Buzz
There are two types of dark foods: Those that proudly reveal their charcoal content as if it's something to be excited about, and those that keep it a secret. (There's a third category, foods made with other ingredients like black sesame, but it's not as common.)
I get it. Unusual colors tend to get much more attention on Instagram compared to their beige counterparts. But can we pause for a moment to question this trend?
Black Beverages Won’t “Detox” You
Charcoal lemonade supporters argue that it helps detoxify your body, but the truth is, your body doesn’t actually need detoxing, so this claim doesn’t hold up. Our organ systems are perfectly capable of handling detoxification on their own. However, there is some truth to the detox idea: charcoal is used in emergency rooms as a remedy for certain types of poisoning.
An emergency dose of activated charcoal is quite substantial: between 25 to 100 grams, or if your doctor knows exactly how much poison you’ve consumed, she might give you ten times that amount. According to the medical information site UpToDate, flavorings like juice or chocolate syrup can make the charcoal more palatable, but they also decrease its effectiveness.
Typical at-home recipes for black lemonade call for anywhere between a quarter teaspoon and a full teaspoon of activated charcoal. That’s 3 grams or less. A regular drink contains 14 grams of alcohol, so it's clear that this isn't a viable antidote for a night of heavy drinking—one of the detox benefits attributed to black drinks. (Let’s not forget that charcoal doesn't bind well with alcohol, and the main point of drinking is to get alcohol into your bloodstream where it reaches your brain.)
Black Foods Can Interfere with Your Medication
Pills, on the other hand, contain very small amounts of active ingredients. If you swallow medication with a black drink or eat black ice cream before or after taking your meds, the charcoal in the food could absorb the medication. Most people don’t consume black food daily, so it’s unlikely to be a major issue, but if you’re a fan of charcoal-laden foods, it might be worth consulting your doctor or pharmacist.
Coconut Ash Is Just Another Form of Charcoal
Occasionally, you won’t find 'activated charcoal' on an ingredients list, but instead, something like 'coconut ash.' Charcoal is simply burnt material, and activated charcoal is just that material heated to increase its porosity (so it can better absorb chemicals it encounters).
So, coconut ash, or coconut charcoal, is still just plain charcoal. But it sounds healthier, doesn’t it? Coconut oil is all the rage these days. Coconut charcoal taps into that trend. Still... it’s just burnt carbon.
Black food won’t detoxify you and could even interfere with your medications. But if you're not on any crucial meds and just want to try a quirky food for the photos, go ahead. Just know: it will give you black poop.
