By Fakomi Olajumoke
“I don’t even understand those slimming teas, I have about 3 brands at home and I still haven’t lost any reasonable weight these past few months since I started using them,” said Hannah Ojo.
According to Sarah Igwe, who is suffering from obesity, “I wanted to lose weight so bad and didn’t have the time and discipline for regular exercise, so, I started taking one slimming tea that promised a weight loss of 10kg in 30 days, with no exercise required. After taking it for days, I started stooling and was constantly dehydrated. At first, I didn’t connect my condition with the tea, but when the stooling didn’t stop, I went to a nutritionist, who advised me to stop the tea, that it was endangering my life.”
Slimming Teas are usually a blend of herbs, depending on the brand. They’re said to help with weight loss by enhancing fat burning, increasing metabolism and suppressing appetite. Many are also marketed as “detox teas” with claims that they increase energy and cleanse your body of toxins.
Teas are quite popular in the weight loss community all around the world. It is common to see pictures of celebrities on social media, alongside the detox teas they are using, just to show their authenticity. People fall for these tricks, because they don’t want to give what it takes to stay fit.
In an interview with Dr Cynthia Badmus, the lead nutritionist in Meris Health Management Organization, she explained that slimming teas are often abused, which could be damage the body. The herbal ones are filled with so many laxatives, like, buckthorn, cascara, dandelion, and rhubarb root. These laxatives enable people to quickly lose water weight, by increasing the frequency and size of bowel movements. Laxatives work in different ways, depending on the type. They can trigger intestinal muscle contractions or enlarge the stool by absorbing water to stimulate the bowel.
“Prolonged use of these slimming teas introduce some health problems. Constant stooling, as a result of taking laxatives present in the artificial slimming teas will lead to malnourishment in an individual. He/she becomes dehydrated, which prevents the body from absorbing vital nutrients. Over time, the body will lose the ability to rid itself of wastes, meaning the person would have to rely on laxatives for bowel movement. However, only liquid is lost, and not fat. The side effects are certain disorders, such as, fainting, vomiting, stomach cramps, and chronic constipation and even death, when consumed in excessive quantity.”
She stated further that If it is not a natural weight loss scheme, then it would definitely have side effects. There’s actually no quick fix to weight loss, and the only sure healthy way is eating controlled portions of healthy meals and exercising.
She urged people wanting to lose weight not to follow the trend. Rather, they should be prepared to embrace a healthy lifestyle for the rest of their lives, which always guarantees success.
