Kerri Waldron
Australian influencer Steph Claire Smith has slammed TikTok‘s latest diet micro trend after admitting she has tried ‘anything and everything to be as small as possible.’
Steph, 30, is the co-founder of Keep It Clean (KIC), a health and fitness community with more than 2.5million global members.
‘Like so many trends that I’ve seen pop up on TikTok over the years, and Instagram, it’s playing on women’s insecurities,’ the swimwear model said in a video shared to TikTok on Sunday.
‘This one is castor oil in the belly button, which I find so bizarre.’
Castor oil, which was once used by fascists in Italy as punishment because of its quick-acting laxative effect, is now a weight-loss trend on TikTok.
The videos feature young women drizzling the oil on their bodies and glugging it while touting supposed benefits, including ‘burning fat’ and ‘preventing cancer‘.
Influencers are also pouring it in their belly buttons and wrapping towels soaked in it around their midriff.
‘There is so much misleading information on this particular trend and that’s because most people who are sharing it have no credibility to be sharing it,’ said Steph.
Aussie influencer and model Steph Claire Smith, 30, pictured in Seafolly’s Back to Summer campaign – has gotten real about ‘toxic diet culture on social media’
‘I know some of these trends can be so tempting because they play off our insecurities, or the presses that we feel, and we want quick fixes.’
‘But to get a healthy body, there is no such thing as a quick fix.’
‘If are eating healthy, balanced, nutritious food and you are moving your body – then your body sits in a healthy weight range.
Castor oil, which was once used by fascists in Italy as punishment because of its quick-acting laxative effect, is now a weight-loss trend on TikTok
Some influencers even recommend putting the oil in your belly button. The only effect this will have is ruining your clothes, nurse Clarke said
‘If you are doing more to change your appearance from that state, you were going to have to do some drastic and really unhealthy things.’
The Australian model forged her strong stance on ‘toxic diet messaging on social media’ when she fell victim to disordered eating in the early days of her career.
In a recent interview with Forbes Australia, Steph detailed how before she moved home and met her business partner Laura Henshaw, she had lost her sparkle.
‘It was a bit shocking for me. I’d always been someone who was very confident and driven and believed in myself, and I felt pretty comfortable in my skin,’ she told the magazine.
‘But very quickly, I was put in my place and instantly took up some pretty bad eating habits and looked at exercise in a different way. I lost a lot of my body confidence.’
Steph has previously admitted to suffering from an eating disorder, saying, ‘I have been down the rabbit hole of trying anything and everything to be as small as possible’
Opening up about the difficult period as she spoke directly to her TikTok followers, Steph said, ‘I have been down the rabbit hole of trying anything and everything to be as small as possible.’
‘And when I was doing so, I was the most mentally unwell I have ever been.’
She urged young women to ‘please please please’ look into the credentials of the people who are sharing “miracle” weight loss trends before trying them.
‘People can become obsessive over [diet fads] and they can and do lead to other health issues,’ she said.
Steph’s message comes after nurses sounded the alarm over the castor oil trend in May.
Jane Clarke, an incontinence nurse at ConfidenceClub from the UK, said that following the trend is likely to leave you with debilitating stomach problems.
There are almost a million videos on TikTok advising different ways to use castor oil, including putting in the belly button or ingesting it, for everything from weight loss to supposedly curing cancer
‘Consuming castor oil can cause violent diarrhea – even in small doses,’ she said. ‘In large doses it can cause abdominal cramps, potential electrolyte imbalances, potential dehydration and nausea and vomiting.’
Further, she added it is unlikely oil drinkers will see any change in their weight or disease risk.
Castor oil has long been used in the alternative health sphere as a ‘natural’ laxative to cure constipation.
Researchers have found that the main fatty acid in castor oil, called ricinoleic acid, binds to receptors on muscle cells in our colon.
When absorbed by the receptors, it causes the muscles to contract and push out stool.
This laxative effect is why some believe castor might help with weight loss.
However, experts explain that using the bathroom often isn’t real and lasting weight loss.
The food we eat goes through many processes before it reaches your bowel and becomes stool.
The body absorbs the calories, fat, and the majority of nutrients before they reach the large intestine.
What is left is mainly water and some minerals which your body does not need. Some of it is absorbed by the body in the large intestine.
If someone takes castor oil or laxatives and loses weight, they are only losing water.
As soon as they drink something, they will regain the weight back.
Source: bing.com
