Time and time again, viral campaigns on social media take on bizarre traits – several fitness influencers are currently getting back into nutrition. What sounds harmless at first can also cause nausea in some people. They eat dog food. krone.at reveals the background to the rather unsavory trend.
What some people don’t do to gain as much muscle as possible, and thereby maneuver themselves even more into the spotlight of quick clicks: the unusual diet was started by American fitness influencer Henry Clarisey via TikTok.
“Don’t google how much protein (note protein) is in dog food,” he recently explained to his hundreds of thousands of followers, “You might be tempted.” In front of the camera, the athlete eats dry food from a bowl, and then in another video Cat food.
Fans mimicked their idol
The New Yorker reached three million people with its dog food video – whe seems like a rather moderate joke at first, was immediately taken seriously. For example, the company MyFitnessPal reported that more and more users of its platform are also including dog food in their diet plans.
Clarisey isn’t the first celebrity to eat pet food in public. Back in 2016, tennis star Serena Williams shared in a Snapchat video that she had tasted her Yorkshire Terrier’s canned food. She compared the taste to cleaning products at the time and strongly advised against eating dog food.
Alternative to protein shakes?
But is pet food a good alternative to expensive protein shakes? After all, dog food contains up to 70 percent protein – and that for a price of less than four euros per kilogram, which is significantly cheaper than the variant intended for humans. In fact, if you eat dog or cat food once, you don’t immediately endanger your health.
hooves, claws, bristles– “animal protein”
However, it is not suitable as food for medium or long term people. While the ingredient list usually reads rather nondescript, due to health regulations, the meat it contains is not intended for human consumption. What is casually referred to as “animal protein” is very often what is known as Category III slaughterhouse waste – including hooves, claws or even bristles.
Unlike human food, it is not necessary to check whether animal food contains harmful substances or is free of salmonella. In addition, an excessive intake of protein can also have health consequences. This ranges from kidney stones to weight gain to constipation. An elevated cholesterol level can also be the result of excessive protein intake.
Clarisey: “Absolutely not worth a try”
Also Clarisey, meanwhile, tried to get the spirits he called back into the can herself. “It tasted like little pieces of poop and I certainly don’t think it was worth trying,” he told Buzzfeed. “Even though it’s a lot of protein — I’d rather choose a steak or protein powder in the future,” he concludes.
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
