Is the ‘Girl Dinner’ Trend Fun or Harmful? Dietitians Weigh In

“Girl dinner” is making the rounds on TikTok, but nutritionists wonder if the trend is doing more harm than good.

According to TikTok, a “girl dinner” is a snack plate made from food that doesn’t have to be cooked or prepared. Think a jar of pickles, chips and salsa, cereal, random veggies and whatever dips are in the fridge, or yesterday’s stale popcorn.

While there’s no reason why people of any gender can’t enjoy a snack plate meal, these sometimes unordinary food combinations have been dubbed “girl dinner.”

While there are of course ways to adopt the trend in a balanced, nutrition-forward way, some experts question whether the dinners shared are actually healthy options.

Or, on a more serious note, is sharing these meals another example of how diet culture is constantly among us?

Below, registered dietitians share the pros and cons of girl dinner, as well as how to create a healthy girl dinner that meets recommended daily nutrient amounts.

The Nutritional Value Behind a ‘Girl Dinner’

The calorie content and nutritional value of a girl dinner really depends on the chosen snack assortment.

“If your plate only consists of fruit, a few crackers, and cheese cubes then this would look more like a snack than a dinner,” Mackenzie Burgess, registered dietitian nutritionist and recipe developer at Cheerful Choices, told Health. “However, if you bulk it up with something like baguette slices, hard-boiled eggs, chopped veggies, hummus, and a handful of nuts this would be more of an ideal dinner amount.”

Burgess’ first example contains roughly 200-300 calories. Her additional suggestions make the meal closer to 500 calories.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that moderately active women consume 2,200 calories a day from ages 18–25, 2,000 calories a day from ages 26–50, and 1,800 calories a day from age 51 onward. More active women and pregnant and lactating people may require more calories, and less active women may require fewer calories.

“The recommended calories for women and girls vary greatly depending on factors like age, physical activity levels, and nutrition goals,” Burgess said.

Depending on what a person eats earlier in the day, a girl dinner of around 500 calories can be a satisfying meal. But a girl dinner on the lighter side may be better suited as an appetizer or snack. 

The Name ‘Girl Dinner’ Comes With Certain Implications

A girl dinner is basically a mini-charcuterie board for one, which can be a healthy addition to a balanced diet. But experts note that calling a meal a “girl dinner” may be problematic.

Melissa Mitri, a registered dietitian and owner of Melissa Mitri Nutrition, LLC, told Health that “some say it is named as such to empower women to get rid of the pressure to cook and to enjoy a meal they want with minimal effort.”

According to Mary Ellen Phipps, registered dietitian at Milk & Honey Nutrition, LLC, another theory is that the name is driven by “the false assumption that women should eat smaller meals than men.”

Burgess echoed the concern that a girl dinner implies that females should be focusing on lower-calorie meals.

“Promoting [these meals] as ‘girl dinner’ gives the impression that women need to have smaller portions or a special kind of meal compared to men,” she said. “This can lead women to have unhealthy body image concerns and increase the risk for eating disorders.”

Burgess also warned that social media is already a place that can be triggering for many women who struggle with disordered eating. The girl dinner trend may unintentionally exacerbate this problem, she said.

Creating a Nutritious ‘Girl Dinner’

Like most social media food trends, determining whether something is healthy isn’t always black-and-white.

Mitri explained that adding the right ingredients, and enough of them, can make a girl dinner a suitable dinner option.

“It’s important to remember that a typical girl dinner may not be balanced or contain enough calories,” she said. “Without much thought, this can lead to increased cravings and fatigue.”

She also emphasized that everyone’s nutritional needs are different, so it’s impossible to definitively say that one particular girl dinner is healthy for every single female in the world.

Mitri explained that an ideal girl dinner “should contain a protein (like cheese, meat, or nuts), carbohydrate (like fruit or whole grain crackers), and a source of healthy fat (like hummus served with a drizzle of olive oil).” You can also add things like raw vegetables and a dip to a girl dinner.

Burgess suggested following this guide to create a balanced girl dinner:

• 1 cup carbohydrate (like fruit, sliced baguettes, or crackers)
• 4 ounces or ½ cup protein (sliced meat, hard-boiled eggs, cooked chicken, roasted chickpeas, edamame, or hummus)
• 1+ cups of vegetables (like bell peppers, sliced cucumber, or celery sticks)
• ¼ cup fats (like cheese, cottage cheese, avocado, or nuts)
  

“If you decide to craft up your own girl dinner, be sure to curate the meal to meet your personal hunger levels and nutrient needs for that day,” she said. “If you need help figuring out the right amount of calories for you, seek the advice of a registered dietitian.”