Who Says You Can't Eat Gold?

When asking your friends “Why buy gold” or “Why buy silver?” you will inevitably encounter that friend who says – “What use is it? You can’t eat it!” Well, now you have your rejoinder to that silly argument. YES, you can, in fact, EAT gold!

Where to buy gold that you can eat?

Some fancy gourmet restaurants and candy shops use it to add a little bling to desserts.

And, an ice cream shop in Japan is now crafting gold plated ice cream cones! Kanazawa is the gold leaf capital of Japan, so gold plated soft serve seems like just the thing for Hakuichi, a local shop that has begun to sell the cones for just $8 each. Take a look at how they do it here. That thin layer of gold foil really sets off the ice cream nicely, don’t you think?

But is it safe?

Probably, yes, in small doses. Actually in India gold is so pervasive an ingredient in traditional remedies that it prompted a study in 2013 on the safety of ingesting gold. It looks like it affects the creatine phosphokinase and lactate dehydrogenase enzyme levels in your blood with regular small doses over a couple weeks, but other than that, no effects on blood chemistry were found. Probably more studies are needed though, before we would make gold ice cream a daily habit!

But how does it taste?

Our preliminary guess is that it tastes a lot like unicorn dreams. Our second guess is that it might have a metallic taste. But these commenters claim it has no taste, owing to the thinness of the foil used and its non-reactivity with saliva.

Our recommendation?

Yes, people can and do EAT gold and silver, mostly for novelty’s sake. But we think your portfolio is the place for gold, not your stomach! We recommend holding 5-10% of gold and precious metals in your well-diversified and balanced portfolio as part of a sound retirement strategy. If you are looking to make a move in precious metals, call us today! (Just don’t ask us to cook!)