The Rise of Mukbang in the US: Dangers and Benefits

Unless you were living under a rock during the last couple of years, the internet trend commonly referred to as “mukbang” is something you might have come across on YouTube, or heard about from friends and family. These self-produced “eating shows” involve one or more individuals, their filming setup, and an obscene amount of mouthwatering food.

While these eating videos originated from South Korea (thus the foreign vocabulary), the growing popularity of mukbang has taken the United States by storm. Nowadays, as you scroll through YouTube, the video-sharing website will recommend an outrageous amount of uploads with titles like “Eating Everything on the McDonald’s Menu,” “I Let the Person In Front of Me Order My Food” or “10,000 Calories in One Sitting Challenge.”

Though watching people devour delicious meals seem harmless, several nutrition experts have raised their concern about the booming trend.

What are the Health Risks of Mukbang?

Mukbang culture may promote overeating and indirectly encourage poor eating habits. The video or content creators, which the internet unofficially calls “mukbangers,” overindulge on mass amounts of food for a living. As a result, binge eating habits may develop among themselves and their viewers.

Glamorizing large portions may also endorse poor nutrition choices, resulting in high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and other alarming health risks. What’s more, watching people eat may trigger disordered eating patterns, which comes with its own subset of dangers.

What are the Benefits of Mukbang?

On a more positive note, eating shows may offer some benefits to viewers.

Mukbang may tear down barriers related to diet culture, which places too much emphasis on what people should and should not eat. This Korean trend may break the stigma of evading “bad” or “unhealthy” foods in such a diet-driven society, hence opening the door for viewers to overcome food avoidance.

Mukbang also unites people from around the world, making viewers feel involved in a large social connection. Although viewers are miles away from each other, tuning in to their favorite mukbanger forms a unique unity from the comfort of their personal social media accounts.

Moreover, mukbang resurfaces a vital health piece that people often dismiss: The importance of eating with company. Whether dining with peers, family, or someone through a screen — meals consumed together is a growing lost art that the mukbang community is bringing back to life.

Takeaway

Not everyone who uploads an eating video has an evil agenda or eating disorder. These public figures simply need to realize the power of their influence and the demographic they attract. For example, the younger generation is more susceptible to emulate the actions of their favorite celebrities. As such, those with influence should be mindful of delivering negative subliminal messages. If you are someone who suffers from disordered eating patterns, seek professional help to avoid feeding your condition.

While mukbang presents physical and mental health risks, it also has fantastic benefits. The lack of communal meals can be related to living alone, hectic schedules, and many other life circumstances.  Mukbang, fortunately, builds a sense of community around food and revives the habit of eating together like a family.