Can eating charcoal help you detox?

You walk into your favorite ice cream store, struggling to choose between mint chocolate chip, rocky road and peanut butter ripple.

In the corner, you spot something that looks like a tub of tar, destined to temporarily dye your mouth black.

The main ingredient in this mysterious treat is activated charcoal — heated or otherwise treated charcoal meant to detoxify the body, absorbing particles and gases. It’s processed until it becomes ultra-absorbent and safe to consume, and is often given to those hospitalized for toxin exposure or drug overdose, since it can help flush the toxins from their system.

Over the last year, the substance has become more mainstream: You can dig into activated charcoal pizza or ice cream, down a cold-pressed concoction featuring the ingredient or smear it onto your face as part of your beauty regimen.

Whether it’s living up to its possible detox qualities, though, is less clear.

“I think the health qualities are more an after-the-fact justification and without much empirical support,” John Coupland, a professor of food science at Pennsylvania State University, said via email. “You could come up with an argument that eating activated charcoal might have an effect but it doesn’t seem likely, and I see no one quoting actual evidence.”

[See: The 10 Best Diets for Healthy Eating.]

Why the recent surge in popularity? Blame it on a number of factors: its eye-catching color, its supposed health benefits and pure shock value.

Nick Morgenstern, owner of New York-based Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream, is the man behind the buzzy black ice cream — you’ve likely seen it on social media — that uses coconut ash, a form of activated charcoal.

Morgenstern’s shop offers ice cream flavors ranging from salted pretzel to sweet potato mello to, of course, black coconut ash. Regardless of flavor, a single scoop is $4.50; double is $6.50; and a pint is $13. The coconut ash variety is available only at Morgenstern’s, and its creator says he made the product for its color, not for health benefits. The ice cream has such a small amount of coconut ash, he says, that it likely wouldn’t provide health benefits like detoxification anyway.

Health-minded consumers may believe otherwise, says Keri Gans, a registered dietitian nutritionist and author of “The Small Change Diet.” “Even if it’s not his direct intention, I think a lot of consumers, not all, will make the association themselves,” says Gans, who writes for U.S. News’ Eat + Run blog.

[See: 5 Extreme Diets You Shouldn’t Try.]

As with most food trends, the product isn’t suddenly making its grand debut. Charcoal dates back to ancient Egyptian and Greek times, when it was used as a remedy for poison and diseases, as it takes out the body’s parasites and bacteria.

But it’s evolved, clearly, into a health fad. The buzzwords associated with the term, like “detoxification” and “anti-aging,” are common across supposedly promising diets, like Master Cleanse. But detoxification may not be necessary and could do more harm than good. Gans, for example, points out that the charcoal binds to nutrients in your body and removes them through your poop. “It can actually remove some minerals from your body, but it’s not selective on what it can remove,” she says. “So you could actually be losing some good nutrients.”

“We’re detoxing our bodies ourselves every single day,” she adds. “And instead of looking for a supplement to do the job for you or one supposed ingredient, you should be looking at your total diet and trying to make healthy changes overall to what you’re putting in your mouth on a daily basis.”

[See: The 38 Best Diets Overall.]

Case in point: Feel free to try some black ice cream or pizza, but don’t go crazy with it before educating yourself.

“There isn’t anything magical here,” Coupland says. “If you think you’d enjoy eating black food then give it a try, but I doubt it will do you any good.”

More from U.S. News

The 38 Best Diets Overall

5 Extreme Diets You Shouldn’t Try

The 10 Best Diets for Healthy Eating

Can Eating Charcoal Help You Detox? originally appeared on usnews.com

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up