Dewitos: How Gross, How Unhealthy?

           Last week, the news broke that Pepsi-Co will be testing out a Doritos-flavored Mountain Dew called Dewitos.  Kudos on the imaginative name, Pepsi-Co.  A more fitting title may be Cue the Spit Take.  A Reddit user who broke the Dewitos news gave this glowing praise of the product: “It honestly wasn’t that disgusting.”

            That’s denial if I’ve ever heard it.  There are too many decent soda flavors and brands right now for Pepsi to be wasting its time on this.  However, since they insist on the promotional gimmicks, we might as well take a stab at just how unhealthy this product could be.

Photo courtesy of Pixgood

            A 12-ounce can of Mountain Dew has 170 calories, 46 grams of sugar, and 65 milligrams of sodium.  Even worse, it contains 54 milligrams of caffeine.  Meanwhile, a 1-ounce serving of Nacho Cheese-flavored Doritos contains 140 calories and a whopping 210 milligrams of sodium. 

Photo courtesy of Doritos Chips Class Project

Dewitos appears to be an attempt to combine the overloaded sodium of the chips with the sugary components of the drink, creating maximum unhealthiness and presumably a high-calorie soda.  The only promise at the end seems to be a cheese-flavored soft drink that may remind you of your favorite chips.

Photo courtesy of Free All Images

Veteran’s Day Across the Country

Photo courtesy of Clarksville Online 

           Tuesday marks the annual Veterans Day holiday, tracing all the way back to the end of World War I, to honor former servicemen.  We will highlight and provide links to several different celebrations happening around the country tomorrow afternoon.  First, let’s take a look at the origins of this very significant Holiday.

            National Veterans Day writes:

            “While World War I officially ended with the Treaty of Versailles, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day. Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, until World War II required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history.

“In 1945, a World War II veteran from Birmingham, Alabama had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans…In 1954, President Eisenhower signed legislation formally establishing November 11th as Veterans Day.”

Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs provides an even more expansive history, including the laws passed and the biggest influencers.

Many major cities choose to hold parades and other events in celebration of Veterans Day, while numerous establishments offer free business to both former and current armed forces members.  For instance, Birmingham, Alabama is holding a parade starting at 1:30 P.M. local time on 18^th St. and 8^th Ave N.  Meanwhile, New York City boasts the largest Veterans Day Event in the country with the 2014 America’s Parade.  This event features 600,000+ parade spectators in the heart, television broadcast to nine of the top markets in America, and 100,000 copies of the Commemorative Newspaper and Resource Guide to be distributed.

Photo courtesy of Party Earth

Moving to the southwest, the National Veterans Day Committee of the Department of Veterans Affairs selected Dallas as a Regional Site for Veterans Day observance.  A parade will also be held there tomorrow as well.  On the west coast, the San Fernando Valley will hold a parade in the city of Mission Hills starting at 11:11 A.M. local time.  In the Midwest, Chicago will hold a Veterans Day Ceremony at Soldier Field beginning at 10 A.M. local time.  Admission is free.

            In addition to all of the wonderful festivities being held by these various cities, USA Today lists many free activities and service that veterans can look out for tomorrow.  Among these are getting a free haircut, meal, ice cream cone, and game tokens.

            Below are several photos capturing past Veterans Day ceremonies:

Photo courtesy of AL

Photo courtesy of Trends Photos 

Photo courtesy of Trends Photos

Photo courtesy of YouPict

Photo courtesy of Collective Vision

7 Quick and Easy Exercises to Improve Posture

While there are some alarming facts associated with bad posture and its effects on long term health, there are several ways to improve on your posture that are not at all time consuming. Many of these exercises can be done in your break time or even sitting at your desk in the middle of work.

Photo courtesy of Gallery Hip

1. The Mountain--Standing up, turn your palms facing outward and stretch your arms straight down. This should help you stand as tall and straight as possible.

2. Spinal tension--Lie down on your stomach with your hands by your shoulders and press your hands into the floor. This will arch your spine and lift your chest off of the ground. Hold the pose for three breaths before returning to the ground and repeat as necessary.

3. Hamstring (seated)--If you're sitting in your office chair, extend one leg forward with your heel on the ground. Keeping your back straight, lean forward with your hands on your hips until you feel a stretch in your hamstring. Hold for ten seconds and repeat with the other leg.

4. Chest stretch--While this can be done standing or seated, it is better accomplished from the standing position. Join both hands behind your back and open your chest forward. This will allow you to feel a stretch in both your arms and chest and maybe even loosen up the tension in your thighs.

5. Cat/Cow--Kneel on hands and feet and round your back up towards the ceiling in a cat pose. Extend the spine inward for a cow stretch.

6. Child's pose--Kneeling on the ground, sit on your heels with your knees spread apart. Fold forward until your forehead is resting on the ground.

7. Lower back twist--Lie flat on your back and pull one knee in towards your chest. Rotate the knee over your other leg and try to touch the ground with it. Attempt to keep your entire back connected to the ground and hold this pose.

Photo courtesy of Fix My Gut

Ways to Measure Your Progress

--If your ear is in front of the midpoint of your shoulder, then your head is too far forward.

--Look in the mirror, standing sideways as tall as you can. If you can see your other shoulder blade, then your back is too rounded.

--Both of your shoulders should be the same height. One should not be higher or lower than the other.

--Your kneecaps should not point inward and force your knees to touch if your legs are straightened.

--Your toes should not point outward more than 10 degrees.

--If your hips tilt forward and your lower back is noticeably arched, you have an anterior pelvic tilt.

Photo courtesy of Pinterest

Sticking with these exercises daily and taking mental notes of your progress should drastically improve your posture and overall energy in a short amount of time. Equally important is being mindful of how you carry yourself when walking around or sitting in your office chair.

Sources: Huffington Post, Women's Health

Spotlight: Wine Country Thanksgiving

Photo courtesy of Winery Wedding Guide

           Around this time of year, there are countless great festivals for tourists to attend. Today, we will spotlight one such event in Portland, Oregon at the Willamette Valley Wineries: the Wine Country Thanksgiving.

            Every year, in the three days following Thanksgiving, the 165 wineries in Willamette Valley hold a joint festival for tourists and avid wine connoisseurs.  Among the festivities are special tastings, live music, food pairings, and holiday discounts. Willamette Valley offers a seemingly endless list of attractions, including lodging areas, restaurants, art galleries, bike tours, and even hot air balloon rides.

Photo courtesy of Willamette Wines

            First and foremost, however, are the wineries themselves. Of the many great wineries in Willamette Valley, several stand out.  Among these standouts is Archery Summit with varieties like pinot gris, pinot noir, pinot noir rosé, and rosé. Offering vineyard tours and a tasting room open for 6 hours every day, Archery Summit consists of Barrel caves, a picnic area, and a wine club. Domaine Drouhin Oregon is another stellar option for a winery to visit. Known for their chardonnay and pinot noir, Maison Joseph Drouhin owns the winery and winemaker Véronique Drouhin-Boss handcrafts the internationally renowned wine products. A final winery to consider visiting is the Domain Serene, which produces chardonnay, pinot noir, rosé, and syrah. Domain Serene provides two different tasting experiences, private and tour, as well as a great view of the vineyard and valley from its patio.

            Willamette Valley also contains excellent eateries worth a visit to complement the first-class wineries. Bentley’s Grill, for instance, has an abundance of delicious seafood and steaks on the menu, while La Rambla Restaurant offers very tasty Spanish cuisine. Walnut City Kitchen’s proximity to the wineries makes it another very enticing option, and Nick’s Italian Café is a perfect choice for pastas and pizzas.

Bentley's Grill, courtesy of Trip Advisor

            If your tastes extend to art, the Art Elements Gallery has many great pieces on display, including paintings, ceramics, jewelry, woodwork, furniture and photography.  The gallery also has receptions as well as several other events allowing access to the artists.

            Wine Country Thanksgiving features a wide array of tours, not all of them on foot. Pedal Bike Tours offers a trip through the landscape to see the stunning views of the countryside and a picnic lunch at one of the wineries. Additionally, Precision Helicopters gives you a tour with an aerial view, allowing you the sight of the coastline and mountains from above as well as the wineries below.  Last but not least, what would a trip to the Willamette Valley Wineries be without a hot air balloon tour? Vista Balloon Adventures offers just that for three hours at a time with a catered breakfast.

Photo courtesy of Trip Advisor

            The features listed here are just the tip of the iceberg for this annual event. As far as November destinations for tourists, the Wine Country Thanksgiving has to be near the top of the list, running from November 28^th to 30^th this year.

            Ever been before? Share your experiences in the comments.

Source: Willamette Valley Wineries

6 Destinations for the Avid Traveler

U.S. News Travel recently put up a list of the top 25 places in the world to visit. A quick peek reveals the list to be Europe- and North America-heavy, so we have pulled the top destination from every continent (excluding Antarctica) to discuss what makes these places so special.

6. Cape Town, South Africa (Africa)—The top spot in the African continent for tourism, Cape Town has not only great landscapes but a social atmosphere to complement it.  The chain of mountains and specifically Table Mountain offer great sight-seeing targets for any adventurous tourist. Cape Town also offers a great nightlife and vineyards for the oenophiles. Some of the best attractions include the District Six Museum and the site of Nelson Mandela’s jail cell on Robben Island.

5. Maldives (Asia)—The islands of Maldives make a great vacation spot with the beautiful scenery and picturesque sunsets. If you enjoy exploring the water or even relaxing on the beach, Maldives may be a place you want to save up to visit. Having long been an Islamic nation, the attire tends to be rather conservative amongst the citizens, meaning one should dress accordingly upon attendance (specifically at mosques). If you love to sample seafood, Maldives offers many kinds of fish in its local cuisine, though hungry tourists must be careful if their body is not yet adjusted to the new environment.

4. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (South America)—Like the country from which it hails, Rio de Janeiro is well-known for its party atmosphere. Citizens stay out late to dance and eat and often  dress up in very flamboyant costumes for special occasions. The primary language is Portugese, and some of the main attractions include the beautiful rainforests and its massive Christ the Redeemer statue.

3. Sydney (Australia)—It wasn’t the host of the 2000 Olympic Games for nothing. Sydney is renowned for its diverse population that ensures a wide-ranging variety of arts, food, and many other multi-cultural aspects.  English is the primary language and the currency is nearly equivalent to the U.S. dollar, but the similarities stop there. Aussies drive on the left side of the road and have swapped seasons.

2. Maui, Hawaii (North America)—Though it seems silly to have to state a case for a Hawaiian island, here it goes: the beach, water sports, hula dancers, and of course, the rich history of the islands. Several intriguing stories explain the current culture of Maui and many other Hawaiian destinations.

1. Paris, France (Europe)—U.S. News points out that while the landmarks offer the biggest attractions, what tourists love most are the cafes, markets and shopping centers.  While a quick trip to the Notre Dame Cathedral and Eiffel Tower will shorten the bucket list, the heart of the culture lies in its many other facets.

Honorable mentions: Puerto Rico, Bora Bora, U.S. Virgin Islands

Agree or disagree with our list? Leave a comment.