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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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Are your drinks naughty… or nice during the holiday season? The calories in those festive beverages can add up quickly! So before you belly up to the bar… or barista, feast your eyes on the numbers in these 5 holiday favorites – it just might put you in the mood for one of the season’s best qualities – sharing.

The naughties…

Hot-Buttered Rum: With a combination of brown sugar, butter, rum, and whipped cream, no wonder a cup has 418 calories and 17 grams of fat – Yikes! [webmd.com]

Eggnog: A seasonal favorite – with alcohol, 8 ounces has 394 calories; skip the booze and it’s 343 calories and 19 grams of fat, including 11.3 grams of saturated fat. [thecaloriecounter.com]

Peppermint Hot Chocolate (hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps): 6 ounces of this chocolatey minty goodness will set you back 203 calories and 3.7 grams of fat. [drinksmixer.com]

Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte: It may be fat-free, but even a Grande Nonfat, No Whipped version of this Starbucks favorite has 260 calories. Order a tall and you’re down to 200. [starbucks.com]

Starbucks Peppermint Mocha: Indulge in the whipped cream in a Grande Nonfat Peppermint Mocha and you’re guzzling 360 calories and 10 grams of fat – better to share or scale down to a Tall Nonfat, No Whipped – but you’re still looking at 220 calories. [starbucks.com]

The not-as-naughties – Nice?
Wine Spritzer (wine and club soda): 5 ounces – 80 calories [calorielab.com]

Mulled Red Wine: 5 ounces – 125 calories [mayoclinic.com]

Champagne: 4 ounces – 91 calories [caloriecount.about.com]

Spiced Apple Cider: 8 ounces – 117 calories [recipezaar.com]

Irish Coffee: 9 ounces – 160 calories [drinksmixer.com]

Must be careful out there! My favorite holiday drink is Ghirardelli Peppermint Hot Cocoa. Mmmm… I usually indulge and have this all to myself.

What’s your favorite? And do you share?

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What will the potato chip of the future be like? That’s one of the snacks PepsiCo is trying to re-create as it opens a new research laboratory next to Yale University’s campus. There, eight to 10 scientists with backgrounds ranging from sensory to biochemistry will work on creating healthier foods and beverages.

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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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Earlier this month, Coke announced it was going to display larger calorie information on its products. Now, it says it will sell 90-calorie mini cans of its soft drinks to help people manage their calories. The smaller pops will come in the Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta Orange, Cherry Coca-Cola and Barq’s Root Beer brands and will be sold in packages of eight. The new cans will launch in New York and Washington D.C. in December and are expected to hit stores nationwide early next year.

Personally, I don’t drink soft drinks, but I’m glad to see this option for people who do. What do you think of the smaller cans?

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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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Congrats to FatFighterTV member – George – for winning last week’s giveaway for the Fruit2O Essentials. Enjoy!

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