'Tis the season...for low-cal punch!

Well gang, this will be last post until 2011. I know, dry your eyes. I'll be back in the New Year with many more diet soda craving stories and tips on new products. Until then, I've found a few low-calorie punch recipes to whet your whistle. Because if you're anything like me, you've been attending quite a few holiday parties in recent weeks - which come packed with rich foods and high-calorie beverages. So here are some yummy, fizzy punch recipes to keep you in the festive spirit - without sporting Santa's waistline.

Cranberry Spritzer Punch

Low-Calorie Holiday Punches

Holiday Surprise Punch (just swap out the regular-calorie version for the diet soda)

Sunshine Punch

Finally, just wanted to include this Diet Dr. Pepper commercial featuring Santa (as well as the Easter bunny, Tooth Fairy, Bigfoot, a leprechaun and all sorts of other creatures!) that is full of awesome. Enjoy and happy holidays!

Pepsi to Launch Better Tasting Low-Cal Drinks??

According to recent media reports, PepsiCo Inc. is "very close" to launching new products that use a mix of sweeteners and flavor modifiers to make low-calorie drinks taste better than ever. Well that is certainly music to my ears! As most of you know by now, I love me some low-calorie, sugar-free sodas. PepsiCo reps say the breakthrough would involve not only sweeteners, but ingredients to balance the impact of those sweeteners. In addition to Pepsi, Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc is also experimenting with low-calorie sweeteners and modifiers. And recently, Coca-Cola signed a deal with Chromocell Corp for the development of sweeteners. Speaking of great tasting diet drinks, I found a Diet Pomegranate 7UPAntioxidant at the store earlier. YUM!

A drop of sunshine for soda drinkers...

If you're from the South (or have ever lived there), chances are you've heard of Sun Drop. The regionally distributed soda brand has a rabid fanbase - out-of-towners purchase the product in bulk so they can bring it home, families have shipped it out to soldiers serving overseas and fans swap recipes for holiday turkey with a Sun Drop glaze. But folks across the country might soon be able to find the carbonated beverage on local supermarket shelves. According to news reports, Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. plans to start selling Sun Drop nationwide early next year.
The expansion is part of Dr Pepper Snapple's strategy to fortify consumer interest in flavored sodas. To reach Sun Drop's target market, Dr Pepper Snapple developed a revenue-sharing agreement with Viacom Inc.'s MTV network that includes a redesign of the can that will be appear in January, as well as advertising via MTV programming.
While I've never tried the full-calorie version of Sun Drop, I can attest to the diet version. It's really tasty! I'm all for another citrus-flavored diet product, so I was pleased to hear this news.

Fuel for Fitness

So I've started jogging again, part of a recent health push to lower my calorie intake and increase my physical fitness regiment during the busy holiday season. With all the parties and high-fat foods and drinks around, I need the extra help to prevent those pesky pounds from creeping on. The running has been good so far (no knee problems or shin splints yet, thank goodness!) but I have noticed that I've been crazy thirsty lately...as in, I've probably doubled the normal "8 by 8" water intake. Often when I get back from a jog, I immediately down one or two large glasses of water and/or a Gatorade G2, which is a low-calorie sports drink made by PepsiCo. It's only 20 calories and has half the carboydrate energy as the regular version! However, I recently read a report that PepsiCo plans to unveil a new, even lower-calorie beverage called "G Series Fit" in April. The new low-cal drink apparently contains a very skinny 10 calories per serving and comes in flavors including mango passionfruit and berry acai. The Series will also include a nutrition bar and a smoothie and will be distributed nationwide in grocery and convenience stores. This makes me want to bust out a happy dance. Take it away Snoopy!