We’ve heard the talk before about a ‘fat tax’ on sugary beverages in the U.S. as a way to fight the obesity epidemic. Now New York leaders are pushing for it, saying that soft drinks are to blame for the rise in obesity in this country. They want soft drinks to be treated like tobacco so that the government can price people away from their bad habits.

What do you think? Should sugary drinks be taxed?

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Gross, gross, gross! When researchers took 90 samples from soda fountain machines in Virginia, they found nearly half of the drinks (soft drinks and water) tested positive for coliform bacteria – that means they might have fecal bacteria in them. That news is a bit tough to swallow… and I still haven’t gotten over the whole fecal matter on restaurant lemon wedges thing…

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Just wanted to make sure you were aware of this recall – Unilever has pulled 10 million cans of its Slim-Fast ready-to-drink (RTD) products in cans because they may be contaminated with a bacteria that can cause nausea and/or vomiting.
The products will be back on store shelves after the company finds out what the problem is and corrects it.

If you have any Slim-Fast RTD products in cans, you should get rid of them right away and call the company at 1-800-896-9479 for a full refund.

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Congrats to FatFighterTV member – Karen – for winning last week’s giveaway for the book, Does My BUTT Look BIG In This BEER? Enjoy!

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Okay, all you health conscious beer lovers – this one’s for you. I mean, who else would a book called, Does My BUTT Look BIG In This BEER? be for?

Author Bob Skilnik gives you nutritional information for more than 2,000 worldwide beers in this paperback guide. Does My BUTT Look BIG In This BEER? lists calories, carbs, even Weight Watchers Points for stouts, porters, bocks, wheat beers or just the simple American-style pilsners.

One FatFighterTV member gets a copy of the book this week. How do you enter for a chance to win? Easy. Just tell me what your favorite beer is and whether you know how may calories are in it. These days, I’m loving Blue Moon, but not the 171 calories in 12 ounces. Good thing I don’t drink very often!

Contest runs through midnight EST this Friday, October 16, you have to have a U.S. mailing address to enter, and we will use random.org to pick the winner.

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As the push to tax soft drinks grows stronger, Coca-Cola’s products will list certain nutritional information more prominently. You’ll soon see calories-per-serving and servings-per-container details on the side of almost all of Coke’s products. The company says it hopes this will make it easier to get nutritional information quickly. But some critics say it’s just a way to try to prevent a possible tax on its products.

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Congrats to FatFighterTV members – wirlwindamy, Lorri S, and LissaL – for winning last week’s giveaway for the ME Sparkling Beverages. Enjoy!

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[Disclosure: I received a complimentary sample of this product. I only post giveaways about products I honestly like, or those I think FatFighterTV members would enjoy.]

They’re sparkling, fruity, and unique. The new ME beverages are caffeine-free, all-natural, and come in four fun flavors to go with your personality… or just whatever your mood may be at the moment.

• Vivacious (tangerine pineapple):  “Animated, energetic, and full of life. This person exudes passion and exhilaration, offering a contagious energy that lifts the spirits of everyone around them.”

• Curious (blueberry lime): “Inquisitive, careful, and eager to know and learn. They are considerate, highly intelligent, understanding, and generally mindful of others.”

• Uninhibited (pink grapefruit): “Not constrained by societal norms or peer pressure. They are free spirited, open-minded, and eager to experience the unknown. The uninhibited person carves their own path in life.”

• Unavailable (dragonfruit blackberry): “Has a strong personality, confident in their position and inner strength. They are a bit intimidating, perceived to be unapproachable, yet they offer a great deal of beauty and insight.”

I don’t drink much besides water, but every once in awhile I want something different. I liked these ME drinks because of their unique flavors, but like all other sweet drinks, I can never finish the whole thing! Gotta get back to my H20!

ME beverages have 70 calories per 10.5 ounce can and have some fruit juices in them. They are also sweetened with fructose and erythritol – an all-natural, no-calorie sweetener. Low levels of it are in grapes, melons and pears, and higher levels are in fermented products like wine.

Up for grabs this week – three winners will each get one four-pack of each flavor of ME. To enter for a chance to win, tell me which ME flavor best describes you. If you need some help, go here to answer some quick questions and get matched. That’s what I did. Turns out, I’m Curious, which happens to be right on, since I’m a journalist and all.

See you in the comments!

Contest runs through midnight EST this Friday, September 18, you have to have a U.S. mailing address to enter, and we will use random.org to pick the winners.

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You like to drink juice, but is that what you are really buying? And if it is, how much juice are you actually getting? If you know your juice-label lingo, you can be sure to buy the real deal and avoid added sugars and artificial ingredients. Here are the basics… with some help from Consumer Reports:

• “100% juice” or “100% pure” - This is the gold standard and means you’re getting pure juice. BUT many 100-percent juice products are a blend, often with apple or grape juices as the main ingredients and not very much of the featured flavor, e.g. blueberry juice.

• “Cocktail,” “drink,” “beverage” – These words are red flags and mean the beverages have less than 100 percent juice and can sometimes have as little as five percent. The rest may be water, flavorings, and added sweeteners.

• “From concentrate” - This is juice that has been concentrated, then re-watered to return it to its original form.

• “Light” – These are basically regular juices diluted with water and artificially sweetened.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of juice. I prefer to eat the whole fruit. But this label lingo is definitely helpful – just remember to always read the ingredient list on the back of the product.

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