Former Olympic diver Greg Louganis has been living as an openly gay man for over twenty years now. The Californian's route to coming out wasn't the happiest story; he was in what he describes as an abusive relationship with his former manager Jim Babbitt for most of the 1980s, and contracted AIDS from him in 1988. Fearing the worst, he held a 'goodbye' party for friends and family in 1993. His health was failing, and he didn't expect to live another year.
Happily, he did, and was around to publicly come out to the world at the Gay Games in 1994. Thanks to new treatments his health improved, and Louganis is still with us today. He's still active in diving, having mentored the US Diving teams at both of the last two Olympics, and has been married to his paralegal husband Johnny Chaillot since 2013.
Over the years, weve seen so many food trends come and go, such as ramen burgers, matcha, and spiked ice-cream. Nowadays, were seeing another trend making waves in the food industry. How many times today have you seen an Instagram photo of a scoop of black ice cream, or a cup of black yogurt, or hamburgers with black buns? Indeed, the charcoal trend has taken the world by storm.
So, what gives your latte that deep black shade? Activated charcoal, or coconut ash, is produced by heating coconut shells to insanely high temperatures until theyre burnt to a crisp. The ashes are then increased in size by steaming at high temperatures. Through this process, the ashes become a strong detoxifier, mostly because they become extra absorbent. This product may be purchased in pill form, and promises to alleviate hangovers, minimize the effects of food poisoning, and fight the visible signs of aging.
Activated charcoal is said to boost ones energy as a result of decreasing toxins in the body. However, no evidence proves that detoxifying can lead to increased energy. Also, while it can help cure a hangover, it doesnt necessarily remove alcohol from your blood. It is also said to aid in debloating your stomach because it cleanses your colon but again, this all anecdotal and isnt supported by scientific evidence as of yet. All we can say for sure is that it is a proven detoxifier.