The Flat Tummy Suppliment BS
Oh boy, I’m so excited to talk about this, so get ready for a real rollercoaster of emotions.
Mind you, my feelings on the topic aren’t new. I’ve had them for a long time, but the other day I was scrolling through TikTok (my first mistake) and came across so many videos of influencers promoting supplements to “flatten your gut.” They frame the advertisement as “healing the gut,” but trust me, I’ve lived a holistic life, I’ve done the detoxes, and I reached a point where I considered myself at the pinnacle of health. And guess what? I still had a bloat.
Because, believe it or not, your body can be healthy and beautiful with a gut.
What bothers me about these advertisements isn’t the gut health aspect; it’s the obsession with a flat stomach and the aesthetics of it all.
Now, I know holistic health and wellness has become an aesthetic in itself. The lifestyle has grown so much, especially because of social media, yet we fail to remember the purpose of this movement: wellness. And wellness is not just an aesthetic.
Sure, it feels good to eat well and make beautiful meals with all the Pinterest-worthy recipes, but then supplements come in, and that’s when things get tricky.
This may be a controversial take, but I trust doctors, especially holistic doctors who try to find the root cause of an ailment instead of just treating the symptoms. It is always important to consult with your doctor before taking any supplements you don’t fully understand. Any good doctor will respect your organic and holistic view and will help you find ways to live well. My own sister is in medical school, and I see the good modern medicine can do for people. I’m simply cautious about toxic chemicals in food, clothes, and drinks.
Yet here we have TikTok influencers trying to sell powders, pills, and drinks that claim to “heal the gut” and flatten the tummy.
Here’s what I think: it’s all a load of nonsense.
If you want to heal your gut, you don’t need some miracle powder. You need to eat well, and I don’t just mean vegan. I mean intentional, whole, organic food. Not just a vegetable with the “organic” label slapped on, but truly knowing where your food comes from, how it’s been treated, and what’s been done to it. That means products like Beyond Meat are obviously out of the question.
Stop drinking sodas and eating fast food, then expecting a pill or drink to fix the way you feel.
Most of all, stop obsessing over the flat tummy. It’s okay to be bloated. It’s okay to have a gut even after “debloating.” These influencers are promoting disordered eating behavior, and I, for one, am sick and tired of them infiltrating the wellness community with this mindset.
I’m not saying we should hate on them. They are probably genuine in thinking these products are healthy. As someone who’s struggled with an eating disorder, I know all too well what the mind does to self-image and the obsession with perfection.
At the end of the day, all bodies are beautiful. We should all strive to be our best selves and love ourselves. And we should give these individuals some love and care, too. Because ultimately, we’re all on our own journey to wellness.
