navigate the misinformation you see online.

Hart on the other hand is a holistic nutritionist who posts on Instagram, TikTok and her wellness and lifestyle website, where she educates and encourages people to have a balanced lifestyle that makes you feel good, never restrict themselves and shares insight into how diet directly impacts your mood and energy levels. She shares recipes, what she’s eating and takes you along on her daily routine, which begins with waking up at sunrise, having a large glass of water, followed by a coffee, which she sips while writing in her five minute journal.

Though both women have a different approach (neither focus on weight, scales and calories) their ultimate message and goal is the same: to teach people they can obtain wellness goals in a healthy way.

Sharp said that the rise of social media brought on a whole new generation of so-called experts with absolutely no qualifications or education. Since there’s a ton of false information in the wellness space she’s chosen to step up.

“Unfortunately, the public often doesn’t know the difference, especially when the claims are expertly crafted with scientific jargon, anecdotal evidence and sensationalism,” Sharp said. At this point, she said that disordered eating is on the rise, and people have never been more confused about how to eat. “Largely because so many people online have taught them to distrust their own body wisdom,” Sharp said.

Through her social channels she’s bringing it back to basics. That means spelling out the science in plain language that people can understand, and trying to help people make decisions about which hacks are even worth their effort, and which might just add more barriers to getting to know their true needs.

“I want people to have to think as little about their food choices as possible by making nutrition more intuitive,” Sharp said. “The more we have to think through every eating episode in our day, the more likely it is to cause harm.”

She believes that eating well is a long game and has more to do with cultivating a balanced relationship with food than obsessing over specific nutrients, numbers or even foods. “A varied diet devoid of guilt and shame that makes you feel your best, physically, and emotionally, is the healthiest diet for you,” Sharp said.

It’s not uncommon for Hart’s followers to see her eating at an Italian restaurant and drinking wine on her Instagram stories one evening, and then the next morning see her posting a video from a long walk, while having a smoothie. “I’m not doing that to combat the fact that I had pasta for example, it’s just all about moderation all the time,” Hart said.

She’s maintained her healthy lifestyle for a long time, because it’s never about a one-week cleanse or a one-month challenge.

“I’m doing this for forever so if I’m thinking about my forever, I’m always going to go out to eat, and sometimes I may want ice cream, so I ask myself what are the things I can do that feel good?” For example, she would never force herself to do something she hates, like a workout she isn’t enjoying.

“I help people see that wellness should feel good and if it feels like punishment, you’ve got to switch it up,” Hart said. “Health actually doesn’t have to do with weight, numbers or calories, it’s just about how you’re nourishing your body on a day-to-day basis to feel good.”

For those who are struggling with all of the wellness information out there both Hart and Sharp recommend checking in with yourself regularly on how this information is making you feel. “I’m a nutrition communicator, so of course I see value in getting nutrition tips from experts,” said Sharp. “But if its causing you more food anxiety and body distrust, tune it out or unfollow.” And when in doubt, she suggests seeking out the support of a trained professional like a registered dietitian.

“Nutrition is highly individualistic. What works for one person, won’t work for another,” Sharp said. “So don’t assume something is going to work for you, or even is healthy or safe for you, just because an influencer online swears by it.”

Jen Kirsch is a Toronto-based writer and a freelance contributor for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @jen_kirsch