In today’s day and age, many people are always looking for the best ways to get fit and lose weight. Social media has become a way for people to share a bunch of tips, tricks, and hacks for several things.
Sometimes weight loss has become something popular that influencers and social media users share with each other online . However, not everything is super “healthy” or safe for everyone to do.
Recently, one popular method to lose weight has been going viral online.
Shared across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, the “internal shower” has become popular online and many people are trying it to detox and lose weight. The drink is supposed to clear you out.
The internal detox actually came about through a doctor.
On May 18th, 2022, Dr. Daryl Gioffre, who is a board-certified chiropractor, appeared on The Skinny Confidential podcast and spoke about the detox drink. Originally, it was shared as a way to combat constipation .
The drink is a mix of three ingredients.
The internal shower consists of six ounces of water, two tablespoons of chia seeds, and a slice of organic lemon juice. The idea is to let the chia seeds sit for about five minutes and then drink the beverage.
The drink “gradually” cleans you out.
According to those who suggested it, it’s a gradual cleanse and not one that makes you immediately run to the toilet bowl. It’s supposed to be used after a night of “bad eating” or drinking.
Apparently, many influencers have begun to try it, too.
Many people online even started to share how it would be to drink the beverage and how the chia seeds kind of become a “jello” type of substance. But make sure you floss after because they will definitely get stuck in your teeth.
However, there are some issues with the way people are marketing the trend.
Many influencers online are sharing that this is the perfect way to “clean yourself out”. Lots of people might feel like their bodies are full of unhealthy toxins from a night of fun that they want to get rid of.
But experts are saying that this isn’t necessarily true.
Dietitian Jenna Werner took to TikTok to share her take on the new trend and how it can impact your health and also your bowel movements. Werner says that while she loves chia seeds, this trend is a bit iffy.
Chia seeds are definitely known to provide heavy doses of fiber.
And, as we all know, fiber is good for bowel movements. This, of course, is why many people are connecting it with losing weight and detoxing. If you go to the bathroom a lot, people assume you are dropping weight.
The dietitian says there’s “nothing wrong” with eating chia seeds.
While there is nothing wrong with having chia seeds in water, if that’s how you choose to have them, there are “way better” ways to eat them. She suggests having them on waffles or even put into smoothies.
The main issue she has with the trend is how it’s being marketed.
On TikTok, there are over 6 million views on videos with people talking about the trend and talking about it as a detox or a way to “bounce back” from a night of drinking.
Which is just not true.
Werner said that there’s no evidence to prove that this will clean you out and “undo” all the damage that was caused by bad eating or binge drinking. She said that it’s all made up and that it isn’t proven to help after drinking.
Interesting, right?