Eating competitions are not all smiles and winning awards, however. Megan Shepherd wrote a piece for Delish examining the “dark side” of competitive eating. Shepherd notes that aside from the obvious risks of weight gain and vomiting, competitors have actually died due to choking on the food they were gorging themselves with. In fact, more than 20 deaths have resulted from eating competitions since 2010. Other potential health risks associated with the stomach stretching involved in these competitions are food poisoning, water poisoning, a torn esophagus, burst blood vessels and diarrhea. As the saying goes, “everything in moderation”, but binging can come with serious risks.
As times have changed, food trends have moved from Youtube and Instagram to the newer platform of TikTok. The days of simple avocado toast and smoothie bowls being the most popular breakfasts online have gone, and new viral food trends have emerged. Some of the most popular recipes on TikTok over the past few years have been baked oats, pesto eggs, spicy vodka pasta, custard toast, baked feta pasta and ricotta toast. But along with the delicious-sounding trends, other questionable recipes have gone viral as well. These include “countertop recipes”, where large amounts of ingredients are dumped onto a countertop and mixed together, and Pringles mashed potatoes, which involves boiling the beloved chips in water and straining the “mashed potatoes” out of the liquid.
If you consider yourself an adventurous eater, perhaps some of these photos from Wreckless Eating will inspire you to get a little more creative in the kitchen. Or, if nothing else, maybe now you know what to serve your arch nemesis as a revenge meal. Enjoy viewing the rest of this crazy list, and don't forget to upvote the images you find most egregious. Then let us know in the comments if you have any crazy food combinations that are worth trying!
