Charcoal is the new snail slime

Jon walks into the bathroom and is shocked: he sees a pitch-black sink with the undersigned hanging above it and spitting out even more black mess. ‘Jeez, Caar, are you okay?’

I quickly try to reassure him that this is the latest hype and that I am brushing my teeth with charcoal toothpaste. ‘There has been charcoal in the barbecue for years, you could have just taken a piece out of there.’ But then I catch my husband the following week with a charcoal nose strip, stolen from my drawer, asking why I have kept ‘these wonder strips’ hidden from him all this time. And when I saw a black juice on the menu at my favorite juice bar last week, I could conclude that literally everyone is obsessed with charcoal.

Where did this wonder product suddenly come from and what is it all good for? Or will we be laughed at by the next generation because we ate charcoal en masse, just like birdseed (a.k.a. quinoa)? Since the European Union has approved activated charcoal as a health claim (the EU has only approved a total of 220 health claims), it turns out to be more than just a hype. This wonder remedy gives your body a cleaning and removes toxic substances, something the ancient Egyptians already knew.

Because activated charcoal binds the toxins in your digestive system and removes them from your body, it is a very effective detox. By removing toxins, you will feel more energetic and clearer in your head. So definitely throw a scoop into your shake or incorporate it into a dish (also exciting for the color).

You can also perfectly use activated charcoal to whiten your teeth and get your oral hygiene back in tip-top shape. Tip: clean your sink immediately, as it is quite aggressive stuff. And as if that wasn't enough, you can also find numerous facial products with charcoal as the main ingredient to deeply cleanse your skin. Final conclusion: activated charcoal is good for a whole list of things, so stock up big time.

But beware: regular charcoal from your barbecue is not the same as activated charcoal. Barbecue charcoal contains all sorts of toxins that you definitely do NOT want in your body. So always buy activated charcoal from a reliable source (sorry, Jon…).