Featured Image Credit: TikTok/@kathrinekofoed
Topics: TikTok, Food and Drink
Tom Wood
An expert has explained the reasoning behind a viral food trend that has been gaining a lot of traction on TikTok called the ‘girl dinner’.
The bizarrely named trend was kicked off by TikTok user Olivia Maher - @liviemaher, if you prefer – who shared her 'girl dinner’ of bread, cheese, apples, grapes and pickles.
That video was viewed more than a million times, and others have been getting involved to share their own stuff.
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What makes this a 'girl dinner', I hear you ask?
Well, the term pretty much means a load of different foods all set out in no particular order, essentially snacks that make up a full meal when combined.
All different things adding up to one nice whole, in short.
Anyway, it's been going viral on TikTok, which is all you really need to know about it.
One such video was by Alea Laura (@avocadale) and it was picked up by nutritionist Katherine Kofoed, who decided to have a crack at explaining what it is that makes these girl dinners so satisfying, and why they are becoming so popular.
Basically, it seems as if it’s because the difference in all the ‘ingredient’ – if you will – adds up to a full sensory feast and allows for greater eventual satisfaction.
She also added that we’re often thinking too much about whether there’s enough nutrition in the food, or whether we’re eating protein, healthy fats, vegetables, and the like.
Instead, sometimes it’s good to care about stuff like texture, flavours, and things like that.
Explaining her theory, Kofoed said: “We are very rarely thinking about our five different senses of taste and making sure that all of our satiety needs are being satisfied in meals.
“Having a girl dinner, which is basically a smorgasbord of all your favourite things, is a really great way to satisfy all of those needs.”
She also pointed out that making sure that the food you eat is ultimately satisfying is a great way to avoid overeating, which makes plenty of sense.
In the comments, people have been largely agreeing that the trend is great.
“I’ve being doing this with bowls filled with random foods I love without even realising,” one said.
“Definitely feel more satisfied, physically & emotionally.”
Another person wrote: “When I have girl dinner, I am so nicely full, like perfectly fed and not bloated.
“Girl dinner is everything.”
There you have it, maybe you have been accidentally doing this for years, or maybe you’ve never done it before in your life, but it’s never too late to get on board.