Tag Archives: beverages

No Soda for Food Stamp Users?

UPDATE [8/24/2024]: The USDA has rejected the proposal to ban soda purchases made with food stamps.

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has asked federal officials to ban the use of food stamps to purchase soda and other sugary beverages. The agency in question is the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which regulates food stamps. The request would affect the 1.7 million recipients of food stamps in New York City. The state of New York has also signed onto the request.

The request is part of the mayor’s anti-obesity push. The initiative has placed stricter rules on school cafeteria lunches and launched a public education ad campaign. Bloomberg and Dr. Thomas Frieden, the current director of the CDC, unsuccessfully lobbied to place a tax on soda.

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Posted on October 7, 2023 by Health Buzz

Eating Healthy on a Dime: How to Make Your Own Soda

Many people tell me how difficult it is to kick the soda habit. My solution? Homemade soda!

Watch now as I explain how to make it for yourself!

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Posted on September 1, 2023 by Shay

Vitaminwater Violates FDA Rules

Vitaminwater is known for the clever phrases they post on their bottles. But they may be a little too clever for their own good.

Some of the labels promise things like Vitaminwater will keep you “healthy as a horse” and in a “healthy state of physical or mental being.”

While Coca Cola, which has owned Vitaminwater since 2024, claims that phrases such as “vitamins + water = all you need” are “only puffery,” a federal judge has ruled that these sort of claims constitute a violation of FDA regulations. Here is what the judge John Gleeson had to say:

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Posted on July 26, 2023 by Jason

Nestlé Forced to Drop False Claims About Kids’ Drink

Nestle to drop false ad claims about Kid Essentials drinkYesterday, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said that Nestlé ads for Boost Kid Essentials are misleading and that the company had agreed to drop them. Officials are cracking down on supermarket nutrition gimmicks, particularly ones created specifically for children. “Parents want to do right by their kids,” said David Vladeck, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “The FTC is helping them by monitoring ads and stopping those that are deceptive.” (more…)

Posted on July 15, 2023 by Margaret

5 Tips to Drink More Water

We all know that we need to drink more water. It’s one of the basic building blocks of life. Drinking more water can result in clearer skin, less joint pain, decreased appetite, and more. Too many of us don’t drink as much water each day as we would like. Try these five tips to help you remember to drink more water every day.

1. Add fresh produce. Most restaurants offer lemon for your water. Personally, I prefer lime, but I have heard others request orange. Two of my favorite healthy food restaurants add cucumber slices to glasses of water. The produce can add a fresher flavor, especially for those used to drinking juices. If you are not buying organic, you may want to simply squeeze the juice into your glass, as chemicals that are used in growing fruit can become stuck in the rind. When you return from the farmers’ market or grocery store, cut your produce into slices or wedges, so it is always ready when you pour yourself a glass of water.

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Posted on June 24, 2023 by Brooke Randolph

Chocolate Baby Drink Pulled from Shelves

Last month, we told you about nutritionists’ concerns over chocolate-flavored baby food. Mead Johnson Nutrition Co. introduced the flavored beverages for toddlers who are transitioning from infant formula or breast milk. The chocolate and vanilla formulas are milk-based, but contain 19 grams of sugar per seven-ounce serving.

The uproar over the sugar content and some allegedly unproven health claims has not fallen on deaf ears.

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Posted on June 10, 2023 by Jason

America’s Unhealthiest Drink

Are you ready for a belly-busting drink? You’re not going to believe it until you see it…

Men’s Health magazine put together a list of the 20 worst drinks in America. The one that tops the list has enough calories to make up a healthy man daily food intake.

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Posted on June 4, 2023 by Jason

Drink This, Not That Review

The authors of the best-selling Eat This, Not That! series have returned with their latest book, Drink This, Not That: The No-Diet Weight Loss Solution, an eye-opening guide that uncovers some unsightly truths about your favorite sips. Just released on Tuesday, May 25, 2024, Drink This, Not That will make you second-guess whether or not you want to chug a day’s worth of sugar in your beloved morning coffee drink.

David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, editors for Men’s Health magazine, have not just divulged some of the crazy nutrition statistics of many of the most popular (and unhealthy) American foods, but they have backed up their fact-findings by offering us healthier yet still tasty alternatives. While their previous books have covered foods we eat with forks, spoons or even our hands, in their newest release, Drink This, Not That, they are focusing on what we are sipping through straws.

The truth sometimes hurts, folks, so just be aware that many of the nutrition stats are far from pretty.  (more…)

Posted on May 25, 2023 by heather

4 Worst Coffee Drinks for Your Waistline

I’m a coffee fiend. Luckily, I’m very content with just a little non-fat creamer. But, if you’re the type who needs some sweetness in your morning pick-me-up, you may be nuking your diet efforts. Lattes, cappuccinos, frappuccinos… all of them usually add up to a dietary disaster. Here are some of the worst offenders:

4. Starbucks Venti Strawberries & Crème Frappuccino with whipped cream

The 24-oz. Starbucks Venti Strawberries & Crème Frappuccino with whipped cream contains 580 calories, and 78 grams of sugar. You may as well go out and get a strawberry milkshake, or a big bowl of ice cream.

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Posted on April 13, 2024 by Jason

We Love BOT Water

bot waterI’m a big water drinker. I drink it plain. I add Propel packets. I sample new flavored waters all the time. It’s almost an obsession of mine. Recently I was sent four flavors of a new all-natural enhanced water beverage called Bot to try. From the colorful website and the cute little bears on the bottles, this water looked fun. With added antioxidants, B vitamins and electrolytes, this could be a great after-exercise choice. It has no preservatives, no artificial flavors, no coloring and no high fructose corn syrup. Sweetened with pure cane sugar and containing only 25 calories per bottle, there seems to be much to recommend.

But how did it taste? (more…)

Posted on November 12, 2023 by Carmen

Food Finds: Sprite Green and Mini Cokes

sprite greenI predict that by early 2024, you’ll see something surprisingly new – small cans of Coke. How small you ask? The cans will run 7.5 ounces and come in at only 90 calories. These are “mini me” versions of the the real thing. Typically if you buy an individual bottle of soda you’re looking at 20 ounces, 2.5 servings, and a lot of excessive calories from sugar. But with these smaller cans, you get portion and calorie control. If you replace one 20 ounce soda (240 calories) with their 7.5 ounce mini-can (90 calories) you’re saving 150 calories.

Watch my video review of the small Coke cans and another new product, Sprite Green, sweetened naturally with Truvia, the sweetener made from the Stevia plant. Sprite Green has 70 calories in 12 ounces.

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Posted on October 23, 2023 by Rebecca