Dirty Is The New Clean - Should You Consume Activated Charcoal?

It resembles the final day before cleaning the fish tank. So what is all the hype about this dingy looking yet "healthy" detox water that has everyone rushing to his or her local juice bar to stalk up? 

Charcoal. The black cubes you light on fire to BBQ your summer goods? No, no, no! Wait! Do not start crushing up briquettes and adding them to your drinking water that is not the kind of consumption.

Activated charcoal the medicinal form is what you might find in an emergency room to treat patients who have ingested something poisonous. If you munched on a "charcoal briquette" I guarantee you would be one of those patients. NOTE: Do not take an at home remedy of activated charcoal to treat an overdose, always consult doctor or hospital.  So, now that as a responsible nutritionist I got that piece of slightly pertinent piece of information out of the way let's get to why this murky drink is so popular today. 

If somebody handed you a tall refreshing glass of gray water and said, "drink up, it tastes like lemonade," why would you be so quick to chug it down? Well, that is what is happening in most juice bars. However, this is where some of my journey into nutrition got tricky because this is a "let food be your medicine" moment that involves science. Throwing together a jug of black water and drinking it every day to cleanse just to write a blog post is not that simple.  The Food Athlete Cliffs Notes version can hopefully clear up some confusion if you are not a science nerd. "Activated" means it is a medical grade charcoal so the icky particles we want to rid our body of, will stick to the charcoal be absorbed and voila, bye bye toxins.

You can find activated charcoal in many forms, the capsules (I use below in my lemonade,) sticks that can be used to purify water and even the air you breathe.  Beauty bars and masks are all the rage and charcoal is making a big splash in the face cleanse department. 

Besides flushing out the bad juju that could plague our system, charcoal helps brighten out smile aka our teeth bones, so some toothpaste has added it to their product. 

 

DIY Charcoal Lemonade

1 Activated Charcoal Capsule

1 Whole Lemon

10-12 oz Water

1/4 Cup Coconut Water

Maple Syrup to sweeten if you are into sweet. 

Squeeze a whole lemon into a glass of water and coconut water. Take the capsule and carefully separate. Do this over the glass of water/coconut glass, (as you can see from the photos this can be messy if you are not careful). I keep mine in a mason jar, of course, haha! However, I do this because I do not drink it all in one sitting and I also add water to cut the charcoal. The water will turn very black or a lighter gray. You can always add less charcoal.  Add a teaspoon of maple syrup if you want a sweeter lemonade. 

It is easy to be swept away by the optimism of new information especially when it comes with the promise of making us feel better. My goal as your health teacher is to help you avoid a hasty decision and use your reading material wisely to come to your conclusions.  I can give you this slice of advice, too much of a good thing is not always a good thing. I have poured gallons of toxic stuff into my body over decades, and by some miracle, I am still here. We did not have any activated charcoal beverages or shots of grass or fresh pressed roots of ginger to calm what ailed us after nights of partying. A burger and Coke-a-cola usually did the trick. I cannot speak to what works for you and what used to work for me. This is why I have taken it upon myself to acquire the knowledge and certifications so that I can accurately qualify my opinions and facts. 

Here is something to consider when making "medicinal food" such as a detox drink. Multiple medications do not always reinforce a cure. For example, drinking charcoal lemonade with two aspirin will not lessen your hangover. Alternatively drinking a green juice that has added the black dust means you are not going to reap the benefits of all the yummy vitamins and minerals that come with the fruit and veggies.   Remember when I was talking science at the beginning of this chat? Well, the binding and purification process can counter act if you introduce too many potential helpers, doing the exact opposite of what you are probably drinking it for in the first place.  So why do lots of these detox solutions promote this supplement in conjunction with other healthy products? I can not speak to that honestly. I even went so far as to ask the girl at one of my favorite juice cleanse shops ( which I will leave anonymous)  why they mixed the A.C. with the pressed juice and she did not have an answer. The deal with charcoal like lots of nutrition supplements nowadays is that the jury is still out on the actual benefits. Some of the stuff is harmless but if you are unsure yet interested in embarking down the dark water stream (or any health movement that is foreign to you) always consult a nutritionist (hint hint) or your medical doctor for guidance. 

Trends are always going to ebb and flow that's why they are called a trend. They are not guarantees. Our body isn't a trend. Although the human system does go through changes, so the importance of awareness is significant, now more than ever. It's my pleasure to bring to light or even reinforce topics and studies that surround wellness. I learn and grow along with all of you when I write, research, and experiment in this magical world I call nutrition. 

Let me ask you this Food athlete, are you partaking in a food trend that is currently the talk of the town? What do you think about Activated Charcoal? Would you try it? I would love to hear your thoughts. Please share with me in comments. 

 #letfoodbeyourmedicine 

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Love Your Body,

xo Jessi (Your Food Athlete Coach) xo

 

Home is where your kitchen is (A nutritionists tale of moving)

Well, this is it, I am in the home stretch. No turning back, no cold feet, no buyers remorse, this is happening. When I made the decision that it was time to move out of my home of more than 17 years I had a pro-con list the length of War and Peace. Fortunately, the pros far outweighed the cons. However, this event has made an impact on me, emotionally and physically. I have been on an ebb and flow rollercoaster that has spun me every which way but chill.

 Moving is right up on the top of the list with death, taxes, and divorce. I am pretty sure about that fact. I can give you all of my wisdom-filled thoughts about change and how without we cannot continue to grow. How change is part of the cycle of life. How when faced with uncomfortable change, and we make it through unscathed we become stronger. You know, motivational shit like that, and it is going in one of my ears and out the other for the past three months.  However, now that I am really at the tail end and it is less than a month until everything changes I have come to accept and even get excited about this new adventure I have created for myself. 

After all, the stuff in my house, the things, are just that, "stuff and things." How have I become so attached to objects that have no beating heart? Material brick-a-brack that has long served its purpose and is now just become a place to pile up new memorabilia.  Am I getting too deep? Sorry, not sorry, it is impossible to describe what I am going through without both the deep and the surface. Honestly, just getting this onto paper, internet blog paper that is, is very therapeutic and right now I need all the healing I can find. 

 

Stages of Moving:

Phase One: Panic. Get this out of the way first. Don't hang out in this state too long; it's unpleasant. Don't let your emotions take over. Have a day of it, embrace the suck and keep it moving.  

Phase Two: Ask for help. I am not a professional organizer (there are folks you can hire to do that fun stuff for and with you.) I have my talents when it comes to food and fitness but this packing situation is a beast I never want to meet face to face again. I am beyond grateful I found Keri. She asks the hard questions, like, "Jessi, when was the last time you listened to this Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch? Do you even own a tape machine? When and where will you ever be playing a cassette?" However, in all seriousness, this girl is a game changer. My brain is scrambled so if I do not have a rational packing buddy I am may wind up U-Hauling myself to one of those places you check in to, to "un-wind and relax." Since I am sentimental, and I love looking back at the past decades and how the world has changed I have no option but to compartmentalize and scale down the must keeps. I do believe I have been sucked into this social media black hole which keeps me stuck in the "wouldn't this VHS tape be fun to save for a future post? Alternatively, what if I want to show a younger generation how a real point, focus, and print camera works. There is a fine line between collecting and hoarding, it took me several weeks to start letting go, and once I began, I could feel the weight slip off my shoulders and the amount of space I have carved out not just inside my house but my emotional space to make room for the new.

Phase Three & Four:  Purge and Be Charitable: Let go and let the universe make its magic happen.  Go room by room and make two piles. The key words being "room by room." Don't move on to the next task before finishing the last. Stay focused. 

  • Throw away - things that are broken, chipped, holes, stained. 
  • Donation- clothes, books, plates, glasses, electronics, tv, furniture.
  • Sell- anything and everything. If you have the time and space, have a garage sale. Great resources for getting the word out are Craig's List and neighborhood apps like Next Door and LetGo. Putting a box out on the sidewalk with the word "free" on it works wonders too. One man's trash, right? 

Phase Five: Box, label and seal it up!  So, after I have got the purging and donating out of the way the next step was the actual boxing up. Not just boxed but shut it and seal that sucker up. Taped makes it just that more real. My theory is such, I love my house, it is quaint and cozy, and I am going to miss living here. Why prolong the sad feelings. I did not realize how much I didn't need the day to day trinkets. Routine behaviors were simplified by doing this little act and now living with just the "essentials." I know that I will have even more to purge once I settle in the new pad.  Out of sight out of mind.  Since I have a few weeks left of moving, I wanted to live with a constant reminder of what good is coming next. All that's left to do is let the movers do their thang. 

Food Strategies Vs. Packing Strategies: Turns out they are not so different.  I have managed to apply some of The Food Athlete principles and health strategies to this packing project, lots of similarities. 

  • Make a shopping list and stay on course at the market. Vs. Make a schedule and stick to it for at least two weeks.
  • Eat mindfully, notice signs of hunger. Stop eating when you are almost full. Vs. Pack thoughtfully, stop when the box gets too heavy. 
  • Set intentions. Make small attainable goals. Vs. Pack one room at a time.
  • Make a goal list, make many lists! Vs. Can't have too many lists. 
  • Have "me" time. Get a massage, take a bath, meditate. Vs. Watch a comedy, not "The Money Pit."
  • Take a moment to recognize your wins. Vs. Every donation is a win, someone out there is more needy then you. 
  • Get plenty of sleep. Vs. Take a nap after every five bags of purging. 
  • Everything you do in life requires energy, so you want to be properly fueled before tackling long days, fuel is not just for a fitness class. Vs. Don't pack on an empty stomach. 

Full disclosure, I have been working on this post for a couple of months. I wanted to make sure I included it along with my Spring Cleanse series I have been sharing since March. I have gotten lost in the chaos, and it has taken some extra patience and motivation to buckle down and write. I thank you for listening and allowing me to share and de-clutter together.  I look forward to bringing you posts from a fresh new perspective once I am in my new abode. 

Be Happy, Be Healthy, Love Your Body,

xo Jessi (Your Food Athlete) xo