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Will consumers make healthier beverage choices if the cost of soda increases?

A new federal tax on soda and other sugary beverages has been suggested recently as a way to pay for part of the major overhaul of the U.S. health-care system proposed by the Obama administration.

According to the Wall Street Journal, "The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based watchdog group that pressures food companies to make healthier products, plans to propose a federal excise tax on soda, certain fruit drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and ready-to-drink teas. It would not include most diet beverages."

Supporters argue that the tax would have multiple benefits. In addition to partially funding health-care reform, supporters argue that a tax on sugary beverages would likely discourage their consumption, potentially relieving some of the burden on taxpayers covering the medical costs incurred because of overweight and obesity.

Addressing these issues, a recent article from the New England Journal of Medicine reports, "For each extra can or glass of sugared beverage consumed per day, the likelihood of a child’s becoming obese increases by 60 percent," and that "a review conducted by Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity suggested that for every 10 percent increase in price, consumption decreases by 7.8 percent."

Finally, the article states that "The contribution of unhealthful diets to health care costs is already high and is increasing — an estimated $79 billion is spent annually for overweight and obesity alone — and approximately half of these costs are paid by Medicare and Medicaid, at taxpayers’ expense. Diet-related diseases also cost society in terms of decreased work productivity, increased absenteeism, poorer school performance, and reduced fitness on the part of military recruits, among other negative effects."

The same Wall Street Journal article notes that "The main beverage lobby that represents Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc., Kraft Foods Inc. and other companies said such a tax would unfairly hit lower-income Americans and wouldn't deter consumption.

'Taxes are not going to teach our children how to have a healthy lifestyle,' said Susan Neely, president of the American Beverage Association. Instead, the association says it's backing programs that limit sugary beverage consumption in schools."

What do you think of a tax on sugary beverages? Would you support it?

One of my favorite beverage brands, Naked Juice — so named because of its bare, no-sugary-frills-added fruit ingredients — recently announced that all of its drinks containing bananas will now sport a label that says “Rainforest Alliance Certified.”

The certification sounds like a good thing, but as with many product claims in this era of green washing, it can be difficult to tell whether a label represents a worthwhile cause, or even represents anything at all.

So, what does “Rainforest Alliance Certified” mean?

A Rainforest Alliance Certified farm is one that complies with 10 standards set in place by the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN). These standards include ecosystem conservation, wildlife protection, and fair treatment and good working conditions for workers.

Abby Ray, Rainforest Alliance communications associate, says farms are evaluated by SAN-authorized auditors and must score at least 50 percent in each of the 10 standards and 80 percent overall in order to receive the certification. “This prohibits a farm that, for example, has beautiful forest cover but poor worker housing from passing,” Ray says.

Most farms need at least two years to achieve certification, and certified farms are re-evaluated every year by local auditors who give extra attention to any areas of the criteria in which the farms may have previously fallen short.

Since the beginning of 2008, the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal — a green frog nestled in a circle (shown near the bottom of the bottle at right in the photo) — has been popping up on coffee, tea, cocoa and fruit products all over the world. In the United States, brands such as Lipton Tea and Newman’s Own Organics contain products from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. (See the Rainforest Alliance Marketplace for a full list of certified products.)

A criticism that has arisen regarding the Rainforest Alliance certification is that brands are allowed to use the green frog seal on a product if even just 30 percent of the product comes from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms. Ray says, however, that 30 percent certified content from a multinational brand still has a significant impact.

“What matters to the Rainforest Alliance is the impact on the land and workers, so a company buying 30 percent of 100 tons has more of an impact than one buying 100 percent of 10 tons,” Ray says.

As for what the certification designates for Naked Juice: The delectable drink brand now buys every banana that goes into its beverages (80 percent of Naked Juice products contain bananas) from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms, making it the first U.S.-based beverage to contain sustainably produced bananas.

For the last several days, the media and blogosphere have been discussing almost nonstop the recent H1N1 flu virus outbreak (or "swine flu," as it's previously been called). If you're following the news, you've probably heard the numbers: As of May 8, 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed H1N1 in 43 states, for a total of 1,639 U.S. cases, including two deaths. Worldwide (including U.S. numbers), the World Health Organization has confirmed 2,500 cases in 25 countries, including 44 deaths in Mexico.

According to CDC's acting director, Richard E. Bresser, MD, in the New York Times, "About 5 percent of the people with confirmed cases have been hospitalized [including 35 of the 1,639 U.S. cases]. That is a much higher proportion than normal for seasonal flu, and the median age is 15, which is unusually young. But because some states are now testing only seriously ill patients for the novel virus, such skewing of the data is to be expected."

The responses to the outbreak so far have been varied. Early on, Egypt ordered the slaughter of its 300,000 to 350,000 pigs — though no cases of the virus had been reported in the country at that time. In New York and other states, schools issued temporary closings after students were confirmed to have caught the virus. In other cases, travelers have cancelled vacations, either after hearing of cases at their destination, or to avoid possible exposure from other travelers en route. As a general precaution, the CDC has posted a quick list of tips for staying well:

"What You Can Do to Stay Healthy

1. Stay informed. The [CDC] website will be updated regularly as information becomes available.

2. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

3. Take everyday actions to stay healthy. 

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

4. Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.

5. Find healthy ways to deal with stress and anxiety.

6. Call 1-800-CDC-INFO for more information."

The CDC also has posted general information about H1N1; flu updates; safety information for specific groups, such as pregnant women, child care providers and others; and more.

How worried are you about H1N1? Are you and your family doing anything differently in response to the outbreak?

Most of us are looking for ways to save money during this … what are we calling it these days … economic kerfuffle? Of course, one of the most logical places to look is at life’s nonessentials. You know, cable TV, restaurants, European vacations, and of course fancy schmancy cosmetics and beauty treatments.

In more robust times, I’ll spend $10 to $15 on a body care product that I really love. But how about this? For just a few cents, you can treat yourself to this fabulous at-home facial, and then eat the leftovers!

Ingredients and Equipment:

4 grapes, cut in half
1 tsp yogurt
1 tsp honey
2 washcloths

Step One:

Prepare the ingredients for your at-home facial, and place them in your staging area, probably the bathroom.

1. Cut the grapes in half.
2. Mix the yogurt and honey together.

Wet the washcloths, and place them on a plate in the microwave. You don’t need to warm them yet — just get them ready. (If you prefer to use the stove, just set the cloths in a steamer basket with a little bit of water underneath.)  

Step Two:

Cut the grapes in half and rub them all over your face (don’t forget your kisser!) in circular motions, squishing the grapes into your skin as they begin to run out of juice. And sure, go ahead and eat the skins when you’re done — why not? I’m not here to judge.

Step Three:

Pat the clumpy yogurt-honey mixture all over your face. (Hey there, you trying to save the money! Yes, you. Learn how to make yogurt at home — it’s a cinch.)

Step Four:

Get ready for the fun part! Warm the towels on half-power in the microwave, for about 45 seconds. (Or heat them gently in a steamer basket on the stove.) They should not be too hot to handle. Place the warm cloths over your face, and lie down to relax until the washcloths have lost all their heat. (Tip: For a more spa-like experience, first light an aromatherapy candle, dim the lights and listen to some pleasant tunes. And remind someone to wake you up in about 15 minutes!)

Step Five:

Rinse the mask off with warm water. Then take your new face out on the town, and party like it’s 1999!

Why This DIY At-Home Facial Is So Great:

• Grapes contain fruit acids that exfoliate and smooth skin.
• Yogurt soothes inflammation and redness, and softens dry skin.
• Honey moisturizes skin, and attacks germs.
• Heat opens pores, allowing the other ingredients to get to work. Plus, it’s soothing.
• Relaxing, or giving yourself permission to enjoy a few minutes of R&R, is part of the healing process.

— Thanks to Caudalie and Time Out New York for inspiring this easy natural treatment! By the way, if your budget woes haven’t forced you to cut out beauty products yet, you might enjoy Caudalie’s line, which is free of parabens, phenoxyethanol, sodium laureth sulfate, and other things you don’t want seeping into your precious pores. Learn more about their philosophy.