SIGG or Stainless Steel Water Bottles?

I have been thinking a lot lately about reusable water bottles, ever since watching the documentary, Tapped. After doing a little research, I decided it is time to upgrade from the plastic and mystery metal freebies I've been drinking out of lately, and get something that is both safe and practical for my lifestyle.

I celebrated my 30th birthday last week. I decided this year to take the money that friends and family gave me as gifts and actually buy myself things that I would like to have rather than put it in the checking account like I usually do.

The first purchase I made was on amazon.com, where I found the best prices on two brands of water bottles that I wanted to buy and compare. I picked out a brand new SIGG bottle, as well as a Kleen Kanteen.

SIGG

My Newest SIGG Bottle!

I've had 2 different SIGG bottles in the past. Both of them were destroyed when I left them in my car overnight during the cold Wisconsin Winters, and the water inside them froze and as the ice expanded the walls of the bottle burst open. The last bottle I owned was a year or two ago, and I'm excited to have a new one again!

I like SIGG because they have beautiful and artistic designs that you can use to really express yourself while carrying around your water all day. I like the "loop" top (as pictured above), but the ABT top is a nice option for when you need quick sips too. I love that they have the BPA-free lining now, (the newer bottles with the yellow lining are safe, the older gold ones are not!). And finally, because the brand is fairly well known, I love that people will see me carrying it and know I'm making a statement about drinking out of non-plastic reusable containers.

The downsides of SIGG bottles is that they can be a little inconvenient to clean because of the small opening, but I solved that by buying a SIGG Cleaning Brush years ago. They are dishwasher safe, though my last couple bottles claimed that hand-washing will prolong the life of my bottle and the liner inside. I DO NOT RECOMMEND using SIGG bottles for hot liquids, as the metal will conduct heat and become very hot to the touch.

Kleen Kanteen

In 2004 when the first Klean Kanteen bottle was released, the only other options out there were polycarbonate plastic bottles or aluminum bottles lined with plastic resin or epoxy (like the SIGG bottles).

My Kleen Kanteen!

Klean Kanteen wanted to give consumers a safe, healthy, BPA-free alternative to plastic, a bottle that's reusable, environmentally sustainable and durable enough to last a lifetime. They chose to make a bottle from high-quality, 18/8, food-grade stainless steel, which they claim is one of the healthiest and most durable materials available.

Some of the key features that set Klean Kanteen® apart include easy to clean rounded corners and threads; high quality, food-grade materials that are BPA-free and don't retain or impart flavors; and durable, all-stainless construction including bottle threads.

They also set up their company and manufacturing to be environmentally responsible and sustainable from the beginning. They oversee our manufacturing every step of the way, from the sourcing of the basic materials to the retail floor and they're constantly working to cut waste and operate more efficiently. Read more about their sustainability efforts.

Kleen Kanteen was preferred by several of the reviewers of SIGG bottles on amazon.com, so I thought I'd spend a little of my birthday money and check it out for comparison!

According to their FAQ webpage, you still can't freeze them, but if you have a double walled insulated bottle, you can transport hot liquids in them, and even use them on stove tops!  

The biggest questions for me: 

Which is safer, the Stainless Steel in my Kleen Kanteen or the Aluminium in my SIGG bottle?

While I still am not sure which brand I'll ultimately end up with, I did find information on the topic. According to Kleen Kanteen's website:

"While aluminum is lightweight, it can leach harmful substances and chemicals when it gets hot or comes in contact with anything acidic. Studies have also linked aluminum exposure to Alzheimer's disease. To ensure that the drinks inside aluminum bottles are safe, the bottles must be lined with something.

The most common materials used to line aluminum bottles include plastic resins or baked-on epoxy, both of which can leach BPA and other harmful chemicals or can get scratched, exposing the aluminum underneath. Ceramic is another material used to line aluminum bottles, but it's more rigid and can crack.

Of even greater concern is the fact that many companies won't release information about what the liner on their aluminum bottles is actually made from. The liner can also retain flavors, which can make your drinks taste funky.

The stainless steel used to make Klean Kanteens® is time-tested, safe and completely free of BPA, phthalates, lead and other harmful substances. It's fine for acidic beverages or foods, and doesn't retain or impart flavors. That's why it's the material most commonly used in food preparation and by the brewing and wine-making industries."

The first paragraph above makes me a little nervous about cleaning my SIGG bottle in the dishwasher! The Kleen Kanteen site claims that the bottles are dishwasher safe, except for some of the plastic caps. Until I get the Kleen Kanteen, I won't know if it will be any easier to clean than the SIGG though, so the jury is still out on that issue.

Both the SIGG and Kleen Kanteen bottles will probably have issues with sweating, so to solve that problem, I added a fun rainbow striped neoprene water bottle sleeve to my order!  I love that it has a snap built into the handles so I can hook it onto my purse, lunch bag, a tote, belt loop, or whatever!

I'm a little nervous about the openings on the bottom corner, but hopefully there won't be too much of an issue.

To wrap things up here, I'd like to mention that I started this post wanting to talk about why everyone should want to run out and buy a SIGG bottle like the ones I've enjoyed using in the past. However, through my research, I'm starting to wonder if I may just end up converting over to stainless steel bottles like Kleen Kanteen! I'll follow up after I've had a chance to use both, but in the meantime, I'd love to hear about the types/brands of water bottles that others use. I'm especially curious about anyone who uses them for their kids instead of plastic sippy cups & bottles!

My Recent Communications with Lancome and PETA

Lately I've become more keenly aware of animal cruelty and have been trying to make a difference through my buying power.  I've stopped buying all meat, dairy, and egg products unless they are clearly free-range & pasture finished.


While researching how to find animal products that are acceptable to me, I came across a lot of other commodities that cruelly affect animals by testing on them for safety.


I instantly wondered about my favorite cosmetic line, Lancome, and hoped they would be on the PETA "DOES NOT TEST" list.  Alas, I was disappointed to discover that they were on the "DO TEST" list!  What would I do without my favorite skincare product, "Genifique," which I fondly refer to as my secret liquid gold?!?!?


After a large amount of internet searching, I couldn't find any definitive reasons why Lancome is on the "DO TEST" list, or any information about how or what they test on animals.  Everything I was reading though was saying that they DO test though, so I knew I had to make a difficult choice.


I called up my favorite Lancome representative.  She is this super posh, Russian woman, we'll call her G.  I told G I needed to cancel my latest order before she put the credit card through and that I could no longer buy Lancome products until they publicly took an oath not to test on animals anymore.  G was shocked and swore up and down that they have not tested on animals for over 20 years!  She told me to check the Lancome website and call 1-800-Lancome for more information & to get the proof I need.  I told her to wait on canceling my order while I followed up.


Here is the transcript from the email that Lancome sent me after I called them:

September 13, 2011


The safety of our consumers is our highest priority at Lancôme, a division of L'Oréal USA, Inc. Our products and ingredients undergo extensive screening so that consumers may purchase and use our products with complete confidence.
L'Oréal is a leader in developing alternative methods to animal testing with the ultimate goal of eliminating all animal testing completely. In 1989, L'Oréal voluntarily stopped using animal testing for the evaluation of its entire range of finished products. The company has invested $800 million over the last 25 years to develop innovative, alternative methods to animal testing, particularly in the area of reconstructed tissue development. We are totally committed to a future without tests on animals.
To learn more about L'Oréal's work in the area of alternative methods to animal testing, please visit our Sustainability website at http://sustainabledevelopment09.loreal.com/innovation/in-close-up-alternative-methods.asp.
We appreciate your interest in Lancôme and we hope this information is helpful.
Sincerely,Francesca SardiConsumer Affairs AdvisorRef # 6217727 

I found this a little bit confusing, given the fact that they are listed on PETA's website as a company that does perform animal testing.  So, I emailed PETA to ask why Lancome is on the list.  Here was their very prompt response:

September 14, 2011 

Dear Ms. Hutchings,

Thank you for your compassion for animals and for contacting PETA about Lancome, which is a subsidiary of L’Oréal. Unfortunately, L’Oréal is not as forthcoming as it should be about what exactly it does or does not do regarding animal testing.

L’Oréal claims on its website that it “has not tested its finished products on animals since 1989.” This statement has two loopholes. The first is that the testing policy outlined in the company’s most recently available annual report adds: “except in the case where national legislation requires it. This is the case in certain countries where L’Oréal operates and in those locations regulations require using animals before substances can be registered for commercial use.” The second is that the statement very pointedly omits any mention of ingredient testing. While European law forbids testing cosmetics products or ingredients on animals, companies are free to conduct some tests on animals outside the European Union until 2013. In 2008, L’Oréal stated, “[S]afety tests on animals are absolutely necessary and compulsory for some ingredients,” and it has not retracted this statement. In a 2010 Associated Press article (http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2010/01/14/technology-aims-to-replace-animal-testing), it was reported that L’Oréal does use animals for skin allergen tests: “Like other companies in the cosmetics industry, L’Oréal is racing to develop alternatives for testing wrinkle creams and lipstick to comply with European Union laws. Regulators there have ordered companies to phase out animal skin testing by 2013. L’Oréal has decreased its use of animal testing over the years, but still relies on the technique to test certain new chemicals.”

Some companies choose to use, develop, or manufacture certain kinds of ingredients that numerous progressive, humane cosmetics companies are able to function perfectly well without, and L’Oréal has argued that these ingredients must be tested on animals. But as L’Oréal could also choose not to use these ingredients, any testing of ingredients that is conducted, commissioned, or otherwise supported by L’Oréal is voluntary. This is indefensible, particularly as more than 1,000 cosmetics and household-product companies have already pledged not to test on animals.

However, we also recognize that L’Oréal has made significant contributions to the development of non-animal methods. Notably, L’Oréal is now funding the development of the Hμrel biochip, for which Hμrel Corporation was recognized with a PETA U.S. Proggy Award (http://www.PETA.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/2010/01/14/Hurel-Wins-Proggy-for-Groundbreaking-NonAnimal-Testing-Method.aspx). L’Oréal also launched EverPure, a line of vegan and cruelty-free products (http://www.PETA.org/living/beauty-and-personal-care/Ever-Pure-The-Vegan-Line-by-LOreal.aspx).

We would like to see L’Oréal state unequivocally that no tests on animals are conducted for any purpose, or if they are conducted, where and when testing on animals occurs and for what purposes. Please encourage L’Oréal to be forthcoming about its testing practices and policies and to clarify this issue publicly. Your voice as a consumer makes a huge difference for animals.

PETA will continue to work with L’Oréal to encourage it to end the use of animals for all product testing. Please contact L’Oréal’s CEO and encourage him to commit to a completely cruelty-free policy and to permanently ban all tests on animals.

Please send polite comments to:

Frederic Roze

President and CEO

L’Oréal USA, Inc.

575 Fifth Ave.

New York, NY 10017

212-818-1500

212-984-5019 (fax)

froze@us.loreal.com

You can also submit comments using the form at http://www.lorealparisusa.com/_us/_en/default.aspx#/#/?page=top{userdata//d+d//|diagnostic|main:contact|media:_blank|nav|overlay:_blank}.

For a complete list of L’Oréal subsidiaries, please go to http://www.loreal.com/_en/_ww/brands-l-oreal.aspx. For letter-writing tips, seehttp://www.PETA.org/action/activism-guide/letter-writing.aspx, and for more information about ways to help animals in laboratories, please visithttp://www.PETA.org/living/beauty-and-personal-care/companies/default.aspx  and http://www.PETA.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/default.aspx.

To get involved in PETA’s other campaigns, please see http://www.PETA.org/action/default.aspx. To make a donation in support of PETA’s campaigns to stop cruelty to animals, please visit http://www.PETA.org/donate.

Thank you for caring and for everything that you do to help animals!

Sincerely,

The PETA Staff

http://www.PETA.org

So, what was my final decision on my favorite product in my favorite cosmetics line?  Alas, it didn't matter because I didn't have time to complete the cancellation because while I was waiting to hear back from these companies, my previously arranged order was processed, so I guess I better go pick up my liquid gold tonight...since I paid for it and all.


In the future, well, let's just say that I think this will be my last bottle until 2013 when I can be confident that none of the brands that Lancome is affiliated with test any portion of their products or ingredients on animals.


What do you say Clinique, do you want me back? I know it's been about 10 years since I was a faithful customer, but I never stopped loving you and right now I'm really digging your upfront and honest animal cruelty-free ways...

Bread of the Week: Honey Walnut

I got a new-to-me bread maker last month at a garage sale from a trusted family friend.  I'm so excited to start making homemade bread every week now!  This new plant-based diet is really exciting to me because for the first time in about a decade, I don't feel like I have to be afraid of carbs anymore...as long as I know what's in them and where the ingredients came from!


Last week I made a plain whole-wheat one just get to my feet wet.  It was great warmed with vegan buttery spread, toasted, in a PBJ sandwich, or dipped in my made-from-scratch Kobacha Squash Soup!


This past weekend, I got more adventurous and on the request of my DH, I tried the Whole Wheat Honey Walnut Bread pictured above.  It turned out delicious!!!  It was a little darker in color, and understandably sweeter that my first loaf.  The walnuts were chopped up really small and were barely detectable with each scrumptious bite (texture-wise).


Next week's intended recipe: Oatmeal Bread!

Documentaries of the Week: Ingredients, King Corn, and Tapped

I had a wonderful weekend of cooking, cleaning, and walking with my dogs.  In the little down time I had left, I found time to watch three great documentaries through Netflix instant streaming.


The first one, Ingredients, came on recommendation from a friend, though it had already been sitting in my instant queue for a while anyway, just waiting to be watched.


This film was very good, though both DH and I felt like we had watched it before.  The story of the Canadian Farmer's Fight with Seed and Pesticide Giant, Monsanto, was very familiar to us.


Regardless of whether it was a repeat for us or not, it was a great reminder of why we should spend the extra money, whenever possible, to buy organic & local food.  It reminded me that not only are the pesticides they spray not something I want traces of in my food, but also the genetically modified foods are scary!  They are less nutritious and could even be harmful to our bodies!  I actually I paused this film about half way through in order to rush off to the farmer's market and load up on some yummy fruits & veggies!

The next documentary, King Corn, was also recommended by the same friend.  I'm glad she mentioned it because I'd seen it in the Netflix "Recommended" section (based on other films I'd viewed and liked), but I was totally judging a movie by its cover!  I thought the image (left) looked like some crappy 70's comic book cover or something, and didn't ever bother to look deeper and see what the film was about.


Turns out, it's about these two friends from CA who move to IA to plant an acre of corn and then follow their product through the commodities chain into our food system.


This was a GREAT film and I highly recommend it for anyone who needs a reminder as to why we should be avoiding processed foods!  Corn is in everything.  You can go to McDonald's and order a corn-fed burger, with fries fried in corn oil, and soda sweetened with corn syrup.  All because the government chooses to subsidize a few select crops over all others.  And the crops they subsidize are genetically modified, and actually cannot be eaten straight from the ground, but rather HAVE to be processed in order to become edible.  Gross!

The final documentary we watched this weekend was called Tapped. DH was getting a little "tapped out" on food films, so we decided to switch things up.  We had heard about this one a couple weeks ago from some tourists who had taken the Milwaukee Photo Tour with us, and while we walking along the Milwaukee River Way, our guide mentioned how ground water works in Milwaukee vs the surrounding suburbs and what an important resource it is.  The other tourist mentioned this film and it stuck in my memory.


This film was enlightening.  It is about the bottled water industry and the damage it is doing to communities, our health, and our environment.  Did you know until the 70's that only Europeans really used bottled water, and then they were glass?  Did you know that your city's municipal tap water is tested multiple times a day...and bottled water companies don't have to test their water at all?  Did you know that in many cases, bottled water companies just draw water from the same ground water sources that municipal tap water comes from, but they take it for free and then sell it back to you at highly marked up prices, sometimes at hundreds if not thousands of times the price it cost them to gather and package it?  All of it being the exact same water you could get out of your own faucet for free, just lest tested for safety and now exposed to harmful chemicals from the cheap plastic bottle it is packaged in?!?!?

I've been carrying around reusable water bottles for about 3 years now.  I started during my second master's degree because everyone else had these unique looking "SIGG" bottles and it seemed like the cool thing to do.  Plus, they often came with caps that can be hooked to your book bag or easily carried by looping one or two fingers through the middle.


It was a large investment at first (around $20 on average per bottle for this brand), but I did the math and it quickly paid for itself in only a few weeks, especially if I were to buy bottles one at a time from vending machines, rather than buying cases in bulk from the store.


I found myself drinking a lot more water at school, on the road, and even in the evenings when I had my own personal bottle with me, that I could refill whenever, wherever.  I also liked that I could express myself by my choice in decorative bottle too.


Over the course of three years, I became so accustomed to carrying free water with me everywhere (that I now get from my refrigerator Brita Filter), that I started collecting water bottles from any source I could find them.  I stopped paying the big bucks for my SIGG bottles and started buying cheaper generic aluminum bottles, then cheap plastic bottles, then collecting free bottles.... all plastic.


While watching tapped, DH and I realized how harmful to our health all the plastic food and beverage containers were!  This prompted me to do a little internet searching and I discovered the following list effects that Bisphenol A (BPA), found in hard plastics, can have on our health:

• breast cancer
• prostate disease and cancer
• diabetes
• obesity
• hyperactivity
• impaired, altered, and compromised immune system and functions
• miscarriage
• impaired female reproductive development
• sperm defects
• lowered sperm count
• chromosome abnormalities
• chromosome sorting errors
• Down’s syndrome
• Turner Syndrome
• Klinefelter Syndrome
• genitalia deformity
• early onset of puberty
• impaired learning and memory
• increased aggression

After watching this film and learning about all of this, DH and I immediately went into the kitchen, gathered up all the plastic storage containers we could find, and put them in a bag to take to goodwill.  Then went out to buy some glass food storage containers.  I'm currently in the process on deciding which cool design SIGG bottle I want to buy again to replace all the plastic ones we're getting rid of!


I strongly recommend that everyone I know watches this film.  And don't be surprised if you wind  up getting a fancy BPA free water bottle from me as your next Christmas gift too :)

Vegetable of the Day: Brussel Sprouts

I woke up super early this morning (about 5:20am) even though it's Saturday. I think my internal clock has been permanently set to the time I get up for work on weekdays now. Oh well, just makes more time to get things done...and then take a nap later on lovely weekend days such as today :)

The stalk of brussel sprouts that I purchased this morning looked similar to this before I picked off all the individual sprouts.

What the whole plant looks like before it is harvested.

Since I was up so early, I decided to head over to the neighborhood farmer's market as soon as they opened, so I could get the best pick of the cheapest produce this time.  I was planning to only buy organic, but some of the the non-organic but still local people had some interesting items that the others didn't have, such as broccoli and today's vegetable of the day... brussel sprouts!

I've never bought fresh brussel sprouts before.  I've bought them frozen once or twice, but DH doesn't like them so we don't make them often.  As a kid, I hated them!  I think most people have bad childhood memories of a mushy, maybe buttery, awful tasting green pile of brussel sprouts on their plate that they were forced to finish before they were allowed to leave the table.  They used to make me gag!  I'm sure it didn't help that the stubborn streak in me made me wait at the table for I'm sure about an hour until they were cold and even more disgusting before I would finally give in and plug my nose while swallowing them as quickly as possible to get it over with so I could get down from the table.

The sprouts I picked on my porch this morning.

As they so often do for many people, my taste buds changed once I became an adult and I was open to trying this scary vegetable again.  To my surprise, they weren't so bad!  I did drench them in butter again... but I could still detect some of their natural flavor coming through and too my surprise I kind of liked it!


When I saw them fresh on the stalk this morning at the farmer's market, I'll admit that I had to ask what they even were.  When they told me "brussel sprouts," I got kind of excited and knew I had to try to find some new recipe and make them from this fresh stalk!

The farmer told me to take it home, pick off each individual sprout, and peel off the outer layer of leaves.  I found a video on you tube about how to prepare them and it suggested cutting off most of the base, and even cutting a little slit up the middle to let the tough stalk cook and get tender.

I plan to split my sprouts between two meals.  Tonight, I'm going to just do a simple oven roast with the following recipe that I found on the food network:

Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts

1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts

3 tbsp olive oil

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix sprouts in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan occasionally to brown sprouts evenly.  Sprinkle with more kosher salt (I might skip this), and serve immediately.

Later in the week, I plan to use the remaining brussel sprouts and pan-fry them with some pancetta that I also bought at the farmer's market from a local producer this morning.  The vendor makes all his own pancetta and smoked meats right here in Milwaukee, and he gets all his meat from hormone-free, pasture fed animals in Iowa.  This will be my first venture back onto the meat side of things in exactly two weeks.  I feel a little nervous about it as I'm still unsure where my ultimate ethics stand, but at least I do feel a little better knowing where my meat came from.

I'll use half the pancetta for this recipe (see below), and the rest I will serve raw with some cantaloupe that I bought at the farmer's market too.  The farmer told me he picked it yesterday and it should be at it's ultimate ripeness by tomorrow!

Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 ounces paper-thin slices pancetta, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth (I'm going to try substituting vegetable broth here)

 

Directions

Partially cook the Brussels sprouts in a large pot of boiling salted water, about 4 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until beginning to crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts to the same skillet and saute until heated through and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the broth and simmer until the broth reduces just enough to coat the Brussels sprouts, about 3 minutes. Serve. 

Micronutrients vs. Macronutrients

In the documentary, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, Joe Cross talks about eating a micronutrient rich diet after completing a reboot period of juicing.

Micronutrients are vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals and often happen to be very low in calories. *Micronutrients are often referred to as “super foods” and include:

• Polyphenols – Found in nuts, and berries, these act as antioxidants and anti-allergenics.
• Carotenoids – Found in carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkin, apricots, and mangoes. These include beta-carotene, lycopene, and lutein and also function as antioxidants.
• Phytoestrogens – Found in soy, seeds, whole wheat and other whole grains, and some fruits and vegetables. These are plant estrogens and may help prevent breast and prostate cancer.

Macronutrients are protein, carbohydrate, and fat all of which contain a lot of calories. Macronutrient foods include all animal-based foods:

• Meat Products (including poultry)
• Dairy Products (milk, yogurt, cheese, etc)
• Eggs
• Fish 

At first glance, it looks like the reboot program is promoting a vegan diet.  Assuming that followers of the diet are not supposed to eat meat, dairy, or eggs would lead one to that conclusion.  However, the program actually promotes a micronutrient-rich diet.  It does not restrict you from eating macronutrients.  The website associated with the documentary does suggest the following guidelines for eating animal proteins after completing a juice reboot: 

 

Think about protein in a new way. When you are not on a Reboot, you should be eating protein. Protein is essential for a healthy immune system, building and maintaining lean body mass, regulating the speed of digestion, and overall energy levels. As Americans, we eat lots and lots of animal proteins like meat, poultry and pork. The typical American plate is 50% animal protein, 25% overcooked vegetable and 25% starch like white potatoes. Health advocates recommend, reshaping our plates for balanced, healthy eating. Recreate your plate by shifting to 50% plant foods like vegetables or some fruit, 25% lean protein and 25% whole grain.

Examples of the Plant Proteins You Should Be Eating:

• Beans & Legumes (lentils, split peas, black beans, garbanzo beans, hummus, kidney beans)

• Nuts & Seeds (walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds)

• Natural Nut Butters (almond, peanut)

• Soy Foods (edamame, tofu, soy milk)

The Animal Proteins You Should Be Eating:

• Organic, cage free Poultry

• Grass Fed lean beef (bison, ostrich, buffalo)

• Organic eggs

• Wild caught fish

As it turns out, the program is not in any way promoting vegetarianism or veganism.  It is actually just encouraging its followers to choose to eat organic, free-range, pasture fed meat and animal products whenever possible.  There are many reasons to do so, some of them nutritional and some of them ethical... both of which I will discuss in future posts.

There are also some controversial aspects to following this type of lifestyle.  Organic foods can be much more expensive than those found in the regular section of your grocery store.  In some areas, it may be difficult to find organic foods, or difficult to find the variety of foods that people need to make a complete healthy diet.

Personally, I think that trying to choose organic and local produce and animal products whenever possible is the best rule of thumb.  There will be times when the option is not available, and that's okay.  There will be times when financial constraints won't allow you to buy everything organic, and you'll have to pick and choose which items to buy organic, and which to buy in the regular section.  That's okay too.  Some foods are better to buy organic whenever possible, and I'll try to do another post sometime soon on the topic.

Why Juice?

Last week, my husband and I did a 5 day juice fast...or, should I say (as in the words of my cousin-in-law), a 5 day juice feast!  It would take so much fresh fruits and vegetables to go into just one glass of juice, that had we tried to eat them whole, we never could have eaten as much variety and quantity of the vitamins and minerals that we took in with juicing them.

The amount of produce that goes into just two servings of juice!

Many people asked why we were undertaking this drastic change to our dietary behavior, and we usually gave them the short answers of "for our health" or "because we watched a documentary that made us want to try something different and good for us."  We both wanted to quickly drop a few pounds, and thought this would be just the motivation we would need to jump-start a new healthier lifestyle.

The documentary that made us want to juice.

The juice fast really wasn't so bad.  DH had some digestive issues, but kind of went cold turkey while I had been slowly weaning my body off of "nasty" foods for quite some time.  I stopped consuming caffeine 3 months ago, quit artificial sweeteners 2 months ago, and was half-heartedly trying to stay away from refined sugars & carbs.  I'd been drinking smoothies for breakfast every morning for at least a couple of months, and I figured juicing would just be taking it all a step further.

OK, sure we were a little bit hungry the first day or two.  A tiny bit weak, but it really was not as bad as I thought it would be.  For the most part, I had plenty of energy while following this diet.  I felt lighter and leaner even the first day.  I lost a total of 7lbs before hitting a plateau, and then after incorporating solid plant-based foods into my diet I gained 2lbs back.  I should mention that we did not follow the juicing diet 100% either.  DH ate soups and salads for lunches, but juiced with me for breakfast and dinner.  I juiced all meals, but had 1/4C of nuts once or twice a day, to ensure I was getting enough protein and vitamin B12.  Also, we didn't follow the "reboot" correctly in that we didn't do the 5 days of preparing for the juice feast, we just jumped right in, cold turkey.  Also, we didn't follow it with 5 days of eating only fruits and vegetables (in juice smoothie, or solid form).  Rather we followed it with a period of eating only micro-nutrient foods.  This is something I'll discuss in another post.

The main problem we found with the juicing recipes on the reboot website, is that unless they were primarily fruit-based, they were gross!  We quickly discovered that we don't like any of them with ginger, and I learned that I don't really care for too much lime juice in a drink. Those that included any kind of peppers in the recipe turned out not to be our favorites, and we got a major overload of beets.  It quickly made us rethink what we were doing and begin looking to solid ways to eat the same foods.  If we were to reboot with a juice feast again, we'd have to experiment with some different flavor combinations to find something we could tolerate drinking on a more regular basis. We both still like the idea of starting our day out with one glass of fresh juice, I think the only question remaining is exactly which juice that will be...

But I still haven't answered the question that I teased you with at the top of the post: "Why Juice" in the first place?

The truth is...I don't really know.  I realize how crazy that sounds, but the more I search for detailed scientific answers, the more I seem to rely on the truth that it boils down to simple common sense.  Making a dramatic change like only juicing fruits and vegetables for a while helps to break the cycle of unhealthy eating in which many of us are trapped.  

I see juicing as a way to reboot the system by increasing the amount and variety of fresh fruits and vegetables and removing animal protein, fat, and grains; all of which eases the transition toward a mostly plant-based healthy diet and lifestyle.

By consuming only fruits and vegetables for a limited period, you can retrain your taste buds and begin to not only be satisfied by, but to crave a healthy, plant-based diet, and in so doing, promote a lifestyle that will lower risk for obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, macular degeneration, cognitive decline, and mental illness including depression.

Not only can a plant-based diet help you to manage your weight, it improves your immunity, decreases aches and pains in joints and muscles, promotes healthy skin, nails and hair, promotes increased energy levels, and promotes longevity.

Juicing vs. Smoothies

So the big question I had, was "why juice instead of eating whole foods?"  In fact, I even wondered if blended smoothies would be better, because then my diet would include all the pulp discarded by the juicing process.  This is actually a great debate among many in the virtual juicing communities I have encountered.  Personally, I find value in both methods of consuming produce, but for me, there were 3 main reasons to begin with juicing before transitioning to other ways of preparing fresh fruits and vegetables.

1. Juicing fresh fruits and vegetables releases digestive enzymes and certain phytonutrients that are locked away to us when we try to eat whole foods.
2. You can eat a greater amount and variety of fruits and vegetables when juicing them, which is important when you are not getting calories or nutrition from any other food source.
3. By only consuming juice for a limited period of time, you give your digestive system a break and time to cleanse & detoxify itself.

In defense of smoothies, phytonutrients found in the skin and flesh of fruits and vegetables are retained, as well as the insoluble fiber.  Fiber is important for regulating blood sugar, keeping bowels regular, aiding in hunger control, and may help prevent certain types of cancers.  It is important to note that in juicing, soluble fibers are still consumed, so some of these benefits are reaped through both methods.

Once a reboot juicing program has been completed, I personally prefer a varied diet of juicing, smoothies, and both raw and cooked whole foods.  

I particularly like smoothies because I find them more filling due to the insoluble fiber, and I like to add whole grains (I love to add steel-cut oats in my breakfast smoothies, and have even added quinoa and couscous), liquids (such as coconut water or almond milk, and various fruits and vegetables that you can't juice (like avocados and bananas).  Plus, you can use frozen fruits and vegetables in a smoothie, and I like to add blended ice to make it seem like more of a treat!

So there you have it, that's why any person in their right mind might consider an all juice diet for a while.  I'm sure there are more reasons out there, and as I continue to research this new lifestyle, I'll post more information.  I am now in the transition phase of going from juice-only, to a more "vegan" diet, all of which I'll describe in another future post.