Sodas

We interviewed Ken Gootkind, head of the natural and organic product lines for Apple and Eve.  Boy, have they got some great new products for kids!  The first to bring to your attention is FIZZ ED.  This is a genius answer to replacing soda.  It is 8.4 fluid ounces of 70% juice and 30% carbonated water.  That’s it.  No bad chemicals added.  No added sugar.  Only fruit juice and sparkling water.  A bonus is that Apple and Eve uses the better sources for both their natural and organic juices.  This product is first being introduced into vending machines at schools.  Yeah - a far better beverage choice than the junk sodas.  You will also see it in stores soon.  The four flavors are: Pomegranate Cherry, Orange Mango, Green Apple and Red Raspberry - Yum  Here’s your answer for drink treats, especially for parties!

And there is more …. FRUITABLES.  This is a great new vegetable/fruit juice drink for kids. You will find a nice flavor and nutrient balance that includes carrot (yellow, purple, orange), beet, pumpkin, tomato, and butternut squash Juices.  When was the last time you kids drank beta-caroteen-filled pumpkin and butternut squash juice?  The three flavors are: Strawberry Kiwi, Tropical Orange, and Berry Berry. Again, no added sugar, bad chemicals and unwanted ingredients. Perfect for school lunches!!!!!   Fruitables will be showing up in your stores soon.

Apple and Eve, known for quality, are ahead of the curve when it comes to creating healthier products for kids.  These new products are example of this truth.

For more about Apple and Eve, listen to Ken on our archived show by clicking on to www.BetterFoodChoices.com/BetterFoodChoices. 

… for the health of your family,

ellen

The School Beverage Guidelines set in 2006 says the “beverage industry is to provide lower-calorie and smaller portion options in schools, including the removal of full-calorie soft drinks, all by the 2009-2010 school year.”   How are they doing?  Since 2004 the schools show that beverage calories shipped to them have decreased by 58 percent and 79 percent of schools with beverage contracts are in compliance.  This is a step in the right direction but there are two major flaws. Lower calories from companies such as Coca Cola usually means sugar-free artificially added sweeteners, not good.  Plus, smaller prices usually do not follow smaller portions.  In addition to sodas, juices are a target for reduced drinks, and rightfully so.  The sugar-added ones can have over 300 calories in a container fitting vending machines.  These sugar added juices comprise 39 percent of vending machine beverages sold. The number one sold snack is chips -  no surpise there.

Pssst.  Want to know who is connected to the School Beverage Guidelines?  The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, American Beverage Association, The Coca Cola Company, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and Pepsico.  Lots of independent thinking there.

We have a long way to go to change the vending machine culture.  All of those reading this blog should know that there are vending machine companies offering natural healthier drinks and snacks. Tell your schools to write contracts with them.  

Source: Sarah Hills, “Pressure to cut calaories from school vending machines”, www.foodnavigator-usa.com, 10/6/2008.

Actually NO soda is recommended. Diet sodas almost always contain some form of artificial sweetener. Many can be sickening. Above, we just described the serious concerns of aspartame. As a rule, avoid anything with artificial sweeteners. Sodas are mostly nutrient-empty and artificially additive-filled. Water is the only ingredient that has merit.

The rest of the ingredients usually include: high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners, artificial dyes, phosphorus (used in Rustoleum as phosphoric acid), sodium, carbonated gases, and sometimes caffeine. Processed Sugar has addictive (want more) qualities and is known to disrupt immune system efficiency.

Artificial Sweeteners are known to contribute to damage in the nervous system, interfere with the production of serotonin inviting depression, and challenge the thyroid. Dyes are mostly made from petroleum, coal tar, and other sources that are known to cause food sensitivities/allergies. Some are suspected of being related to ADD/ADHD conditions.

Phosphoric Acid leeches bones of needed alkaline mineral, calcium, and can dissolve bones and teeth. Sodium, in excess, makes you thirsty. It also alters potassium and other mineral levels thereby causing electrolyte imbalances and circulatory problems. Caffeine may damage the pancreas and lead to adrenal burnout, fatigue, and hyperactivity. Gasses are disruptive to the digestive system.

Why subject young growing bodies to any of these consequences? Serve them water, diluted 100 percent juices, or other drinks found on the Better Choices Grocery List. You will find some carbonated drinks on this list. They use better ingredients and can be served as treats once in a while. The high percentage of kids drinking sodas before school is disturbing.

I heard one mother on the radio saying she would never drink soda for breakfast. However, she does give her young kids a glass of soda with their breakfast. She went on to say that she thought this was okay since she also gives her kids cereal with milk. Stunning. Absolutely unbelievable. Yet, totally believable since it is human to rationalize in order to avoid making the tough decision of saying to your kids, “No more soda for breakfast.”

Over-tired moms sometimes take the path of least resistance. We sure understand this. That is why we worked hard at making it easier for moms to serve their kids quick and easy, good tasting, and nutritious breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinners. Sodas in them morning, diet or regular, are the worst way to start your son and/or daughter’s day. Sodas anytime of day may be mentally and physically disruptive and can pave the way to illness.

Use the Better Food Choices Grocery List for alternative good tasting drinks. Your kids deserve the chance to be the best they can be!

Soda companies a find themselves competing with water sales, be it simply spring water, vitamin and mineral enhanced water or flavored waters. The consumer has begun to respond to the negative facts about sodas - just enough to concern soda manufacturers. As a result, these companies have done three things. They have bottled their own purified water products. In addition they have bought companies which have produced and marketed flavored waters. The third move they made in order to regain and exceed market share has been to create a variety of seemingly better for you sodas. Do not be fooled by this last tactic.

Vitamins and minerals are being added to sodas. Remember, most contain caffeine which is known to leach the body of nutrients. There are conflicting factors affecting the absorption and use of these added nutrients.

The use of the word “carbonated” is being replaced by “sparkling” trying to make soda sound healthier to the consumer. Bottom line: bubbles in drinks are made by gassing liquid with carbonated gas.

No-Calorie - Zero Calorie - Low Calorie sodas. When there are no calories in these drinks, what gives them the sweet flavors? “They (the soda manufacturers) are much more skilled at using blends of sweeteners and flavor blockers to more closely simulate the taste of regular of sugared products.”* What are these sweeteners and flavor blockers made from? Be careful.

Extra energy is being added to some sodas - yes more caffeine. “Energy-infused sodas”* Energy - good energy - is being alligned with caffeine energy. To make this seem more desireable, they are adding different flavors such as berry (Vault Red Blitz).

Flavors and more flavors - “Lemon, lime, cherry, strawberry, vanilla, caramel are just a few of the tastes that have been added to colas.” * And the source of these flavors? Most probably the more cost-effective dyes created from petroleum, coal tar and chochineal beetles (red, pink and purple).

Consumers, MOMS, and KIDS, out-smart the soda manufacturers. Choose wisely for the your health and productivity. Use your smarts and drink brain fuel, water, the true energizer!

*Laura Petrecca, “So many new soft drinks, so little time”, USA Today, 3/13/2007,. p. 3B.