Introducing… the Silk bloggers!!!
Hey, what can I say? We’re a fun bunch! I absolutely loved meeting each and every one of the Silk bloggers in Colorado last week. We all have different kinds of blogs and audiences, so we all bring something unique to the table. It’s a really great mix, and I am excited to work with everyone!
- Skinny Mom
- Cook Like a Dad
- Living Well Spending Less
- Oatmeal After Spinning
- Run Eat Repeat
- Fit Bottom Girls
- Dave Grotto
- Sharon Plamer
- Rebecca Scritchfield
Day 2 of our “blogger immersion” at Silk headquarters kicked off with a focus group where we had a chance to share our thoughts and opinions about the brand, its products, and various social media and marketing initiatives. Even though Silk had a number of questions planned to ask the group, the session was very much a roundtable discussion with plenty of opportunities to ask questions and bounce around ideas. As a brand, Silk was very interested and responsive to our feedback, which I really appreciated.
After the focus group, we headed to lunch at the Silk cafeteria, which offered a ton of healthy options.
And lots of Silk (and Horizon) products!
I love a good salad bar, so I went straight for it and loaded up a bowl with all sorts of goodies, including grilled salmon and chicken, marinated tofu, and roasted veggies.
I also ate a banana with peanut butter spread on top. It was the perfect lunch: nutritious, delicious, and satisfying.
After lunch, we learned all about Silk nutrition, which focused on a number of soy myths, including:
- Soy contains estrogen
- Soy will give you “man boobs”
- Soy increases cancer risk
- Soy is a major cause of food allergy
- Soy is not safe for breast cancer patients and survivors
All of the information we discussed is on the Silk website, so be sure to check it out, but, I have to admit, I was really surprised by some of them. I actually stopped buying soymilk for my daily iced coffee at home (I still drink it in my Marylou’s) because I was worried about the cancer risk because of the estrogen, but that’s not the case at all. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer patients can safely consume soy foods like soymilk, tofu and edamame. In fact, a recently published study involving nearly 10,000 breast cancer patients found that higher soy consumption was associated with a 25% reduction in cancer recurrence [source].
I also stopped buying Silk soymilk because I assumed it was made with GMO soybeans. I mean, it’s mass-produced and you can buy it at Target, so I just figured it was made with GMO soybeans. Well, it’s not! In fact, ALL of Silk’s products are free of GMO ingredients. Silk is certified through the Non-GMO Project, a nonprofit (third party) collaboration of manufacturers, retailers, farmers and consumers, who work together to ensure the availability of non-GMO foods and beverages. (You can find the Non-GMO Project label on the front of their products as seen below.) Currently, 93% of all soybeans in the U.S. are GMO. Isn’t that crazy? Silk’s commitment to only using non-GMO soybeans in their products is helping to keep that number from going to 100%. Awesome, right? Yay, Silk! Now that I know Silk doesn’t use GMO soybeans in their soymilk, it definitely makes me feel comfortable buying it again.
After the nutrition session, we had a little smoothie competition between the Silk bloggers.
We had all sorts of fun ingredients to choose from and each of us created our own special smoothie for the contest.
My smoothie included crushed pineapple, frozen banana, honey, mint, and Silk Vanilla Pure Coconut Milk.
Once everyone made their smoothies, it was time to vote. We poured our “entries” into sample-size cups and starting tasting, keeping in mind our top three favorites.
My smoothie ended up being a big hit with everyone, and it won first place! Woohoo! Sadly, I don’t have the exact measurements of what I used, but I will definitely make this smoothie again and blog about it on CNC. It was so, so tasty””sort of sweet, creamy, and tropical, which would be perfect for summer!
So this concludes my recap of my trip to the Silk headquarters. I’ll be working with the brand until the end of the year, so you’ll see a few more posts on CNC that feature Silk products, news, and other fun stuff.
And I haven’t forgotten about the carrageenan question that a bunch of you asked. It concerned me too, and I actually asked it within five minutes of meeting the Silk team. I was like, “Hi. I’m Tina. What’s the deal with the carrageenan in some of your products?” Ha! Silk gets this question a lot, especially on their Facebook page, so they’re going to provide me with some more detailed information as well as links to research and all that jazz, so we can get the real deal on carrageenan.
Question of the Day
What is your favorite milk-alternative (almond, soy, coconut, hemp, etc.)?
Disclaimer: Silk is compensating me for my participation in their blogger program, but, as always, the thoughts and opinions expressed on CNC are honest and all my own.