The Naked Truth - Good For You?

By Kia Edwards

The juice brand known as Naked has come under fire recently, which ultimately resulted in a fine.  I want to look at Naked’s nutrients and use that to figure out if it’s a healthy option, irrespective of their legal issues.  Is it really something worth drinking or are we falling for good marketing?  Let’s find out, shall we?

The Good

Overall, the juices taste pretty good, but I would expect them to given their success.  As far as nutrients go, they are low in saturated fat, with many containing no saturated fat.  For example, here are the Nutrition Facts for Cherry Pomegranate Power:

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 8 oz (227 g)

Per Serving % Daily Value*

Calories 140 - Calories from Fat 0 - Total Fat 0.0g 0% Saturated Fat 0.0g 0Cholesterol 0mg 0%

Sodium 30mg 1% Carbohydrates 34.0g 11% Dietary Fiber 0.0g 0% Sugars 32.0g Protein 2.0g Vitamin A 2% · Vitamin C 100% Calcium 2% · Iron 3% 

It’s not terrible.  It’s low in salt, contains no cholesterol and it’s very high in Vitamin C.  It also has some protein, calcium and iron in it.  As an added bonus, it contains some B vitamins including riboflavin, niacin, and Vitamins B6 and B12.  B Vitamins help your body to make energy from the food you eat.  Deficiencies in B Vitamins can cause anemia.  Needless to say, they are important, so it’s a plus Naked juices contain them.

The Bad

No matter how they want to spin it, Naked juices are very high in sugar.  32 grams of sugar is 128 calories, which is a lot to add to your diet if you’re drinking a bottle of this with your meals.  Some of the other juices under this brand contain even more sugar.  In addition to adding a lot of calories to your diet, all of this sugar will cause your blood sugar to spike and then drop fairly quickly, so even if you just use this as a snack instead of drinking it with a meal, you will likely find yourself feeling hungry not long after.

The Verdict

While it’s not the worst drink in the world, you don’t need to make a habit out of drinking Naked juices.  Some people use it as a morning boost, which is perfectly fine.  The main thing to remember is that you’re better off getting your nutrients from unprocessed sources so real fruits are always a better option.  If you find that the juices are too sweet, or if you’re wary about the sugar (which, quite frankly, you should be), water the drinks down.  It’s better than soda, but eating fresh fruits and using water as your main source of hydration is still a pretty good bet.  

Click here to see NY Times article on benefits of fruit

Kia Edwards is a certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist who lives in New York City. She studied French and Economics at Colgate University, spent 15 years as a high-level competitive gymnast and 6 years as a gymnastics coach.  Her business, La Fortesse At Home Fitness Training, helps clients get healthy with simple at home exercises and nutrition counseling. www.LaFortesse.com   

Pre Primary Interview With Incumbent Patrick R. Vecchio

Supervisor Patrick Vecchio is being challanged by Councilman Robert Creighton for the Republican line for Town Supervisor in November. Below is the result of an interview I had with Mr. Vecchio a week ago. Pat

By Pat Biancaniello

In a world where people change jobs almost as frequently as they change cars, it is almost inconceivable to Patrick Vecchio at Kings Park St. Patrick’s Day Paradethink of being in the same position for thirty-six years. And yet after 36 years of being Smithtown Supervisor, Patrick Vecchio is seeking an additional four years. So my first question to long time Smithtown Supervisor Patrick Vecchio was, why do you want to do this again? Without hesitation he responded, “because it has been my life and I love what I do, helping people and attempting to improve our quality of life.” He then added, “I think it (quality of life) is the main issue in this campaign.”

Using quality of life as a measurement I asked him to give some examples of how he has improved the quality of life for Smithtown residents.  Once again, his response was immediate.  “From an environmental point of view, garbage used to be collected by private carters who contracted with citizens, service was haphazard. Today, collections are stabilized, residents do not deal with carters directly, carting is by contract and collections are overseen by the town with strict enforcement by the town.”  Mandating natural gas garbage trucks is another example Vecchio gave. He pointed out how the mandate has reduced carbon emissions in our local environment. He explained how the most recent natural gas contract, unanimously supported by the Town Board, is less costly saving residents a half-million dollars per year for seven years. Additionally, he mentioned a wind turbine, solar panels and LED lights all beneficial to the local environment and helping with the bottom line by eliminating costs borne by taxpayers.

He wasn’t through yet. He brought up the 22 parks, 3 beaches and train station parking that Smithtown makes available to town residents at no additional cost.  While some towns charge their residents for parking Smithtown does not and issues approximately 45,000 town stickers to residents. 

The most controversial issue in this campaign season is land use.  Stating that government protects the quality of life of residents by opposing intrusive development in residential areas, Vecchio gave three examples: “1-  Uplands (Kings Park), which he called a pseudo assisted living complex.  “In reality it is a four story apartment complex with only 28 beds set aside for assisted living and the remaining high price condominiums in the $800,000 range and apartments in $200,000 range. All this proposed in a 50 acre sensitive land area and I think if that were to happen it would surely disturb the quality of life for the people. 2. The winery (Whisper Vineyard On Edgewood in St. James), can you conceive of the weddings and bar mitzvas and parties in a tent in a residential neighborhood with all of the noise pollution. Government must oppose wrongheaded land uses. 3.  The proposed Whisper Assisted Living development (on 25a). I am not opposed to assisted living facilities, but they ought to be in areas that abut or are near areas of commercial use.  I think that government should be ensuring quality of life by opposing wrong minded land uses.”

I asked about Smithtown’s downtown area, isn’t that a quality of life issue? According to Vecchio, Yes. BUT, without sewers there is little that can be done. He claims Smithtown’s 6%  vacancy rate has been consistent over 25 years and feels that there is little that the town can do to increase occupancy rates. Taxes are still being paid on the vacant properties and there is a proposal for a CVS on Main Street in Smithtown. Explaining how restaurants have replaced the mom and pop operations he points to the speed at which Luso vacated its premises (Luso moved to the west end of Main Street Smithtown) and a new restaurant moved into the Luso site as an example of a functioning downtown. On this point Supervisor Vecchio is adamant -“Government can not be held responsible for everything. Fixing roads, that we must do. But finding tenants for vacant stores is not government’s responsibility.”

What about the claim that Smithtown is the land of “no” and that it takes too long to get things done. Calling it a political statement Vecchio denies that it is true.  He points to the fact that in the downtown area there are other levels of government that must sign off on projects, and what is blamed on the town is often a delay by other agencies that have jurisdiction.  

Another issue that impacts on the quality of life “taxes”. The budget is Vecchio’s passion. He wants to know every detail about the budget and couldn’t imagine delegating that responsibility to the town’s comptroller. ” I suspect that many town’s will do that, say to their comptroller do the budget. I would not be happy with that. I would have to have hands on to know what the budget contains and why it contains it.”said Vecchio.

Empire Center for Public Policy, Inc. just released a report “What They Make”  which has a breakdown of County and Municipal Payrolls in New York by average salary (2012-2013) by employer. According to data in the report Smithtown ranks second only to Huntington in Suffolk County for employee compensation. Are Smithtown’s employees overpaid?

Supervisor Vecchio: “I think not, all of us in Public office like to think that we did it all. If you don’t have a good employee force and a contented employee force than I think the quality of life will just deteriorate. And as you well know the Supervisor negotiates contracts and has to be fair to employee and taxpayer. And so I’ve always tried to get a balance. I think the employees are very happy and their happiness reflects in the quality of life. If the parks employees aren’t happy they will not do their job and the parks will suffer and impact on our quality of life.”

Patrick Vecchio is in a contest for the Republican line in the November general election. If he defeats Robert Creighton he will be on the November ballot. Should Robert Creighton win Patrick Vecchio’s term will end on December 31, 2013.

Tuesday, September 10th is the date of the Republican Primary. Get out and vote!

An Interview With Town Supervisor Candidate - Robert Creighton

Councilman Robert Creighton is challenging Supervisor Patrick Vecchio for the Republican line for Town Supervisor in November. The following article comes from an interview I did with Councilman Creighton. Supervisor Patrick Vecchio’s interview will be posted Friday evening. Pat

By Pat Biancaniello

Councilman Robert Creighton -At Kings Park Farmers MarketAsk Robert Creighton if he is sorry that he decided to challenge Patrick Vecchio for the Republican line in November’s election and he answers with an absolute “No”. He is not sorry at all. A little surprised at the nasty things that have been said about him and more than a little bothered that his son has been brought into all the nastiness - but sorry, “not at all.” 

That’s the way Bob Creighton is, he thinks about what he believes is right, collects information and then acts on that information. It is this ability to make decisions that allowed Bob to lay the foundation for his challenge to Vecchio. Months ago he changed his party registration from Conservative to Republican and hasn’t looked back.  When asked if he received criticism from Conservatives or Republicans for changing his affiliation? His answer was an emphatic “no”!

“I like what I do, as a Councilman I can do a little good. As Supervisor, I can do a lot of good. Certainly more good than Patrick Vecchio has done. He has done nothing, not in my time and he has blocked everything we have tried to do.”  Creighton used the Nassau - Suffolk lumber yard debacle as an example of what is wrong under Vecchio’s leadership. His frustration is palpable as  he declares Vecchio and DeRubeis have blocked the redevelopment of the site since 2008 when the first rendering was presented. According to Creighton, “DiCarlo has submitted eight plans. The most recent rendering drawn up by the Planning Department and then planning came back and said the air shaft is too small. After they drew up the plans. Where does that come from? An arrogance that starts at the top. When you have thirty five years of arrogance and Frank DeRubeis there for thirty plus years, it happens, not intentionally, but it happens.”

What will he do to change things if he is elected as Supervisor? Creighton uses the town of Patchogue as an example. Creighton talked about a recent visit to Patchogue and a visit with Mayor Paul Pontieri.  Facing blight in its downtown, Pontieri has successfully addressed the blight of downtown Patchogue and the mindset of the department heads according to Creighton. “Pontieri looks at a proposal, if he likes it, he tells them to write up a plan. We (Smithtown) throw a monkey wrench at people.” Calling Smithtown the land of “no”, Creighton talks about how he and Councilman Wherheim have enacted a controversial plan advising developers to bring the plans to them before talking to planning. “If we like it, “a la Pontieri” they can bring the plan to the Planning Department with a different spin on it. It levels the playing field because the Planning Department now knows that we have seen the plan and have interest in it.”

When asked about rumors that Creighton planned to replace department heads with commissioners, he said that this idea was not a high priority. “I do support the idea because commissioners would be more responsive to us. I don’t think it is terribly necessary. I do support the idea but I would be perfectly comfortable changing the department heads making them more responsive to me. Changing to commissioners would be more expensive and I don’t want to do that.” 

I asked Mr. Creighton to respond to criticism that he was more interested in business development and not interested in protecting residents. ” Protect the residents from what? My answer is very simple, if I wasn’t interested I wouldn’t be running for this job. I think I can do some good. Doing good means taking care of some interests. Take Whisper Vineyards for example, I am supposed to be a supporter of it. I support the concept, but I don’t support the noise that would come from the vineyard. I do believe there is room for accommodation. The Uplands? People want your final decision before you have all the information. I have said I will wait until I have all the information on it and go through it at that point.  They want you to say I am against it. But remember we all voted for the idea of a continuum care and we all voted to make St. Johnland do an EIS (environmental impact study) they paid for it. Without four votes the project is dead. I will not do anything to delay the vote.” Asked for an example of support for the residents, Mr. Creighton spoke about his support for road improvements.  Vecchio, according to Creighton has said the roads are fine.

On the budget - Mr. Creighton has had some experience with budgeting but is very pleased with the hiring of Louis Necroto as Town Comptroller. A hiring that he and Councilman Wherheim promoted. Mr. Creighton said that Mr. Necroto will play a significant role in putting together the town budget. Another person Mr. Creighton sees as playing a role in his administration is Town Attorney John Zollo. 

What is it that Bob Creighton would like residents of Smithtown to know about him? “Obviously, I am very sensitive about this. I would like people to know that I have a high degree of integrity. I would like people to know that I am not corrupt, that I am not a crook and I do not take money from people.  That to me is very important. I have spent an entire career building a reputation in the law enforcement community. A better reputation than most. It offends me terribly to be called corrupt.” 

“I think Smithtown is a great town. I live here. I have lived here for 54 years. I come from New York City, I came here by choice. I married my wife here. I love the place. I have educated my children here and my grandchildren are being educated here. I would like my grandchildren to be able to stay here. I want my kids to be able to stay here when they get to retirement age. I don’t want them to go to Florida or North Carolina. I’m here because I think we have an obligation to provide better housing for people. We need smart growth, an overworked word. We need the project across from Town Hall the perfect example of smart growth business on the first floor and apartments /condominiums on the top floors and parking off the streets.”

What happens to Bob Creighton if he loses the primary? He is a heavy favorite to win the Conservative primary against Linda Donnelly and plans to continue his campaign for Supervisor on the Conservative line.

Tuesday, September 10th is the date of the Republican Primary. Get out and vote!

Suffolk County Legislator Lynne C. Nowick visits Nissequogue River State Park “Healing Garden”

click on photo to enlarge(Smithtown, NY)… Suffolk County Legislator Lynne C. Nowick was invited to see the “Healing Garden” that was created at the Nissequogue River State Park.in Kings Park. The garden, which was a joint effort of the Commack Kings Park Rotary and the Nissequogue River State Park Foundation, was given to the park this summer. The design was donated by Joan McGuillicudy, of The Surrogate Gardner in Northport, and the construction and labor for the project was generously provided by St. James resident Eric Hagenbauch of Finesse Landscape Design. The garden is open to the public and there is a bench located under an old gnarled tree that Mr. Hagenbauch pruned and shaped and calls it “The Tree of Life.”

Legislator Nowick said, “The “Healing Garden” is a beautiful area set in a wonderful serene spot from where you can see the Kings Park Bluff, Short Beach and the Long Island Sound. This is why land preservation is so important. I applaud the efforts of the members of the Nissequogue River State Park Foundation for advocating for the creation and preservation of the park, as well as the Commack Kings Park Rotary for bringing the idea of the “healing garden” to fruition, which benefits local residents and all visitors to the park.”

Pictured at the Healing Garden are from left to right: Pat Biancaniello, past president of the Commack Kings Park Rotary, Suffolk County Legislator Lynne C. Nowick and John McQuaid of the Nissequogue River State Park Foundation.

Editorial - Republican Primary Tuesday, September 10 - Bring It On!

Have an opinion on the Republican primary next Tuesday? If you don’t and you live anywhere in Smithtown Township that might just put you in the minority. It seems everywhere I go people are talking about one of the three primaries coming up on September 10. 

If you haven’t been paying attention here’s the scorecard - there are three Republicans seeking a place on the Republican line for Suffolk County Legislator in the 13^th Legislative District. The candidates are (alphabetically):  Paul Hennings, Mario Mattera, and Robert Trotta. The three men are seeking the seat currently held by Lynne C. Nowick, who due to term limits, is ineligible to run for another term.

Ms. Nowick, after serving for 12 years in the Suffolk County legislature, is seeking a seat on Smithtown’s Town Board. Ms. Nowick, the only female in the Smithtown Republican Primary, is facing two incumbents: Councilman McCarthy and Councilman Malloy.

Lastly, the Smithtown branch of the “Grand Ole Party” is seeing a primary for Town Supervisor.  Smithtown’s 36-year incumbent, Patrick Vecchio, is being challenged by a recent convert to the Republican “Party” Robert Creighton. This primary has been a fiercely fought competition with no one holding back. It seems that everyone in Smithtown has an opinion and very few people have wavered in their support of their chosen candidate.

Mr. Creighton’s challenge is about bringing change and “we can be better”. Mr. Vecchio’s platform is about “quality of life.” Both men are passionate and articulate in their belief that they are best suited to lead Smithtown in 2014.  Both men were gracious in taking time from their schedules to be interviewed by Smithtown Matters. 

What struck me most about the interviews was that these two men are just about as different as two candidates can be.  This gives Republican voters a clear choice in the primary. Are the voters listening to what the candidates are saying? Have voters been paying attention to votes cast, comments made and alliances? 

Make no mistake, the two candidates have not hidden their plans for the future which is “our” future.

The question is whose vision for the future will primary voters go with?

Pat

Friday, Sept. 6th, Smithtown Matters will post the Vecchio and Creighton interviews.