B.B. King Goes Sugar-Free

The King of Blues is a sugar-free enthusiast and that makes my love for these products even stronger. I grew up listening to B.B. King yet it wasn’t until my college days that I began to appreciate his music. As a little girl, my dad would blast his music around the house and while I couldn’t understand the subjects he spoke of, I had a feeling he was saying something significant. Now as a mature 23-year old (ha, ha!) I can appreciate the manner in which he sings of hardships and triumph.

At the ripe old age of 80-years-old, B.B. King is still a mainstay in the music scene. He has produced more than 90 blues albums and is still going strong. After developing diabetes, the King of Blues turned to sugar-free products to tame his insatiable hunger for sweet treats. This article from Diabetes Health details his struggle with diabetes and the manner in which he has learned to cope. In my opinion this man is a great example for people with diabetes as he has learned to control such cravings through simple substitutions instead of eliminating sweets from his diet. Like B.B. King, many of friends with diabetes have turned to sugar-free products as a way to curb sugar cravings without sending their blood sugar though the roof.

I’m glad B.B. King is on the bandwagon and I’m glad he can serve as an example for us all.

DNA Testing to Improve Health

An article from Newsweek details a recent health trend: DNA testing. When I first came upon this article I was very skeptical. How could an expensive DNA test help to improve my health? Well, more and more consumers are seeking out such tests to determine the various diseases and deficiencies they are at risk for. For example, let’s say you didn’t know it but your great-grandfather had heart disease. By taking this test, it’s possible (note: I say possible) for nutritionists to determine your risk for heart disease and recommend various foods and activities to reduce such a risk.

Although I must admit the possibility sounds interesting, I don’t think we’ve made enough progress in health technology for me to try it. Oh yeah, it also costs $695 and I spent all my money on shoes last weekend. It seems to me that this sort of testing could be rather plausible and even reliable in the future but for now I think maybe I’ll stick with good old-fashioned exercise and eating healthy foods.

Lately I’ve been having to work extra hard to avoid the Halloween candy that seems to permeate my office. Everywhere I turn—BAAM! A big bucket of candy silently mocks my lack of willpower. I suppose an extra ten minutes on the treadmill is worth that mini-Snickers bar though….

TaB Makes a Comeback

Get ready folks because TaB is ready to make a comeback. This hard-to-find diet soda has a loyal fan base, and people to willing to drive for miles in search of a cold six-pack. I suppose the love for TaB goes beyond its taste--it’s a drink with character. You know you’re a special diet soda when people don t-shirts with your logo on them!

One of my friends happens to be a hardcore TaB fan. I’ve only tasted it on one or two occasions but she’s determined to “show me the light” and get me to switch to TaB. While she refuses to drink any other diet soda, I consider myself more of an equal opportunist when it comes to diet soda – I love them all! Well maybe not all but I certainly love the majority of them. If TaB makes its comeback I’m more than willing to give it a shot but I can’t be expected to give up the other diet sodas that have been so wonderful to me. Besides, TaB is not particularly easy to find. In my 23 years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a vending machine that carried TaB. Easy access is key to popularity so maybe TaB devotees should work on getting their favorite drink in the vending machines first.

All this talk about diet sodas has made me thirsty so I’m gonna take a break from work and go grab a cold one. Speaking of work, check out this article. Apparently people are getting fired for blogging at work.

Trick or Sugar-Free Treat

Just in time for Halloween...

"Diet candy sales are booming due to the creation of better- tasting sweeteners. This annual growth rate of 43 percent is largely attributed to the rise in the number of people desiring to live healthier and eat lighter, as well as to the development of better-tasting sweeteners, according to the study. As a result, diet candy sales are booming, largely overtaking the sale of non-diet candy and creeping up on chocolate sales. Packaged Facts reported from 2000 to 2004 non-diet candy had a compound annual growth rate of 34 percent, with sales totaling $5 billion in 2004. Chocolate is still a leader in the market, boasting a growth rate of 3.9percent from 2000 to 2004, with total sales in 2004 equaling $14.6 billion. The fast growth rate of diet candy proves sugarless treats are just as sweet."
~ RedNova.com

Too bad all candy isn't reduced in sugar and calories. I would unabashedly resume my childhood obsession of trick-or-treating (get candy. getcandygetcandygetcandygetcandy).

A No-Cal Comeback

No-cal soda, the original diet soft drink creation is being brought back to life for a taste of diet nostalgia. Originally invented in 1952 in New York, the beverage was created as a sweet treat that even diabetics could indulge in. A new company -- INOV8 Beverage Company -- has decided to launch their business with the re-release of the initial zero-calorie drink. Although it originally came in one singular flavor, the new release has four types: Cherry Lime, Chocolate, Clementine and Vanilla Cream.

Although I have no idea how the product actually tastes, I can say that their marketing image for the product (at least the one created via their web site) is fun. They're not afraid to bring back the old-school ad jingles of circa 1950, and the text on the web site rings with light-hearted flavor.

"We use the best flavors available. We then find the calories and put them in a little closet where they have no chance to make you fat."

Now who can resist cracking a smile at that?

Personal Responsibility in Obesity Epidemic

You may call it laziness since technically I'm not coming up with my own blog fodder, but I call it resourcefulness. I found the following article over the weekend from Texas A&M's Battalion. Great articulation of the lack of personal responsibility when it comes to our nation's view of health, and the resulting obesity "epidemic."
_____________________________

Food fads
Trend diets and pop culture are not making strides toward ending the 'obesity epidemic'
By Tim Aylsworth

Obesity is a national epidemic. Richard L. Atkinson, president of the American Obesity Association, wrote, "We know now that the health effects of obesity are similar or greater than smoking, problem drinking and being poor." With this perilous epidemic on the rise, one might think that real steps were being made to squelch this threat. In reality, obesity has become another tool for get-rich-quick scams and false hopes. The real problem is a deeply-rooted attitude, and it cannot be remedied without a serious change of perspective.

These pseudo-solutions are everywhere. The first layer is the never-ending laundry list of fad diets. The next layer is made up of amphetamines and instant-weight-loss pills. Other vital aspects include misinformation and fictional nutrition guides, which use meaningless jargon to assert their validity. The icing on the cake is the utter lack of personal responsibility.

After blaming the diets that don't work, the pills that cause heart disease and the genetics that people don't understand, there is one obvious culprit. The sinister maniacs who go around selling the food are clearly to blame. In 2003, McDonald's was sued by two teenagers who claimed the restaurant was the cause of their obesity. Apparently, personal responsibility is a thing of the past. These days, if someone has a problem, the rational thing to do is incriminate someone else.

U.S. District Court Judge Robert Sweet threw the case out. According to Sweet, "If a person knows or should know that eating copious orders of super-sized McDonald's products is unhealthy and may result in weight gain, it is not the place of the law to protect them from their own excesses." That is shocking. Perhaps the obesity epidemic has something to do with eating in excess. No one saw that coming.

Some weight problems might be genetic, and a handful of people really cannot help their condition, but the vast majority of obese individuals are a product of their own choices. Those who frequently shirk responsibility for their condition are often the same ones that fall into the pop culture myths of instant weight loss.

There is something intuitively wrong with assuming that a person can eat food they love, eat an abundance of it and lose weight. The real answer lies in moderation, following instinctive guidelines and legitimate education. This is a simple concept, but education and temperance are not similar to the quick fixes on the bookshelves. These are the backbone of a healthy lifestyle, and they are almost entirely absent in this culture.

New Fresca

It's the little things that get you through a Friday afternoon... like offering commentary reviews on diet soda flavors. Eh -- it's ok, it's Friday. (Johnny will be proud of that one.)

Just tried a new diet soda, thanks to the thoughtfulness of a fellow diet soft drink loving co-worker. Fresca Sparkling Black Cherry Citrus. It's funny when titles have overwhelmingly more adjectives than nouns, don't you think? There are so many descriptives in the name itself, to try and describe what the drink even tastes like seems close to overkill. Alas, I'll put myself in danger of that.

This is one of the most refreshing drinks I have tasted in awhile. Very light and clean, yet full of flavor at the same time. After all you have the normal Fresca-flavor lingering in the background (a menagerie of citrus that includes a strong grapefruit presence), while a raspberry/cherry overtone presents itself. It reminds me of a good punch mixture, as in NOT the dodgy kinds found mixed in garbage cans on porches during frat parties. [flashback to college days... who in their right mind willingly consumes something called "hunch punch?"]

I give this one 3.5 out of 5 stars. It's delicious, but a subtle aftertaste detracts from the overall experience. However, definitely worth a 6-pack try. There's also 2 other Fresca flavors... the classic "normal" citrus variety, and then a peach citrus style as well.

Carbonated ... Yogurt?

Try this innovation on for size... a new twist on the bubbly stuff by Lynn Ogden, a food science professor at Brigham Young University, has resulted in something truly remarkable -- carbonated yogurt. It's made by combining everyday yogurt with dry ice (basically frozen carbon dioxide).

You heard right -- carbonated foods.

And apparently there's other carbonated foodstuffs in the works as well. Things like carbonated ice cream and dairy drinks among others.

Sounds weird enough to give it a shot. Though I think I'll mainly be sticking with the age-old carbonated favorite -- diet soda.

Calorie Restriction to the Extreme

Anyone heard about the new "lifestyle" known as Calorie Restriction? It's called CR for short. The idea is that consuming a low number of calories on a daily, life long basis will create health and anti-aging benefits... basically increasing a person's lifespan. In fact, there is an entire advocacy group centered around this idea -- the Calorie Restriction Society. Nutribase.com (fitness and nutrition company, associated with the CR Society) describes it as a diet, "in which people eat fewer calories while maintaining - and often improving - their nutrition. The CR Diet is not a weight-loss program although weight loss is usually a natural consequence."

Sounds great in theory, however recent research published on webmd.com suggests that "drastically cutting calories greatly boosts longevity for rats but probably not for people." Plus, this isn't just any calorie counting (meeting daily suggested calorie intake goals) lifestyle. Men on the diet typically consume around 1,500 calories a day, while women typically consume around 1,100 calories a day -- depending upon their height and weight -- a number much lower than the average suggested calories for healthy living and meeting nutritional needs.

It does sound like an interesting concept for those who can hang with it. I for one could not exist on simply 1,100 calories every single day. But all personal mexican food and beer cravings aside, researchers are saying the costs are far greater proportionally than the benefits. It just seems to me that if you want to reduce calories, eat healthier -- vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean protein, and reduced-calorie foods. Finds ways to cut extraneous calories with light products. At least, that's the type of calorie restriction I can handle -- diet soda instead of regular. Probably nothing as extreme (or hardcore) as CR.