They chop and pluck, fry and bake, stir and blend—and always give us a close-up look inside their pots, pans, and cups. For food influencers, it’s all about food and drink.
Where a thick cookbook or baking book used to sit, smartphones and tablets have long since taken over: Instead of flipping through 1,000 pages of recipes, all it takes is a search term and a few clicks, and we’re guided through the cooking process in a friendly and entertaining way. Food influencers invite us into their kitchens on social media and share all kinds of ideas, tips, and suggestions about nutrition. You’ll find traditional cuisine alongside new vegan recipes, exclusive dishes, and budget-friendly options. Nutrition tips for weight loss, building muscle, improving health, boosting energy, or achieving healthier skin are also part of the content. The influencers are as diverse as their diets: from young to older, from trained chefs to experienced home cooks to newcomers. There seems to be the right food profile for everyone here.
Eating isn’t just a necessity—it’s always part of one’s identity, too. Children and teens, who are just discovering their own identities, often find role models and inspiration in food influencers. They may want to try new things or break away from the eating habits they grew up with at home. Some teens are looking for healthy recipes or want to follow a trend. Others want to lose weight or build muscle. Or they’re interested in vegan or sustainable eating. In their videos, food influencers make the topic of nutrition—which can sometimes seem a bit outdated— attractive and easy to understand. They speak the language of their young audience, invite them into their everyday lives, and, in addition to cooking instructions, often offer worldviews and life lessons that their followers are looking for.
For parents, it’s often good news at first when their kids get busy in the kitchen. A healthy breakfast instead of chocolate spread—and on the weekends, the kids whip up a cake. Who would complain about that? But despite all the excitement, the same rule applies to food influencers: Find out who’s on the screen, watch these so-called kitchen experts together, discuss what you see, and maintain a healthy dose of skepticism.
Some food influencers are true professionals —but there are also nutrition and lifestyle tips that call for caution. Some exercise or diet plans go way too far or are unhealthy. Alarm bells should ring especially when nutrition is portrayed as a cure-all. It’s particularly concerning when recipe ideas are linked to seemingly perfect bodies, fitness promises, or extremely slim beauty ideals. Additionally, edited or AI-generated images can reinforce unrealistic expectations of how bodies are supposed to look.
In addition, many food influencers earn a lot of money through advertising —either by selling their own products or by partnering with food manufacturers. It’s often hard for children and teens to tell where an honest recommendation ends and advertising begins. Recent studies show that influencers and social media advertising can significantly influence young people’s online purchasing behavior. Work together to determine whether a product is truly worthwhile, whether it’s labeled as advertising, and whether other independent sources confirm its claims.
Some food influencers also deliberately post particularly gross or absurd recipes to provoke hateful comments. The commotion in the comments generates attention and can thus increase their reach. Keep the conversation going with your child. The best part is when you browse food content together with your child, discuss it, compare different posts—and then try something new in the kitchen together. Ideally, it’s fun! And even if it’s a flop, at least it was funny.
The world of food influencers is vast and overwhelming. If you set out to find good content, you’ll find plenty—but you’ll need to carefully evaluate what actually works and tastes good. Here are a few well-known examples:
