Social media has changed the direction of the health industry and how people process information regarding wellness, but more specifically tea. Weight-loss is something that drives masses to buy. People that don’t understand herbs want to know if tea is the end all be all answer to magically lose weight. I’ve talked about this briefly on Instagram, but it’s a common subject that pops up, so let’s zoom on in.
Ever scroll through social media and hit an ad for tea that promises XYZ with pictures of runway models? I’m going to assume that this answer is yes. If not tea, maybe a new workout program, or supplement. However, the way these teas are marketed are less than ideal and offensive. Providing real information on health and wellness is needed, not pushing laxatives to become this type of socially accepted “fit”. So many people have misleading thoughts on tea, herbal wellness, holistic and integrative health - due to social media pushing false claims.
How Social Media Influences The Tea Market
One: The hype
See a celebrity push a product? Ding-ding, celebrity endorsements are paid marketing campaigns. DO NOT BUY THE HYPE. Influencers are everywhere and you guessed it - it’s what they are paid to do. It’s not that the products are actually amazing, it's the dollars in their account. Need proof? This article is too funny to pass up... > This specific celebrity copy and pasted information straight from the internet to his caption and it just goes to show that they really do not care about any of us.
Two: Regardless of what kind of true tea you have - it is not a magical cure for anything.
The term tea in general is not used correctly when speaking about “teas”. True teas come from the Camellia Sinensis plant and anything other than that is considered a tisane. Now, since true tea comes from the same plant (green, white, oolong, black, dark, etc.) they all contain some levels of caffeine, antioxidants, and other substances. The most heavily marketed teas for said weight loss cures are oolong and puerh, but this couldn’t be far from the truth as all true teas have the same contents.
Three: Diet teas are not what you think they are
Camellia Sinensis can do some really great things for your body, but it’s definitely no cure. Companies add other ingredients to help increase these claims. Unfortunately these additions look like senna, a laxative made from seeds of the cassia tree. Enter the poop tea. Not only is this unnecessary, but laxatives dehydrate the body, and act as a diuretic so in reality you are losing water weight and not actual body fat.
Four: Dealing with an unregulated industry
Guess what - dietary supplements, teas, beauty products, and food are highly unregulated. US companies are not required to obtain FDA approval before products hit the shelves. Unfortunately that means herbal ingredients in diet teas are largely unregulated because of this. Seeing the term “all natural” does not mean that it is safe. You can read this post all about greenwashing. Lawsuits happen, we just don’t hear about them as much as we should. Doing your own research on everything - pros and cons.
Five: The Detox - Good & Bad
Detoxification is a natural bodily function performed by organs like your kidneys and liver. Some people believe that there is no amount of anything that will help your body detox, but that is simply not true. Your body needs relief from all the crap we feed it throughout the day. Giving it whole food nutrients along with detoxifying herbs like dandelions, nettles, and milk thistle help support the functions of these organs not necessarily “detox” your body if that makes sense? Our Teatox is formulated to help support these organ functions, but will not in any way detox you physically. Pairing this tea or any tea with whole foods, exercise, and health habits is what will help your bodies natural detox mechanisms be more consistent.
Conclusion
What do you think about the influence of social media with health and wellness?
What do you think the next five years will look like if this continues?
Have you ever found yourself to be a victim of social media health influence?
I'd love to hear your thoughts so please share them!
Hope to hear from you soon,
xo -S
