Coca Cola Unravelled

I have a beautiful dear friend who I met up with recently. We sat at a cafe and she ordered a bottle of coke zero, then told me "its my 3rd one today, I used to be addicted to normal coke (coca cola), but I knew it was bad for me so now I have this instead." I smiled and nodded. I couldn't tell her that this fizzy browny blackish liquid was worse for her than regular coke. Or that she was making her health worse with every mouthful. Even if I did say something, would she have believed me, or just taken it as the strange ramblings of a Naturopath?

This post is for her and anyone else who drinks that swill.

I have done a few posts on my Facebook page recently in regards to the new ad campaign by coke - really, its ridiculous. Heres the ad:

Its like an alternative universe clip. Coca Cola wants to help fight the obesity epidemic. Hilarity ensues. Is this a joke? You want to help the community? SHUT. DOWN.

They are very proud of their smaller can sizes and the 'low kilojoule alternative' drink range available. Doesn't anyone wonder what they put in those drinks? Time for me to break it down for you.

Coke Analysis

Ingredients in regular coke: Carbonated purified water, cane sugar, colour (caramel 150d), food acid 338, flavour, caffeine.

Ingredients in diet coke: Carbonated purified water, flavour, colour (caramel 150d), food acid (338, 330), sweeteners (951,950), preservative 211, caffeine

Ingredients in coke zero: Carbonated purified water, colour (caramel 150d), food acid (338, 331), flavour, sweeteners (951,950), preservative 211, caffeine

Lets go through all these ingredients, shall we?

Carbonated purified water

The backbone of all fizzy drinks. Research on this shows that excess carbonated drink consumption can lead to increase bone fracture risk and erode tooth enamel. I believe the bone fracture component may be more to do with the phosphoric acid content (read below) and the tooth enamel claims show evidence on both sides of the fence for this, with some people stating that it erodes teeth as much as pure orange juice.

If you need a fizzy drink, plain carbonated water - soda water - is not a bad option. Its when other nasties get added it becomes a problem.

Cane sugar

This title speaks for itself - its sugar. Unrefined sugar cane offers a host of essential nutrients and minerals that refined and white sugars cannot. It contains magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, potassium and iron. The process of refining introduces many harmful ingredients to sugar cane, such as sulfur dioxide and phosphoric acid. Of course there is no way to know which version of sugar Coca Cola uses, but I'm thinking refined is on the menu. Good times.

Caramel Colour

“Caramel colour is made by a process involving the heating of corn or cane sugar and other carbohydrates to achieve the desired colour.” — Coca-Cola Co.

This sounds lovely, doesn't it? Everyone loves caramel! In actual fact the colour caramel is a chemical shitstorm nightmare.

Lets start with the heating of corn - lets translate this to high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). HFCS is a highly processed substance, which with moderate consumption is linked to heart disease, obesity, fatty liver disease, liver failure, dementia and cancer. This is because our bodies cannot process it and break it down like it can regular sugar. Unfortunately it is a cheap and easy thing to manufacture so it can be found in a lot of foods.

In 2011 the International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that caramel colouring is possibly carcinogenic to humans. And while caramel coloring is in a host of products (like baked goods and soy sauces), we consume higher amounts of coke and pepsi daily than these other products.

Research published by the US federal government’s National Toxicology Program showed that long-term exposure to 4-methylimidazole—a contaminant in the caramel coloring—lead to an increase in lung cancer in male and female mice. And these findings resulted in the addition of 4-MEI to California’s Proposition 65 list of carcinogens.

Food acid 338 - Phosphoric acid

Phosphoric acid is used in food, detergents, pharmaceuticals and metal treatment (e.g. pickling, cleaning, rust-proofing, polishing). Car bodies and electrical appliances are all protected against rust and blistering by the presence of a phosphatised undercoat. Phosphoric acid is used in the production of activated carbon, and may be used in soft drinks to give a sour taste.

This stuff is bad news for your bones. The way the kidneys excrete it is by bonding it with calcium taken from the bones, which can then leave the bones porous and brittle, and increase the risk of osteoporosis. A study, published in the Archives of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine in 2000, showed that athletic teenage girls who consume cola drinks have been found to have five times the risk of bone fractures of those athletic girls who do not consume cola drinks.

Phosphoric acid has also been known to cause kidney stones and increasing your risk two-fold to develop kidney disease.

Flavour

Well this is descriptive, isn't it? Anything can be flavour. Vomit is a flavour. This "ingredient" is so unclear on what it contains, its hard to tell if its is natural, naturally derived (chemical shitstorm made to sound natural) or artificial. 

Caffeine 

I did a blog on caffeine facts, click here if you want to read more.

Sweetener 951 - Aspartame

“Aspartame is a low-calorie sweetener made primarily of two amino acids: aspartic acid and phenylalanine. Aspartame has been shown to be safe for everyone, including children and pregnant women. When used in foods and beverages a warning on the labels is provided to people who can’t metabolize aspartame.” — Coca-Cola Co.

Aspartame is found in most "diet" sugar free alternative drinks. A review in 2002, says that sweetener 951 accounts for over 75% of adverse reactions to food additives reported to the FDA ( US Food and Drug Administration ). The potential health effects include cancer, asthma, MS like symptoms, headache, hyperactivity, fatigue,anxiety, dizziness, migraine, memory loss, depression, insomnia, irritability, impotence, epilepsy, blindness, diabetes, neuralgia, seizures, plus many others. More recently, aspartame has been shown to cause weight gain (so the "diet" drink really helps </sarcasm>) and worsen insulin sensitivity.

What does aspartame do in the body to make it so bad?

I found this summary at http://www.naturodoc.com/library/nutrition/aspartame.htm which I think is quite good.

First, aspartame releases aspartate during digestion.  Aspartate is a neurotransmitter used by the neurons in the brain.  It is a type of excitatory amino acid.  Excitatory amino acids are normal and necessary brain chemicals, and as such, they are allowed to cross the blood-brain barrier.  Aspartate, the principal chemical component of aspartame, is a neurotransmitter and a type of excitatory amino acid.  It is a natural and necessary body chemical.  Neurotransmitters cross the blood-brain barrier.

The blood-brain barrier is designed to protect the brain from the invasion of harmful chemicals.  When normal neurotransmitters such as aspartate and glutamate cross this barrier in excess, they will cause poisoning and lead to the death of the nerve cells within the brain and spinal cord.  The blood-brain barrier cannot discern the amount that is needed from too much.  So these neurotransmitters can build up undetected until a toxic level is reached.  This accumulation seems to be particularly insidious in its effect on the developing brains and nervous systems of children.

"The nervous system is designed to control the concentration of excitatory amino acids in the fluid surrounding the neurons, the extracellular space.  The main ones concerning us are glutamate and aspartate.  The nervous system does this by pumping the excess back into glial cells which surround the neurons and supply them with energy.  While this pumping system is very efficient, it uses enormous amounts of ATP, a high-energy compound that all cells in the body use for energy.

"If energy production is reduced in the brain, the protective pumps begin to fail and glutamate begins to accumulate in the space around the neuron, including the area of the synapse.  If the energy is not restored the neurons will burn up;  they are literally excited to death."

For those who found this explanation a bit technical, my uber quick summary is that aspartame gets into the brain and attacks it just like the rebels attacking the Death Star in Return of the Jedi. And we all know what happens then, right?

Yep. This is what happens in your brain when you have Aspartame. But you are the Empire, not the rebels.

Reading labels on food items is important but not sufficient.  Labeling regulations make it possible to conceal from the public information needed to make good decisions about diet.  For example, there are some circumstances in which a substance like aspartame or glutamate does not have to be shown on the label.  Often it is included under another term like "enhanced flavors or spices."  The public needs to be aware of these problems and demand more information.

So how come something so horrible for health is allowed to still be used in food? GOOD QUESTION! I wish I had an answer for you!

Sweetener 950 - Acesulphame Potassium (Acesulphame K)

This sweetener has been around since the late 80s, and the main problems surrounding acesulfame K are based on the improper testing and lack of long-term studies for its use safe use - I guess the general public are the lab rats here? 

 Acesulfame K contains the carcinogen methylene chloride. Long-term exposure to methylene chloride can cause headaches, depression, nausea, mental confusion, liver effects, kidney effects, visual disturbances, and cancer in humans. While 950 has not got as much press as aspartame, I think it is something to look out for and avoid so you aren't another lab rat.

Preservative 211 - Sodium Benzoate

Ahh, my old friend 211. I have mention this one in a few blogs. Pick up a fizzy drink, you are likely to see this as one of the ingredients. This happy little guy has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA and when consumed with vitamin C, becomes carcinogenic. I find it interesting that regular coke doesn't need this preservative - I guess there is enough other fun stuff in it to keep it preserved. 

And if this hasn't turned you off drinking Coke or other colas...

Heres a few coke facts that made the rounds a few years ago..

• In many US states the highway patrol carries two gallons of Coke in the trunk to remove blood from the highway after a car accident. 
• You can put a T-bone steak in a bowl of Coke and it will be gone in two days. 
• To clean a toilet: Pour a can of Coca-Cola into the toilet bowl and let the "real thing" sit for one hour, then flush clean. The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china. 
• To remove rust spots from chrome car bumpers: Rub the bumper with a rumpled-up piece of aluminum foil dipped in Coca-Cola. 
• To clean corrosion from car battery terminals: Pour a can of Coca-Cola over the terminals to bubble away the corrosion. 
• To loosen a rusted bolt: Applying a cloth soaked in Coca-Cola to the rusted bolt for several minutes. 
• To bake a moist ham: Empty a can of Coca-Cola into the baking pan, wrap the ham in aluminum foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the drippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy. 
• To remove grease from clothes: Empty a can of Coke into a load of greasy clothes, add detergent, and run through a regular cycle. The Coca-Cola will help loosen grease stains. 
• Coke will also clean road haze from your windshield. 
• To carry Coca-Cola syrup (the concentrate) the commercial truck must use the "Hazardous Material" place cards reserved for highly corrosive materials. 
• The distributors of Coke have been using it to clean the engines of their trucks for about 20 years! 

Plus a picture I found a few days ago:

Has this blog opened your eyes? I hope so :)

ADHD & Autism - are we overdiagnosing and overmedicating our kids?

Interesting question in an article from The Age today - are we overdiagnosing and overmedicating our children? http://www.essentialkids.com.au/health/autism/the-over-diagnosed-debate-20130613-2o5mb.html

Children who are diagnosed with conditions like ADHD, Autism, Asperger's Syndrome - are we getting better at diagnosing, or are we jumping the gun to medicate too quickly? In some cases, I believe the latter is true - there are so many reasons why children 'play up' and in some cases, this can be due to an intolerance or sensitivity to a food, or chemical. Remove the offending intolerance item, the child calms down. The elimination of certain foods and chemicals from ones life can take some time to investigate, so do people just not bother and take the easier option of medication? It's a very interesting debate!

For 64% of kids diagnosed with ADHD, a food intolerance is found to be the cause. Thats a huge percentage! Common intolerances include gluten, additives, preservatives and sugar. These allergies may also cause deficiencies of nutrients, such as zinc, omega-3 fatty acids (important for the brain) and protein (which helps with the production of neurotransmitters - chemicals which help with mood balance).

Many parents are not aware of the evils of some preservatives - one that is common in fizzy drinks (and I've mentioned in other blogs - Sodium Benzoate (211). Pick up a fizzy drink, you are likely to see this as one of the ingredients. This happy little guy has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA and when consumed with vitamin C, becomes carcinogenic. Parents may be looking at mineral water for kids as a 'healthy' alternative to coke, but its not a healthy alternative at all.

Please note I'm not trying to belittle any childs condition - every childs case is different, I'm writing this because some parents may not be aware of what can be done before putting their child on a lifetime supply of meds - I think it's important for them be aware of  the alternatives.

The 5:2 Diet - Fad or Fact? Time to experiment!

More and more I am hearing about a diet called the 5:2 diet – when I first heard about it, I was sceptical at this new fad diet, I even wrote a Facebook status about it, but I will explain my initial scepticism below. I am hearing more about it from different sources and have patients and work colleagues both trying it out, so its made me think... is there something good behind this diet? Is it just a fad, or is it fact?

About the 5:2 diet

So this diet was first made popular by Michael Moseley, who tried out the diet in the documentary, Eat, Fast & Live Longer. After 9 weeks on this diet, he found he lost 20 pounds (9 kilograms), a drop in cholesterol and lower blood sugar results. Pretty amazing stuff, as he didn’t increase exercise or anything else in his life.

The premise of the diet is for 5 days your eat normally, and then ‘fast’ for 2 days – this is not a total fast, but its a low calorie diet – men are limited to 600 calories a day, women 500 calories (a normal recommended amount to eat is 2000 calories per day). The days of fasting do not need to be consecutive.

There have been some studies on this diet type, which not only found weight loss and the cholesterol and blood sugar level improvements, but also improved brain function and even lower potentially cancerous  cells in the blood. This is due to a hormone known as IGF1. This hormone helps with normal growth in childhood, but in adults it can promote abnormal growth, such as cancer cells. By fasting, you are stopping the production of this hormone.  Other studies found that intermittent fasting increases levels of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF stimulates new brain cells in the hippocampus – the area of the brain responsible for memory. The shrinking of the hippocampus is linked with dementia and Alzheimer’s – so intermittent fasting may play a role in these conditions. BDNF also has been found to be a mild  anti depressant!

Why was I so sceptical?

When I first heard about it, I got told ‘fast for 2 days, eat whatever you like for the other 5 days’ Thats just opening the flood gates, by telling people you can eat whatever you want for 5 days - I know some people that would take definite advantage of this! And as for calorie control – never been a big fan. People may go for lean cuisine, diet foods or low fat foods to make sure that they don’t go over their calorie count. Just because something is low calorie, does not mean its good for you! How about your health? As a naturopath, I work with nutrients, not calories, so this whole calorie counting realm is new to me.  If people are educated that they need to eat REAL foods and enough protein to keep them satiated, then this diet works quite well.

This picture encapsulates my 5:2 diet scepticism perfectly.

Time to experiment!

My husband and I are doing the 5:2 diet to see not only how it feels and what its like to live on a low calorie diet, but also to see what happens to us. My husband loves to run, so he is observing if by fasting he will have more energy to run or less – online forums give both yes and no answers for this. The only way to know is to try it ourselves!

The first fasting week

My husband and I this week have started the 5:2 diet. Keeping in mind about nutrients and to avoid deficiencies, I have been very careful with what we eat. I have been using the calorie king app to help keep us on track as far as calories go and it has been a real education to both of us.

Spring vegetable soup with cumin - my very filling and a tasty 150 calorie fast day lunch!

By the end of the first fasting day, we both found it strange to eat and be hungry 10 minutes later. No food could fill us! The next morning my body felt very clean internally – hard to describe it. We went out to breakfast where this one meal was the more than the whole calorie count of the day before, but the food felt so nourishing and like every molecule of that food was beneficial to the body. A great feeling! 

Possibly my new favourite meal- quinoa crumbed eggs with goats cheese and green bean  & almond salad. This was my post fast day breakfast from The Artful Dodger in Elsternwick. Definitely more calories than I consumed the day before! nom nom nom!

I’m typing this on my 2^nd fasting day – it could be because I’m at home, but I’m finding it a lot easier today. I haven’t hit night time yet though. J

I will write blogs to follow up on the progress of this diet and will include meal ideas in those.

References to the studies mentioned are available upon request – laura.thenaturopath@gmail.com

The McExperiment - 40 Days down

Ok, so its been a little bit longer than  days since my first post about my maccas burger, but when I filmed this video and wrote this blog, it WAS 40 days, I've just been a little slow in pressing the 'Post' button. The world has changed a lot in this time, but the burger hasn’t much at all! It seems to have shrunk a little and the bun is so hard that it could cause some serious damage to someone if it got dropped from a building. It could even possibly break a footpath. Inside, the burger looks a bit shrunk but mould free, the cheese is pure plastic and the sauce is hard. The fries have gone crispy and brown and are also bullet hard. They still look quite greasy. There is still that greasy maccas smell present as well. In conclusion, the burger and fries are wrongtown. 

But what does this mean? Well as I see it, as the burger has shrunk as it has dehydrated. This means that there was moisture in it when I bought it. Mould, fungi and bacteria love moisture, as they need this to survive. Yet none of these creatures decided to take up residence here when the burger was been sitting out when moist! Has the preservatives in this “food” outweighed something to make this burger hospitable to live in?

One other thing I have to point out... this burger lives in my office on a bookshelf. It is easily accessible by mice, rats, flies, ants, roaches, cats, dogs, lions, tigers, dinosaurs... yet NONE of these creatures came in to investigate or eat my burger. I was a bit disappointed about the lack of dinosaurs. The only interested creatures were humans, as I gave my burger a show & tell session at a baby shower I was hosting. So who knows real food more – humans or rodents?

Dehydrating Food

So I mentioned in my last post that I would talk about other reasons why this burger wouldn’t age.  And one reason is something I have touched on already – dehydration. Dehydration is one of the oldest methods of preservation – it is food in which all the moisture has been taken out of it, thereby preserving it. As I said earlier, mould, fungi and bacteria thrive on moisture, so dehydration is a fabulous method of preservation, as long as the food has been dehydrated properly!

Good things about dehydrated food...

• Preserves food for months
• No need to refrigerate
• Make your own healthy snacks rather than store bought snacks
• Dehydrated food keeps its nutritional values

You can buy dehydraters at department stores and online. You can also make your own dehydrated food by using an oven on a low temperature setting with the door left ajar (you keep the food in it for a long time), or sun drying your food (just make sure that its a sunny day with no rain and your food remains bug free!)

In regards to this in conjunction with the maccas burger, if it has totally dehydrated, then it is preserved and therefore not going to age. I did some research on how long does dehydrated food last, but I couldn’t any conclusive time periods. Dehydrated food not exposed to oxygen can last 15 years. But this burger is exposed to oxygen... will it start to disintergrate?

What is Grimace?

I also mentioned in my last blog that I would talk about Grimace. The happy go lucky purple blob mascot for Maccas. What is he? The definition of the word grimace is: A twisted expression on a person's face, typically expressing disgust, pain, or wry amusement. Yes, well when naming happy food mascots, Grimace is obviously the first word I can think of which would make sense! (0.o) I have come to the conclusion that he is an enlarged fatty liver who shows kiddies what happens if you live a life of just eat maccas. His shape if put on the side is definitely liverish –

See where I'm coming from here?

He seems to be not too bright, showing decreased brain function, which happens when your liver isn’t working properly and you only eat maccas. Case closed.

Seriously Ronald, take him to rehab and save his life!

I had to include this picture in the blog, cracks me up, Ronald scares me so I would react exactly the same - 

The McExperiment part one: what I bought and why I'm doing this

I was the maccas kid. I lived for those Friday afternoons where my mum would take me to the local maccas for a happy meal. My toy collection from those meals is phenomenal and possibly collectible. I chowed down on those burgers because it was yummy, and it was good for me, right? right??

There have been many experiments with maccas burgers around the world, some of the more famous ones include the bionic burger (the video is lower down), and the photo series by American photographer Sally Davies gained media exposure as well. I also have friends who have had burgers for a number of years and it doesn't change. But what is it exactly that makes the burger not age?

There are a few thoughts on this...

Is it the preservatives?

This is the most common thought of why the burgers seem to stay preserved, which makes sense, because preservatives preserve things! I went onto the Australian maccas website, and this was the ingredient list for cheeseburgers:

REGULAR BUN: Wheat Flour, Water, Yeast, Sugar, Vegetable Oil (Canola), Iodised Salt, Gluten, Soy Flour, Preservative (282), Emulsifiers (471, 472e, 481), Malt Flour, Mineral Salt (170), Antioxidant (300, 304, 307, 330), Enzyme (1100), Vitamin (Thiamin, Folate).

BEEF PATTIES: Beef (100%).

CHEESE: Cheese (Milk, Salt, Culture, Enzyme (rennet)), Water, Milk Solids, Butter, Emulsifiers (340, 452, 331), Salt, Acidity Regulators (260, 330, 339), Colours (160b, 160c), Preservative (200), Soy Lecithin.

KETCHUP: Water, Tomato Paste, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Glucose Syrup, Vinegar, Salt, Spice.

PICKLE: Cucumber, Water, Vinegar, Salt, Preservatives (202, 211), Flavour.

ONION: Water, Dehydrated White Onion.

MUSTARD:Water, Vinegar, Mustard Seed, Salt, Colour (100), Spice, Flavour.

FRIES: Potato, Canola Oil & Sunflower Oil, Dextrose, Mineral Salt (450), Antioxidant (320). OR Potato, 

Canola Oil Blend, Antioxidant (320), Food Acid (330), Antifoam (900a), Dextrose.

 Things to note:

• Preservative 282 has been linked to causing mood swings and sleep disturbances in children
• Mineral salt 170 is calcium carbonate - often used as a calcium supplement in brands like caltrate, but this form of calcium is not easily absorbed and also reduces stomach acids (which helps digests foods) and is also linked to causing Milk-Alkali syndrome - a condition which can cause kidney failure and hypercalcemia (too much calcium in the body)
• Colour 160b - annatto extracts, bixin, norbixin - is recommended to be avoided due causing adverse reactions such as headaches, irritability, attention disturbances, headbanging in young children, skin rashes, sleep disturbances... nice hey?
• Preservative 200 - sorbic acid - is recommended to be avoided as it can cause skin irritations, asthma and behavioural problems 
• High fructose corn syrup can be translated to mean super refined sugar crap. It is cheap to produce which is why it is in so many foods. It interferes with your metabolism by slowing down leptin - the hormone which tells you when you're full and to stop eating. No leptin, no fullness!
• Preservative 202 - potassium sorbate has been linked to allergic reactions, skin irritations and behavioural problems and recommended to be avoided
• Preservative 211 - sodium benzoate has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA, which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. This additive is common in fizzy drinks and Fanta drinkers beware - research indicates that when this preservative is mixed with vitamin C, it becomes carcinogenic!
• Colour 100 - turmeric is cautioned to those with a salicylate or amine allergy due to the concentration levels
• Synthetic antioxidants are often overlooked, as people assume because its an antioxidant, its ok to eat. Some people get reactions after a single dose of one of these, however there are thoughts that a build up effect in the body can cause problems in people as well. What have they been linked to? irritability, restlessness and difficulty falling asleep; mood swings, anxiety, depression, panic attacks; inattention, difficulty concentrating or debilitating fatigue; eczema, itchy skin rashes, reflux, bloating, abdominal pain, stomach aches and other irritable bowel symptoms including constipation; headaches or migraines; frequent colds, flu, bronchitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, stuffy or runny nose, throat clearing, cough or asthma; joint pain and arthritis.

So from the ingredients there are a couple of nasties in there, but there are some things to consider:

• The beef patty is 100% beef - but what part of the cow? was it given hormones or antibiotics? Was it sick?
• The mustard has flavour - umm... thats a broad statement! What IS flavour exactly?
• The bun contains soy flour - Soy is a very controversial topic, if it is whole soybean, organic, non-GMO, then a big thumbs up, but something tells me its not.

Definitely some of these ingredients would be inhibiting bacteria growth and it also seems to keep all the cockroaches and mice away as well.

This video from the bionic burger man gives a list of the ingredients in the American beef patty - I think it would be a bit naive to assume we don't get any of these.

Is it the packaging?

Some people think that it's the fact that the burger has been allowed to dry out that preserves it. There have been experiments where a range of burgers have been put into plastic bags where the moisture causes condensation which causes mould to grow.
I'm keeping mine in the original bag in room temperature in my office. Surely that would mean it would attract some form of rodent? Time will tell!

Is it the fat content?

One site said that mould and fat don't mix, so is it the high fat content which turns mould off these products? Cheeseburgers have 11.2% fat, the fries have 19% fat. Is that enough to keep mould at bay? I will keep researching on this.

So this blog entry is long enough now to give you an idea why I'm doing this McExperiment. In future blogs on this, I will look further into reasons why the burger stays normal (if it does stay the same!) and also I will explore the age old question - What is Grimace anyway? Has anyone else wondered this??

Stay tuned! :)

A juicy post - What to know about juicers

 I've finally invested in a new juicer and I'm really excited about it. Is that bad? Is that too Naturopathic? Well , if it is, I don't care, because I have a new juicer! Squee!

There are many juicers out on the market at the moment and so I thought I would tell you about the 2 most common types, just in case you are thinking of investing in one of these for your kitchen. Now, some people work a lot better with a video to show the demonstration, so I have a video for you to explain it all...

For those who want a written bit of info, here's what I'm talking about.

The Centrifugal Juicer

This is your stock standard juicer which you can purchase at department, appliance and electrical stores. These are the Brevilles, Philips, Moulinex, kambrooks, etc. They work by grinding the fruit & vegies using blades, then pushing the juice through a very fast spinning strainer (a bit like a washing machine, or a salad spinner). The pulp is disposed of out the back of the juicer and your juice should neatly be disposed of out the front.

Pros for this juicer:

• This is a fast and cheap juicer which is a good option for those who are not die-hard juicer fans or are newbies to making their own juice. 
• Some models allow you to put a whole piece of fruit into the feeder, so you don't need to spend time cutting up fruit for the whole. 
• They normally juice most fruits & vegies, except bananas, avocados and leafy greens.

Cons for this juicer:

• The amount and quality of the juice isn't fantastic. 
• The juicer generates heat which can oxidise the fruit & vegies, plus and the way the food is minced also oxidises the juice. If you make juice in it, you should drink it straight away or it may go brown. 
• This juicer will not handle leafy greens so well. You can put a bunch of spinach into it and be lucky to get a few drops of juice. 
• You will notice in the pulp, that it is still quite wet, meaning it didn't extract all the juice.
• Cleaning it can be an absolute bitch. The centrifugal unit needs a thorough scrubbing and straight away or it sticks and goes hard.
• They can be very noisy!

The Slow / Cold Press Juicer

Rather than grinding the fruit & vegies with a blade, the slow juicer uses a spiral gear which rotates and presses the juice out of the produce. Some units are designed also to make baby food, nut bitters, sorbets and sauces. They are available in both single and twin gear types.

Pros for this juicer:

• The quality of the juice is superb and it doesn't oxidise, meaning it can last a lot longer.
• These juicers will juice all fruit & vegies, including leafy greens, wheatgrass and herbs.
• It's nice and quiet to operate.
• Very easy to clean - just a rinse on water through the unit, then pull it apart and run the gear under the tap. 

Cons for this juicer:

• These units can be an expensive bit of hardware, so it shouldn't be purchased under a whim.
• You need to cut up your fruit and vegies before feeding them into the juicer, which can be annoying for those who are in a hurry.
• The unit works a bit slower than the centrifugal machines.

Slow /cold press juicers are available through health foods stores, online stores such as Vitality 4 Life, or even myself, as I am a stockist of their juicers (mention this blog to me for a special 10% discount on a juicer!).

If you want to see the juicers in action, there is a demonstration in the video above, it'r roughly 5 minutes into the video.

So both of the main juicer types have their own pros and cons and when choosing a juicer, you should find one which suits your lifestyle and budget. There is no right or wrong juicer.

Photos from the juice experiment

Here is the juices straight after making them. The one with the clear swizzle stick is the centrifugal juicer, the orange swizzle stick is the slow press juicer. And the woman in the background is my mother in law :)

The juices after 10 minutes:

You can see that the centrifugal has separated into a very clear juice and a large amount of foam onto top, whereas the slow juicer has a small amount  of foam and the juice is quite dense.

Here is a picture of the leftover pulp:

The one on the left is from the centrifugal juicer. As you can see, there is a bit more leftover and its a bit squishy/mushy to touch, which means not all the juice may have been extracted. The leftovers on the right are quite dry and compacted.

A note for juice newbies...

Not sure what to juice with your new contraption? The list is endless, it just depends how brave you're willing to be! I never give amounts of ingredients with juicing, because everyone has their own individual tastes, which you get the taste for after having a few, but here are some favourite mixes of mine...

• Apple, orange, carrot, ginger
• Apple, beetroot, carrot, celery, lemon
• Watermelon, apple, mint
• Pineapple, apple, lemon, orange
• Spinach, pineapple, cucumber, mint
• Everything you have in the fridge - for the truly daring!

Happy juicing! :)

Easter and Chocolate - Your guide to doing it right!

Happy Easter to those who celebrate it and Happy March/April holidays to those who don't!

Whether you celebrate or don't, you must have noticed the large amount of chocolate eggs and cardboard bunnies filling supermarkets recently. Yes, Easter is to confectioners as Mothers Day is to Florists - a chance to make oodles of money and to get as many children eating chocolate as possible. Maybe in the future this holiday will be known as Diabetes awareness holiday?

I am not going to sit here typing and condemning people on buying chocolate for kids, but I will give a few pointers on what to look for when buying chocolate so at least you don't give them a helping of chemical shitstorm along with it.

First, a quick history lesson!

As a trivia nut, I love researching these things. I wanted to know how chocolate came to be apart of Easter. There are a few different European traditions which provide answers on why an egg was used:

• Eggs are a symbol of fertility and Easter was originally a celebrated at the time of the Spring equinox with a feast for the Earths resurrection and birth. Extra trivia here - The Assyrian goddess Eostre was the goddess of birth - this is where the name Easter comes from! ;)
• In Christian customs, eggs were stained red in the memory of the blood of Christ shed at his crucifixion.
• In traditional Lent, eggs were forbidden as they were seen as a dairy food and the day we know as Pancake Tuesday was used to mark the last day where eggs could be consumed before Lent begins.
• In Jewish tradition, there is a custom of having a roasted egg as part of their Passover meal (Seder).
• Easter eggs in Europe are covered in a wax and then brightly painted to symbolise new life.

A German tradition of hanging eggs from trees - a picture from my beautiful friend in Germany xoxo

I'm sure you are all learning something from this, but what does this have to do with chocolate? Chocolate Easter eggs were first sold in the 19th century by French and German confectioners. Chocolate is much nicer to eat, so it was a brilliant idea!

What to look out for this Easter...

1. Say no to palm oil!

You may or may not be familiar with what palm oil is doing to our planet? Palm oil is extremely popular to use by manufacturers and can be found in baking goods, confectionery, cosmetics, body products and cleaning agents. Unfortunately most palm oil produced is not from sustainable methods and vast areas of rainforest are being slashed and burned to make way for palm oil plantations. Many orangutans (who are dwindling in numbers) and other wildlife are being killed in the process.

Many countries have laws about mandatory labelling of palm oil, but companies hide it under other names, such as vegetable oil - how many times have you seen that on a packet? Visit http://www.saynotopalmoil.com/palm-oil.php for the top 30 list, its incredible.

So what chocolate is palm oil free this Easter?

2. Avoid the chemical shitstorm

I took this photo when I was buying chocolate for my 6 nieces and 1 nephew:

Needless to say that this product did not get purchased. What is half this stuff? the flavour vanillin is actually pulped treated wood chips which happens to smell like vanilla and is a very common cheaper flavour added to foods - watch out for it. Vegetable oil also lurks in this ingredient list, as does colours which are recommended to be avoided by the Hyperactive Children's Support Group, as it may cause allergic reactions.

What to look for when buying Easter eggs...

• As less amount of ingredients as humanly possible - its chocolate, not a chemistry experiment.
• Avoid anything that has palm oil or vegetable oil in it (look at the list above for good companies)
• Opt for dark chocolate if your child will not wrinkle their nose at it - dark chocolate has been less processed than milk chocolate  - see my facts on cocoa blog for more info.
• Go for organic chocolate if you can find it - at least you know the cocoa they use is only cocoa and not cocoa + sprays to keep insects off!
• Don't over indulge - Australia is large enough already, lets not keep adding to our obesity epidemic by buying little Johnny 100 eggs and then wonder how he developed diabetes when he is aged 8. Lets be sensible!