All those years of being called the Queen of Pop may have gone to Madonna's head. At first, it was just a nickname, but then she moved to the UK and started living in a countryside mansion as if she were true British royalty. Now she's gone a step further. She's the proud owner of the Quinta Do Relogio Estate in Lisbon, Portugal; a building which is quite literally a palace. It was once in the possession of the Portuguese aristocracy.
It's believed that Madonna and her children live in the palace for at least some of the year, which would make sense given that she parted with more than $8m to buy it. The palace was built in the 18th century as part of the Moorish revival movement. It's pictured here in a state of slight disrepair, but she's since had extensive repair and modernization work performed to get it back in shape. Somewhere within its walls is a full-sized chapel.
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.