I'll be the first to admit, I've tried them myself. I saw the endless pictures of perfect-bodied celebrities or fitness motivation models clogging my Instagram feed claiming that a detox tea was their "secret to losing weight!" And honestly, I was down to lose weight just by drinking some over-priced tea. It seemed too good to be true.
And it was.
According to science, detoxing isn't real. At least not in the way that is constantly promoted to us. Toxins don't just build up in you're body like these detox tea companies like "Lyfe Tea" want us to believe. The average body is constantly regulating what's consumed and removing it from the system. When this function is not in play, "that could mean some serious life-threatening complications for a person."
Many of these teas contain laxatives, which causes stomach pain, bloating, and diarrhea. While this may help short-term water weight-loss, it doesn't help the long term.
In the Guardian, Emeritus professor of complementary medicine at Exeter University Edzard Ernest explains that "the healthy body has kidneys, a liver, skin, even lungs that are detoxifying as we speak. There is no known way -- certainly not through detox treatments -- to make something that works perfectly well in a healthy body work better."
Celebrities and microcelebrities (who most likely don't even use these teas), are paid to promote them for companies. An extremely effective and profitable marketing ploy.
In a YouTube video, Fitness bloggers Liz and Sarah explain their number one problem with the fitness industry. They say that it's all about "selling you products, pills, potions, powders, teas now, like what is all this stuff? ... You don't need any of that, it's so silly. And it's just trying to make a profit off of you really just not knowing and not being educated on whether or not those things are really effective."
There are other trends such as detox dietary supplements that seem to be yet another profit tactic. They promote a mind-set in which dieters focus on foods to stay away from, rather than adding new foods to their diet that will increase nutrient intake.
American Dietetic Association spokesperson Lona Sandon said that these long-term fasts that so many dieters implement tend to muscle breakdown and insufficient nutrients, which may "actually weaken the body's ability to fight infections and inflammation." This can lead to a less-fit appearance and bloating.
Getting in shape is all about a healthy diet and daily exercise. Instead of spending countless dollars on detox teas, pills, supplements and what ever else might be advertised all over your social media... start implementing healthy lifestyle choices. Adding vegetables, lean meats, and foods with high nutrient content to your everyday diet will be more successful in the long run. I was sucked into it, too, I believed the photos and advertisements. So next time you want to get in healthy shape, do it the right way, save yourself some money, and don't let yourself get scammed.
