Break-Free from processed foods and sugary drinks

Proof exists that reducing sugar and fat intake leads to higher IQs and improved grades in school as well as reducing violence!

Christina Pirello, authority on natural and whole foods posted this article yesterday about changing school cafeteria menus. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christina-pirello/can-we-cut-crime-by-chang_b_460649.html

An interesting idea!

Geardiary.com Reviews a cool PRIMO water cooler

For all of you who are looking for a way to use less plastic bottles while still consuming fresh-tasting clean water, you have to check out this new product from Primo that was reviewed on GearDiary.com.

check it out: www.geardiary.com/2010/02/14/primo-bottom-loading-water-dispenser-review/

Crystal Light Launches "Water Your Body" Campaign

Kraft brand Crystal Light has sponsored the January 2010 issue of People Extra launching their new campaign, "Water Your Body". With a focus on health and hydration, Crystal Light is recommending their drinkers to "Water Up." Thankfully, they recommend using a special water glass or a reusable bottle and not individually bottled water that end up in landfills! Visit crystallight.com to find out how you can drink more water.

NYT: "Safe" tap water can legally contain dangerous levels of cancer-causing agents

More this week from the New York Times about the safety (or should we say unsafety) of our tap water. Current regulations and laws, including the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act, simply aren't stringent enough to guarantee that the tap water flowing from our faucets is pure, safe and free of toxic chemicals.

The latest in the newspaper's Toxic Waters series highlights the harm that can be caused by so-called legal levels of toxins and contaminants, including arsenic, uranium, lead and bacteria. Exposure to these toxins has been linked to illnesses from the innocuous -- an upset stomach -- to the deadly -- birth defects and cancer. Since 2000, no new chemicals have been added to the list of those that the EPA monitors under the Safe Drinking Water Act.

The 35-year-old federal law regulating tap water is so out of date that the water Americans drink can pose what scientists say are serious health risks — and still be legal.

Only 91 contaminants are regulated by the Safe Drinking Water Act, yet more than 60,000 chemicals are used within the United States, according to Environmental Protection Agency estimates. Government and independent scientists have scrutinized thousands of those chemicals in recent decades, and identified hundreds associated with a risk of cancer and other diseases at small concentrations in drinking water, according to an analysis of government records by The New York Times.

If you receive your water from your local municipality, every year you should receive a Consumer Confidence Report in the mail detailing the so-called safety of that tap water. These reports also are available online for some cities and towns at through the EPA's Web site. These reports include information about any contaminants found in your local drinking water, and oftentimes, you'll read that the contaminants are within safe levels.

But that notion of safety is very misleading, as the New Times investigation details:

For instance, the drinking water standard for arsenic, a naturally occurring chemical used in semiconductor manufacturing and treated wood, is at a level where a community could drink perfectly legal water, and roughly one in every 600 residents would likely develop bladder cancer over their lifetimes, according to studies commissioned by the E.P.A. and analyzed by The Times. Many of those studies can be found in the Resources section of the New York Times.

That level of exposure is roughly equivalent to the risk the community would face if every person received 1,664 X-rays.

Fashion Alert: Primo Water and Rachel Zoe

It seems that Primo Water is becoming a darling with reality television stars.

We told you earlier this week that we spotted a Primo Water dispenser at the home of "Biggest Loser" winner Danny Cahill.

Well, we just got word from the director of operations for Rachel Zoe's company that they just received their Primo Water dispenser. They've set it up in their offices, and report that it looks great and is working great.

Oh my God! Shut up. Oh my God!

Hollywood stylist Rachel Zoe is a fan.

Oh my God!

We'll be keeping our eyes open for next season of the Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo to see if we can spot Primo sharing screen time alongside all those designer labels Zoe chooses for her A-list celebrity clients.

Tainted water supply, water filter blamed for one death, two illnesses at Miami hotel

Fox News is reporting that the luxury Epic Hotel in downtown Miami has been evacuated after one guest died and two others became sick from a bacteria-tainted water supply. And it appears that a water filter that the hotel had installed to remove chlorine from its tap water is to blame:

About 300 guests have been relocated from a luxury Miami hotel after one guest died and at least two others became sick from a bacteria in the water.

Health officials say the guests at the Epic Hotel in downtown Miami were sent to nearby hotels Sunday to prevent further contact with the Legionella bacteria. It can cause potentially deadly pneumonia. It spreads in contaminated mist or vapor, not from person to person.

An investigation last week by county and state officials revealed that the hotel had installed a water filter powerful enough to remove chlorine from its city-supplied water, a move that encouraged bacterial growth.

In an unrelated case, the bacteria killed a man in Gainesville last week. He had contracted the disease from the water supply at Shands Cancer Hospital.

"Biggest Loser" Winner includes Primo Water in Weight Loss Efforts

"Biggest Loser" winner Danny Cahill obviously realizes the importance of pure, great-tasting water to a healthy lifestyle.

Cahill, a land surveyor from Broken Arrow, Okla., lost an astounding 239 pounds to win the latest season of the hit NBC reality show.

Guess what we spotted in Danny's kitchen in one of the episodes leading up to the finale? A Primo Water dispenser.

To win the "Biggest Loser" and drop 239 pounds, Danny had to trade his unhealthy habits for healthy ones. One of the easiest changes people can make at the beginning of any health makeover is to switch from sodas, sugary beverages and caffeinated drinks to water.

But as the contestants on the "Biggest Loser" learned, making healthy choices can be quite difficult when other temptations surround you. Weight loss winners like Danny learn to surround themselves with healthy options -- fruit and veggies to snack on instead of high-calorie sweets and great-tasting Primo Water to drink instead of sodas.

Like diet and exercise, water should play a role in your weight loss plan, according to a Wake Forest University nutritionist:

• Water can decrease your appetite. The next time you feel hungry, drink a glass of water and wait 20 to 30 minutes to see if those hunger pangs subside.
• Water can help you cut calories. Most people drink a lot of calories throughout the day. Consider replacing sodas, sweet tea and juices and zero-calorie water.
• Caffeinated beverages act as a diuretic and can lead to dehydration. By the time you feel thirsty, you're already dehydrated. Though you may consume lots of caffeinated beverages throughout the day, they won't keep you hydrated like water will.

Now, we thought we'd sign off with a few inspiring words from the "Biggest Loser" himself, Danny Cahill.