2014 had some pretty weird health kicks (bone broth, for one), but 2015 seems to be pushing the limits.
The latest health craze to overtake health-nuts everywhere? Drinking charcoal.
Don't believe us? Ayomo is a very popular beverage company that just came out with a new drink called "Black Potion." What's in it? Literally just coconut water and activated charcoal.
Is it really all its chalked up to be?
Advocates for this health craze claim that drinking charcoal absorbs toxins in the body, giving it the power to cure a wide range of health issues, from counteracting poisons to whitening your teeth or treating skin conditions.
One on-staff nutritionist at Cosmopolitan, Naomi Mead, doesn't agree.
"There is no hard scientific evidence to suggest that activated charcoal will help the body to 'detox' from anything other than acute poison ingestion. I would therefore recommend that there needs to be more scientific evidence to support it's use."
Sure, there are a lot of people making wild health claims with little to no science to back it up--that's not new. But does that really mean it's not good for you?
"For me, promoting the use of activated charcoal is just driving a craze of always trying to find the next quick fix to health. Rather than looking for a magic bullet to 'detox' the body, we should be encouraging people to take an overall healthy approach to their diet & wellbeing. Fads like this don't educate, they just create a hype. There is simply no such thing as a miracle product when it come's to diet and in particular 'detoxing', and I think it's irresponsible of supplement companies/health experts to suggest there is. Focus should be instead on supporting the body's own natural detoxification processes by the foods we eat."
That settles it for us: we'll stick with smoothies and green juice.
What do you think about all this? Let us know what you think in the comments!
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