TikTokers Kat de Guzman & Kat Ariones On Social Media and Gut Health

You may know them from social media or from their TikTok accounts – Kat de Guzman and Kat Ariones are two ladies known for authentic lifestyle content. Both career-driven, the two content creators live busy lives; Kat de Guzman herself is also an entrepreneur, running the popular online brand, Good Juju.
Yet there is one thing the two have learned is more important than career: health. In an intimate panel with health brand Trizie, the two social media personalities opened up about the online exposure they get, how they cope with negative comments, and why diet is as much of a factor in mental health as it is in physical health.
How did social media affect the way you view yourself?

Kat de Guzman: It was only when I got exposed to social media that I thought, “Gosh I have so many flaws!” Before that, I felt like I was okay with my body...but [when I became more exposed] on social media, so many people started commenting that my face was too big or that I was too dark.
That’s definitely the bad side of social media – people there make you [think about] flaws that you didn’t know you had or had to think about. The more people see you, the more they have opinions about how you look, what you say, and what you do.
Kat Ariones: I started using social media consistently 15 years ago, when Tumblr was the most prominent platform. At that time, so many people were re-blogging images of very pretty girls and I felt that in order to feel beautiful, I needed to look a certain way. But luckily for me, when I started [doing] Tiktok, I had already grown into the headspace of like, “I don’t care [what people say].” There is beauty in diversity; in fact, different features and different skin tones are being celebrated now more than ever before.
How do you think social media has changed the way culture perceives self-acceptance and beauty?
Kat De Guzman: I feel that while there’s a bad side to social media, there’s also a good side to it that makes you realize how everyone’s bodies are different. People celebrate that now and what’s great is that there are people who will encourage you to just [showcase] who you are [because] you are beautiful and [deserve to be] celebrated.
How do you deal with the negativity on social media?

Kat de Guzman: I realized that there are some people [online] who just want to bring you down for the sake of it. But I think it helps to see other people empower others on social media. It makes me feel that there are people who understand what I’m going through and it allows me to put less weight on those negative comments.
Kat Ariones: My body image issues were pretty bad when I was younger; people used to bully me for having thick brows! But at the end of the day, I realize it’s important to simply embrace your own individuality because people will say what they want to say even if you aren’t doing anything wrong.
Do you think there is a relationship between the food you eat and how you feel mentally?
Kat Ariones: Yes, I think there is a relationship between what we eat and how we feel. When I worked in corporate, I used to drink so much coffee. Then I got hospitalized due to a panic attack and my doctor told me that the caffeine was triggering my anxiety. When I stopped drinking coffee, noticed a huge difference – I stopped getting panic attacks. I realized then that my body has done – and still does – so much for me, so it’s only right that I take care of it.
What did your journey towards a healthier you look like?
Kat de Guzman: I started restricting myself from food when I was younger because when you’re young, you don’t know what’s right or wrong for your stomach. I continued to do this until I started working then there came a point when I was in pain for a month. When I had it checked, I found out that I had GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease). It’s a disease that affects your stomach and can be triggered by the smallest things. This needed a total 180-degree lifestyle change – and since then, I’ve cut off alcohol and coffee. What you eat affects your stomach and your mind, because they’re connected.
What are you doing for your health today?
Kat Ariones: Now, I always make sure to rest every day. When I look back at it, I notice that I didn’t give myself sufficient rest. In the end, that kind of constant [grinding] got me sick; it was my body that forced me to rest because I physically had to.
Kat de Guzman: I want to be more conscious of my health in general. I know a lot of people – including myself – that only [try to get healthier] when they feel something wrong. But now, I want to be more consistent in making sure that I’m living a healthy lifestyle; I don’t want to make [health] a reactive choice, but an active one instead. Because when I don’t feel healthy, my mind is not at its best and it affects the other aspects of my life.
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