Earlier this week, I wrote a guest post in The Slow Cook and the Better DC School Food blogs about sugar in schools. In this article, I barely scraped the surface of this issue. Sugars are not just “empty calories”, sugar is a major anti-nutrient that can wreck havoc with your health.

The confusion over sugar continues. After all, fruit contains sugar, and what about beets and carrots?  My teacher and mentor Joan Gussow  once famously said  “I prefer butter to margarine because I trust cows more than chemists.”  I too, trust Mother Nature more than food companies. Carrots, beets and fruit are fine. In fact, they are really good for you!

Nowadays, many people understand that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is bad news. The beverage industry is responding by putting “cane sugar” into their drinks. Jones Soda boasts of having “pure cane sugar” in their soda, Pepsi is now boasting of “real sugar” in their Throwback brands that are being blasted all over Facebook and Twitter.  Vitamin Water with “crystalline fructose” is now showing up as a healthier alternative in school cafeterias (its not!).

Somehow consumers didn’t get the big picture message: refined sugar is bad for you! That refined sugar could have aliases like HFCS or cane sugar or crystalline fructose (found in Coca Cola’s Vitamin Water). All of this stuff will rot your teeth, expand your waistline, raise your cholesterol, the list goes on and on.

The World Health Organization defines free sugars as all monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods by the manufacturer, cook or consumer, plus sugars naturally present in honey, syrups and fruit juices.

One other point worth mentioning: fruit juice = sugar hit. A glass of 100% juice is NOT the same as eating a piece of fruit! As a matter of fact, your morning glass of OJ can be contributing to your high cholesterol. Parents who think they are doing their kids a favor by giving them Minute Maid Lemonade or  Snapple 100% juice for an afterschool snack are damaging their kid’s livers, making them even more hungry, and of course, helping to make their dentists rich.

Apparently, fructose makes it so you don’t feel full. Makes complete sense that food manufacturers would want to use HFCS in their products. If you don’t feel full, you’ll keep eating and drinking. Great for a food company’s shareholders, not so great for your health.

NYC Mayor Bloomberg and the Center for Science in the Public Interest have declared war on salt. They claim salt is a major factor in heart disease and stroke.  Perhaps they should take a good long look at sugar! They’ll find a connection to diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and much much more.

Bottom line:

Eat Real Food. Drink Water.

Friday night I took my youngest daughter to a screening of Tapped at the nearby Greenwich Audubon Society.  It was an interesting feature length film about the many reasons why we should be re-thinking our bottled water habit.

Admittedly, I am already familiar with the main reasons why we should not be guzzling bottled water. Tapped touched on all of them.

#1 Its really stupid! Bottled water is exponentially more expensive than tap water and no better in quality.  Penn and Teller did some funny stunts around this a few years back.

#2 It’s a waste of fossil fuel. Trucking water around burns gas. And guess what those plastic bottles are made of? Petroleum. In a world where peak oil and climate change are deeply impacting our way of life, there is no room for wasting oil and gas on something stupid like bottled water.

#3 Plastic bottles pollute! We’ve got giant garbage patches in both Pacific and Atlantic oceans now. Less than 30% of all plastic bottles ever get recycled.

#4 Plastic bottles leach questionable chemicals into our bodies. Why drink water from a bottle that could be leaching BPA and phthalates? Both are potent hormone disruptors that are increasingly linked to health effects like brain and behavior changes, cancer, and reproductive system damages.

Something happened at the screening of this movie that has made me more determined than ever to not buy bottled water for myself or my family. Kim Jeffery, the President and  CEO of Nestle Waters, North America and a Greenwhich resident, showed up after the screening to screen an 8 minute film of his own. Despite the fact he refused to be interviewed for the movie, he wanted equal time here in his own backyard.  Afterwards, he took the stage to answer questions, refusing to have a dialog with the film’s producer and director. Talk about rude, this dude takes the cake.

My daughter stood up to ask a question about bottled water in schools. Like a slick politician, he did not answer her question. My daughter didn’t stand a chance getting her point across.  Mr. Jeffery went on to blame lack of  recycling as the reason why plastic bottles are clogging our landfills and oceans.  Meanwhile his corporation along with the American Beverage Association routinely fight bottle bills and recycling legislation.

I’d love to see Mr Jeffery, his wife and four kids to take a nice cruise out to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and see some of the impact his plastic bottles have made on our planet.  Better yet, I hope at least one of  his kids studies environmental science in school and comes home to ask his/her dad some tough questions.

Thanks to the wealthy CEO of Nestle Waters, my daughter is inspired to convince her friends that bottled water is not the way to go. His behavior at this screening did more than me or  the movie to turn my kid into an activist!

Meanwhile, I’ll do my part and drink water from my new Klean Kanteen. See Tapped when you get a chance. Take the pledge to stop drinking bottled water.

OK, so if your town and county is like mine, they are hurting for money right now. So here’s a way that municipalities can save money and create better health for their employees at the same time. It’s time to think outside the bottle.

You may have attended town meetings or county events in which bottled water is offered as a beverage. Towns spend our hard earned money to purchase cases of that bottled water. Why not encourage our public officials to cut  spending on bottled water, raise awareness about its environmental and social impacts, and better protect and invest in strong public water systems instead?

On average, the cost to treat, filter, and deliver water  is 0.2 cents per gallon – roughly 750-2,700 times cheaper than bottled water on a per gallon basis. Not to mention the cost of carting away those empty bottles, and the environmental impact of all that garbage.

The Center for a New American Dream and Corporate Accountability International are partnering to reduce bottled water consumption and promote responsible alternatives for institutions and individuals.  Check out their overview here.

Earlier this week, I blogged about Green Washing with my new wash machine. there’s another kind of greenwashing, but it has nothing to do with laundry. Greenwashing is  a form of white washing.  It is the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly.

These sort of deceptive practices have become widespread since green has become everyone’s favorite color.

Here’s an example of greenwashing at it’s best. The Poland Spring Eco-Friendly water bottle. According to the improved label, the new eco-friendly shape “looks and feels different because it is purposely designed with an average of 30% less plastic to be easier on the environment.”  The label on the bottle neglects to mention that the water bottles are one of the most detrimental products for the world.  30% less plastic than an average water bottle is a nice baby step in the right direction, but it really doesn’t change the reality.  It’s like a hybrid SUV that gets 13 mpg, instead of 10mpg. Or my mom’s Salem Light cigarettes. Those light cigarettes didn’t prolong her life, this eco-b.s. bottle is not gonna make a bit of difference when it comes to a cleaner environment! Despite what the corporations like to tell us, baby steps don’t work.

It’s time to take back the tap. Visit the website of Food and Water Watch to learn more.

I remember a few years back when I first started using cloth bags for food shopping.  It took a while to build a solid habit. To remember to bring the bags into the store, and to put them back in the car when I was finished with them at home. After a few months, it was simply part of the routine. Along the way, I grew quite a collection of re-useable bags. I’ve learned they can be quite handy to have for all sorts of things besides just food shopping.  I’m thrilled not to have all of those useless plastic bags in my house.

Its the same thing with water. Sometimes I forget to fill my bottle and bring it along.  I end up feeling like I’ve been duped when I find myself in a place where I have no choice but to buy a bottle of water. Considering that bottled water can cost up to 1000 times more than tap water, and that it adds to our  waste stream, I just don’t feel good about drinking the stuff.

The good news is, like my re-useable cloth bags, there are loads of way cool re-useable containers and the habit does catch on.  Both my husband and I use these way cool mugs ( I like to think of it as my “sippy cup”) that we found at Ben & Jerry’s. I always carry good tea bags on me, so all I need is some hot water and I’m good to go.

It’s a small habit, but small habits add up.

I hope some day soon, everyone will be BYOB.

When life hands you lemons, there is often an opportunity to make lemonade. Last week, one of my daughters cleaned her room by overloading our wash machine with all the clothes that had been festering on her floor. This overload of laundry caused my 10+ year old wash machine to up and die.

The repair man confirmed the death of my washer and then launched into an informative lecture about why we want to invest in a front loading machine this time around. While a front loader can cost more money than a top loader, front-loading washing machines use:
40 to 60% less water
30 to 50% less energy
50 to 70% less detergent
than top-loaders! These machines spin your clothes super fast, they end up spending less time in the dryer. My repair guy said depending on the cost of water and electricity, you could recover the extra cost of a front loading wash machine in less than a year.

Considering I live in a town with the most expensive water in the entire country (no kidding), I was sold.  As an added bonus, we found out that making the switch qualified for a ”Cash for clunkers” rebate along with a NY Great Appliance Swap Out. These two rebates brought the price down to close to a top loader. Not bad.

Next on my wish list to go along with my nifty new wash machine: a high tech outdoor clothes dryer!  This is at the top of my birthday wish list.  I’ve been a big fan of Project Laundry List for quite some time now.  I can’t wait to post a photo of my laundry line on their map.  If we’re every going to cut back on greenhouse gases and prepare for a life with less fossil fuels, these are the types of changes we’re all going to have to embrace.

In all of my years as a health professional, teacher and consultant,  I’ve been telling patients, clients and students the same thing about what to drink.  It’s really simple. Drink water.

As a dentist in private practice, I worked hard to convince parents of young toddlers to stay away from juice and drink water instead. Some of those toddlers were already hooked on juice, I supported those parents in making serial dilutions until their kids were drinking 100% water. Without a doubt, water is the  best drink for their teeth and for their bodies. I worked to convince the pediatricians in my community to stop recommending juice for toddlers. There is absolutely no health benefit gained by drinking juice. It creates a  sweet tooth and can be the catalyst for picky eating behaviors.

As a nutritionist and school food advocate, I’ve given many presentations that make the argument against soda, diet soda, sports drinks, “flavored waters” and juice. None of these products are good for our kids teeth, minds or waistlines. Water is the best drink for students.

Two giant multinational corporations, Coke and Pepsi, have shifted from just selling brown colored sugar water over the years. Coca Cola now own brands like  Minute Maid, Capri Sun, HiC, Nestea, Monster Energy, Odwalla, Powerade, Vitamin Water.  Pepsi owns Tropicana, Gatorade, Izze, Propel Fitness Water, SoBe.

I’m betting that you’ve seen some or all of these brands in your child’s school cafeteria or in your local market.  You may have been tricked into buying these products. They are heavily  promoted as “healthier for you” beverages. I wish they were healthier, but they really are not! My mom switched to “light” cigarettes in the 1970′s. Mom, along with millions of other smokers, thought light cigs were “healthier” for her than the full strength ones. It seems like the beverage companies are playing the same game.

Water is the best drink to drink. Eat fruit, drink water. Contrary to what you might believe there is no health benefit in drinking fruit juice. Pediatric endocrinologist, Robert Lustig, MD makes this point very clear by demonstrating that fructose is toxic in large quantities, because it is metabolized in the liver in the same way as alcohol, which drives fat storage and makes the brain think it is hungry.

As the years have gone by, I’ve learned more and more about the environmental impact of what we eat and drink. It should be no surprise that if something is harmful for the environment, its harmful to human health as well. After all, we are all connected.

When considering the bigger picture, the planet we’re living on, we’ve got to think beyond the drink and consider the container.  It’s time to take a stand against bottled water.  Movies like Flow and Tapped explain why we need to be concerned about this issue. Today Annie Leonard released a simple 8 minute movie, The Story of Bottled Water that tells it like it is.  Have a look:

A friend recommended The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight to me recently. Its one of those books filled with the bad news that makes many look away: we are running out of cheap fossil fuel, clean water and other scary stuff. The author Thom Hartmann, who has written many books on ADHD, makes an argument that TV is a part of the problem. TV works as an addictive drug that keeps so many people anesthetized.

What a tough book to read during the massive snowstorm that has hit our part of the country. We’ve been without power for 2+ days and have loads and loads of trees snapped and hanging on wires. I’m 200+ pages into this deep and thoughtful read and I’m finally coming to  what is supposed to be the hopeful part. I’m also hopeful that Con Edison will restore our power while I read these last 100 pages.

I’ll complete this review after I finish Part III: What we can do about it. If you want to take a deep and sometimes dark look at the problems we’re facing, this is the read for you.

photo ©Nancie Battaglia

Bill McKibben is one of my heroes. He’s an author, educator and environmentalist who has done more than just about anyone I know to engage and inspire people to take a stand on climate change.   The world has tapped Bill for a big mission and he has stepped up beautifully. Thanks to Bill,   350.org has become a world wide phenomenon.  (If you don’t already know why 350 is the most important number on the planet, then click here to learn more.)

This guy is a powerful writer. After reading Deep Economy , my world view changed dramatically. His words hit me deep in my gut that we’ve got to change the way we’re doing things.  I’m currently reading The End of Nature (written back in 1998) as part of  a book group on Food & Capitalism.

Yesterday he wrote a very moving post, No Time for Tears in Copenhagen but the last paragraph caused me to see red.

So no more tears. Not now, not while there’s work to be done. Pass the Diet Coke, fire up the laptop, grab the cellphone. To work. We may not have done enough, but we’re going to do all we can.

Do you see the red I’m talking about? My green hero drinks Diet Coke. The Coca Cola corporation, known for it’s red containers filled with colored sugar water, has been working non stop lately to portray itself as a green company.  The products that this multinational corporation sells are not good for our health or the health of our planet.

Coke and Diet Coke negatively impact your health. Here are a few ways:

High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been correlated with obesity, high triglyceride levels which in turn impact LDL cholesterol. HFCS also decreases your feelings of fullness, so you’re more likely to eat and drink more.

Phosphoric acid found in soda tends to leach calcium from bones which results in decreased bone density. It’s acidic pH also accelerates tooth decay.

Aspartame is an artificial sweetener found in Diet Coke what has been linked to some significant health issues including migraine headache, ADHD, vertigo and even brain tumors. This chemical creates sweet cravings and many people have found it to be addictive.

In addition to being hazardous to your health, Coca Cola wrecks havoc on the environment, not just here in the US but around the world.  Mark Thomas’s book, Belching Out the Devil illustrates the real story behind Coca Cola. I highly recommend this book for further reading on Coca Colas misdeeds globally.

Let’s take a peek at the environmental impact of a few ingredients in a can of Coke

Corn grown for High Fructose Corn Syrup requires loads of  petrochemical derived fertilizer and pesticides. Nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas 200 times more damaging than CO2, is liberated when those fertilizers are used.  Let’s not forget the dead zone resulting from fertilizer runoff in the Gulf of Mexico. Watch King Corn and Big River to learn more about this.

Aluminum cans require a huge amount of energy to create. While recycling is great and saves energy, less than one third of all aluminum cans come from recycled sources.

Water is 99% of Coca Cola’s product. This corporation has  gone all out to manufacture an image of itself as a global leader in water conservation. The water that goes into making soda comes from streams and aquifers. This water could be better used to irrigate sustainable agriculture or to hydrate thirsty people around the globe.  Also think for a minute about all that water that we are trucking  around in those big red Coca Cola trucks,  burning oil and creating exhaust that is adding more carbon into our atmosphere.

Bill, please re-think your drink! Your health is important, we all need you in tip top shape.  I’m sure you need some caffeine, after all, you’re working tirelessly to turn 350ppm CO2 into something as instantly recognizable as a Coca Cola logo.  But how about some green tea instead? In addition to a caffeniated boost, you’ll benefit from anti-oxidants. Tea bags are very portable, you just pop them in your re-usable stainless steel tea mug and add water. You can even enjoy it cold or room temperature.

Switching from soda to tea is a simple green strategy, one that we all can do, that will help to make the world a better place.

What do Stephen Colbert & I have in common? We both are looking at the many issues surrounding water this month.

This month, my free teleclass was all about WATER. If you missed it, you can dial this number to catch a recording of it. Call (712) 432-1286 and press 670585#. If you’d like, you can purchase a copy of the class notes which include more information on a deeper level along with resources. Click here to go to my website for the notes.

Mr. Colbert dedicated an entire episode of the Colbert Report on water that is not to be missed. One of my goals in life is to appear on the Report someday, this dude really makes me chuckle! Now that I’ve put that out there publicly in cyberspace I’m sure it will happen.

Back to water…Even if you don’t listen to the class, get the class notes, or watch the Colbert Report, here’s one tip that everyone should consider doing. Get a filter for your shower! While many people already filter their water for better taste and to decrease harmful elements including Chlorine and Fluoride, not everyone realizes how important it is to take the chlorine out of our showers! The steam we inhale while showering can contain up to 50 times the level of chemicals than tap water due to the fact that chlorine and other contaminants vaporize at a lower temperature than water. Inhalation is a much more harmful means of exposure since the chlorine gas ( chloroform) we inhale goes directly into our blood stream. When we drink contaminated water the toxins are partially filtered out by our kidneys and digestive system.

If you’ve got lung issues, skin issues, immune problems, this simple step of adding a filter will significantly improve your health. Here is one link to shower filters, there are many others out there.