It’s no secret that Starbucks captures both my heart and my wallet.

There is just something about entering those doors on a daily basis that calms my usually antsy self and makes me squirm with delight while I debate over my drink of choice: double tall nonfat, one-pump, white mocha or double tall, soy, no whip, one-pump, pumpkin-spice latte? (Hey, I’m a girl who knows what I like- but I do admit I hate appearing to be high maintenance every time I order!)While I’ve been able to budget my funds to fit in my Starbucks addiction (I just can’t give it up), I often turn a blind eye to the hidden calories that lurk in my green and white cup of java.

Especially with all the delightful super hot and super yummy speciality drinks this season! (hellllo peppermint mocha!)

But now thanks to starbucks.com, you can customize your drink the way you order it (or close to) and see just how much damage you are doing to your booty. Customize your drink of choice by size, milk, whip, etc and calculate… leaving you no room to ponder how you gained that extra pound when you step on the scale. Read More »

Everyone knows that the fashion industry can be bitchy, but now there are reports that it actually might be racist.

UK magazine The Independent recently ran an article about the lack of black and minority models on the runway.

Dee Doocey, a former fashion manager who’s currently campaigning for diversity on the catwalk says she can’t remember “being sent a model who wasn’t white,” during her days in the field “I don’t know if it’s racism, or just the fashion industry languishing in the doldrums”, Doocey continues, “but it needs to change. Agencies only seem interested in leggy white blonde girls.”

While none-white people make up about “30 percent” of London’s population, they “don’t even make up 1 percent of the models”, a ratio that sounds like it might have a reflection in America as well.

One managing director at a London agency that specializes in ethnically diverse models illustrated the crux of the problem by explaining her difficulty in getting work for her black models.

“The racism you come across is not underlying, it’s blatant” she reveals, going on to say that “People will say things like ‘Don’t send any more black models’, and one designer even said black people didn’t suit his clothes. And we’re not talking about small designers here; it’s all the big ones.” Read More »

Welcome to Thursday! Last week I was channeling Grandma, and while some of those habits have carried over from last week (I still can’t get enough of crosswords!), there’s a whole new crop of cool that’s just waiting to be unveiled to you all.

This week is about being healthy and happy. It’s not as hard as you think…

Fashion Obsession: Navy Blue

Everyone’s abuzz with the news that navy is back! Well, did it ever really go anywhere? Not to me! It’s been a long standing fashion no-no to pair navy blue and black, but not anymore, and I couldn’t be more excited. What’s even better is that it’s so easy to hop on the blue bandwagon that there’s no excuse not to give it a shot!

Check out this adorable little frock from TopShop (love the collar) or this navy raincoat from Forever 21 that is cute as a button! Read More »

• Don’t fall into this cuddle-trap, ladies. You’re all better than this. (COED Magazine)

• 73 year old man kicks ass, takes names. Awesome. (10tv.com)

• The pope has a cat? The cat is writing a book? My brain just exploded. (Yahoo!)

• An alert official suspected there may be something sinister behind Mr. Potato Head’s toothy grin. Yeah, Ecstasy. (AFP)

• This is why you don’t plan your wedding on Craigslist. (KATU)

• Looking to finally get healthy? Do it the old-school way! (UK Dailymail)

Health food is health food.

Health food is good for you. Health food will keep you slim. Right?

Well, not if you eat twice as much.

The Journal of Consumer Research recently released a study about the “obesity paradox”; a trend that shows the rise of both obesity and health food popularity in America.

Basically, the trend goes like this: when people see something that says ‘low fat’, they eat twice as much of it—or—they allow themselves higher calorie deserts or snacks after eating a ‘healthy’ meal.

This development makes perfect sense to me. Whenever I force myself to eat a salad for dinner (I mean, how are lettuce and tomatoes supposed to fill you up?), I’ll go straight for the ice cream afterwards. I’ll tell myself, “I ate real healthy for dinner! I can eat more of this than usual! And I won’t gain weight!”

Which is, of course, total bullsh*t.

Especially when most ‘low fat’, ‘low calorie’, and ‘low carb’ products aren’t always as ‘low’ as they claim to be, and often times have unhealthy hidden components.

Now, I’m no doctor, but I’ve read enough of these America is so freaking chubtastic! studies to hypothesize that our major issue as a nation is our tendency to over-eat. Gorging ourselves on bran muffins is still gorging ourselves. Read More »

When I miss a meal, I am struck by fatigue and hunger pangs which combine to create an awful mood and severe desperation to eat anything I can get my hands on.

When a Breatharianist misses all three meals, every single day, they don’t flinch.

The last time Michael Werner, a 58-year-old German professor has eaten was six and a half years ago. He survives solely on liquids and sunlight, which he claims provide him with all of the nutrients and energy that he needs.

Sound a lot like starvation or anorexia to you? Yeah, me too.

Despite my intial repulsion, Werner and Breatharianists (also called Light Nutritionists) worldwide claim that their method of life is both natural and healthy.

Michael Werner, a doctor of chemistry, has an average body weight and believes that the key to his unusual diet lies within his mindset. Dr. Werner even goes so far as to claim that those starving in Africa would be able to survive on sun and liquids alone if their minds were not conditioned to believe that they are going to starve without a steady supply of food.

Despite Dr. Werner’s repeated justifications of Breatharianism, I find it hard to believe that millions of starving people in Africa would be frolicking in the sun and carrying on normal lives if they only decided to not be hungry anymore. I’m sure people that have been starving for years have been able to build up some type of mental tolerance against their hunger- and obviously it isn’t keeping them alive. Read More »

Times have changed. Everybody and their mom knows that back in the day having a little extra junk in the truck, if people other than Sisqo still use that term, was grounds for medieval hottie status. Your ponderous figure was a sign of wealth and those skinny little serfs were a dime-a-dozen. Fast forward to USA 2007. The highest rates of obesity are now among the population groups with the highest poverty rates and the least education, while wealthier people tend to be slimmer, more toned, and probably sport better manicures.

What gives? Cheap food tends to be shitty food. Who among us hasn’t dropped way more than we’ve intended on a fresh fruit binge at Whole Foods? A cash strapped consumer can get a Big Mac Meal at McDonald’s for under five bucks, which also buys them well over 1,200 calories and crazy amounts of saturated fat. The real cost of the meal, in health problems, not to mention skinny jean stress, is well over your crisp fiver. Come on, we’ve all seen “Supersize Me”. A grilled chicken salad at Au Bon Pain will probably set you back seven or eight dollars, but it’s a small price to pay for fresh greens, lean protein, and not having your arteries instantly harden from inhaling a grim burger and grease soaked fries. Ew. Read More »

Still stressed?

I can understand. These last couple weeks of the school year often stretch the best of us past our snapping point. Why, just the other day, I realized I had consumed two giant cans of Enviga in a span of only three hours, thus speeding my heart rate up to a weirdly uncomfortable tempo and causing me to scream out my answers in class at a strangely loud decibel.

For this forth installment of my Spring Semester Freak-Out Remedies, I’m going to focus on a few ‘quick fixes’. And by quick fixes, I don’t mean the too – good – to – be – true – lose – tons – of – weight – by – eating – PIZZA! variety. I mean tried and true, simple yet effective ways to calm yourself down during the worst of times.

• Are You a Stressball? Go for a Walk – I know, the last thing you have right now is time, but believe me, just 10-15 minutes outside (especially now that you don’t have to put on eight shirts just to stay comfortable) can really help your mind refocus during mind-numbing tension. Read More »

I don’t know about you, but my days aren’t complete without at least 60 ounces of Diet Coke. On the way to class, at dinner, after a long night at the bar – Diet Coke is my drug. Well, that and the occasional bong hit.

Recently, though, I had to cut back on my DC intake due to some gossip I heard around town (read: on Oprah). Apparently, drinking Diet Coke can make people fat! Yes, you heard me. The high sodium content in my favorite beverage (well, besides rum and Diet Coke, of course) causes its biggest fans to pack on the poundage.

Whaaaaa?!

Oh yeah, and all that sugar substitute crap could lead to some serious health problems.

I was outraged. And apparently I wasn’t the only one.

It seems that Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi have been getting a bad rep lately. In an effort to combat all the negative press, scientists/mixologists over at the headquarters have been working hard to produce a soda product that shatters all expectations. And they have finally done it. YIPPEE!

Introducing Diet Coke Plus, a zero (yes, zero!) calorie soda with some extra nutrients sprinkled in. According to Coke, “one 8-ounce serving of the soda will provide 15 percent of the daily value (DV) of niacin, vitamins B6 and B12, and 10 percent of the DV for zinc and magnesium.” That means that instead of taking your daily vitamin with a can of DC, the can of DC can actually be your vitamin! Read More »