Diet Coke Couture

How cool are these bottles?! Diet Coke has rolled out yet another new round of high-fashion cans that I covet, this time in honor of the beverage brand's 30th birthday. Three new editions were developed by fashion designer Marc Jacobs, with each meant to illustrate a different decade of "female empowerment:" the 80s, 90s and 00s.  Unfortunately, it doesn't look like these will be available in the US. Sooo, if any of my readers are in Europe, feel free to send me a can...or two...or three, strictly for research purposes!

Icky, itchy and wheezy

I spent most of the weekend outdoors, enjoying patio parties and cookouts. The weather was warm and beautiful - but there weren't nearly as many people as you would expect outside. Why? Unfortunately, it's pollen season in Atlanta again. And that means a yellow coat of ick on all surfaces - and insane allergies on my end. Let's put things into perspective, shall we? A moderate pollen count is in the 31 to 60 range, while "extremely high" is anything over 121. Here in Atlanta, our pollen count a few days ago was 8024. Needless to say, I've been popping Zyrtec and guzzling Emergen-C like a champ.
So what else can I do to get rid of that scratchy, sniffly feeling? I refuse to be stuck inside when it's just so dang perfect outdoors. Here are some tips from the Mayo Clinic to help reduce pollen-related allergy misery.

• Since you track pollen on clothes and shoes when you return indoors, remove clothes worn outside and for extra defensive measures, shower to rinse pollen from your skin and hair.
• You might have to say "no" to Fido. Pollen clings to pet fur, so it's best to ban your dogs and cats from your bed or couch during allergy season.
• If pollen counts are unusually high, start taking your allergy medications before the sneezing-and-coughing begin. During these times also avoid outdoor activity in mornings when pollen counts are highest.
• Tiny granules of pollen and other allergens have ways of sneaking indoors, so to keep them out run the air conditioning (which uses a filter) in your house and car.
• Keep indoor air dry with a dehumidifier.
• Use a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in your bedroom.

In addition, experts say proper nutrtion can alleviate or prevent allergies by: helping dilate air passages, thinning the mucus in the lungs and preventing food-allergy reactions that trigger asthma attacks. Apparently some of these foods are beneficial to curbing allergies.

1) Apples are rich in antioxidants that improve lung function. Studies have shown that people who ate as many as five apples per week had significantly better lung function than those who did not eat apples.
2) Omega-3 fatty acids are an excellent source for fighting allergies. Other sources include canola oil, flaxseed oil, soybean oil, walnuts and wheat germ. Mix a small amount wheat germ or flaxseed oil in other foods such as yogurt or spaghetti sauce.
3) Magnesium-rich foods can help reduce respiratory problems. Eat foods like spinach, artichokes, tofu, sunflower seeds, cashews, navy and pinto beans.
4) Use lots of spices when cooking. There are plenty of ingredients that are easy to use that have anti-inflammatory effects. These include ginger, turmeric, garlic, onions and pepper.
5) Dig into foods like yogurt, ground beef, tofu, oysters, crab or dark turkey or chicken for plenty of zinc.
6) Eat citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit for their natural antihistamine effects. Bananas, pineapple and papaya also work.

I had an apple for a snack today and baked chicken, spinach and pineapple for dinner, along with a diet soda (duh!), so here's hoping the migraine and itchy eyes goes away soon. Allergies, be gone!

Feeling a bit green!

Saint Patrick was a gentleman who through strategy and stealth,
Drove all the snakes from Ireland, here’s a toasting to his health.
But not too many toastings lest you lose yourself and then,
Forget the good Saint Patrick and see all those snakes again.
Irish Toast

My favorite holiday of the year is only days away! As an Irish Catholic kid from Chicago, St. Patrick's Day is about as big as it gets. Parades, bagpipes, Irish step dancers, Guinness...I'm all about celebrating my roots. My plans for the weekend include dressing up in lots of green, going to an Irish-themed brunch with friends, going to the St. Patty's Day parade downtown, going to an Irish bar after that for a few pints and then finishing off the night at a St. Patrick's Day house party.
Don't worry. Not everything will involve party-related shenanigans. I'm going on a four hour hike with friends Sunday morning and I'll be walking all over town Saturday, rather than driving between locations. I also plan to drink LOTS of water and diet soda while I'm out celebrating. By the way, if you're trying to avoid weight gain, moderation is the name of the game. Overdoing it with any type of alcohol is a fast way to derail a weight-loss (or maintenance) plan. Not only do the calories add up, but if you're tipsy (or hung-over), fattening food may be tougher to turn down.
Here are some other healthy party tips that might bring you luck this weekend.

• A bottle of light beer or a glass of wine typically has about 100 calories. (There are exceptions, of course.) 
• A shot of most clear-ish alcohols -- like vodka and rum -- has about 100 calories. 
• Calorie-free sodas are great mixers. Seltzer and club soda are also good, but tonic has almost as many calories as regular soda.
• When you're out, order a club soda with a single shot of fruit-flavored vodka and just a splash of fruit juice. If the bar has fruit (orange slices, pineapple chunks, etc.), ask for a piece in your drink. That super-fruity sipper will likely clock in with no more than 120 calories. 
• Avoid frozen drinks like daiquiris, mudslides, piña coladas, and margaritas... especially ones served in glasses the size of salad bowls. They are high in calories!
• Steer clear of sweet creamy drinks (like a White Russian) and mega-cocktails made with a ton of booze (like Long Island Iced Tea, which has five kinds of alcohol.) Those are loaded with calories.
• Most Important Cocktail Tip Ever! If you're drinking anything alcoholic, be of the legal drinking age and do not get in a car unless someone sober is behind the wheel. 

Not feeling appropriately festive yet? Go watch an Irish movie like The Commitments, Darby O'Gill and the Little People or one of my personal faves, Waking Ned Devine. And may the luck of the Irish be with you this weekend! 

Cheers to that!

As if I needed another excuse to keep indulging in my favorite diet drinks! According to the Calorie Control Council, a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reveals that people who switched to diet beverages consumed less calories and had better diets than those who did not.
The research examined the effects of diet beverages on dietary intake patterns, food choices and consumption of sweet products. Participants were randomly placed in groups, either replacing two sugar-sweetened beverages with two diet ones or water. Participants included 318 men and women between 18 and 65 years of age who were overweight or obese.

Here are a few of the highlights of the findings:

• People who switched to diet drinks and water consumed less calories.
• People who switched to diet beverages had better diets. 
• People who drank diet beverages did not make up for the calories they cut in other places.
• Drinking diet beverages did not make participants crave sweets. 

So, in a nutshell, diet beverages cut calories and lead to weight loss without any negative downsides. Win-win! Now excuse me while I go drink a Sprite Zero!

Scoring Super Ads

It's almost game day, baby! And a few of the much-hyped Super Bowl commercials are already starting to leak out on the web. I'm holding off on watching any until they air live. It's more fun that way! But I did find a few of the more well-known soda-related Super Bowl ads from recent years. Enjoy!
And don't forget...while wolfing down those high-fat snacks and alcoholic beverages on Sunday, be sure to mix in some diet soda and water. Less calories (and less tipsy!) at the end of the day.