Posts categorized "Caffeine!" Feed

Coca-Cola + OBESITY + Bad PR.

Oh Coca-Cola!  Is this an admission of guilt?  Finally, you understand?  You get that drinking pure liquid diabetes leads our children to instant weight gain?

KO 20 oz

^ This twenty ounce bottle of typical Coke has more sugar than a typical person requires in a day.  

Please note that I am a bit sugar-shocked and twitchy just reading the label since I can't handle more than 10-15 grams of sugar at any given time due to my altered (superhero status...) roux en y digestion and reactive hypoglycemia.  If you gave a this blogger a Coke?

...She'd Have A Seizure, Slip Into A Hypoglycemic Coma, And You Could Pay The Ambulance Bill?

Screen Shot 2013-01-15 at 8.05.52 AMIronically, the cause of my potential demise would also be the cure as the Coke could be poured into my facehole to fix my problem.

"Her blood sugar is 20?  GIVE HER A COCA COLA!  STAT!"

Twitch.  Twitch.  Twitch.

But, I digress.  

I haven't had a regular-sugar soda, or "tonic" as we up heah in Beantown call it -- in at least ten years.  Before that maybe a can here and there but oddly, this formerly 320 lb girl is a Diet Coke-head.  

Twitch.

Right.  I never took to the real "sugared" stuff.  Many of my long term weight-loss surgery peers would say that their drink of choice was actually the super high-caffeine sugar Mountain Dew -- that is before much of them found coffee drinks.  I was ALWAYS a "Diet" soda drinker, regardless of the FOOD I would eat alongside the drink.

Coca-Cola is finally opening up the discussion - but sort of not really blaming everyone else -  

WAIT - they say - It's not OUR FAULT -  you just ATE too much.

Remember COKE LOVES YOU.  

We love everyone!  Everyone hug, smile, get together, have a COKE AND SMILE!  GET HAPPY!  PEACE!  SMILE! HUGS AND KISSES!  PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE FAT KIDS HAVING BARIATRIC SURGERY!  Because EVERYTHING is GREAT when WE COME TOGETHER FOR GOOD.  Good is good enough.  We don't HAVE TO BE PERFECT.  

COKE LOVES YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.

I think I need a new college major.  Advertising hurts my heart.

Coca-Cola to tackle obesity for 1st time in TV ads

Coca-Cola became one of the world's most powerful brands by equating its soft drinks with happiness. Now it's taking to the airwaves for the first time to address a growing cloud over the industry: obesity.

The Atlanta-based company on Monday will begin airing a two-minute spot during the highest-rated shows on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC in hopes of flexing its marketing muscle in the debate over sodas and their impact on public health. The ad lays out Coca-Cola's record of providing drinks with fewer calories and notes that weight gain is the result of consuming too many calories of any kind — not just soda.

For Coca-Cola, the world's No. 1 beverage company, the ads reflect the mounting pressures on the broader industry. Later this year, New York City is set to enact a first-in-the-nation cap on the size of soft drinks sold at restaurants, movie theaters and sports arenas. The mayor of Cambridge, Mass., has already introduced a similar measure, saying she was inspired by New York's move.

Even when PepsiCo Inc., the No. 2 soda maker, recently signed a wide-ranging endorsement deal with pop singer Beyonce, critics called for her to drop the contract or donate the funds to health initiatives.

New research in the past year also suggests that sugary drinks cause people to pack on the pounds independent of other behavior. A decades-long study involving more than 33,000 Americans, for example, suggested that drinking sugary beverages interacts with genes that affect weight and enhances a person's risk of obesity beyond what it would be from heredity alone.

Michael Jacobson, executive director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, was skeptical about Coca-Cola's ads and said the company would stop fighting soda taxes if it was serious about helping reduce obesity.

"It looks like a page out of damage control 101," he said. "They're trying to disarm the public."

The group has been critical of the soft drink industry and last year released a video parodying Coke's famous polar bears becoming plagued with diabetes and other health problems.

Coca-Cola said its ads aren't a reaction to negative public sentiment. Instead, the idea is to raise awareness about its lower-calorie drinks and plans for the coming months, said Stuart Kronauge, general manager of sparkling beverages for Coca-Cola North America.

"There's an important conversation going on about obesity out there, and we want to be a part of the conversation," she said.

In the ad, a narrator notes that obesity "concerns all of us" but that people can make a difference when they "come together." The spot was produced by the ad agencies Brighthouse and Citizen2 and is intended to tout Coca-Cola's corporate responsibility to cable news viewers.

Another ad, which will run later this week during "American Idol" and before the Super Bowl, is much more reminiscent of the catchy, upbeat advertising people have come to expect from Coca-Cola. It features a montage of activities that add up to burning off the "140 happy calories" in a can of Coke: walking a dog, dancing, sharing a laugh with friends and doing a victory dance after bowling a strike.

The 30-second ad, a version of which ran in Brazil last month, is intended to address confusion about the number of calories in soda, said Diana Garza Ciarlante, a spokeswoman for Coca-Cola Co. She said the company's consumer research showed people mistakenly thought there were as many as 900 calories in a can of soda.

The company declined to say how much it was spending on the commercials, which it started putting together last summer. It also declined to give details on its plans for the year ahead. But among the options under consideration is putting the amount of activity needed to burn off the calories in a drink on cans and bottles.

The company noted that it already puts calorie counts on the front of its cans and bottles. Last year, it also started posting calorie information on its vending machines ahead of a regulation that will require soda companies to do so by 2014.

Coca-Cola's changing business reflects the public concern over the calories in soda. In North America, all the growth in its soda unit over the past 15 years has come from low- and no-calorie drinks, such as Coke Zero. Diet sodas now account for nearly a third of its sales in the U.S. and Canada. Other beverages such as sports drinks and bottled water are also fueling growth.

Even with the growing popularity of diet sodas, however, overall soda consumption in the U.S. has declined steadily since 1998, according to the industry tracker Beverage Digest.

John Sicher, the publisher of Beverage Digest, noted that the industry "put its head in the sand" when obesity and soft drinks first started becoming an issue more than a decade ago. Now, he said Coca-Cola is looking to position itself in the public debate rather than being defined by adversaries.

 


Oh. Yes. She. Did.

Hold the Press Releases, Suz!  

How do you go from not paying your taxes, failure to ship orders since 2011, closing your store, foreclosure, shutting down all communication to... THIS?

Continue reading "Oh. Yes. She. Did." »


Getting on the Big Train!

I am floating in product samples.  

*picture Beth with boxes all around, and packets of protein powder, and bullets everywhere*  

I am a sample hoarder.  I admit it.

No lie.  Between the products I already stockpiled, adding the ones I snagged in Vegas, and boxes that arrived since then, Mama's got to get caught up on the back-log of goodness here!

I am starting with Big Train's Fit Frappe line of yummilicous protein drink choices.

Screen Shot 2012-06-14 at 6.16.52 PMYes it's true -- I zoned right in on this particular product because there is an espresso flavor.  And now the espresso protein drink wars will commence.  RAWR!  A fight to the mouth!

"Enjoy your favorite coffeehouse beverage along with long lasting energy with NEW Fit Frappé™. With 20 grams of protein, less than 1 gram of sugar and only 130 calories, Big Train's Fit Frappé™ will give you a healthy boost to power through your day. This great tasting, good for you drink can also be served three ways: Hot, Iced or Blended. Can't decide which flavor to buy?

Neither can I.  That's why I am trying them ALL -

Espresso, Mocha, Vanilla Latte, Chocolate and Vanilla.

Oh. my. 

While I dig through my pile-o-deliciousness, check out Big Train!  I'll be back with a review!

 


Starbucks Skinny Peppermint Mocha (Michael!) Review

Screen Shot 2011-11-12 at 8.15.13 AMI swore I wouldn't bother with this drink:  the Starbucks Skinny Peppermint Mocha.  Why?  Well, the last time Starbucks had a sugar-free mocha option, I tried it and recall that it sucked, badly.  Sugar-free mocha powders and sauces aren't easy to perfect, the flavor is either too sour or just not right.  (That's what I said, Just Not Right.  There.  That's my non-foodie opinion.) 

I get around this by using REAL unsweetened cocoa powder at home and concocting my own mocha with sweetener -- and at 'bucks -- my standard drink is an Iced Venti Soy Americano with 1-2 pumps real mocha with Splenda.  Because - the sugar-free mocha has never been an option - until now.

Yesterday I ordered a Skinny Peppermint Mocha.  Peppermint + chocolate = heaven for me, combining both is a perfect duo and should be the World's Most Bestest Espresso Drink EVER. 

But, in my coffee?

Continue reading "Starbucks Skinny Peppermint Mocha (Michael!) Review" »


new, sexy, sassy, slim...

Diet Pepsi.

Oh.  You didn't expect that?

NY43972-a

I admit, I find it adorable.  I like the way that a smaller-sized Red Bull fits nicely in my palm, so this, this should fit just MARVELOUS in my hand, and add a straw? 

And I will be just FAAAAABUUUUULOUS!  

Oh, and THIN, Skinny! and CONFIDENT!  My Diet Pepsi can help me create an image of - a CONFIDENT, SKINNY and SUCCESSFUL WOMAN!  Because, I'm a quivering pile of failure right now, drinking straight from the two-liter.

I kid.  I am a fan of the Diet Soda.  But, I uh, differ on the Skinny! Confident! Successful! edge that it is supposed to portray.  It simply keeps me out of the cookies.

BURP.

Because classy broads know how to retch.  O-O

In celebration of beautiful, confident women, Diet Pepsi presents the taller, sassier new Skinny Can at New York's Fall 2011 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Feb. 10-17.  The new Diet Pepsi Skinny Can, available to consumers nationwide in March, will launch with a series of fashion events and celebrations, including an art installation by fashion commentator, Simon Doonan, and collaborations with acclaimed designers, Charlotte Ronson and Betsey Johnson.

Diet Pepsi has a long history of celebrating women through iconic fashion imagery seen in our infamous and historical campaigns, and we're proud to continue that tradition as an official sponsor of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week," said Jill Beraud, Chief Marketing Officer, PepsiCo.  "Our slim, attractive new can is the perfect complement to today's most stylish looks, and we're excited to throw its coming-out party during the biggest celebration of innovative design in the world."

As part of the festivities, fashion commentator, Simon Doonan, famous for his store window displays, will unveil a special collaboration at the Diet Pepsi Style Studio located at 362 West Broadway in New York's fashionable Soho neighborhood on Feb. 11.  Featuring Diet Pepsi's slim, attractive new cans and incorporating Jonathan Adler designs, the window installation is a unique fusion of fashion and art. Following the New York Collections, the window display will be viewable to the public for the month of February.

"I'm thrilled to be working with Diet Pepsi in creating a truly one-of a kind window installation – one of my boldest creations yet – that fashion insiders, tastemakers and the public at large can all enjoy," said Simon Doonan.  "Along with the element of surprise, one of the best things about fashion week is the chic-sexy confidence exuded by attendees and models alike, and I've incorporated both into the display."

'Get the Skinny' at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week with Diet Pepsi

Diet Pepsi will also be front and center at Lincoln Center, teaming up with Charlotte Ronson, Betsey Johnson, Maybelline and offering onsite refreshment.  Stylesetters attending Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week can stop by the Diet Pepsi booth to 'Get the Skinny' on the latest trends and collections, including:

  • To celebrate Diet Pepsi's official sponsorship of Johnson's show, Betsey will give a sneak peek to an exclusive item and giveaway at the booth at 10:00 AM, Saturday Feb. 12
  • Charlotte Ronson has designed an exclusive T-shirt inspired by Diet Pepsi that will be given to attendees at her show and after party (to be held in the Diet Pepsi Style Studio in Soho).  The shirt will be on display at the booth starting, Sunday Feb. 13
  • In partnership with Maybelline, fashionistas at the Vivienne Tam and Max Azria shows will receive SuperStay 24 Lip Color, guaranteed to never leave an unfashionable lip mark on your Diet Pepsi
  • A special recreation of Simon Doonan's Diet Pepsi Style Studio installation will be front and center as guests enter and exit the runway venues at Lincoln Center
  • A live streaming Twitter board giving the up-to-the minute skinny on what's going on at the tents
  • Exclusive giveaways and sampling opportunities for passersby to indulge in and refresh with

Consumers can 'Get the Skinny' on the new can, as well as the hottest Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week news and trends by visiting the Diet Pepsi Facebook Page for more information, www.facebook.com/dietpepsi.

In addition, to celebrate beautiful, confident women and offer refreshment across the country, Diet Pepsi Skinny Can is collaborating with the 10 fashion boutiques in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami, providing them with a custom "Skinny Can Fridge."  Thirsty fashionistas will get a complimentary Diet Pepsi Skinny Can while they shop in stores including Jeffrey, Intermix, Fred Segal, and Dash.

About Diet Pepsi

With its light, crisp taste, Diet Pepsi gives you all the refreshment you need - with zero sugar, zero calories and zero carbs. The attractive new can will be available to consumers in stores nationwide in March in addition to existing packaging.

For more information, check out the www.facebook.com/dietpepsi or on Twitter @dietpepsi, #skinnycan.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than $1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses - Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in more than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly $60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.


Updated - Sugar = Held at Gunpoint. What would YOU choose?

If you see a certain company selling CLICK and eating drinking their words in a few months?  Remember all of this drama.

"After reading a whole slew of posts on Facebook a few days ago, I had an epiphany that maybe the way that I eat is not how the majority of people eat once they have had bariatric surgery.

If some one burst into in my office, put a gun to my head and made me eat a Snickers bar, the candy would upset me as much as the gunman."

Continue reading "Updated - Sugar = Held at Gunpoint. What would YOU choose?" »


Why Do We CRAVE Caffeine? Huh? HUH?

NPR -

...A new study suggests that coffee doesn't really give us caffeine fiends the jolt we think it does - it just returns us to a normal state of alertness after a night of withdrawal.

So why do some people become drawn to caffeine in the first place, and others never touch the stuff?

"One can speculate, people who may be suffering some symptoms of depression may be more attracted to caffeine because of its mild stimulant," Dr. Petros Levounis, director of the Addiction Institute of New York, told Shots.

The study appears in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology -

Caffeine, a widely consumed adenosine A1 and A2A receptor antagonist, is valued as a psychostimulant, but it is also anxiogenic. An association between a variant within the ADORA2A gene (rs5751876) and caffeine-induced anxiety has been reported for individuals who habitually consume little caffeine. 

This study investigated whether this single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) might also affect habitual caffeine intake, and whether habitual intake might moderate the anxiogenic effect of caffeine. 

Participants were 162 non-/low (NL) and 217 medium/high (MH) caffeine consumers. In a randomized, double-blind, parallel groups design they rated anxiety, alertness, and headache before and after 100 mg caffeine and again after another 150 mg caffeine given 90 min later, or after placebo on both occasions. 

Caffeine intake was prohibited for 16 h before the first dose of caffeine/placebo. 

Results showed greater susceptibility to caffeine-induced anxiety, but not lower habitual caffeine intake (indeed coffee intake was higher), in the rs5751876 TT genotype group, and a reduced anxiety response in MH vs NL participants irrespective of genotype. 

Apart from the almost completely linked ADORA2A SNP rs3761422, no other of eight ADORA2A and seven ADORA1 SNPs studied were found to be clearly associated with effects of caffeine on anxiety, alertness, or headache. 

Placebo administration in MH participants decreased alertness and increased headache. Caffeine did not increase alertness in NL participants. 

With frequent consumption, substantial tolerance develops to the anxiogenic effect of caffeine, even in genetically susceptible individuals, but no net benefit for alertness is gained, as caffeine abstinence reduces alertness and consumption merely returns it to baseline.