There definitely isn’t any shortage of advertisements trying to sell you some kind of product, and when you’re active on Instagram, they’re practically always on the front page. With various popular and well-loved influencers constantly pushing these products, it can be hard to tell what works, what doesn’t and what could actually be harmful. Some are more obvious, but others require a little bit of digging and research.
Detox Teas
Probably the most prevalent diet fad on Instagram right now, the detox tea has made it on to practically everyone’s Instagram feed. Not surprisingly, the most notable person who is seen quite frequently promoting detox teas is none other than everyone’s favorite “self-made” billionaire, Kylie Jenner. The general claim made by a lot of these companies is that by drinking their tea, it will aid in weight loss. There just simply isn’t enough research to support that claim. The way in which most detox teas are formulated cause them to have a laxative-like effect on the body, forcing you to eliminate waste by constantly making trips to the bathroom. While this “quick fix” may make it appear as though you’ve lost weight, it isn’t a sustainable or long-term solution as the likelihood of you gaining the weight back dramatically increases.
Source: 5 Things You Should Know About Detox Teas
Photo by @congerdesign
Waist Trainers
Waist trainers have been pushed by many celebrities (again, the Kardashian/Jenner clan makes an appearance) as the secret to getting a cinched and flat stomach. Not only is there zero evidence that this is an effective long-term solution (as no study has shown that you can mold your body into a specific shape), there are actually many harmful side effects. Most of these side effects stem from the fact that, when wearing a waist trainer, you are forcing major organs upwards, as well as restricting blood flow to those regions. This can then cause problems breathing, as well as internal bruising (which has a lengthy healing process).
Source: 6 scary things ‘waist training’ does to your body
Photo by Olga Gavrilova
Kombucha
Kombucha has become bigger than just what your local vegan hippie has every day with their lunch as now it can be found practically everywhere. With various health claims, from being a good addition to a well balanced diet to a “cure-all”, there is definitely a lot that the public doesn’t know about kombucha. Any health benefits “experts” claim kombucha to have is attributed to the presence of probiotics. While probiotics are good for regulating gut health, their concentration in kombucha simply isn’t high enough to cause any kind of change. You’re actually a lot better off eating some yogurt, as there is a more solid link to real health benefits.
Source: Kombucha Isn’t Making You Any Healthier
Photo by Melanie Rodriguez
Magic Pills
It seems like every other week, there’s a new pill on the market claiming to have some kind of magical benefit. Whether it’s for weight loss, hair and nail growth, or to improve your skin, many influencers promote these incredibly overpriced vitamins with the claim that they will cause some sort of dramatic change overnight. If you’ve been following the trend so far, you might be able to guess that that isn’t ever the case. Firstly, any pill claiming it will (make you lose weight, grow six inches of hair, clear your skin) in a short time frame is most definitely a scam. The majority of the time, the vitamin (for example, Sugar Bear Hair) will have a dominant ingredient responsible for the supposed benefits (in this case, biotin), but there is usually such a small amount present that it isn’t enough to cause a significant change. This means you just spent a lot of money on what is essentially lots of filler. While biotin itself does have proven links to hair, skin, and nail improvements, the results are neither quick nor drastic.
Source: Do Sugar Bear Hair vitamins really work?
Photo courtesy of Pixabay
Companies will never stop trying to sell you products, so it’s important to always remain vigilant in order to spot the ones that are absolute scams. As a university student, money is probably something you’d want to conserve during this time anyways, so it’s best to stay away from buying $40 vitamins or $7 kombucha when you know you need to top up your Presto card or buy new textbooks.