Asia Grace
It’s just a tad disgusting.
Gen Z gals are gaga over a gag-worthy drink proponents proclaim can quickly shrink a waist.
Giving skinny shots like Ozempic and Mounjaro a run for their blubber-blasting money, “tadpole water” mania is the latest slenderizing hack to sweep social media.
Armed with nothing more than a bottle of warm H2O, a couple tablespoons of chia seeds and a squeeze of fresh lemon, teens and twenty-somethings online are purportedly shredding excess fat with the homemade concoction.
“Tadpole water,” Mariah Padilla, 18, began in a buzzy TikTok bulletin. “I can confirm that is does work for weight loss.”
Tadpole water gets its wild name from its stark resemblance to baby frogs swimming in a pond.
“But does it taste good?,” said Padilla, who claims to have dropped three pounds in as many days owing to the blend. “No. The texture is funky and it tastes funky, too.”
“It makes me gag…but it’s worth it.”
As the swing towards becoming Insta-thin accelerates, seeing wannabe weight-loss queens skip meals and test fad diets in a battle against the bulge, folks are cooking up creative ways to drop a few kilos quickly.
Much like the “Rice-Zempic” and “Oat-Zempic” trends — which encouraged dieters to mix either rice or oats with water and lime juice to suppress appetite — the chia seeds in tadpole water are believed to possess pound-blasting properties.
“Chia seeds are packed with nutrients that may support numerous health benefits,” explained a recent report from Harvard Health.
The experts added that the seeds — loaded with fiber, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals — support digestive health and weight management. They also help lower both blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
“When chia seeds are ingested,” added the researchers, “they form a gel-like substance in the stomach that can increase your feeling of fullness and decrease your appetite and calorie intake.”
And despite its disgusting tang, waist-watchers everywhere are leaping like frogs to chug tadpole water.
“Drinking tadpoles until I shed a few pounds,” said content creator Ambria Streicher in a vid. “[To be honest] this stuff is NOT good.”
“Drinking my tadpole water, hoping to get snatched by Thursday,” lifestyle influencer, Rosita, announced in a separate post, featuring close-up shots of the viral libation.
♬ original sound – She Eats Art | Chef & Artist
And Jen, an artsy cuisine enthusiast, reminded “tadpole” partakers of the cardinal rule for assembling the DIY drink: soaks the seeds.
“Health tip of the day,” she stated in a clip. “If you don’t put water in your chia seeds before you consume them, your chia seeds will expand in your stomach, causing blockage — meaning you’ll be constipated.”
“And it’s just going to disrupt your digestive system,” she advised. “You’re welcome.”
