‘Gym bros’ on the internet are worrying other social media users by posting videos of themselves eating dog food in an effort to increase their protein intake.
In a viral video that has received more than 21 million views, TikTok user Henry Clarisey points to the nutrition page on MyFitnessPal for Pedigree dog food, which falsely claims there are 666 grams of protein.
Clarisey, 21, asks “which one of you is going to take one for the team”, before saying he’d be up for it if he manages to get 15,000 likes.
In a follow-up video that has received nearly three million views, the gym goer tries the dog food and says, “it’s for money” before throwing it up and concluding, “it’s not worth it.”
Although the food is high in protein, health officials say that some ingredients in dog food may be harmful to humans.
‘Gym bros’ on the internet are worrying other social media users by posting videos of themselves eating dog food in an effort to increase their protein intake.
Immediately, however, Clarisey said he wouldn’t do it again if he was pressed.
Clarisey in another video also tried the cat food after a commenter told her it was even higher in protein. That video received 3.3 million views.
In an interview with BuzzFeed Newsthe TikTok influencer said he knew he “needed to try it” after seeing the nutritional information.
Immediately, however, he said that he would not do it again if he was pressed.
“I promise you guys, it’s not worth it,” he said in the video that received 300,000 likes.
‘The dog food tasted extremely dry. I needed so much water after eating it,” Clarisey told the outlet.
It tasted like little pieces of dirt and I definitely don’t think it was worth it. Although it is a lot of protein, I would have steak or protein powder,” she said.
The video of Clarisey testing the dog food has received thousands of comments with users expressing everything from disgust to fascination and even jokes.
‘Definitely worth it, just try to hold the gate. Trust fr fr’, wrote one person.
“You are braver than me,” said one user.
‘Dog food isn’t that bad fr. I used to MUNCH when he was a kid,” one user wrote.
“Mixing it with a single banana will override any other flavor,” one person quipped.
In a viral video that has received more than 21 million views, TikTok user Henry Clarisey points to the nutrition page on MyFitnessPal for Pedigree dog food.
In an interview with Buzzfeed News, the TikTok influencer said he knew he “needed to try it” after seeing the nutritional information.
‘The dog food tasted extremely dry. I needed so much water after eating it,’ Clarisey said.
“I promise you guys, it’s not worth it,” Clarisey says in the video that received 300,000 likes.
Clarisey is a fitness buff who said she needed to try dog food ‘to win’
Clarisey is certainly not alone though, as other social media users have also posted now-viral videos of them trying the dog food or joking about trying it.
In one TikTok, a man is seen putting dog food in his cart at the store and joking that he will buy it for when they get a dog.
Later in that video, he is seen eating the dog food straight out of the can with a spoon.
Another TikTok user called the gram of protein per gram ratio of dog food “crazy” and said he would eat the dog food if it got 5,000 likes.
Arguably the funniest video in this trend comes from a TikTok creator who was shown in front of a text that read “300 grams of protein in 100 grams of dog food” only to cut to a person in a dog costume and write “I do”.
Hundreds of videos on the app have racked up millions of views and likes with users saying they are “tempted” by the high-protein items.
However, before you think about trying it yourself, US health officials caution that dog food may not be safe for human consumption.
According to Melissa Majumdar, a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics who spoke to Buzzfeed, food, while safe for animals, doesn’t always follow the same rules that human food must adhere to.
“While most of the ingredients in dog food are similar to those in human food, they are intended to meet the needs of dogs, not humans, who have different nutritional priorities,” Majumdar said. ‘
In addition, they contain foods that we do not want much in our diet. If you read the dog food ingredients, you’ll find chicken by-product meal and animal fat,” he said.
One vet said that while some dog foods claim to be “human grade,” that label means very little.
Human edible foods are very different and are regulated by the FDA. Human grade means nothing,” said Tracy Navarra, a veterinarian at Peachtree Hills Animal Hospital.
On a TikTok, a man is seen putting dog food in his cart at the store and jokingly saying he’ll buy it for when they get a dog.
Later in that video, he is seen eating the dog food straight out of the can with a spoon.
In an email to Buzzfeed, Pedigree officials denied that their product could be harmful to the human body.
“Our foods are intended for cats and dogs, but would not be harmful if consumed by a human,” the company said.
“The manufacturing processes and research that go into our products are equal to, and in some cases even better than, those of human food manufacturers,” they continued.
Despite his statement, overall, health officials say dog food generally does not meet the nutritional requirements of human food.
However, this is not abnormal, as most human foods do not meet the nutritional requirements for dog foods, according to authorities.
Additionally, a cause for concern is that dogs’ digestive systems have a different ability to handle bacteria, viruses, parasites, and pathogens.
‘We are not the same, so we should not eat the same. While nutritional needs for protein, carbohydrate, and fat may not be that different between humans and dogs, it should not be the deciding factor in free-willing dog food choices,” Navarra said.
According to the vet, a dog’s digestive system can break down protein faster.
The other major problem related to the dog food situation is that misinformation about the nutritional value of dog food has spread like wildfire.
The information Clarisey pointed to came from MyFitnessPal and showed a Pedigree dog food product that claimed to have nearly 700 grams of protein in 200 grams.
However, in a statement to Buzzfeed, Pedigree said the highest percentage of protein in any of its dog food products was 28.7 percent.
MyFitnessPal officials said they couldn’t comment on how the app got to those numbers, but they did say they’ve experienced more users including dog food in their app.
“MyFitnessPal saw an increase in people logging dog food due to the TikTok trend, driven by men ages 18 to 24 who want to gain or maintain weight,” said Jen Whitman, spokesperson for MyFitnessPal.
“The increase in logging occurred mainly between February 20 and 24,” Whitman said.
Clarisey’s video was posted on February 22.