Ever since I launched the Pressed Organic Juice Directory a few months ago, people have been constantly asking me what I drink for juice.

In terms of pressed organic juice, I prefer green juice in a glass bottle. However, sometimes glass is not available. And sometimes straight green juice is not available either. Usually, this means that a juice bar has added apple for sweetness.

Despite the fact that I have plenty of places to buy pressed organic juice in my neighborhood, I have not abandoned juicing at home.  And I never will.

Juicing at home is essential because the juice is made with our own hands, energy, and love. The importance of this cannot be emphasized enough.

Furthermore, when we make juice, it is EXACTLY how we want it to be, and we can be sure that it has been properly washed and cleaned.

If you’re new to juicing or haven’t juiced in a while (maybe your juicer is sitting on your kitchen counter and hasn’t been touched in weeks or months – raise your hand if that is you!), here is my best advice – keep it simple.

Don’t let the excuse of not having enough time or not having a good juicing recipe get in your way. You don’t need 17 ingredients or fancy herbs to make a great-tasting, high quality juice.

Just make the time and also make it very easy on yourself.

So, here’s what you can do.

1) Buy one of the following for your base: celery or cucumber.

2) Buy one leafy green, such as kale, romaine, or dandelion. Or, you could buy carrots instead.

3) Buy lemon, lime, ginger, or apple to add some taste.

#2 and #3 are completely optional. This could be a one-ingredient juice, such as celery juice.

But don’t think for one second that celery juice doesn’t have real value because it is not a dark, leafy green. It does. Celery has tremendous anti-inflammatory properties, is a great source of phytonutrients, and aids in digestion.

Do yourself a favor and commit to making juice for yourself tomorrow. Why?

Because I promise you that your body and mind will feel so incredibly energized if you do.

And, of course, make sure the vegetables that you buy are organic.

—-

If you don’t have a juicer at home, here are three juicers that I recommend. Not surprisingly, the quality of juicer has a lot to do with the price.

Breville JE98XL – a good starter juicer for people new to juicing. Since this is a centrifugal juicer, make sure that you drink the juice immediately. If not, it will oxidize quickly and you’ll lose nutrients, minerals, and enzymes.

Hurom HU-100 – a dual-stage extraction juicer that juices quickly and extracts 50% more juice than a centrifugal juicer. I’ve never owned one but I have had juice from it, have seen it in action, and friends of mine really like it. It is a very fast juicer. Drink the juice within 15 minutes of juicing.

Green Star 1000 – a twin-gear juicer which makes phenomenal juice. If you are serious about juicing and know that you are ready to make a real commitment to it, this is a fantastic pick. I have had it for about 5 years and love it. Drink the juice within 15 minutes of juicing.

Whatever juicer you have, even if it is a $2,500 Norwalk machine, the less time between when the juice is made and when you drink it, the better.

—-

Want to stay up-to-date on the most important organic food news? If so, make sure that you are subscribed to my newsletter list.

To join this list, enter your email below and I’ll send you my Top 5 Inexpensive Ways to Shop Organic.

I am always on the search for healthy snacks that I can take with me on-the-go or for whenever I travel.

My ideal snack is nutritious, filling, and not too sweet. I don’t want to eat something and suffer through that “sugar hangover”, even if it is derived from a natural source.

Pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, are that perfect food. Not only do they satisfy my hunger, but they provide excellent health benefits:

- Rich in minerals: magnesium, iron, copper, and phosphorus.

- A great source of Vitamin B, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, and protein.

- Makes you happy. Pumpkin seeds contains tryptophan, an amino acid that gets converted in the body into serotonin, a neurotransmitter widely believed to be responsible for happiness. (This is particularly important for someone like me, who was on antidepressants for more than a decade.)

- High in zinc, which protects against osteoporosis.

Interestingly, pumpkin seeds were first discovered in Mexico around 7,000 BC, and North Americans were the first ones to recognize their medicinal properties.

With all of these great attributes of pumpkin seeds, why can’t you just buy them out of the bulk bin?

Well, you can. However, I prefer buying Gopal’s Pumpkin Seed Sprouties. And here’s why.

Gopal’s is sprouting these seeds, which means soaking them in water and then dehydrating them.

Soaking pumpkin seeds, or germinating them, helps to remove enzyme inhibitors. The more enzymes that we can get out of a food, the better.

Among other things, enzymes play an important role in the digestion of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates, and they also support the immune system.

In the process, soaking also increases the seeds’ bio-availability, which means we can maximize their health benefits.

A few things of note here. One, the organic pumpkin seeds by Gopal’s are raw. This means that they are in the most pure, natural form and have not been roasted. Two, the company is adding stone ground Himalayan Crystal Salt, a very high quality salt. It is important to remember that not all salts are the same, and most companies will use very poor quality salt, which should be avoided.

Gopal’s offers two different types of their organic pumpkin seeds: original and savory (below). The savory one includes turmeric, lemon, ginger, and cayenne — all foods that have incredible medicinal properties.

I like to mix the two flavors, which gives it a very balanced taste.

If you’re traveling or want a nutritious snack to take with you to work, definitely check out Gopal’s Pumpkin Seed Sprouties.  Click HERE to buy the original ones and click HERE to buy the savory ones.

Needless to say, I am a big fan!

—-

Want to learn about the newest and most interesting organic food products? If so, make sure that you are subscribed to my newsletter list.

To join this list, enter your email below and I’ll send you my Top 5 Inexpensive Ways to Shop Organic.

The next time I speak with Walter Robb, the Co-CEO of Whole Foods, I can’t wait to ask him the following question: So, how does it feel to be a rock star?

This was the jaw-dropping scene from when he and his colleagues opened Whole Foods’ highly anticipated Detroit store, located at 115 Mack Avenue.

While I have never attended an opening of a Whole Foods store before, I cannot imagine that there has ever been quite a reception like the one above.

Yet, the new Detroit store is by no means your average Whole Foods location. It is the company’s first inner-city store and has been the subject of close attention in the Detroit media since 2008. Additionally, it has been of tremendous personal importance to Walter Robb.

“We’ve worked toward this day for nearly five years. We’re inspired by what Detroiters are doing for this great city,” the Co-CEO of Whole Foods said. “They are our partners, our neighbors, our team members, and our friends. We couldn’t be prouder or happier to be part of the mix.”

Aside from having Detroit Mayor Dave Bing and Senator Debbie Stabenow in attendance, Whole Foods made sure that local groups were well-represented, and engaging the community was a very big part of the day.

The entertainment lineup included local jazz, dance, and choir ensembles, and the Detroit store was working with three local charities on opening day: the Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS), which provides support to Detroit’s homeless; Sisters Acquiring Financial Empowerment (SAFE), which helps victims of domestic violence; and Gleaners Community Food Bank, an organization that brings food to the hungry in southeast Michigan.

Upon checkout, shoppers voted to determine the type of donation each charity would receive. One will earn 5 percent of the five Michigan stores’ profits on a future date, one will benefit from the “one dime at a time” program from all five Michigan stores from July through September, and one will receive a donation of $250.

This new store incorporates local design elements including wood booths and salvaged brick at the entrance from Reclaimed Detroit, tables made from old car and truck hoods, Motown records adorning register lights, reclaimed factory windows in the Prepared Foods department, antique Detroit signs re-fabricated by local artist Richard Gage, tilework in the cheese department by local artisans Mercury Mosaics, and murals throughout the building done by five different local artists.

It will be interesting to see how this Detroit store performs and whether Whole Foods can make the business case to enter other inner-city locations.

One thing is for sure, however. There is no shortage of demand.

Mayors from Chicago, New Orleans, Newark and others places have all been clamoring for Whole Foods to do the same in their cities. And for good reason.

“The opening of the first Whole Foods Market in Detroit is a game changer for our city,” said Mayor Dave Bing.

—-

Want to stay up-to-date on the most interesting and important organic food news? If so, make sure that you are subscribed to my newsletter list.

To join this list, enter your email below and I’ll send you my Top 5 Inexpensive Ways to Shop Organic.

He told me that his goal was to offer raw and cooked vegan food that would appeal to a mainstream audience and that also tasted really, really good.

Aside from already having revamped the salads, which are now excellent, Organic Avenue recently launched its first line of quinoa bowls, and I have been beyond impressed.

The three red quinoa bowls are the following:

SWEET YAM & CELERY

Very hearty and filling. The sweetness of the yams ties everything together really well. When I am hungry, this is what I go for.

The organic ingredients include yams, celery root, red quinoa, onions, extra virgin olive oil, Himalayan pink salt, coconut sugar, thyme, dill, black pepper, and red chili flakes.

TURMERIC TOMATO CAULIFLOWER

The lightest and most refreshing of the three. The broccoli is tender and great use of turmeric. Fantastic on a warm summer day.

The organic ingredients include cherry tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, red quinoa, currants, extra virgin olive oil, basil, Himalayan pink salt, turmeric, cumin, anise, chipotle, coriander, and thyme.

MEXI-FRESH VEGGIES

Spicy, filling, and I loved having corn with quinoa.

The organic ingredients include tomatoes, black beans, red quinoa, yellow onions, corn, cilantro, jalapeno, lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, Himalayan pink salt, chipotle powder, and cumin.

—-

Given that it was Organic Avenue’s first foray into cooked food, the company took its time and did a tremendous amount of research to make sure it got it right.

“We spent six months working with chefs and had 20 different iterations that we tested,” said Jessie Gould, Senior Vice President of Retail.  Additionally, Organic Avenue conducted “focus groups with customers from very different backgrounds and used both qualitative and quantitative analysis, and numerical-based ratings” to come up with the final recipes.

This painstaking attention to detail was all for one reason – to have people coming in for the food. And that is exactly what is now happening.

“The quinoa bowls are doing amazing,” admitted Jessie Gould.

Definitely give Organic Avenue’s new quinoa bowls a try, you won’t be disappointed. I’ve been buying a few of them per week for myself.

—-

Want to stay up-to-date on the most interesting organic food news? If so, make sure that you are subscribed to my newsletter list.

To join this list, enter your email below and I’ll send you my Top 5 Inexpensive Ways to Shop Organic.

In case you didn’t read it, I started off my Organic Link Love column the other day with a quote from Debbie Stabenow, the Democratic Senator from Michigan and chair of the Agriculture Committee.

During the recent vote for GMO-labeling in the Senate Farm Bill, The Huffington Post quoted her as saying that “labels run counter to science and the public interest in healthy food.”

This is one of the most ridiculous statements that I have ever heard. And it is completely insulting to the intelligence of any American citizen.

In the United States, we have a fundamental right to know what is in our food. Yet, these rights don’t seem to matter to a majority of the politicians in Washington, D.C., such as Senator Stabenow, who are fighting against the labeling of GMOs.

The real question is: why are so many men and women in Congress doing everything they can to kill GMO-labeling efforts?

Gary Hirshberg, Co-Founder/Chairman of Stonyfield and Founder of Just Label It!, said it best the other day when he gave a commencement address at Bates College in Maine:

“conventional wisdom is a fabricated aura of inevitability bought and paid for by massive lobbying and campaign finance donations.”

This is not hyperbole. This is reality.

According to the Food & Water Watch, the ag-biotech lobby spent $572 million on campaign donations and lobbying from 1999-2010. What has this money purchased?

A lack of GMO-labeling in our country.

But don’t think for one second that Congress is the only one complicit in this whole scheme.

While running for the White House in 2007, President Obama promised to label GMOs.

Since being in office, he has done absolutely nothing about GMO-labeling and continues to betray the organic industry on a daily basis.

It is my sincere hope that these Bates College graduates really listened to what Gary had to say because they will need to understand just what kind of world they are about to enter.

—-

I have always had tremendous respect for Gary Hirshberg as a brilliant entrepreneur, but it is his willingness to tell the truth and to stand for what’s right which makes me truly admire him.

Thank you, Gary.

I STRONGLY URGE YOU TO WATCH GARY’S AWESOME COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS AT BATES COLLEGE BY CLICKING HERE.

(Below is an interview that I shot with Gary Hirshberg a few years ago at the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament in New York City. It was an incredibly special afternoon and remains one of the highlights of Living Maxwell. )

—-

If protecting and defending organic food is important to you, I’d very much appreciate it if you would Like my Facebook page and sign up for my newsletter.

To join my newsletter list, please enter your email below and I’ll send you my Top 5 Inexpensive Ways to Shop Organic.

During the recent vote for GMO-labeling in the Senate Farm Bill, The Huffington Post quoted her as saying that “labels run counter to science and the public interest in healthy food.”

If you’re shaking your head after reading that one, you’re not alone.

It is one of the most absurd statements that I have ever heard…… but par for the course for politicians who are influenced by Monsanto’s lobbying machine.

In other GMO-related news, the Senate also refused to overturn the Monsanto Protection Act, and Connecticut passed a watered down GMO-labeling bill with so many provisions that it is essentially meaningless.

Interestingly, New York, my home state, is making real progress in its effort to push through a GMO-labeling bill.

Articles keep popping up about how the organic industry’s clout is growing in Washington, D.C., but it is clear that we still have a long way to go. 

USDA Secretary Vilsack recognizes distinct needs of organic yet has said nothing about how to protect or compensate organic farmers from GMO-contamination.

Lots of acquisitions have taken place lately as major corporations continue to see organic as the future, particularly in the baby food segment. Campbell Soup acquired Plum Organics, Hain Celestial bought Ella’s Kitchen, an organic baby food company in the UK, and Danone purchased Happy Family.

Organic salad producer Earthbound Farm is being prepped for sale in the $600-700M range, and Dean Foods’ WhiteWave spinoff is seen as clearing the way for a takeover.

There were a bunch of really inspirational stories including a couple in San Diego who is training U.S. Veterans for careers in organic farming, a charter school in California will be serving organic food, and people with special needs are growing organic vegetables on a 35-acre farm in Abu Dhabi.

And, Hungary, a country where genetically-modified crops are completely banned, found that some of Monsanto’s GMO-corn had been planted and quickly destroyed them all. (Yes, I found that to be inspirational.)

On the crowdfunding front….a woman in Canada has started an organic farm via crowdfunding, there is a campaign on IndieGoGo to shoot a documentary about a woman who was poisoned by pesticides and is now an organic farmer in Virginia, and there’s a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for a documentary about small, organic suppliers.

Ironically, crowdfunding platform CircleUp raised its own $7.5M Series A, which is fantastic news for emerging organic food companies.

Horizon Organic plans to expand beyond the dairy aisle, into cookies and crackers. An anonymous investor put $3 million into a Maine organic dairy company called MOOMilk, and an organic dairy farm in New Zealand is pioneering a high-tech, voluntary milking system.

Organic food sales in the UK have increased since the horse meat scandal there, organic farms are a growth area in Russia, an organic co-op proves that agriculture can prosper in Cuba, and young people in India are increasingly turning to organic farming.

There’s an interesting profile of Planet Organic, England’s largest organic supermarket chain, and the Rodale Institute and Lehigh University have partnered on a new organic gardening project.

As I wrote about the other day, Oprah Winfrey revealed her first move into the organic food business.

In the juicing world……Organic Avenue named Martin Bates as its new CEO, an American takes on the pressed organic juice scene in London with Plenish Cleanse, and here’s a cool profile of the founders of BluePrint Cleanse.

To wrap things up, CNBC’s Jim Cramer said this of Walter Robb, Co-CEO of Whole Foods: “He is one of the great CEOs of our era.”

I know Walter Robb, have interviewed him, and agree 1,000%. Aside from being a phenomenal CEO, he is an even better person.

—-

Did you enjoy this Organic Link Love column?

If so, I’d very much appreciate it if you would Like my Facebook page and sign up for my newsletter.

To join my newsletter list, please enter your email below and I’ll send you my Top 5 Inexpensive Ways to Shop Organic.

Unless we get involved and demand that our representatives pass pro-organic policies, they will continue to give large bailouts to agribusiness companies and the country’s largest industrial farms at the expense of consumers, family farms, and the environment.

Needless to say, there is A LOT at stake here.

Yet, all that is required from you is signing an electronic form and making a few simple phone calls to your Senators in Washington D.C.

HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

A number of amendments to the Senate version of the 2013 Farm Bill have been offered that would support the labeling of genetically-engineered food, support organic farmers, repeal the “Monsanto Protection Act,” protect honey bees, and numerous others.

Here are the most important amendments that you should ask your Senators to support.

1) Senator Boxer (D-California) introduced an amendment in support of mandatory GMO-labeling (#1025) as well as her amendment requesting that the FDA and USDA study the 64 countries around the world that already require GMO-labeling (#1026).

2) Senator Sanders (I-Vermont) introduced an amendment supporting the existing rights of states to enact their own laws requiring the labeling of genetically-engineered foods. Already this year, 26 states have introduced labeling laws with the possibility of passage in a number of states.

This is a crucial one because Monsanto wants to take away from states their right to label GE-foods, so that GE-labeling can only be done on the federal level.

3) Senator Begich (D-Alaska) introduced an amendment (#934) to ban the sale of genetically-engineered salmon until federal wildlife agencies are properly consulted and find that GE-salmon pose no environmental risk.

4) Senator Tester (D-Montana) introduced an amendment to reinvigorate public plant and animal breeding, which has hit an all-time low because of private sector assaults from companies like Monsanto.

5) Senator Merkley (D-Oregon) introduced an amendment (#978) to repeal the “Monsanto Protection Act” provision in the 2013 government spending bill that attacked judicial oversight of genetically-engineered crops.

Again, another crucial one. Monsanto was able to pass legislation that basically gives it the green light to plant and sell all GMO crops without the USDA having to approve them first.

Senator Boxer (D-California) has also introduced an amendment to protect honey bees and native pollinators (#1027), which declined by over 45% last winter as a result of pesticides and industrial agriculture. Senators Leahy (D-Vermont) and Cowan’s (D-Massachusetts) EQIP Organic Initiative amendment would eliminate the separate payment limit in EQIP for farmers participating in the Organic Initiative, so that all farmers are subject to the same payment limitations in EQIP.

—

The Farm Bill is a 5-year bill that has very serious and wide-ranging implications for us all.

And it is crucial that we pass a Farm Bill that is protective of the environment, consumers, and organic and family farmers—not just protective of big agribusiness. The Senate is voting on amendments this week, so please take action today!

TWO ACTION STEPS

1) Click HERE to sign the Center for Food Safety’s electronic form, which will be automatically directed to your Senators in Washington D.C.

2) Call your Senators in Washington D.C. and tell them to support all of the amendments listed above. You can reference the amendment numbers listed.

If you know who your Senators are, the Congressional switchboard number is (202) 224-3121.

If you don’t know who your Senators are, click HERE.

I have already signed the form and made phone calls to both of my Senators in Washington D.C.  Will you take a quick few minutes and please do the same?

Thank you so much for supporting organic food!!

—-

Want to stay up-to-date on the most important organic food news? If so, make sure that you are subscribed to my newsletter list.

To join this list, enter your email below and I’ll send you my Top 5 Inexpensive Ways to Shop Organic.

Courtesy of People Magazine

Last year, there was a ton of buzz about Oprah Winfrey’s rumored entrance into the organic food industry when she filed for the trademarks “Oprah’s Organics” and “Oprah’s Harvest”.

Speculation was swirling about exactly what she was up to – would it be salad dressings, prepared foods, personal care products. No one really knew, and I wondered if she would be making a cameo appearance at Natural Products Expo West this past March at the Anaheim Convention Center. (She never showed up.)

Well, now we are getting the first bit of confirmed information about Oprah’s foray into organics.

In the June issue of O Magazine, the media superstar is giving readers an inside look at her organic farm in Hawaii. And on People magazine’s website, there is a video where Oprah and her good friend Bob Greene discuss the importance of growing organic fruit and vegetables, especially in Hawaii where 90% of the island’s food is imported.

Yet, it is in the video where Bob Greene says that it’s only a matter of time before they “start selling” the vegetables that are currently being grown on her property.

With the help of Hawaii natural resource management group Bio-Logical Capital, Oprah’s farm is now producing 100 species of fruits, vegetables and herbs, and one acre is producing 145 pounds of food each week. The food is for Oprah, her guests, and the farm workers. Additionally, some of the food is being donated to local restaurants.

To watch the video on People, click HERE.

By the way, her farm looks absolutely majestic.

MY TAKE

As I said last year, getting Oprah Winfrey involved in the organic food industry is HUGE. Not only will she draw a tremendous amount of attention to the sector and help educate people about the increased health benefits of organic food, but she could become an important figure in the fight against GMOs.

Two things of note.

1) Given that she is growing organic food in Hawaii and has plans to sell it there, I am hopeful that she will become involved in the massive GMO protests taking place on the island.

GMO contamination is a very, very serious problem in Hawaii since all of the major GMO companies use the island as their personal outdoor laboratory where so much experimentation of genetically-engineered crops takes place.

If you want to see just how grave and unsettling the situation is, watch this documentary called Stop Monsanto From Poisoning Hawaii: Genetic Engineering Chemical Warfare.

2) I still believe that Oprah selling organic fruits and vegetables from her farm in Hawaii is just the beginning. I can definitely see the “Oprah’s Organics” brand expanding into all types of packaged foods and personal care products (areas that the trademarks cover), with a certain percentage of the profits donated to charity, similar to what Paul Newman established.

All is all, having Oprah Winfrey involved in organics is just a phenomenal thing, and it is fantastic to see this becoming more real. As I get more information about her organic ventures, I will be sure to let you know.

—-
Want to stay up-to-date on the most important organic food news? If so, make sure that you are subscribed to my newsletter list.

To join this list, enter your email below and I’ll send you my Top 5 Inexpensive Ways to Shop Organic.

Sponsored by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR), this piece of legislation is the first time that any GMO-labeling bill has been put forth in the Senate.

And to be honest, it is way overdue.

More than 60 countries around the world require GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) to be labeled, such as China, Brazil, India, Japan, Australia, Russia, and all nations in the EU, but the U.S. does not.

26 states around the country have taken action on this matter and have GMO-labeling bills at different stages of the legislative process. The most noteworthy of these states is Vermont, where a bill just got approved in the House of Representatives and now goes to the Senate in January 2014, and Washington state, where some type of vote is expected to take place later this year.

Additionally, polls show that more than 90% of Americans believe that GMOs should be labeled.

What is most troubling about the lack of a federal GMO-labeling law is that it goes against everything that the U.S. stands for, most notably our fundamental right to know what is in our food.

The reason that GMOs are not labeled is because of money. The biotech and chemical companies spent $572 million from 1999 to 2010 on lobbying and campaign donations to make sure it does not happen.

Given that we have made a significant step forward with the help of Senator Boxer and Representative DeFazio, the logical question is: What now?

The answer is quite simple. We need to put pressure on our senators and representatives to get behind this bill, so that committee members (where this bill is held) will feel pressure to hold hearings on it and to potentially bring it to vote.

If the numbers are not there, not much will happen. If the numbers are there and enough support is behind a GMO-labeling measure, this could very well happen.

Right now, the numbers are not there. Therefore, it depends on us to make GMO-labeling a reality.

As of today, we have 10 senators and 23 representatives who are in favor of this bill. They include:

H.R.1699 (DeFazio)

Representatives Jared Polis (D-CO), Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Donna Christensen (D-Virgin Islands), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Peter Welch (D-VT), James Moran (D-VA), Louise Slaughter (D-NY), Don Young (R-AK), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), George Miller (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) and Ann Kuster (D-NH) are co-sponsors of the House bill.

S.809 (Boxer)

Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Mark Begich (D-AK), Jon Tester (D-MT), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) are co-sponsors of the Senate bill.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

The best thing for you to do is to send a message to your member of Congress by clicking HERE (The Center for Food Safety’s electronic form).

Thank you so much for supporting organic food and fighting for our fundamental rights as American citizens.

—-

Want to stay up-to-date on the most important organic food news? If so, make sure that you are subscribed to my newsletter list.

To join this list, enter your email below and I’ll send you my Top 5 Inexpensive Ways to Shop Organic.

When I was at Natural Products Expo West recently, I came across a drink that wowed me in a major, major way.

It easily would have made my Top 5 Organic Food Products of the show, but I knew that I wanted to dedicate an entire post to it, given how special it is.

Never seen before on U.S. supermarket shelves, Sealand Birk comes from Denmark, where it has been a beverage for thousands of years.

So, what exactly is Sealand Birk?

It is the juice that is tapped from a birch tree, and harvesting takes place only once a year, from April to May.

The birch tree naturally purifies over 100 liters of water per day through its roots system, and in this process it adds minerals and nutrients.

The end result is a fluid which is slightly “syrupy”, light, refreshing, and naturally sweet.

I can’t compare it to any other drink that I have had in the past because it is so unique and different.

What I can tell you is that I absolutely LOVE Sealand Birk, have had a lot of trouble putting it down, and believe that it is going to be a massive hit in the U.S. beverage market. If marketed correctly, this drink has the potential to be the next coconut water.

Aside from the mineral and nutrients in the drink, there is speculation that Sealand Birk helps to flush the kidneys, although no official claims have been made just yet. The company is still working through all of the research data right now and verifying its exact health benefits.

The original flavor of Sealand Birk, which is my favorite, is nothing more than the birch tree juice and non-GMO ascorbic acid. The four other flavors – blueberry, elderflower, raspberry, ginger/lime – are all the same except for that organic extracts have been added.

The ingredients of this USDA certified organic product include: 100% Birch tree juice, tapped directly from the birch tree, natural content of vitamins and minerals, antioxidants, ascorbic acid, 1.2% natural fruit sugar, (0.7-1.4%), xylitol, Vitamin C, potassium, calcium, natrium, magnesium, zinc, phosphorous, copper, iron, natural fructose, glutamine, amino acids.

HOW TO GET SEALAND BIRK NOW

Sealand Birk will be available on the West Coast of the U.S. in late May or early June, and the company expects nationwide distribution by the end of this year.

HOWEVER…….since I figured that many of you would want to taste it right now, I told the company that I wanted to do something special for my loyal readers.

So, here is what we I have arranged – so that you could be some of the very first people to try this drink.

** Free Giveaway  The company has agreed to give away 12 cases of Sealand Birk. At $24.95 per case, this is a $300 value.

There are two things that you must do in order to qualify to win.

1) Leave a comment down below saying that you would like to win a free case of Sealand Birk and which flavor (original, blueberry, elderflower, raspberry, ginger/lime) you would want to have.

2) “Share” the post about Sealand Birk that I just put up on Facebook. It can be found on my Facebook page by clicking HERE.

It is not sufficient to just Like the post. You must Share it.

(Also, it is essential that you are also a fan of my page because Facebook only shows me fans who have shared something. It will not identify someone who has shared a post but is not a fan.)

Both actions must be taken by the end of the day on Tuesday May 7th, and there will be 12 winners of one case each.

** Case Discount with Free Shipping  Whether you enter to win free cases of Sealand Birk or not, you can still order the product online.