Health, social media

Good Guide

View Comments 25 March 2010

When it comes to “being green” and living a lifestyle that is kind to the earth, I admit that I am still just learning. But I came across a great site that I am finding very helpful. It’s called the GoodGuide.

GoodGuide provides the world’s largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of the products in your home.

With GoodGuide, you can:

• Find safe, healthy and green products that protect you and your family
• Search or browse over 70,000 food, toys, personal care, & household products to see what’s really beneath the label
• Use expert advice and recommendations on products to quickly learn the impacts of what you buy
• Find better products and make purchasing decisions based on what’s important to you
• Create a personalized favorites list with the products that are right for you and your family

They even have an iPhone app to help you make better choices when shopping. With this app, simply scan the barcode of the product and immediately see detailed ratings for health, environment and social responsibility for more than 50,000 products and companies. GoodGuide provides this information about personal care, household chemical, toy and food products for free on your iPhone / iPod Touch and is adding thousands of products every month. By making information about consumer products transparent, GoodGuide’s goal is to help people shop smarter and motivate companies to offer even better products.

But what really blew me away is their SMS application! It makes this type of “on the go learning” accessible to anyone with a SMS enabled phone! Simply send a text message to 41411. Every text message must begin with the word “gguide” in the body of the message. Then, add whatever it is you are searching for after “gguide”. You can search by Product Type, Product Name, or UPC code.

Health, food & wine

Review: Liquiteria

View Comments 24 March 2010

So this morning when I went to make my usual “green juice”

I realized that I didn’t have enough greens. So I decided to head over to Liquiteria (a juice bar in the east village that I’ve been meaning to try out) and see if their “all greens with apple” was similar to what I make in the morning.

Liquiteria has a menu of fresh squeezed juice, smoothies (that they call liquid meals), and fresh pressed juice. They also have a small take-out menu of sandwiches, wraps, soups, etc.

But I came for the juice! Now fresh squeezed juice would be what I make with my juicer at home, it has more body and is usually a little thicker than pressed juice, but it won’t last as long (you should drink it right away). When you find a place that sells pressed juice its usually made and bottled fresh, and will last a few days in the fridge.

Liquiteria has one of the bigger menus of pressed juices around:

ALL GREENS
kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, celery & cucumber

ALL GREENS WITH APPLE, LEMON & GINGER
kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, celery, cucumber, apple, lemon & ginger

ALL GREENS WITH APPLE
kale, spinach, romaine, parsley, celery, cucumber & apple

MR GREEN
carrot, apple, beet, ginger, Super Green Food & Liver Kidney Lymph Detox

GREENS WITH CARROT
romaine, spinach, kale, parsley & carrot

MIXED VEGGIE
kale, spinach, parsley, celery, cucumber, carrot & beets

GRASSHOPPER
apple, pear, pineapple, wheatgrass & mint

THE KILLER
green apple, ginger, lemon & Immunity Now

THE KILLER XX
green apple, double serving of ginger, lemon, cayenne & Immunity Now

IMMUNE ROCKET BOOSTER
carrot, celery, beet, ginger, flax seed oil & Immunity Now

SKIN TRIP
carrot, spinach, cucumber, parsley, aloe vera & Liver Kidney Lymph Detox

I picked up the all greens with apple because it sounded closest to what I usually make in the morning. I like the juice a lot, it’s a little sweeter than I usually make mine, so I’m eager to try just the all greens next time and see if I can handle cutting out the fruit completely.

Of course the downside to finding a juice place you like is that you will be lazy and buy juice when you could just make it for much less money. So hopefully this will only be a last resort for when I run out of produce.

Do you have a favorite juice place? or maybe a juice recipe that you think I should try?

events

Twestival Global 2010

View Comments 23 March 2010

Twestival (or Twitter Festival) uses social media for social good. All of the local events are organized 100% by volunteers and 100% of all ticket sales and donations go direct to projects. Last year on 12 February 2009, the first Twestival Global was held in 202 international cities to support @charitywater, who were doing incredible work to help the almost 1 billion or 1 in 6 people in the world that don’t have access to clean and safe drinking water.  Over 1,000 volunteers and 10,000 donors fundraised $250k+, which resulted in more than 55 wells in Uganda, Ethiopia and India having a direct impact for over 17,000 people. I was unable to attend Twestival last year because it sold out before I could get a ticket!

This thursday I will be attending Twestival Global 2010 in NYC. People in hundreds of cities around the world will come together offline to support Concern Worldwide by hosting local events organized through social media.

As one of the largest Twestivals in the world, NYC Twestival will play host to thousands, raising funds for and awareness of Concern’s vitally important work around the world.

You can participate as well by checking if there is a local Twestival happening in your area. For more information on Twestival NYC, please visit newyork.twestival.com or follow @NYCTwestival on Twitter.  Tickets can be purchased directly by visiting http://bit.ly/twestivaltix.

food & wine, video

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution

View Comments 22 March 2010

So I just finished watching the first episode of the new ABC show Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution (watch it on Hulu here) and I really hope that this show makes a difference.

Jamie is inviting viewers to take a stand and change the way America eats, in our home kitchens, schools and workplaces with the thought-provoking new series, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, which has a special sneak preview SUNDAY, MARCH 21 10|9c on ABC, followed by a 2-hour premiere on FRIDAY MARCH 26 8|7c.

In the six-part series, Jamie heads to Huntington, West Virginia. Why? Well, Huntington has been called the unhealthiest city in America. Jamie wants to do something about that. Through his efforts in this one town, he hopes to start a chain reaction of positive change across the country.

So Jamie has started a petition to support the food revolution in this country. Please sign it, it will only take a minute of your time!

And we need to make a statement by supporting this show as well! So watch it on hulu, watch it on Fridays on ABC, send a message that you care about food, and DEMAND change!

Health, food & wine, how-to, video

Green Juice

View Comments 22 March 2010

So you might have seen my tweets about making green juice, or getting green juice. I keep getting asked “what is green juice?” or “what do you put in your green juice?”

So I thought I would make a video to show you what I make every morning.

events

SXSW – the aftermath

View Comments 22 March 2010

Trying to process what goes on at SXSW can be difficult. When you first get come you are on such an adrenaline high that you don’t know what to do first, what to blog first, you are just excited. I think I captured some of that excitement in the video I made the day I got back from SXSW.

So much happens during the conference that it can be hard to remember it all. One new thing that helped me this year was the SXSW community on Lunch. (client) Because I was reviewing panels as I was sitting in them, I had good notes that I could go back to and see what I really got from different sessions.

But of course, SXSW isn’t just about the sessions, it’s really about the people that you meet. This being my second year, I really felt like I got a chance to meet some great people, and to even get closer to friends I had met last year. Last year I was taping a video podcast at SXSW, and I met some amazing people. But I didn’t really take the time to get to know everyone lat year, the way I did this year.

Chances are if we met or had a conversation this year at SXSW I was probably crying. But it was being honest about what I was going through that brought me real friends. Changing your diet can often times product a detox affect. And a lot of times, one of the symptoms of a detox can be emotional moments. South by was no exception. But once I got home I didn’t feel alone, I realized that I have this amazing group of friends, who live all over the world, who will always be there for me.

So, with that in mind, here are my top 5 things from SXSWi 2010:

1. Twittering Through Chemo – Survivors Unite: It was hard to pick a #1 between Gary’s Keynote and this panel. They were drastically different ends of the spectrum. In the end this is my number one for making me realize a lot about myself. My biggest takeaway from this session was that everyone needs support. It’s not just the person going through chemo, but everyone around them needs support as well.
2. Gary Vaynerchuk Presentation: This talk was amazing, not just because of what Gary said, but because of the amazing audience that gave Gary a run for his money. I also realized in this session that I didn’t really want the kind of job I thought I wanted.
3. Speakeasy: This is a great venue and I went here a few times this week (this was where the TechSet party was), but this #3 is for the night of the Sunday, March 14th. All my friends ended up here, just hanging out on the couches. Great friends, great laughs, and a night I will never forget! Thank you all!
4. Community Management: Future Skills You’ll Need to Know: This panel really opened my eyes. For the longest time I thought that what I wanted to do in Social Media was really called marketing. Now I realized it’s Community! This will probably be the biggest eye opener for me at SXSW. Stay tuned…
5. The Driskill: There were so many nights where I had an awesome time hanging at the Driskill. But my top night has to be the last night of SXSWi. I really got a chance to spend time with my close friends, and have conversations that I will never forget.

There is still so much more I want to mind dump from SXSW, but that’s all I could get out for now. To my SXSW family, I miss you all! And if you couldn’t make it this year, I hope we see each other next year in Austin!

Health, events, food & wine

“No Thank You, those things will kill you”

View Comments 19 March 2010

That’s what I was saying as I walked passed every person who tried to hand me a Zone bar at SXSW.

Now I normally don’t care what other people eat, but when you a handing out a product, telling people it’s a healthy choice, lets give them the facts here.

Here are the ingredients in a Zone Perfect bar (Double Dark Chocolate):

Soy Protein Nuggets (Isolated Soy Protein, Cocoa [Processed With Alkali], Tapioca Starch, Salt), Chocolate Layer (Corn Syrup, Sugar, Palm Kernel Oil, Unsweetened Chocolate, Invert Sugar, Cocoa [Processed With Alkali], Milk Protein, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Xanthan Gum, Carob Seed Gum, Gum Arabic, Vanilla Extract With Other Natural Flavors), Chocolate Flavored Coating (Sugar, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Cocoa Powder [Processed With Alkali], Soy Lecithin, Vanilla), Corn Syrup, Soy Protein Isolate, Chocolate Drops (Sugar, Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla), Fructose Syrup, Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa (Processed With Alkali). Less Than 2% Of The Following: Glycerine, High Oleic Safflower And/or High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Chocolate Powder (Natural Cocoa Powder, Sugar, Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Vanilla), Natural Flavors, Caramel Color, Cocoa Fructose (Fructose, Water, Corn Maltodextrin, Cocoa [Processed With Alkali], Natural Cocoa, Salt, Carrageenan, Natural Flavors, Tocopherol, Ascorbic Acid), Salt.

Wow, my head hurts from reading that.

Now of course my statement of “No Thank You, those things will kill you” might have been a little harsh, but people don’t know what they are eating!

The product is pitched like this “Excellent source of protein (12g). 19 vitamins and minerals. Rich in antioxidants. [Vitamins C & E and Selenium.] ” But there are 14g of sugar and 210mg of sodium!

This is why next year I really want to get Whole Foods as a sponsor (their HQ is in Austin) and get people handing out Apples on the corners of SXSW.

Think about it, and apple is just as portable, it won’t spoil very quickly, it’s great for you, and best of all…there is only 1 ingredient, APPLE!

Please do not be confused by someone saying all natural to you. Corn syrup is natural, but it’s also REALLY BAD FOR YOU! Soy is all natural, but when it’s super processed the way most Americans find it in foods, it’s really unhealthy.

If you take away one thing from this post, please try and eat food as close to it’s natural state as possible. You will feel better, spend less money on food, and reduce your risk of getting sick. Just by doing that one thing!

I really hope that this post will be seen as less of a rant, and more of a conversation opener. Do you like zone bars? Why? Did you know what you were eating? Please feel free to leave your own opinions in the comments.

Health, food & wine, personal, video

My Vegan Story

View Comments 19 March 2010

So I was asked a question on formspring.me

How long have you been a Vegan?  And what turned you to choose that lifestyle?

So I thought I would tell you guys the story.

More details on the conditions mentioned in this video. (definitions from WebMD)

• Costochondritis is an inflammation of the junctions where the upper ribs join with the cartilage that holds them to the breastbone or sternum. The condition causes localized chest pain that you can reproduce by pushing on the cartilage in the front of your ribcage. Costochondritis is a relatively harmless condition and usually goes away without treatment. The cause is usually unknown.
• Fibromyalgia syndrome affects the muscles and soft tissue. Fibromyalgia symptoms include chronic pain in the muscles, fatigue, sleep problems, and painful tender points or trigger points at certain parts of the body. Fibromyalgia pain and other symptoms can be relieved through medications, lifestyle changes, stress management, and other fibromyalgia treatment.

Here is a video from almost a year ago when I first went raw.

The chips were riceworks – Gourmet Brown Rice Crisps

The two documentaries I think EVERYONE should see:

Food Inc

King Corn

events, social media

Everything’s already a Community

View Comments 18 March 2010

This post is going to be a variation of the review I wrote on Lunch.com’s SXSW community (client) of a panel called Community Management: Future Skills You’ll Need to Know, and the panelists were @saulcolt @glusman @thorpus @seamuscondron @ambercadabra @sarahprevette. The review I wrote was titled “You already have a community”.

My favorite points from that session were:

• You can teach anybody social media, but for community management to succeed, it needs to be a senior role.
• We are in danger of slinging around “community” as this big buzzword, but you ALREADY HAVE COMMUNITY, it’s called your CUSTOMERS!
• Your community tells you when you have a community
• If no one is saying your brand sucks on twitter, you’re doing it wrong. You want that opportunity to start that conversation.
• You can’t tell your community what to do, you can only advise them. You don’t own your community, it’s their community.

Please read my review for more specific notes on that panel. But my big take away from that session was, You already have a community, it doesn’t matter what kind of business you are, or whatever kind of brand you are! This made me realize that even I have a community around my personal brand, and I need to actively manage my community.

I have been thinking about community a lot this last week, and I realized that I often find myself only talking about community as it refers to tech, or tech companies. But EVERYTHING is a community. Both in the physical location sense, and in the sense that you are probably a part of more communities then you realize. I realized that I am a part of the social media community, but I am also a part of the cancer community, the online video community, the vegan community, the health community and the New York City community.

I am interacting with all of these people, across all of these different communities, without even trying! Just my being myself, and that is awesome!

So I wanted everyone to reply in the comments with what communities they feel they interact with every day?

events, personal, video

SXSW – starting the conversation

View Comments 18 March 2010

Hey guys! I made this video yesterday and I wanted to share it with you all. I hadn’t made a video blog, or even sat down in front of a camera since May 2009. So I get a little emotional about it. But I’m really excited to start getting back to my first love of social media, which is online video. So I hope you enjoy it, and I hope this opens up a really good conversation.