It's 5 o'clock somewhere!

I have a little routine on Friday afternoons after a busy work week: a beer.

MSNBC published an article on Tuesday entitled, "Is it beer-flavored water or water-flavored beer?" In recent years there have been efforts made in creating a lighter beer which is lighter in calories. Most standard beers have approximately 150 calories and are 5% alcohol by volume while domestic light beers contain approximately 100 calories and 4% alcohol by volume [1].

Miller came out with MGD 64 as of somewhat recently, a 64-calorie beer for a standard 12-ounce serving. And most recently, Anheuser-Busch InBev's Select 55 hit the market -- a 55-calorie beer for a standard 12-ounce serving. Both beers contain approximately 3% alcohol by volume [1].

While I have tried MGD 64, I am yet to try Select 55. MGD was acceptable, not great. Personally, I drink because I LOVE the taste of both beer and wine. So while producers are creating these low-calorie beers, I can't help but wonder, what population are they catering to?

Most people drinking beer are doing so for one of several reasons:

1. Because they like the taste of beer and probably will drink what they prefer, in which case they will probably prefer a beer with average to above average flavor.

2. To get a buzz or to get drunk, in which case a 3% alcohol beer by volume would not assist them in their goal.

3. To be social and have a drink with friends or family, in which case a lower-calorie and less flavorful beer would be acceptable. HOWEVER, those who are extremely health conscious or watching their weight would probably opt NOT to consume calories by means of alcohol.

What do you think? As the article goes on to explain, the population of consumers desiring lower calorie, lower alcohol content beer is marginal at best. Interesting, anyways. At least it's an option for consumers who would opt for a Select 55 or MGD 64 over a regular beer just because.

Yesterday's diabetic diet went like so...

Breakfast:

2 whole wheat waffles (2 carbs)

2 Tbsp peanut butter (0 carbs)

1 banana (2 carbs)

     Total: 4 carbs

Lunch:

tuna salad wrap in a spinach tortilla with tomatoes and lettuce (2 carbs)

1 serving baby carrots (0 carbs)

cucumber slices (0 carbs)

6 ounce fat-free Greek yogurt (1 carb)

     Total: 3 carbs

Dinner:

1 cup spaghetti squash (2 carbs)

2 Tbsp pine nuts (0 carbs)

1/2 cup marinara (1 carb)

4 ounces of broiled tilapia (0 carbs)

     Total: 3 carbs

Snack:

1 cup skim milk (1 carb)

1 sheet of graham crackers (1 carb)

     Total: 2 carbs

No real plans for the weekend. Husband is headed out of town so it's just the puppy and I. I'm planning to get in a few good workouts and catch up on sleep...as much as the puppy will allow, anyways. Have a wonderful start to your weekend!

[1]. Associated Press. Is It Beer-Flavored Water or Water-Flavored Beer? MSNBC. October 27, 2009.

Granola 'n Margaritas

"I got my toes in the water, a$$ in the sand

Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand

Life is good today. Life is good today."

~Toes, Zac Brown Band

Random, yes. Great song, heck yes! While I frequently enjoy an evening brew, I have to tell readers about Baja Bobs. While I am not likely to change my opinions of margaritas

(hello, sugar!), Baja Bob's offers consumers a much more health-conscious margarita option, using Splenda. While I've only tried the Original Margarita mix thus far, I also ordered the daquiri and pina colada mixes. I'll have to share my thoughts on those once I try them...but the margarita mix gets a HUGE thumbs up! The calorie-free mix offers a low-calorie drink option with your calories coming from tequila mixed in only. Go light on the pour, and us ladies can shamelessly enjoy 2 a day!  

And one more food find: Bear Naked All Natural Granola. I found this product at Wal Mart (ugh, I know), but I'm sure it's available many places if it's here in Oklahoma. Unlike most granola, this particular granola is lower in calories -- 140 calories for 1/4 cup. The ingredients (listed in order as they appear on the label): whole grain oats, honey, canola oil, almonds, raisins, coconut, sweetened dried cranberries, pecans, walnuts, maple syrup, oat bran, ground flax seeds, and toasted sesame seeds. How cool! And, it is delicious! My morning snack today was 4 ounces of non-fat yogurt with 1/4 cup granola -- simple, sweet, and completely satisfying!

And just like "Toes" says -- life is good today! I found out at work today I have the go ahead to wear scrubs to work. I always said my dream job would be working in a comprehensive care team completing one-on-one nutrition consult with diabetics and weight loss patients...while wearing scrubs. What can I say? Life is good today : )

"Got my PJs on, tush on the couch

Not a worry in the world, sugar-free margarita served up

Life is good today. Life is good today."

~Happy RD

Boozercise!

Do you boozercise? I do! Just this weekend I pulled into the parking lot of the ice rink to find a beer trailer -- a trailer housing beer with exterior taps for one to help themselves. Gift from God? Obviously.

While I limited myself to half a Coors Light before hopping on the ice for 3 solid hours of hockey games, others fared much worse than myself. Seeing as the beer was available since 2pm...there was surely some serious consumption of my teammates prior to the 5:45pm game time. This takes me back to hockey in Chicago where locker room time with the girls included a case of beer and lots of giggles. Ah, the old days.

The Chicago Tribune recently looked into BRFSS information and found an interesting connection: those that drink more...exercise more. More surprisingly, the heavier drinkers were the most likely to workout...and to workout for longer. Though this seems oxymoronic (that's not a word, per se...but I like it all the same)...there's several plausible explanations such as exercise to negate drinking damage, thrill-seeking nature, and team sport partaking after events and games [1].

Now don't go picking up a booze habit in order to gain an exercise habit, as the effects of alcohol don't outweigh the benefits of exercise [1]. Sigh, sigh...I know, I know.

But boozercise -- a little "booz-" and lots more "-ercise" -- combined -- can't be all bad...right? Regardless, I'm a fan of boozercising and will likely keep up my regimen. Does dog-walking with wine in-hand count? Half kidding...

[1]. Deardorff, Julie. Study: Drinkers More Likely to Exercise. Chicago Tribune. August 31, 2009.

Asparagus to the rescue!

The amino acids and minerals found in asparagus extract may alleviate the symptoms of an alcohol hangover and also protect the liver cells against toxins according to a new study performed by the Institute of Food Technologists and published in the Journal of Food Science [1].

Asparagus has been used throughout history as an herbal medicine known for it's anticancer, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory effects, as well as it's diuretic properties. It should be noted, however, that the amino acid and mineral concentrations were highest in the leaves of asparagus, and not the shoots [1].

Oxidative stress caused from chronic alcohol use can stress the lover and create unpleasant side effects such as a "hangover". It was found that asparagus leaves did, however, alleviate cellular toxicities and thus decrease the physical ill-effects of excess alcohol consumption. This is not only important for hangover relief, but also in the protection of liver cells in the body [1].

While asparagus isn't what most hungover individuals gravitate to in the morning, it's interesting none-the-less. Now, where can I find some asparagus leaves? Kidding, kidding. This thing called a job keeps my love of wine in check!

[1]. Fight the Dreaded Hangover: Asparagus Extracts May Protect the Liver. Medical News Today. August 16, 2009.

Ban the buzz?

Caffeine-containing alcoholic beverages (or mixes - i.e. Red Bull and vodka) are under fire. The state attorney general and health-advocacy groups are seeking federal government support in regulating caffeinated alcoholic drinks. These beverages are a fast-growing product line popular among younger partakers [1].

Some proponents of regulating these beverages call for an all-out ban. Others advocate for warning labels advertising the potential health and safety risks of mixing caffeine and alcohol [1]. I certainly didn't think much of my Sugar-Free Sparks back in college! MillerCoors LLC has agreed to remove caffeine, guarana, and other stimulants from their products (i.e. Sparks) as of last year. Anheuser-Busch has done the same. Other companies, however, are seizing such markets with their similar products.These companies include Four Loko and Joose, and are currently under investigation by several attorneys general, The Wall Street Journal reported in July 2009 [1].

Why such the fuss? Most importantly, the mixture of caffeine and other stimulants may mask the feeling of drunkenness which can lead to reckless behaviors. Is this really a public concern? Probably ought to be. Sales of one brand of caffeine-containing alcohol, Four Loko and sister brand Four Maxed rose in sales by 2,680% over the past year [1].

A Wake Forest University study published in 2008 found that 24% of college students consuming alcohol in a given month were doing so by mixing with caffeinated beverages. Those that did mix alcohol with caffeinated beverages were more likely than those who did not drink alcohol mixed with caffeine to experience negative consequences, such as alcohol-related injury, getting into a car with a drunk driver, or being taking advantage of sexually [1].

But how MUCH caffeine are in these products? Because the companies are not required to list the amount of caffeine in the products, most of them to not list the content. Rich Brest, a 36-year-old JETT drinker, says that putting the amount of caffeine on the label is a "no brainer." However, he explains that putting a warning label pointing to product risks seems no more feasible than including a label on all alcohol explaining, "the only thing that can sober you up is time, not caffeine, not a shower. [1]"

What does the FDA say? According to their website, the FDA permits 200 parts per million of caffeine in alcoholic drinks -- the same amount permitted in soft drinks. The FDA is currently performing further research on caffeine and alcohol, says Mitchell Cheeseman, deputy director of the FDA's office of food-additive safety [1].

Stock up on Sparks, just in case, my dear northwestern boo bear!

[1]. Kesmodel, David. Buzz Kill? Critics Target Alcohol-Caffeine Drinks. The Wall Street Journal. August 3, 2009.

Don't blame the tequila...

So yesterday was my birthday (which was amazing, by the way) and Mark and I went out to a local Mexican restaurant for dinner. In the middle of dinner, his dad first called his cell and then mine. Neither of us picked up, figuring he was calling to wish me a happy birthday...and we would call him back when we left. Well, apparently the table next to us over-heard. And for the record, we were not talking loudly and this table wasn't really all that close. And so this over-hearing gentlemen must've been disengaged from whatever the two blondes at his table were discussing over their frozen margaritas, just as a side note.

The table gets up to leave and they're walking out to their car. The gentlemen turns around and says over the patio fence, "Happy Birthday", all the while starring into my eyes. Hmmm, strange.

Fast-forward 20 minutes and out comes the restaurant staff with the big'ol sombraro ordeal and a shot of tequila, singing "Happy Birthday" (in English). Mark darts me a wide-eyed look and exploded with, "I swear I didn't tell him." And he hadn't. And I sure hadn't told him. Mystery. Wait, no. No mystery...it was the eavesdropping gentlemen who'd left 20 minutes prior.

After the shot and some pondering of the situation, I declared the mystery man to be the Garth Brooks. Who resides in Owasso, Oklahoma (where we live). Yep, it must have been Garth Brooks. While I'm a fan of his music and country music in general, I'm no guru. I may not even be able to pick-out Garth from any other gun-rack-in-the-truck-laden cowboy in town. Though I will say, the supposed Trisha Yearwood was wearing a scrunchy which is just shameful, especially for a world-renouned country music star.

Whether it was Garth and Trisha or not, I'm going with it. And after taking that lovely tequila shot (I do love me some tequila), I immediately remembered my scheduled run for the follwing morning...this morning. Oops.

"Oh well, sister. Suck it up", I thought to myself. But of course, one tequila shot won't damage this fish's devoted workout plan. My run is done-and-done. Don't let tequila be an excuse for your lapse in exercise plans, either!