Today Max Goldberg is in my kitchen, talking about his views on healthy clean living and clean water.
Max writes a blog about organic food and healthy living and is a member of several organic consuming, trade, and farming associations. He made the switch to living organically nearly 10 years ago and now shares his tips, techniques, and practices on his blog, Living Maxwell.
Why is living organic important to you?
Living organic is very important to me for several reasons.
First, I am very concerned about what I put into my body. To me, food is sacred. I also believe that food is medicine. Therefore, it is a priority in my life that I eat food in its most pure, natural state.
Second, living organic sends a strong message that you are opposed to pesticides and GMO [genetically modified organisms]. Not only do both of these technologies destroy the nutritional content of food, but research all around the world is showing that they cause serious side effects as well.
Third, living organic is a critical way to protect our environment, as chemicals are wreaking havoc on our water supply and soil quality.
What was your favorite food growing up?
Pizza.
What's your go-to comfort food now?
I am not too into so-called comfort food. My go-to food is pressed organic juice.
Nothing makes me feel as satisfied, healthy, and revitalized as pressed juice. I am very fortunate to be living in New York City, where pressed organic juice is readily available, especially in downtown Manhattan.
When I go to other cities, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to find pressed juice. This is slowly changing, however, as many health-conscious entrepreneurs realize the tremendous market opportunity that exists. The demand for pressed juice is enormous, and only growing.
What's the one thing in your kitchen you just couldn't live without?
Without question, it is my 4-stage water filter under my sink. I am kind of a water fanatic.
My good friend is the top water filtration expert in New York City, and I have one of his custom-made machines. The smallest of the four filters is 0.0135 microns. (To give some perspective, the tip of a strand of hair is about 100 microns.) The filter traps everything bigger than 0.0135 microns.
The ultrafiltration system takes out all the bad stuff (rust, chlorine, trihalomethane gases, fluoride, heavy metals, chemicals, etc.) and keeps all the good stuff (magnesium, calcium, other naturally occurring minerals).
What magazine, Web site, book, album, or product are you most obsessed with right now?
I am not obsessed with any of those right now. However, I have been listening to a lot of Gustavo Cerati lately.
Gustavo Cerati is an absolute icon in Argentina and was the leader of a band called Soda Stereo, which is considered by many to be the greatest Latin rock band ever.
Unfortunately, he had a stroke a few months ago in Venezuela after a concert and has been in a coma ever since. I doubt I will ever get to see him perform live again. It is very, very sad.
While Latin artists such as Shakira, Ricky Martin, and Juanes may be more famous in the United States, there is no one more of a genius.
What's the most important news story today that you think we all need to pay more attention to?
The water quality in this country is deplorable. People are under the impression that we have really clean water, especially here in New York City, and nothing could be further from the truth. My showerhead filters go from white to completely black after 2 months.
Last year the New York Times ran a series of articles about this issue. Only 91 contaminants are regulated under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Yet there are over 60,000 chemicals used in our environment today, and not one additional contaminant has been added to the act since 2000.
In some communities in the United States, the drinking water contains levels of arsenic that are associated with cancer. Amazingly, that contamination does not violate the Safe Drinking Water Act.
In Los Angeles, they float black plastic balls in some of the city reservoirs in order to shield the water from sunlight. Why? Because the sun will convert some of the contaminants in the water into likely cancer-causing compounds. The pictures of this are absolutely ridiculous.
The water situation desperately needs to be addressed, but the political will to do so appears very, very weak.
Where do you get your news?
Many different places, but the main sources are the New York Times, Time magazine, Charlie Rose, CNBC, the Organic Consumers Association, and the Center for Food Safety.