With millions of views and a charismatic presence on camera, Dr. Daniel Valencia has become a bilingual social media phenomenon, garnering millions of views. It’s not only the 35-year-old doctor’s charisma that’s garnered followers and attention. It’s the results real people have experienced through his “Valencia Diet.”
The Valencia Diet is a meal plan focusing on consuming whole foods and unprocessed foods, such as fruits, vegetables, proteins and carbohydrates. If it sounds like the Mediterranean diet, it is. But with one key difference: Valencia has adapted the plan for the Hispanic community.
“This is an anti-inflammatory diet,” Valencia told The Dallas Morning News. He also acknowledged it’s similar to existing diets, like the Mediterranean diet.
“But if I tell patients to follow that diet,” he said, “they wouldn’t even know where to start.”
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So, he tweaked it.
“I came up with a diet for us Hispanics, and more specifically for Mexicans, with things they are familiar with,” Valencia said.
In the eating plan outlined in his book, Valencia Lifestyle, people increase their intake of vegetables, grains and animal and nonanimal proteins, while also eating mole, birria or tacos. The secret, Valencia says, is balance.
The Valencia Diet is so popular on social media that some of the doctor’s videos have more than 6 million views on TikTok. One of the most popular parts of the diet is the so-called Valencia Juice, which combines 10 natural ingredients, such as beets, pineapple, spinach and blueberries.
When asked where the recipe for the juice came from, Valencia answers “from God.”
“When I need something, I ask God for it,” he said. “So, I asked him to help me create something that would be easy for people to consume and lower their sugar and inflammation, and he sent me the juice recipe.”
Daniel Valencia gives telephone consultations to many patients and often posts excerpts on social media so other people can hear his medical advice.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
A deeply religious man, Valencia’s TikTok videos, typically shot in his office in Dallas along Alpha Road, feature Virgin of Guadalupe iconography.
His work shows up as a combination of science, faith and community service: “God heals; I just provide the tools.”
The doctor’s office is a comfortable and quiet place, but outside, elsewhere in the half floor his headquarters occupies, over a dozen people pack books, glasses and other items Valencia has for sale. Boxes and boxes of books are stacked at the entrance, awaiting shipment.
While Valencia is based in North Texas, he was born to Mexican parents in San Jose, Calif. Valencia lived in the city of Apatzingán, in the state of Michoacán, Mexico, as a child for several years. There, he learned to read, write and speak Spanish. He also learned about the country’s food and what it means to Mexican families.
Valencia knew he wanted to be a doctor in high school. And after several failed attempts to get into medical school, he finally enrolled and graduated as a general practitioner before specializing in internal medicine. His residency brought him to North Texas — to Weatherford specifically.
When Valencia began practicing medicine, he would have patients come in with dangerous blood sugar glucose levels of 300 and even 400. Yes, these patients needed insulin and medication, but they also asked if there was a diet they could follow.
“So I created a diet and gave it to them written on a piece of paper,” Valencia said. “And people followed it and got better, no longer needed their medicine or insulin, and they lost weight.”
Seeing the results of his recommendations, Valencia began to study lifestyle medicine at Harvard University. It was then he systematized his knowledge, putting it together in his book, which has sold more than 30,000 copies since its publication in 2024.
On social media, there are hundreds of testimonials from people who have tried the diet and improved their health. One of the first effects they report is a decrease in inflammation and blood sugar levels.
When consulted by The News, Milette Siller, co-creator of the Culinary Medicine program at UT Southwestern, applauded the Valencia Diet because it aligns with several healthy eating models.
“There are lots of things here to celebrate,” said Siller. “I love, love, love that he focuses on produce, colorful fruits and vegetables, but also on protein because we always want to maintain muscle.”
Copies of the Valencia Lifestyle book are packaged in Dallas. The Valencia Diet is a viral TikTok diet by Daniel Valencia that involves eating whole foods instead of processed foods.
Juan Figueroa / Staff Photographer
Siller acknowledged it is difficult to create a nutrition program that meets the needs of every community, so an option such as Valencia’s represents an opportunity to improve the health of many in the Hispanic community.
“I love that he is culturally relevant to so many of the patients we want to reach,” Siller said. “I’m here for its high fiber content, minimally processed foods, and low salt content — all the things we like to promote.”
Looking ahead, Valencia makes no secret of his lofty aspirations. He dreams of being recognized worldwide as the creator of the Valencia Diet and, eventually, of receiving the Nobel Prize.
“If it works and is helping to save lives, you have to think big,” he said.