30 Day Experiment: Water Diet

As our society becomes increasingly focused on the preservation of health, we turn to “healthy” foods as an escape of our dangerous lifestyles. Corporations, on the other hand, do not give much of an incentive to live on a healthy diet. Major foods companies charge a premium price for their “organic” foods, and when placed next to their competitive counter-parts, they don’t stand a chance. The most competitive foods companies prove to us every day that they are only seeking to increase their profits. These corporations will do whatever it takes to lower costs, and even deceive us in order to increase market share. People think that by simply switching from drinking sodas to drinking fruit juices will greatly positively affect their health (especially children). We think that by switching to drinking Minute Maid Fruit Punch as opposed to Coca Cola, we are going to impact Coca Cola’s sales and hurt the company. On the contrary, by switching to Minute Maid, we are doing just the opposite. We are aiding in Coca Cola’s maximization of profit by switching from one of their products to another of their products, and since we think this fruit juice isn’t as bad for us as their soda, we drink more of it than if it were in a carbonated form. I took the liberty to read the ingredients of Minute Maid (by Coke) and its carbonated counterpart, Coca Cola. The main ingredients of Coca Cola includes water and high fructose corn syrup, while on the other hand, Minute Maid’s main ingredients include water and sweeteners. This ignorance of consumption has to end, and it starts with education. People must take the initiative and invest a small amount of time so that they can be informed to what they are consuming on a daily basis. But after we educate ourselves we must educate our peers, so that they too can break free of the consumption cycle that the industry leaders have us stuck in. During the next 30 days, I will give up the consumption of artificial beverages as a whole, and only drink water as my method of liquid nourishment. Since I am comparing the overall health of drinking artificial beverages on a daily basis (which I have already been doing for quite some time), I chose a beverage that will be in its most economically purist form: water. The rules for this 30 day experiment will be plain: I will simply drink a total of the recommended amount of 8 ounces of water throughout each day. There will be no consumption of any sodas, juices, or anything besides water. And of course food. As I proceed through this experiment, I will be measuring energy levels merely by means of feeling. I will measure my energy levels on a scale from 1 to 10. 1 being exhausted and 10 being fully energized. I will take note of my energy in the morning at 6 AM, again at 12 PM, then lastly at 6 PM. Since energy levels can also be affected by my amount of sleep, I will not stay up later than 11 PM. I will also be measuring my weight throughout the duration of the experiment to collect data on the effects of a water diet in relation to weight. This experiment will be conducted from November 4, 2009 to December 4, 2009. Each day, I will report on the blog of my progress on the current day as well as my progress in relation to previous days.