#Orthorexia

A surge of wellness ideas is captivating Thai teens, who increasingly embrace “crunchy” eating habits pitched as optimal health. Health professionals warn these well-intentioned choices can pose real risks for young people when driven by social media and unverified claims. For Thai parents and educators, this trend offers a lens to evaluate how global wellness ideas intersect with local youth culture and health.

The crunchy teen movement often aims to move away from processed foods and conventional medicines. Teens may experiment with unverified practices such as parasite cleanses, raw meat diets, and restrictive eating plans shaped by viral misinformation. Experts caution that such ideas lack solid scientific backing and can cause serious side effects. High-dose herbal cleanses can irritate the liver and stomach, cause dehydration, and even trigger severe illness. Eating raw meat also exposes youths to dangerous bacteria without proven health benefits.

A new wave of wellness trends is sweeping through teenage circles, with young people embracing “crunchy teen” eating habits that claim to promote optimal health—but health experts warn these well-intended choices may do more harm than good. A report by a family medicine practitioner at Kaiser Permanente in Fairfax, Virginia, highlights how this social-media-driven movement toward natural, restrictive, and sometimes extreme diets is fueling dangerous misconceptions about food, body image, and medicine itself. For Thai parents and educators, this exposé offers an urgent lens through which to examine how global wellness trends interact with local youth culture and health risks.