'Dinosaur time' viral food trend pushes salad greens, but does it work?

Channeling your inner dinosaur while eating greens has become a trending social media hack to sneak more vegetables into your diet.

"Dinosaur time" is the latest TikTok food trend.

It involves grabbing handfuls of greens like lettuce, spinach or kale, stuffing them into your mouth and then chewing them quickly, mimicking how herbivores ate during the Mesozoic era.

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Social media user @sahmthingsup is believed to be behind the viral videos and said on her TikTok account that it's a way to boost your consumption of greens.

"I just grab a large handful. I eat everything I grab," she said in part in a post.

The goal of "dinosaur time" is eating a full serving of green veggies before a meal. (iStock)

The TikTok food trend encourages chewing greens as quickly as possible to get that less palliative task of eating part of your recommended daily quota of vegetables out of the way. You can then move onto eating a more enjoyable meal.

"Dinosaur time is more about the goal than the process," the TikTok user shared on her social media site. "That goal is simply to eat at least a full serving of green veggies before a meal, ideally quickly and whilst channeling a hungry dinosaur."

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She did note that it "is not a meal replacement."

Many of the influencer's social media followers seemed excited to incorporate this lifestyle hack into their meal routines. Some said that even their children are asking to eat vegetables now in this dinosaur-style feeding frenzy fashion. 

Some influencers say that even their kids are asking to eat vegetables now in this dinosaur-style feeding frenzy fashion.  (iStock)

Fox News Digital reached out to the TikTok trendsetter for further comment. 

Some registered dietitians told Fox News Digital that dinosaur time is a unique way to get nutrients. 

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"If pretending to be a dinosaur or a bunny to scarf down washed leafy greens brings you joy and more green vegetables, there's likely no need to hold back on participating in this fun trend," said Julie Stefanski, a Pennsylvania-based registered dietitian nutritionist and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, a trade group. 

"If pretending to be a dinosaur or a bunny to scarf down washed leafy greens brings you joy and more green vegetables, there's likely no need to hold back on participating in this fun trend," said a registered dietitian nutritionist. (iStock)

Stefanski said plants are an important source of non-digestible material that helps with elimination in the digestive process. 

She also noted these greens provide nutrients like vitamin C and fiber needed for gut health.

"Vegetables also provide a high source of B vitamins, such as folate, which help support our immune systems and decrease the risk of issues such as birth defects and the development of cancer," Stefanski told Fox News Digital. 

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Another expert told Fox News Digital that while she preferred that people enjoy eating vegetables, the trend's focus on consuming green leafy vegetables can have a widespread positive effect. 

"Prioritizing veggies is great," Caroline Susie, a registered dietitian nutritionist based in Texas, told Fox News Digital. "Especially since less than 10% of American adults meet the recommended daily intake of vegetables."

Vegetables also provide a high source of B vitamins, such as folate, which helps support immune systems. (iStock)

Susie warned that eating greens as quickly as shown in some TikTok videos could lead to discomfort from gas and bloating. She also said that green, leafy vegetables contain fat-soluble vitamins, "meaning you need to pair a fat with them [for your body] to absorb them." 

Dinosaur time involves eating raw vegetables, which may pose a problem for individuals who do not tolerate raw vegetables as easily as cooked ones, Stefanski noted. 

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"For individuals with gastrointestinal issues [GI] or those recovering from a GI illness, cooked vegetables may cause less gas and digestive upset," she said. 

"Over time, people can adjust to eating larger amounts of fiber and vegetables, but it does take a period of adaptation."

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When it comes to social media food trends, Stefanski cautioned that just as with "any generic dietary advice that you see online, it's important to consider whether taking the steps to carry that practice out in your own life is best for your own health goals."