#Crunchywellness

A growing trend among teenagers to pursue what they see as natural, “crunchy” wellness is raising new concerns among health professionals, who warn that teens embracing extreme eating habits in the name of health may be putting themselves at real risk. The so-called “crunchy teen” movement, which promotes natural foods, holistic remedies, and sometimes outright rejection of conventional medicine, is spreading rapidly on social media platforms and affecting adolescent behaviors worldwide, including here in Thailand.

A growing “crunchy teen” wellness movement is drawing concern from health professionals who warn that extreme, unverified practices can harm young people. The trend promotes natural foods and holistic remedies and sometimes questions conventional medicine. It spreads rapidly on social media and influences Thai youths as well as peers worldwide, making reliable guidance essential.

While the desire for healthier living is common, the crunchy teen phenomenon differs from ordinary nutrition advice. Some adolescents pursue restrictive diets, parasite cleansing, or raw and fermented foods based on online claims. A family medicine practitioner at a leading health system notes that the movement fuels the spread of misleading health information among youth, with potentially serious consequences.