#cleaneating: an exploration of the clean eating trend as presented on Instagram
Abstract
Background: Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking platform which features
popular content relating to food and nutrition. One such trend is clean eating, which prioritizes
the consumption of whole foods while avoiding processed foods. Objectives: This exploratory
study of #cleaneating Instagram posts sought to characterize foods that are commonly labeled as
“clean”, explore user feelings and perceptions of “clean eating”, and identify social trends and
ideas associated with “clean eating”. Methods: Qualitative inductive analysis was conducted
using public content posted to Instagram. Images, associated text captions, and other related
hashtags from 150 #cleaneating posts were included in the data set. Analysis was conducted until
a point of data saturation was reached, at which point no new themes emerged from the data.
Results: Images were categorized into three main types: those featuring food (61%), people
(27%), and meme/other (12%). It was discovered that the #cleaneating hashtag was associated
with other diet/lifestyle trends such as #vegan and #keto. A common theme emerged from the
data of clean eating being associated with weight loss and exercise. Another identified theme
was promoting the consumption of fruits and vegetables. Conclusions/Importance: This study
illustrates that the clean eating trend is an extremely popular trend and provides base information
for subsequent research. Guidelines and recommendations of clean eating are vague and lack
scientific evidence. This study provides insight into current food and health trends, which lends
itself for use in clinical or medical settings as it is crucial that registered dietitians and other
health professionals are aware of the health information being shared on the internet.