Should I drink charcoal water? | A Dietitian Perspective

I don’t know what it is about summer, but I just can’t seem to get my creative butt in gear to blog post for y’all! I’ve been painting with water colors, taking photography, and other creative things, but my drive to write has hit an all-time low.

However, a discussion I had the other day with a girlfriend sparked the curiosity in me when she asked me about charcoal water, and if she should be drinking it. She had seen on Pinterest (read: the place where bad nutrition information goes to thrive) and was wondering if it had any benefits whatsoever.

What is charcoal water?

First off. What is charcoal water? It tends to be water, with activated charcoal dissolved into it, however there seems to be a variety of different preparation methods.

The claim is that charcoal detoxifies, it energizes, and makes the body alkaline. I feel like they are just throwing words out there that are super intriguing – though I have yet to see science that actually supports the benefits of this. It’s one of those ‘magic bullet’ ‘cure-all’ ‘sounds like a good idea’ kinda things. And you know how I feel about those (eye roll).

Let’s talk alkalinity first.

First, and most importantly… the TASTE. The mouth feel of alkaline water is revolting. I accidentally bought alkaline water in Europe. Things that are basic are SLIPPERY. Basic chemistry. Guess what – water with a pH of 8 tastes JUST LIKE go-lightly (restoralax, Peg-o-lax etc…) – anyone done bowel prep before? This slippery liquid is enough to make me gag. I promptly threw out my 6 euro bottle of water at Versailles – because I couldn’t hack it.

All the alkaline pseudo-science is driving me crazzzzzy. For goodness sake. Your body maintains your pH. Your organs will fry if your pH goes out of range. Ok I’m being a bit dramatic – what actually happens is, if the body isn’t able to compensate, electrolyte and fluid imbalances occur which eventually will lead to death. BUT. Your body has a TON of compensatory mechanisms to deal with any alterations in pH – so you don’t have to worry about it. All that high or low pH stuff you put in your body? First managed in the gut. Then, your kidneys promptly deal with it. If your kidneys can’t immediately compensate for whatever reason, your lungs deal with it. That’s right, your body has a back-up plan because this is SO important. Remember the science of buffering acid or base in grade 11? Your body does that.

You don’t have to consciously think about breathing – its automatic. Same thing with pH management. The body just DOES its job. Why is everyone SO obsessed with our bodies being too damaged to do anything right?

Of course, there are always exceptions. Certain acute and chronic diseases require us to pay attention to an individual’s acid/base status, and should be dealt with pharmacologically – NOT through alkaline charcoal water.

There’s also some interesting research around consumption of fruits and vegetables, urinary pH, and certain disease states – however – the research just skims the surface, and of course, I am ALWAYS all for consuming adequate fruits and veg. Food first, people!

Take away message: You don’t need to care about the pH of your food. No really. Just eat REAL food, and aim for 7 servings of fruit and veg a day, if you’re really looking to ‘energize and detox’!

 

Now, on to the dreaded ‘detoxifying’ claim.

Guess what. Charcoal DOES remove ‘toxins’. It binds a lot things, actually. I mean, if you plan on taking a bottle of benzos, or other medication, it will bind that. But it will also bind vitamins, minerals and lots of great things in your gut. Forgive my cavalier sarcasm.
Charcoal is often used in emergency situations for some types of overdoses. Again, pharmacologically, and done as a live saving measure.

However, for every medication there is a side effect, and that goes for charcoal, too. It can cause some SERIOUS constipation. I doubt the amount of charcoal in charcoal water is going to have too much effect on your bowel habits, however, I’m waiting for the day when I see a case study come across my desk of ‘the guy from so-and-so who drank 12+ bottles of charcoal water, ended up perforating his bowel.’ Again, with the drama. I just can’t control myself today, can I?

Realistically though, the worst that will likely happen to your gut is you’ll poop black stool. So don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Take away message: What do you really, truly need ‘detoxifcation’ from? What does that even MEAN?! It just sounds cool. Trust your body to do the work for you. You’re much better off eating whole foods, drinking water, and avoiding alcohol if you want to ‘detox’.

So. Should you drink charcoal water?

Well. I know you don’t need do. And deep down, you should know that too. However, I also assume there is low harm in trying it. So if you’re interested, sure, go ahead, give it a taste. I have yet to try it – for the psychological effect black water has on my brain. Kinda like the purple ketchup. It just isn’t right.

Should you consume it on a regular basis? I see no evidence for it, and frankly, it could be removing a lot of great things from your gut! So I say skip it – and stick with good ol’ fashioned water instead!