Dark Side Of “Vitaminwater” from Coca-Cola

Now here's something you wouldn't expect. I just read that Coca-Cola is being sued by a non-profit public interest group, on the grounds that the company's vitaminwater products make unwarranted health claims. No surprise there. But how do you think the company is defending itself?

In a staggering feat of twisted logic, lawyers for Coca-Cola are defending the lawsuit by asserting that "no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage."

Does this mean that you'd have to be an unreasonable person to think that a product named "vitaminwater," a product that has been heavily and aggressively marketed as a healthy beverage, actually had health benefits?

Or does it mean that it's okay for a corporation to lie about its products, as long as they can then turn around and claim that no one actually believes their lies?

In fact, the product is basically sugar-water, to which about a penny's worth of synthetic vitamins have been added. And the amount of sugar is not trivial. A bottle of vitaminwater contains 33 grams of sugar, making it more akin to a soft drink than to a healthy beverage.

Is any harm being done by this marketing ploy? After all, some might say consumers are at least getting some vitamins, and there isn't as much sugar in vitaminwater as there is in regular Coke.

True. But about 35 percent of Americans are now considered medically obese. Two-thirds of Americans are overweight. Health experts tend to disagree about almost everything, but they all concur that added sugars play a key role in the obesity epidemic, a problem that now leads to more medical costs than smoking.

How many people with weight problems have consumed products like vitaminwater in the mistaken belief that the product was nutritionally positive and carried no caloric consequences? How many have thought that consuming vitaminwater was a smart choice from a weight-loss perspective? The very name "vitaminwater" suggests that the product is simply water with added nutrients, disguising the fact that it's actually full of added sugar.

The truth is that when it comes to weight loss, what you drink may be even more important than what you eat. Americans now get nearly 25 percent of their calories from liquids. In 2009, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health published a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, finding that the quickest and most reliable way to lose weight is to cut down on liquid calorie consumption. And the best way to do that is to reduce or eliminate beverages that contain added sugar.

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola has invested billions of dollars in its vitaminwater line, paying basketball stars, including Kobe Bryant and Lebron James, to appear in ads that emphatically state that these products are a healthy way for consumers to hydrate. When Lebron James held his much ballyhooed TV special to announce his decision to join the Miami Heat, many corporations paid millions in an attempt to capitalize on the event. But it was vitaminwater that had the most prominent role throughout the show.

The lawsuit, brought by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, alleges that vitaminwater labels and advertising are filled with "deceptive and unsubstantiated claims." In his recent 55-page ruling, Federal Judge John Gleeson (U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York), wrote, "At oral arguments, defendants (Coca-Cola) suggested that no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitamin water was a healthy beverage." Noting that the soft drink giant wasn't claiming the lawsuit was wrong on factual grounds, the judge wrote that, "Accordingly, I must accept the factual allegations in the complaint as true."

I still can't get over the bizarre audacity of Coke's legal case. Forced to defend themselves in court, they are acknowledging that vitaminwater isn't a healthy product. But they are arguing that advertising it as such isn't false advertising, because no one could possibly believe such a ridiculous claim.

I guess that's why they spend hundreds of millions of dollars advertising the product, saying it will keep you "healthy as a horse," and will bring about a "healthy state of physical and mental well-being."

This is just another reason why I love “Crave”.  With only 1 gram of sugar and 9 calories per serving, you can’t go wrong.  Not to mention it is cheaper and more convenient to carry with you.  Check out http://www.itmakesyoumove.com for more details.  Enjoy…

Banned Economics Lesson Pt 1 of 2

Banned Economics Lesson Pt 2 of 2

Be Careful What You Wish For…It Just Might Come True!?!

When I had just started the 9th grade, we had a guest speaker visit our FBLA, Future Business Leaders of America, class.  She shared years of her experiences with us explaining how to plan for our futures in the business world. Looking back, some of her lessons were useless but one has stayed with me.  She made the statement, “You should always be careful what you wish for especially when you decide to write them down on paper.  Some way or another, if you write them down, they seem to almost always come true.”

She then presented a challenge for everyone in the class.  She told us to write down twenty-five or so things we wanted to do after we had finished high school and be very precise with the time period in which we wanted to achieve each thing.  She told us to keep the list in our notebooks and to read them out loud, to ourselves, before class started each Monday.  She then told us to keep the list in a safe place so we could come back and read it from time to time.

I don’t know if anyone else in my class kept their list, but I did.  Seems I stuffed it away so I could come back to see if any of the things actually happened or came true.  After building my home in Branson, Missouri and moving in around late February 2000, I ran across my list.  It took me a few minutes to realize what it was but when it hit me, I almost fell to my knees in shock!!!  I had written down almost thirty things I wanted to do and I was surprised to realize that every single one of them, except for one, had happened just as I had hoped for within the time frame I had set up.  Scary huh?

Examples;
I wanted to move to Branson, Missouri…I did.
I wanted to become a drummer for a few of the shows…I did.
I wanted to tour around the world playing drums with bands…I did.
I wanted to work with several National and International entertainers…I did.
I wanted to give back and help others who couldn’t or didn’t know how to help themselves…I am.

The only thing that hasn’t happened that I wrote down was…I wanted to have my home completely paid for by my 40th birthday.  I am still working on that one but I’m not giving up.

After understanding that writing your dreams down on paper and occasionally reading them out loud helps keep them in your mind, I also realized that in my studies I’d heard this over and over.  It really works.  I don’t know how or why but it really does work.  Give it a try and see how it happens for you.  It is very easy to do but be very specific with what you write down and the time periods in which you wish to achieve each thing.

I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences with this.  Simply reply or add your comments.  I can’t wait to hear from all of you who have experienced this as I have.

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Learn “How To Think” NOT “What To Think” in a free ebook we have decided to give away, free of charge, to anyone who wishes to read it.  You can go to http://www.RealFreedom101.com to get a free copy instantly.  I only ask for you to let me know what you think about it once you have taken the time to read it from cover to cover.

To Your Success…

You Can Lead A Horse To Water But...

Someone just e-mailed this cartoon to me and I thought it was too cute not to share.  Working with people on a daily basis, I can appreciate this to the max.  Some people just can't be shown, told or helped no matter how hard you try.  If you truly desire success, you must be open to, listen to and comprehend the lessons from someone who is successful.  After all..."Leaders Are Readers."  Think about a few things the next time someone tries to lend a helping hand.  How creditable is marriage counseling from someone who has been married ten times?  Or, would you let someone perform open heart surgery on you after they have only read one book on the heart?  If you want to do something and be successful, find someone who has done what your doing and learn from them.  This is why we only study from the best.  Our mentors have walked the paths we are walking now and teach from their experiences in a free ebook, "Success In 10 Steps".  Check out our profile for more information, if your interested.    

To Your Success.....  

Happy Birthday...Did You Know?

Here are few facts I found to be interesting and thought you may like to know.

History of Birthday observance can be traced back before the rise of Christianity. In pagan culture, it was believed evil spirits visited people on their birthdays. To protect the person having the birthday from the evil effect, people used to surround him and make merry. A lot of noise used to be created in such parties to scare away the evil spirits. In those times, there was no tradition of bringing gifts and guests attending the birthday party would bring good wishes for the birthday person. However, if a guest did bring gifts it was considered to be a good sign for the person of honor. Later, flowers became quite popular as a Birthday gift.

I have received a lot of birthday wishes from many of my friends online and offline so knowing these facts has me feel more blessed than ever.  Thanks to everyone who sent me wishes...

PS - My dad sent me the funniest card.  I just have to share it with you.  It said...

Turning 40?  Listen to your mind say...  You're Young!  You're Vibrant!  You can do anything a 20-year-old can do!  Then you open the card and it reads...  THEN LISTEN TO YOUR BODY SAY:  HA!!!  HA!!!  HA!!!

Never Judge A Book By Its Cover...

We should NEVER judge someone or something by what’s on the outside.  Let me explain...

I met a nice couple today who allowed me to have wonderful conversation with them.  We talked for over an hour about things in our pasts and how they relate to our lives today.  Several subjects were brought up and one stood out as being a great message to post for everyone.  I hope you enjoy it.

When I was in my mid-teens, a distant cousin revealed something to me that I carry with me today.  He was an average looking man with not much to speak of yet he had the most wonderful and beautiful wife you could imagine.  Not only was his wife a blessing but so was his daughter-in-law.  I wondered how the two of them could have gotten so lucky with women so I asked.  After all...I was hoping to have a date sooner or later.  His answer to my questions taught me a wonderful lesson that could apply to anything in life.  I hope you can follow along grasping the message that he taught just as I did years ago.

The first thing he told me was, “you should never judge a book by its cover.”  He then told me to go somewhere and look around for the most beautiful girl in the room.  Once I had spotted her, go up to her and casually start up a general conversation with her.  Try not to use  the normal lines she most likely had heard thousands of times but something that was meaningful and wasn't just a line filled with a lot of bull.  If she wasn't interested in chatting, simply move on to the next beautiful girl, holding your head up high, and do the same thing over again.  Sooner or later, one of the girls will want to talk to you.  He also said that just because she is so pretty doesn't always mean that she has a boyfriend.  He explained that most guys think the same thing.  Due to her looks, she must have a boyfriend...right?  WRONG...  Many guys, no matter their looks, physical or financial state, will think the same as you so they won't even bother to try to talk to her.  This would be their mistake and I could capitalize on it.  And I did.

As I got out of my comfort zone and began making meaningful small talk with several girls, I started to realize that what I was told was completely correct.  Most of the girls were looking for a true friend, a man they could talk to and spend their time with.  They were wanting someone to see them for their inner beauty as well as their outer beauty.  Over the next several years, I had the opportunity to date several girls that could be considered as beauty queens.  If you've ever seen me you would wonder why they would go out with me.  I just never judged a single girl by what I saw on the outside.  It must have worked...I've been married for over 14 years now.

As you go through your life doing your everyday chores and work, I hope you remember and apply this little lesson to your life as I do.  You may be surprised that the things you thought could never be a part of your life are soon becoming a part of your world.

Keep Smiling And...

NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER!!!