Silk Unveils "Least Challenging Challenge" To Aid New Year's Resolution-Makers

Broomfield, Colo. — More than seven in ten (71 percent) surveyed1 by Silk® say that eating healthier is one of the most difficult New Year’s resolutions to keep, so Silk is announcing a challenge that requires almost no effort. The Silk Least Challenging Challenge [in the world™] simply asks consumers to replace regular milk with Silk when eating cereal. That’s it. Potential benefits include fewer calories, higher calcium intake and a great taste that results in a challenge that is not even remotely challenging.

Silk commissioned a consumer survey to glean a better understanding of the typical New Year’s resolution cycle. Not surprisingly, the survey revealed that while 66 percent of people have made the resolution to eat healthier nearly half (45 percent) said they stuck with it for only three months or less. Reasons for giving up include: too hard to change lifestyle (67 percent), too busy (54 percent) and setting the bar too high (50 percent).

“Making New Year’s resolutions and keeping them are two entirely different things, and we know that, for many people, forming lasting changes can be difficult. At Silk, we strive to remove the barriers to eating healthier and make it easy,” said Craig Shiesley, General Manager for Silk. “Simply pouring Silk on your cereal rather than regular milk doesn’t call for a huge lifestyle change, doesn’t require any more time and should be an easy – and delicious – bar to clear for most folks.”

Why Swap Milk for Silk? Great taste and excellent nutrition
Reaching for Silk instead of milk when sitting down to your morning bowl of cereal means you’ll enjoy an excellent source of calcium – 50 percent more calcium than dairy milk2 – and Vitamin D with zero cholesterol. Silk’s products use the highest-quality plant-based ingredients. In addition, Silk’s entire plant-based beverage portfolio is verified by the Non- GMO Project’s Product Verification Program.

What’s more, most people prefer the taste of Silk Vanilla on their cereal over dairy milk3. There are many varieties of Silk to suit every taste preference, including lines of Silk Soymilk, Silk Pure Almond and Silk Pure Coconut.

To help round out the Challenge, wellness expert and best-selling author Kathy Freston put together her top three Least Challenging Challenge tips for consumers looking to eat healthier in 2012, including:

1. Switch out milk for Silk in your cereal! – Who doesn’t love a bowl of cereal for breakfast? Buy a few different whole grain cereals and mix them up with some chopped apples or blueberries. Add a spoonful of ground flax seeds for extra fiber and a shot of Omega 3’s, and pour on some delicious Silk Pure Almond Vanilla almondmilk for a tasty breakfast. Not only will your breakfast help keep you satisfied, but you’ll also enjoy an excellent source of vitamins D, B12 and antioxidant vitamin E, plus 50 percent more calcium than milk when you use Silk.4

2. Eat an apple a day – Apples are rich in dietary fiber and a lower calorie snack that can help fill you up. Apples are low in sodium and contain a variety of essential nutrients including B-vitamins, vitamin C, beta-carotene, potassium and other minerals (source: USDA Nutrient Database). Eat them chopped, whole, or sliced, but not juiced as juice can have too much sugar and lacks the fiber.

3. Stay hydrated – drink eight ounces of water, eight times day – Water is crucial to your health as every system in your body depends on it. You can drink glasses of water or eat plant-based foods like fruits and vegetables that contain a lot of water. For example, oranges are 87 percent water and cucumbers are 95 percent water.

“One of the biggest mistakes folks make with their New Year’s resolutions is trying to change so much that they set themselves up to fail,” said Freston. “That’s why I love the concept of the Silk’s Least Challenging Challenge. Just make a few simple changes, such as using Silk instead of regular milk on your cereal, and experience some success before you add another lifestyle change.”

How Will Consumers Learn About the Least Challenging Challenge in the New Year?
Consumers can engage with the Silk Least Challenging Challenge [in the world] campaign, which kicks off just before the new year, through broadcast, print and digital advertising, a robust integration with Martha Stewart and through Facebook. All media will drive to the Least Challenging Challenge Facebook destination (Facebook.com/SilkUS) where consumers can un-challenge themselves through interactive Least Challenging Challenge games, receive Silk coupons and much more.

ABOUT SILK
Silk was founded in 1996 on a promise to make the world a healthier place. We believe that plant-based foods are the best way to nourish people and the planet and today we offer a broad portfolio of nutritious, great-tasting milk alternatives, including Silk® Soymilk, Silk PureAlmond™ and Silk PureCoconut™. Silk’s products use the highest-quality plant-based ingredients. In addition, Silk’s entire plant-based beverage portfolio is verified by the  Non-GMO Project’s Product Verification Program. Silk is also committed to making the world a healthier place through socially responsible and environmentally sustainable business practices, such as our Responsible Soybean Sourcing & Production Program, our traceability website (www.silksoymilk.com/traceit/) and our legacy of using and championing renewable energy. For more information, visit www.silksoymilk.com, www.silkpurealmond.com, www.silkpurecoconut.com, Facebook.com/SilkUS or follow us on Twitter @LoveMySilk.

1 Telephone survey of 1,004 U.S. women conducted by Braun Research on behalf of Silk from Nov. 21-Dec.3, 2011. The survey included an oversample of cell phones. The margin of error, at a 95 percent confidence rate, is +/-3.1%
2 50% more calcium in Silk refrigerated beverages, excluding organic soymilk; soymilk with DHA and aseptic soymilk have 45% DV of calcium; typical dairy milk has 30% DV.
3 National Taste Test, January 2011 (products included in test were Silk Vanilla Soymilk, Silk Light Vanilla  Soymilk, and Silk Pure Almond Almondmilk.

Source: Silk