Hail The Pure Leaf

...I have been experiencing a minor dilemma of late. Since what turned out to be (mostly) a bout with very bad indigestion, I have been working daily to shift my eating habits in a more positive direction. I was already making an effort to eat more natural and organic foods but since the event, I have been making even greater strides to rid my food choices of things that are no friend to anyone's waistline or heart valves.

One of the areas that I am particularly proud of is soda (or pop...whatever). Prior to said incident, I would never think a second thought on drinking multiple cans of Coca Cola in a day. Wednesday nights consisted of late night stops at Wendy's and no matter what bag of grease I ordered, I almost always had the same beverage - Diet Coke, no ice. Mind you that I was doing this while being well aware of the concerns of Aspartame and High Fructose Corn Syrup, the latter I was avoiding as much as possible in other foods.

In the past three-plus months, I have not had a drop of Pepsi or Coca Cola of any variety. No diet, no Zero, no regular, no Max, no nothing. Every morning when I come face to face with my bad example of a torso region, I am reminded that it was probably those cheap sodas that played a part in my physicality's current sad state of affairs. Being an admitted soda addict, it was going to be a near impossibility for me to go without. Thankfully, while fully acknowledging that they are not exactly healthy, Zevia and Dr. Hansen's Natural Soda products are filling the void beautifully. One can a day, no exceptions. I can feel a difference already.

To fill out the rest of the day can be a tad trickier. I do drink a lot of water, especially at work. However, I crave a bit more flavor during meals. As such, I've been expanding my beverage options beyond various lemonade incarnations. A previous enemy of mine, I have taken to iced tea. Specifically, natural and organic flavored teas.

I have tried some of the organic green & black teas to varying degrees of enjoyability. Trying to shop organic and higher-end can be tricky on a budget. It is more cost effective to buy a half-gallon of any beverage for $2 than it is to buy a 16 oz. for $1.25. Even at $3 or $4, it still makes better sense to buy a 64 oz. size. The object is to differentiate the processed iced teas and teas from concentrate from the pure brewed alternatives while not spending a ton. Enter Pure Leaf.

Yes, it is definitely a Pepsi Co. product which instantly makes it suspect. While they likely have some organic food companies in their portfolio, they aren't specifically known for having sustainability in mind. That said, a bit of Google searching on Pure Leaf Iced Tea turns up more glowing general health results than bad. And I'll be honest, it is unholy how good it is.

Unfortunately, I cannot find any information verifying whether or not Pure Leaf is Non-GMO or not. One person on Facebook asked them direct and received no response. Meanwhile, the Pure Leaf social media person(s) have responded to general posts and praise. I admit that it makes me nervous. That said, they are donating a lot of money to Wholesome Wave, a non-profit that is working on sustainable food growth and GMO labeling.

I am a bit torn. Currently, not nearly enough to stop drinking Pure Leaf (I bought another giant bottle today). My hope is that at some point down the road, Pure Leaf will either get Non-GMO or Organic certification or announce their intention to do so in short order.