Would you drink black water? I first read about the benefits of Activated Charcoal in the book, “The Better Baby Book” by Dave and Lana Asprey. The main takeaway about activated charcoal was that this  black powder stops the absorption of heavy metals in your body, which can cause a plethora of DNA changes in your baby as it grows. The activated charcoal “adsorbs” all these nasty toxins, trapping them in your gut and then takes them out with your poo.

As a Detox Before Conception

While experts do not recommend doing cleanses while you are trying to conceive or pregnant, I did an activated charcoal detox as soon as we decided to have a baby, then started “trying” when the cleanse was complete. My previous birth control used copper and I wanted to flush all that out of my system before we tried for baby number three. I drank 1-2 tablespoons of activated charcoal in 8oz of water every day for a month. I immediately followed each activated charcoal drink with 8 oz of plain water. This magic “detox” promotes kidney health and cholesterol levels, while reducing gas, heavy metals, fluoride, and even drugs in the body. This gave my body a clean slate of health to begin conception at the healthiest possible state.

Throughout Pregnancy

Pregnancy cravings are real, y’all, and there is just no way to stick 100% to a perfect diet. You can use 1 teaspoon – 1 tablespoon of activated charcoal in 8 oz of water when you “cheat.” Going out for dinner, where your food has trans fats or MSG?  Having a glass of wine? Go ahead and rid your body of potential side effects and drink your glass of activated charcoal. It can also be beneficial in staving off morning sickness and heartburn. Just be sure to drink 8 oz of plain water afterwards, as activated charcoal can cause some constipation which may already be a problem for you. Also, do not be alarmed when your poop is black. This stuff literally adsorbs all the bad stuff and comes out with it. Do not take within 1-2 hours of your vitamin regimen as the charcoal can block the absorption of even healthy ingredients. In pregnancy, do not use daily, but rather as needed.

Try it out and let me know what you think.