Leading fitness influencer Steph Claire Smith has called out a dangerous new diet trend sweeping social media.
The model, 30, took to Instagram on Wednesday to condemn the viral ‘Oatzempic’ craze and expose the negative impact it can have on the body.
‘Oatzempic’ is also called a meal replacement shake, consisting of half a cup of oats mixed with water, lemon and lime juice.
Proponents say the shake helped them lose weight quickly, with some cclaim they have lost up to 18 kilograms in two months.
Steph warned others not to try the latest weight loss fad.
Steph Claire Smith (pictured) has spoken out about a new food trend sweeping the internet
“Oh look, another trend about toxic diets has hit the internet,” she wrote.
‘Please don’t fall for this. You don’t have to deprive yourself of the pleasure of food to be ‘healthy’. Been there, done that… it is unsustainable and brings no joy.’
In her video, Steph continued, “FYI, I’m not making one of those horrible sounding drinks. I make myself a real smoothie, because I feel like having a snack.’
‘It just makes me so angry. That amount of weight loss in that amount of time cannot be good for you. Not to mention the drink sounds gross,” she added.
‘It’s just restrictive dieting in disguise. And if you follow something like that, you deprive yourself of the opportunity to really enjoy food.’
The Australian model, 30, took to Instagram on Wednesday to condemn the viral ‘Oatzempic’ craze and share the dangerous impact it can have on the body
Steph admitted she has tried dangerous diet trends and ‘quick fixes’ in the past, as she urged her followers to just ‘enjoy food’.
“With my restrictive eating habits, I was in a place where, honestly, I would fall for the toxic diet messages that came online and I would believe anything and try anything,” she said.
“Remember that that level of restriction when dieting doesn’t have to affect your relationship with food. You can enjoy food and be healthy, those things can coexist. That’s all.’
Steph recently revealed how her eating disorder inspired her hugely successful business, Keep it Cleaner.
The mother-of-one, who owns the health empire with her business partner Laura Henshaw, said she began developing an unhealthy relationship with food during her career as a full-time model a decade ago.
In the lengthy note written on a TikTok video, Steph said she “constantly fell into the comparison trap” between other female models and the beauty standards set in the industry.
Steph recently revealed how her eating disorder inspired her hugely successful business, Keep it Cleaner. On the left in the photo as a 19-year-old
“My entire worth was attributed to the way I looked. There wasn’t a second in the day that I wasn’t thinking ahead about food, limiting myself to foods I loved, and overeating everything I allowed myself to eat,” the mother of one said.
She added that she often made herself sick or became upset “out of disgust and disappointment” at falling into the vicious cycle.
Steph explained that she only decided to embark on a career path towards health and body positivity when she became friends with her current business partner Henshaw, who had gone through a similar experience.
‘In 2015 we had around 500,000 followers on Instagram. Connecting with this online community helped us know that we were not alone in our problems and that we wanted to do something about it,” she continued.
“It started with a recipe ebook, then a subscription blog, published a hard copy book, then launched a web program, then a grocery label, and in 2018 we launched the Kic app.”
The Keep it Cleaner (KIC) app is a health-based app that offers nutritious recipes, exercise programs, and mindful activities like meditation.
The mother-of-one, who owns the health empire with her business partner Laura Henshaw, said she began developing an unhealthy relationship with food during her career as a full-time model a decade ago.