As a great deal as I dislike to acknowledge it, I have formally come to be that female who learns just about everything from TikTok. From recipes to elegance tendencies to lifestyle hacks, my TikTok FYP feed is a prosperity of information that I can’t look to get adequate of. It also never fails that the weirdest trends feel to garner the most attention—the viral “internal shower drink” currently being no exception.
If you have nonetheless to be a part of TikTok and have not heard of the interior shower drink, it is a mixture of two tablespoons of chia seeds soaked in a cup of h2o with the juice of just one lemon. You are supposed to let the consume sit for 10-15 minutes just before ingesting it, so the chia seeds swell up with water, and then… you chug. From what I’ve noticed, it is not a very pleasant flavor or texture to ingest, but the function is to develop an “internal shower” that washes out your bowels. Mhm, you read through that appropriate.
Showcased graphic by Kate Zimmerman Turpin.


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The 1st time I observed a creator on TikTok sipping on the inside shower consume, I didn’t give it a great deal assumed. Why not just incorporate some chia seeds to your smoothie or consider magnesium? Then it popped up on my feed yet again. And once again. And once again. So, I decided it was time to do some investigation and uncover out if this interior shower consume is A) worth the hoopla and B) safe to drink.
Since of her distinctive expertise in the relationship of food items and medication, I interviewed Linda Shiue, a San Francisco-based inside drugs medical professional, chef and writer of Spicebox Kitchen area, to dig deeper into the protection and the science guiding the internal shower drink.
Study on for my job interview with Dr. Shiue and my personal practical experience with making an attempt the interior shower drink.

Is the inside shower consume risk-free? If so, how often can you drink it?
The internal shower consume is basically two tablespoons of chia seeds softened in a cup of drinking water with a squeeze of lemon juice. For most men and women, this must be safe and sound to drink every day. This will fluctuate centered upon how substantially fiber is already in the person’s diet program, for the reason that expanding any resource of fiber can trigger gas and agonizing bloating if carried out way too speedily. Introducing fiber gradually should really keep away from this dilemma, as your digestive procedure gets utilized to digesting the more fiber.
The only other caveat with chia seeds is to make confident you enable them time (at the very least five minutes) to absorb the liquid. There is a single situation report in the clinical literature of a affected individual who formulated an obstruction in his esophagus following consuming uncooked chia seeds, due to the fact they later expanded when he drank liquid afterwards. Also, anybody with a history of intestinal or bowel obstruction need to consult with their health care provider to establish regardless of whether the inner shower consume is safe and sound for them.

What are the benefits of the interior shower consume?
This consume is meant to be a laxative. But the insoluble fiber might also lower your cholesterol and blood sugar ranges, and by earning you sense fuller, may assistance with weight decline. Chia seeds are also a fantastic resource of heart nutritious omega-3 fatty acids, specially alpha-linolenic (ALA) fatty acids.
Does the interior shower consume truly work? How long does it consider to come to feel the consequences?
The interior shower drink is meant to function as a laxative, and as with any treatment, the working experience will differ. But theoretically (and anecdotally from people today I have spoken with who’ve attempted it), it need to be helpful for this goal. The inner shower drink, like all bulk-forming laxatives, can perform in 12 several hours, but extra commonly inside of a couple of days.

What do chia seeds do for the human body?
Chia seeds are a great resource of fiber, with about 10 grams in a two-tablespoon serving. The fiber in chia seeds is largely insoluble fiber, which turns into a gel when blended with drinking water and allows type bulkier, softer stools that are a lot easier to pass. (Oats, peas, beans, apples, citrus fruits, carrots, barley, and psyllium husk—as uncovered in Metamucil—also incorporate soluble fiber.)

I Tried out the Trending Interior Shower Drink–Here Are My Views
I viewed TikTok following TikTok about the appropriate way to consume the interior shower consume and consider I followed the instructions to a tee. I allow the combination sit for 15 minutes in the fridge, extra a tiny little bit of honey to assist the taste, and chugged it on an empty tummy (minus a cup of coffee). The taste truthfully was not terrible, as it just tasted like lemon drinking water.
The texture, having said that, is a diverse tale. It was chunky.
If you have a solid gag reflex, this is not the consume for you. No matter, it wasn’t awful and I obtained it down with out far too a lot of a struggle.
I drank it at 11:30 a.m., ate a well balanced lunch at 1:00 p.m., and waited. Right after a few hrs, absolutely nothing experienced took place. A couple persons on TikTok experienced instant results, so even although Dr. Shiue explained it could choose 12 hours, I was impatient. On hour five, there was a “movement,” but nothing at all mad. Given I was not constipated when I drank it, the internal shower drink almost certainly just didn’t have as dramatic/notable of an effect on me.
Will this be anything I do yet again? Likely not, except I definitely have a have to have for it. I never assume that individuals with common bowel actions actually will need to include the interior shower consume into their diet plans. Preserving a healthier degree of fiber from other foodstuff and/or including chia seeds to other recipes should be more than enough. However, if you are sensation constipated or want a good method reset, this consume will do the trick.
Have you experimented with the interior shower drink? Enable us know in the remarks beneath.