Hailing from Rayville, Louisiana is 'Big Cat' Ernie Ladd who was one of the first Black-American heels in professional wrestling back in the early 1960s. Surprisingly, wrestling was not Ladd's original calling as he was also a professional football player and was drafted 15th overall by the San Diego Chargers in 1961. Ladd worked as a wrestler during the offseason but on the field won the AFL title in 1963 and also played for the Houston Oilers and Kansas City Chiefs before retiring from football in 1968.
'Big Cat' Ernie Ladd's cocky interviewing style and dirty in-ring tricks helped him become a household name for wrestling fans everywhere while he held titles in the National Wrestling Federation (NWF), National Hollywood Wrestling Association (NWA) and the World Wrestling Association (WWA). Unfortunately, Big Cat lost his battle with colon cancer at the age of 68 in 2007. Ernie Ladd was and still is one of the most cherished and personable two-sport athletes in wrestling history.
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.