Most replayed moment: Which Wellness Trends Are Worth Your Time? | Liz Earle & Dr Federica Amati

Summary

ZOE Science & Nutrition
Episode: Most replayed moment: Which Wellness Trends Are Worth Your Time?
Guests: Liz Earle (Wellness Expert), Dr. Federica Amati (Nutritional Scientist)
Host: Jonathan Wolf
Date: May 26, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into popular wellness trends—detox drinks, red light therapy, and beef tallow skincare—that have exploded across social media. Host Jonathan Wolf is joined by wellness expert Liz Earle and nutritional scientist Dr. Federica Amati to help separate evidence-based practices from hype, highlighting which trends may actually benefit your health and which might be misleading or even harmful.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Detox Drinks

[00:46–04:35]

• Definition & Critique:

  • Detox drinks include teas, juices, and cleanse products marketed to 'speed up detoxing' and often as weight loss aids.
  • Dr. Federica Amati: “There is literally no science behind these. These are some of the worst contenders. Sometimes they can be quite dangerous for health.” (01:08)
  • Detox products may cause dehydration, lower blood pressure, and can actually be harmful. The body’s own systems (liver, kidneys, gut, skin) are already very effective at detoxing.

• Practical Advice:

  • Focus on supporting natural detox systems by staying well-hydrated and eating a balanced diet.
  • Quote: “One of the worst scams, I would imagine, is these detox products, if I’m honest.” — Dr. Amati (01:59)
  • Liz Earle emphasizes that there’s “no drink that...will remove any toxin from your body.” (02:04)

• Healthy Habit Alternative:

  • Liz Earle introduces the idea of dry skin body brushing [02:15], a traditional practice that may stimulate the lymphatic system and promotes a sense of well-being. Evidence for its health benefits is mostly anecdotal, but “you do feel better for it...it certainly makes your skin glow. It looks brighter.” (02:51–03:14)
  • Practicality: Safe, inexpensive, and a good way to carve out time for self-care.
  • Quote: “I know that sounds a bit... but if you have young kids...just taking a couple of minutes to have a dry body brush before your shower can feel really good.” — Dr. Amati (03:50)

2. Red Light Therapy

[04:47–09:54]

• What Is It?

  • Red light therapy (also known as photobiomodulation) uses specific wavelengths of light (630–850nm), similar to sunrise/sunset light, to potentially support health.
  • Liz Earle: “It’s basically just the ancient practice of sunlight... there are studies that show it will help with inflammation, speeding up the production of collagen... I do think that there is merit.” (04:47–05:12)

• Evidence & Use:

  • Early studies suggest benefits for inflammation, wound healing, collagen production, and possibly in conditions like acne and arthritis.
  • Dr. Amati points out research on using morning red light to help regulate circadian rhythms and body clocks, particularly useful for shifting time zones: “Exposing yourself to a little bit of red light in the mornings can just help shift your body clock to the new time zone.” (06:36)
  • Noted as a "nice to have," not essential.
    • Quote: “It’s growing in popularity and there’s evidence growing for its use in different applications. But...we still don’t have all of the evidence to say, oh, yes, this is 100% one of the best tools.” — Dr. Amati (07:26)
  • Liz Earle shares a personal anecdote about its benefit for her daughter’s autoimmune condition and her own use ("I am an adopter of red light. I think it’s useful, not essential, but...beneficial, particularly as we age." — 09:17)

• Considerations:

  • FDA-regulated devices are likely safe; avoid unregulated products.
  • Natural morning sunlight is an accessible and free form of red light therapy.
  • If investing, look for certified products; consider costs vs. proven impact.

3. Beef Tallow Skincare

[09:55–13:43]

• The Trend:

  • Beef tallow (rendered animal fat) is being promoted as an all-purpose moisturizer, reminiscent of previous coconut oil crazes.
  • Dr. Amati: “It’s literally just the fat from beef...It’s being touted as miraculous for all sorts of things.” (10:12)
  • Contains fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) and fatty acids, creating a barrier on the skin to lock in moisture.

• Science & Sensibility:

  • Similar moisturizing effect to other oils/fats (like coconut or olive oil). Locks in moisture by preventing evaporation.
  • Not recommended as a first-choice moisturizer, especially for those with oily or spot-prone skin, as it's comedogenic (pore-blocking).
  • Liz Earle: “If you are at all spot prone, pimple prone, it’s comedogenic so it’s gonna block your pores. I would not use it on oily skin.” (12:10)
  • Works well on feet as a cheap, effective barrier balm—but not preferable for facial skincare, where ingredients like niacinamide, peptides, or shea butter are likely more beneficial.
  • Ethical/comfort considerations about using animal products topically also raised.
    • Quote: “It might just be me, but putting direct animal product on my face, I just...no, no thanks. I’m good.” — Dr. Amati (13:44)

• Practical Summary:

  • Liz Earle rates beef tallow’s skincare potential as “90% hype and 10%...well it is a fat and there are some benefits.” (13:10)
  • May be a way to use up a waste product inexpensively, but not a science-backed skincare must-have.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “These detox products...can lower your blood pressure, it can make you dehydrated. So it's really important to not buy these products.” — Dr. Federica Amati (01:20)
• “No drink that I've ever seen any evidence for that is going to remove any toxin from your body.” — Liz Earle (02:04)
• “Dry skin body brushing...you do feel better for it. I don’t know whether the science is there...but it certainly makes your skin glow.” — Liz Earle (02:51)
• “Red light therapy for me is one of the tools...I think it’s useful, not essential, but I think it can be beneficial, particularly as we age.” — Liz Earle (09:17)
• “It’s literally just the fat from beef...and it is being touted as miraculous for all sorts of things.” — Dr. Federica Amati (10:12)
• “If you are at all spot prone, pimple prone, it’s comedogenic so it’s gonna block your pores. I would not use it on oily skin.” — Liz Earle (12:10)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Detox Drinks: 00:46–04:35
• Dry Skin Body Brushing Alternative: 02:28–04:35
• Red Light Therapy: 04:47–09:54
• Beef Tallow Skincare: 09:55–13:43

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Conclusion

The episode distills viral wellness trends through a scientific lens. Detox drinks are debunked as unnecessary and potentially harmful, while simple habits—hydration, occasional dry skin brushing—are suggested as safe alternatives. Red light therapy shows potential, particularly in supporting circadian rhythms and skin health, though it remains a “nice to have” rather than essential. Beef tallow is largely hype, with limited benefit over other moisturizers and better alternatives readily available. The conversation’s tone is approachable, evidence-based, and laced with practical tips for everyday health.

Transcript

[A]

Hello and welcome to Zoe Recap, where each week we find the best bits from one of our podcast episodes to help you improve your health. Today we're talking about wellness trends. Social media has supercharged the wellness world with new trends popping up and spreading faster than ever. It feels like we're constantly being sold the next must have product, each one a guaranteed route to better health that you simply can't live without. But how many of these trends are actually backed by science? And could some of them actually be doing more harm than good? I'm joined by wellness expert Liz Ehr and nutritional scientist Dr. Federico Amarti to separate evidence from exaggeration.

[B]

Federica, I'm gonna start with you. Trend number one, detox drinks.

[A]

What is that?

[C]

Detox drinks appear in lots of different ways. Whether it's detox teas, sometimes it's detox juices, cleanses. These are drinks that are supposed to help speed up detoxing. I mean, I often see these sold as a way to lose weight, to be honest. And there is literally no science behind these are some of the worst contenders. Sometimes they can be quite dangerous for health. Some of the supplements that are sold as detox supplements can make you go to the loom or so they make you go wee more basically. And that can actually be quite dangerous. It can lower your blood pressure, it can make you dehydrated. So it's really important to not buy these products. First of all, we have an excellent detox system that works very well for us. Our liver, our kidneys, and our large intestine help us to get rid of anything. We don't need any byproducts from the cellular mechanisms that are in our body are expelled through those ways. You know, if you're looking to help your natural detoxification systems, there's lots of things you can do. Eat and drink water in a way that supports your liver, in a way that supports your kidneys, in a way that you go to the lub, regulate and allows your colon to work. Well, one of the worst scams, I would imagine, is these detox products, if I'm honest.

[D]

Yeah, I think I completely agree. And I think, you know, there's no drink that I've ever seen any evidence for that is going to remove any toxin from your body. And as you say, you know, the liver, the kidneys, the gut, those are detox systems. And skin, of course. Yeah. Drinking lots of water and the skin, definitely. And in fact, when it comes to the skin, one of my favorite ways, rather than buying a detox drink is to just to do some dry skin body brushing.

[B]

You said that with such confidence. Dry skin body brushing.

[D]

Do you not have a dry skin body brush?

[B]

I literally have no idea what you're talking about.

[D]

Oh, my gosh. Okay, so help me out here. Literally, it's like a bristle. It's like an oversized nail brush with natural bristles. And you brush your body with it when your body is dry. So you start normally at the feet, the soles of the feet. And if you're into Chinese medicine or traditional medicine, you might say that that's stimulating the reflex zones on the soles of your feet. And we don't need an eye roll for that because that does actually make you feel really good and tingly. And then you just work up the body just using sweeping movements. You're following the lymphatic system. So you might want to just do a little bit of extra dry skin brushing around the lymph nodes, the groin backs, the knees, armpits, for example. And you're just gently helping to stimulate the lymphatic. You do feel better for it. I don't know whether the science is there. I don't know how many RCTs have been done on dry skin body brushing, but it certainly makes your skin glow. It looks brighter.

[C]

It's very traditional. It's been around forever. And it does just help to remove dead skin. And this upward movement is exactly what you would do with a lymphatic drainage massage, which does help, especially if you're somebody who does tend to have a bit of a slow lymph, which can happen. It's just one of the things that we can do. And there's absolutely no downside to it. I think also it gives you a few minutes to yourself. I know that sounds a bit. But if you have young kids or you have caring responsibilities, just taking a couple of minutes to have a dry body brush before your shower can feel really good.

[B]

And is this an everyday activity or a part of the detox? Like, I'm just trying to understand.

[D]

It depends on how good it makes you feel. I will. Word of warning. So when you go and buy your body brush, Jonathan, and start doing this, because clearly you're highly invested in this already. I can tell it sounds a lot

[B]

better than a cold.

[A]

I'm more up for trying this one.

[D]

I'm also into that too. But that would follow, you know, and it will feel quite hard and quite. Almost abrasive. Don't be too harsh. Harsh with it. Exactly. Especially if your Skin is broken or irritated in any way, but you get used to it and you almost become healthily addicted, I find.

[B]

Amazing. So no detox drinks? No, but lots of water and dry skin, body brushing. I'm going to be looking that up straight afterwards. Liz, Trend number two, red light therapy.

[D]

Ooh. So this is something that I am actually a fan of and I think, you know, when you think about red light, you know, what is it? It's basically just the ancient practice of sunlight getting up at sunrise when we are surrounded by an abundance of natural red light and near infrared light, which is what we used to do in ancestral times, we would get up with the sun and we would go to bed with the sun. So that lovely light, that red light glow that you get early in the morning or at sunset has to be incredibly beneficial. And again, there are studies that show that it will help with inflammation, reducing inflammation, speeding up the production of collagen, for example, within the skin. So I do think that there is merit and I think we're going to be seeing more of red light therapy, sometimes known as photobiomodulation. And there are clinical studies going on for all sorts of degenerative diseases and showing some quite impressive results, actually.

[B]

Could you describe a bit? I mean, do you just put a red light bulb in your house?

[D]

No. I mean, you do need to have a certain wavelength. So it's normally 630-850nm range. So you can get various different devices. If you are going to get a home use device, my advice would be to go to something that's FDA approved or medically certified. You can get medically certified devices and you can have everything from a face mask that you, that you wear to a red light panel that you sit in front of during the day. For example, you can have whole saunas filled with red lights. There are lots of different ways of doing it. And I think particularly because we've become so indoors and disconnected from that natural frequency, that wavelength that I think as human beings we are actually meant to connect with. And I think that there is some very interesting research. When you look at circadian biology and the kind of rise of natural living and the circadian rhythm, red light very much taps into that.

[C]

Yeah. So some of the exciting science is actually from Russell Foster's group where he looked at exposure to red light specifically. Exactly. At dawn. It can help to program your body clock, essentially. So there's some protocols, if you're traveling to la, for example, Jonathan, where exposing yourself to a little bit of red Light in the mornings can just help shift your body clock to the new time zone. Now, in terms of skin benefits and inflammation benefits, the evidence is growing. It's still preliminary, but there are some exciting trials looking at, for example, patients in hospitals and how exposing them to red light can help speed up recovery. In terms of skin, some people report seeing benefits and I think it's part of the toolbox that we can have. What I would say is these red light masks can be very expensive. So there's plenty of things you can do before investing in one that will really help your skin, from good hydration to eating plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables, to making sure that you're using topical skincare that can be helpful, like retinol and moisturizing regularly and all these other things. And then if you are doing that and you have, you know, the extra money and you'd want to invest in a mask, it could be something that can be helpful. It's growing in popularity and there's evidence growing for its use in different applications. But I think it's one of the ones that we still don't have all of the evidence to say, oh, yes, this is 100% one of the best tools, but I'm excited about its role in circadian biology and I am excited to see how it can help with inflammation recovery. You know, some studies looking at arthritic joints have shown benefits.

[D]

Yeah, definitely. I think there are studies looking at improved speed of wound healing, for example, collagen production in acne as well, wasn't it? Yeah, acne as well. I think, you know, improving the ATP energy cycle, so giving us a bit more energy. I think it is beneficial. I think you're right. I don't think it's an essential. I think it's a nice to have and I think for me it's something that I've been doing regularly. Now, I actually got first interested in red light therapy with my daughter who had a long standing autoimmune condition. And I was literally, I went forensically down the drains with so many things and it was one of the protocols that she was using that really seemed to help her. And what was interesting is that because she was doing a lot of red light therapy, even though she was a lot younger than me, her skin dramatically improved. And I thought, I'm going to try this.

[C]

Let me just.

[D]

Hello. You know, if I can, you know, just sit in front of a red light panel or a sauna or a mask or something and actually get on with something else. Love a bit of multitasking. And the, the light is going to do something for me. And I have to say that, you know, I am an adopter of red light. I think it's useful, not essential, but I think it can be beneficial, particularly as we age. I mean, I'm a lot older than you. Fetti.

[C]

You do look fantastic. I mean, you're thankful for it.

[D]

I do a lot, you know, I mean, I guess I have to because that's my job. But, you know, but red light therapy for me is one of the tools. Yeah.

[C]

And this trend, Jonathan, unlikely to be

[B]

harmful because it is FDA regulated, the right devices. So you're not going to get like harmful radiation.

[D]

Talk to your wife, your wife will, in dermatology terms about using light therapy for things like psoriasis. And so, you know, we've known about light therapy for a long time. This is not a new thing. But I think you can get great free red light therapy by getting up in the morning, by getting up early and just bathing in that natural red light.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Trend number three. We mentioned this in the Q and A. Rich. My producer described it as putting cow fat on your face, but I believe it has better marketing and is called beef tallow. What is beef tallow and why are people sticking it on their face?

[C]

That's a very good question. Beef tallow is having a moment because it's been considered as a very healthy fat to cook with, to put on your face, to put in your hair, to just bathe in. I mean, it reminds me of when coconut oil had this glow up. Do you remember? It's the new coconut oil. It's being touted as miraculous for all sorts of things. And it is literally just the, the fat from beef.

[D]

Traditionally, I think it's the fat that was around kidneys. You render it and you cook it down and strain it so much that it becomes flavourless, tasteless. It's just a very bland white fat. You can do it. You can make it at home if you want to.

[C]

So of course it's full of fatty acids like other fats that you can get in lots of other situations. And it will, if you put it on your skin, the fatty acids will protect your skin and make it glow. But I think that is not my number one option.

[B]

It's like putting Vaseline on my face, basically. Is that what you're saying?

[C]

Vaseline is petroleum jelly. So it's actually a bit different to that. It is similar to putting coconut oil on your face or extra virgin olive oil on your face or actually that would be better obviously, but it's essentially putting pure fat on your face. And our skin does like to have some fats to protect it and to help keep the moisture in. What fats really do to keep our skin hydrated is they just prevent the moisture from leaving your skin. So we lose moisture throughout the day just through essentially evaporation and fat locks it in so it can seem moisturising. But there's way better ways to do it and less cruel ways to do it. We don't need to be putting beef fat as well as eating beef all the time. It's just having a real moment. And it does remind me of coconut oil where people were just putting coconut oil everywhere and oil pulling and brushing their teeth with it. I think it'll swing back in a way, hopefully.

[D]

Yeah. I wonder, I mean I've been trialing beef tallow because obviously I'm aware of it as a trend and I think it does have some pluses. It has a lot of good fat soluble vitamins, you know, so because of where it comes from. So A D, E, K for example, conjugated linolenic acid. It's very good as your point as a moisturizer. The trans epidermal water loss, very good barrier. Having said that, if you are at all spot prone, pimple prone, it's comedogenic so it's gonna block your pores. I would not use it on oily skin. I tell you where I have used it to quite success and that's on my feet. So it makes a very nice overnight foot balm. So you put that on your feet, you can buy, it's non fragranced. It's not like I don't actually like coconut oil for example, I find it too well coconutty but this is very neutral. And then you just slip on a pair of cotton socks to seal in your body heat and you wake up with super soft feet. But I don't think I put it on because I think if you're looking for a moisturizer I would rather have ingredients, you know, niacinamide, azelic acid, you know, peptides. I think there's far more interesting ingredients, particularly as we age that are going to help support the structure of the skin.

[B]

So it sounds like you're saying this is 90% hype and 10%. Well it is a fat and there are some benefits to putting something like that.

[D]

There are some benefits.

[B]

Am I understanding that right?

[D]

Yeah. And it's using up a waste product perhaps that might otherwise not be used. And it's cheap, it's inexpensive. So you know, if it floats your boat, great. But I'm not going to rush out and buy it.

[B]

Yeah, it's not the moisturizer that is.

[D]

I need more for my aging skin, Jonathan. At my age, I think I need a bit more than beef tallow.

[C]

Shea butter is great for your feet as well.

[D]

Go for shea, but shea butter?

[C]

Yeah. I also. It might just be me, but putting direct animal product on my face, I just. No, no thanks. I'm good.

[A]

As you can imagine, hosting this podcast, running Zoe, juggling family life, it all keeps me pretty busy. So I try as best I can to stay energized and show up well in all those parts of my life by fueling my body with the right food, by exercising, and by adding a scoop of daily 30 to my meals every day. If you haven't heard of Daily 30 yet, it's the gut supplement designed by our gut health scientists here at Zoe. It's made of over 30 high quality hand picked plants including seaweed, fungi and different types of fiber. Better yet, it contains ingredients that support gut health, digestion and energy, which is ideal for packed calendars and busy lives. Simply add one scoop a day to any meal for an extra boost of fiber and plant diversity. And because it tastes delicious on just about anything and adds a satisfying crunch, it quite quickly slots into your life, becoming a daily healthy habit you'll always have time for. By the way, whenever we talk about Daily 30 as a good source of fiber, we're required to say that it contains 4 grams of total fat per serving. Obviously, that's all amazing healthy fats from plants, so order yours [e-mail] daily30. Thanks for listening and see you next time.

[D]

Sam.