If you’ve seen the unlikely pairing of coffee and lemon popping up on your social media feeds lately, you probably have a few questions.
Why are people merging the two unsuspecting worlds? And does it actually have the benefits people claim it does, or is it just another TikTok glorified myth?
Why people are drinking lemon with coffee?
A trend that’s ushered in millions of views on TikTok alone, the #LemonCoffee trend is basically a movement at this point.
Claims gush on the internet sharing that the combo has kickstarted their weight-loss journies and helped them burn excess weight in short periods of time – like any age-old diet fad.
However, if we needed a reminder not to believe everything we see just because it’s gone viral, the coffee and lemon hack fits the bill.
Why did the trend go viral?
One reason the trend rocketed to fame was because of the “doctor approval” it seemingly had. However, a female fat loss coach, Emily Hackett shared that the doctor wasn’t actually giving approval, and rather his photos and videos were simply being used for users to “legitimise their content”.
Hackett took to claim the trend as nonsense, but many other social media users fought back to enquire why they still seemed to have lost weight.
So, is it a myth or not?
Several experts agree that adding lemon to coffee doesn’t actually have any faster weight-loss superpowers. Dr Alona Pulde who specialises in nutrition shares that “there’s no magic combination of coffee and lemon that can aid weight loss,” while Healthline shares that its ‘wonder’ properties are a false claim but there is a reason people might still be losing weight – coffee.
“Coffee seems to be responsible for most of the purported benefits of drinking coffee with lemon,” the research explains, adding that caffeine can stimulate BAT, a type of “metabolically active tissue that decreases with age and can metabolize carbs and fats.”
As for the lemon, experts share that its benefits are mostly for skin, not weight loss. In short, the combination isn’t any more impactful to weight loss than drinking a normal cuppa, bearing in mind that people may also have other dietary regimes on the sidelines, as well as workout routines.
Dietitian and co-author of “Sugar Shock”, Samantha Cassetty also shared that the trend is little more than another TikTok myth. Cassetty even took things a step further by adding that its benefit could be a red flag for disordered eating.
“Eating for weight loss shouldn’t be about restricting yourself or forcing yourself to eat or drink something that’s not appetizing. That’s a sign that you’re not building sustainable habits,” she said.
Viral doesn’t mean true
More and more the lines between fact and fiction get blurred as TkTok continues to rule social media. There’s something about real people sharing videos of their own experiences as well as those “in the know” that plays on how we perceive the content. However, as it is with any trend from any era, doing your own research is so important, perhaps more important than ever.
ALSO READ:
Why yoga and low-intensity exercises are your next superpowers
FEATURE IMAGE: Health Canal
