Deceptive food labeling and advertising hype for “health foods and beverages” is so prevalent and misleading I must set the record straight. So here’s the nutritinal scoop on Vitaminwater.

To begin the product lists one 20-once bottle of Vitaminwater as 2.5 servings. That means you would have to drink less than half a bottle to ingest what is listed on the nutritional label. If you drink the entire bottle, which most people do, you have to multiply each number by 2.5. Right away the packaging appears to be misleading.

Next there are 13 grams of sugar in the form of fructose (remember that is less than ½ the bottle), which equates to 33 grams of sugar and 125 calories for every 20-ounce bottle.  According to nutritionists, Vitaminwater’s sugar content more than offsets any advertised health benefits provided by the nutrients in the drink.

For comparison, a can of Coca-Cola Classic contains about 39 grams of sugar and 140 calories. Both spike blood sugar. Now, if you exercise regularly you can easily burn off the calories from either product. If you are a non-exerciser you are just dumping empty, high sugar calories into the body.

Coca-Cola saw mega dollar signs in the sugary non-carbonated sports drink arena (hey it’s suppose to be healthy, right?) purchasing the product from Glaceau for $4.2 billion and positioning Vitaminwater as a major competitor to Gatorade and other non-carbonated sports drinks.

So, how can you get the right kinds of nutrients and fluids? Drink water (tap water works just fine) and eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. If you absolutely have the need for B vitamins – take a nutritional supplement – without the fructose!

What’s in Vitaminwater?

2 ½ servings per 20-once bottle

Nutrition Facts:

•                Calories: 50

•                Total fat: 0g

•                Sodium: 0mg

•                Potassium: 60mg

•                Total carbohydrates: 13g

•                Sugar: 13g

•                Protein: 0g

•                Vitamin C: 40%, Vitamin B3: 20%, Vitamin B6: 20%, Vitamin B12: 20%, Vitamin B5: 20%

•                Potassium: 150mg per bottle

Ingredients: vapor distilled/deionized water, crystalline fructose, citric acid, vegetable juice (color), natural flavor, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), vitamin E acetate, magnesium lactate (electrolyte), calcium lactate (electrolyte), zinc picolinate, monopotassium phosphate (electrolyte), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine hydrochloride (B6), cyanocobalamine (B12)

Mackinaw Bridge

Michigan is divided into the lower and upper peninsulas and separated by the Straits of Mackinaw, a five mile wide body of water. The peninsulas are connected by one of the longest suspension bridges in the world – the Mighty Mackinaw Bridge. You cannot walk or cycle the bridge, so the bikes and riders are transported by truck and van.

Loading bikes to transport across the bridge

The U P – as it’s called by locals – provided excellent roads with minimal traffic and spectacular scenery…not to mention the food. Oh the pasties and the homemade pie! That lunch called for a swim…or a siesta. A wonderful 65 mile day!

What - boys with maps? Now where's the GPS?

Voted THE BEST blueberry pie!

Got to swim those calories off in that cool Lake Michigan water

Not me...I'm having a siesta!

Another great bike trip with Cactus Cycling amigos from Tucson

Till next time…..

Ellsworth Lake

Yes, we hit summer time in northern Michigan – high 70s, abundant flowers, lakes galore and sunshine. Our first day was Bellaire to Boyne City – 77 miles with a stop in the burg of Ellsworth at the Gold Nugget Bar and the local lakeside park for a brew and lunch.

A refreshing brew at the Gold Nugget in Ellsworth

Boyne City

Day 2 was Boyne City to Harbor Springs – 48 miles beginning on the south side of Lake Charlevoix then westward to the big lake – Lake Michigan. We were typical northern Michigan fudgies – on bikes.

Lake Charlevoix

Lake Michigan

Now this tastes much better then GU

Day 3 we pedaled north along the coast of Lake Michigan from Harbor Springs to Cross Village– 42 miles with lunch at the infamous north Michigan Polish restaurant – Leggs Inn. Then onto the Headlands. Oh that cool lake swim sure does feel refreshing after a day on the bike.

Yes, we have arrived in the north woods.

Our swimming hole at the Headlands

Sure beats the heat of Tucson right now!

There is nothing that quite compares to a cross country road trip – most notably in the Eurovan with Sally and my bike.

Listening to Bob Seger and Mick Jagger, books on tape, catching the hot local buys on tradeo on the radio…and then there’s those great country stations and Oh yes…all those conservative christian monologs and sermons about sin, guilt and penance. As the miles fly by the mind becomes pensive, the body flaccid, the eyes wide open to the countryside, the butt damn tired of sitting.

Five days on the road – Tucson, Arizona to Cheboygan, Michigan. Just enjoying the ride.

Time for gas and a pee

Great camp spot for the evening

Miles and miles and miles of wheat fields

My kind of traveling woman. We just have different tastes in bikes.

AAhhhh - our destination. The big lakes of Michigan!

And it feels soooo good to get out of that van and plunge into that cool lake water!

Sometimes I feel so insignificant in the big schema of life. But then we have all have a place, a contribution to make, some small footprint to leave behind when we depart.

What will be your place in life and what mark will you leave in the sand?

I love Tucson, however, when you are at the trailhead at 5:30am and it is 89 degrees you know the hike up Blackett’s is going to be blistering. So why hang around in all this heat when you can escape to cooler climates, ride your bike at noon, swim in the invigorating waters of the great lakes, and snuggle in fleece in the evening with a cup of hot chocolate.

You don’t have to go far to smell the pines, sit in the warm sun, and enjoy the out of doors. A quick trip up Mt. Lemmon  on your bike will land you in Summerhaven where you can relish in 70 degree temperatures at 8000 feet.

What are you waiting for?

I’ve joined the exposed movement – started by blogger [email protected] when she decided that she was tired of hating the way she looked and wanted to turn those feelings around and start to celebrate her body. It’s really about body image and how you perceive yourself and feel about the body you inhabit.

So here I am – totally exposed, revealing the naked truths about my self and my body. Yes, I have –

Silver hair – O’natural, won’t ever change the color – it’s wild, unruly, and all mine

Lines in face – store many life stories and adventures – don’t want anyone to take them away

Breasts – got to love em – a source of pleasure for me and others – so what if they sag a bit….just wear a sexy bra from Victoria Secrets

Arms – strong for swimming laps and they love to give hugs

Waist – hey baby 26 inches

Hips – broad and full – all woman – like they should be

Thighs – my tree trunks that pedal me up Mt. Lemmon and 80-100 miles a week

Calves – strong and muscular

Feet – these feet are made for walking

No makeup, hair dye, nips, tucks, botox, chemical peals, enhancements, or photo shopping – just 61 years of living life actively and fully – all the good/bad, ups/downs,  joys/sorrows, successes/failures.

There is still soft youthful skin, a  fit and athletic body, shapely breasts and a full zesty life. Yes, there are also lines and wrinkles, thinning hair, excess skin, arthritic digits, scars and blemishes… and I’m OK with that. I like myself and am quite content with the skin I live in.

How about you – ready to expose yourself and appreciate all of your great assets?

And 109 in Tucson. But it’s a dry heat! Hey the humidity is 2%. There is a something special about living in a place where the temperatures soar to 110 degrees and can stay in triple digits for weeks. Life shifts – you hike and bike at 5:30am, carry a water bottle everywhere, don’t touch your steering wheel when you get in the car, water plants daily, wear a hat, lather on sunscreen, close the blinds when you leave the house, turn the ceiling fans on high, take a siesta, eat ice cream and gelato, and shed clothes when you get home. Cactus get lean and shrivel. Even the dog wants indoors by 9am. The volume of traffic has significantly disappeared – all those snowbirds and college students have headed north.

You sweat, simmer, glisten, wilt, melt, and your skin feels sucked dry of any excess moisture. It’s a cleansing feeling, there’s a pureness that invades your being, you move at a different pace, eat less and transition to a slow life style.

What I’m doing back here in Tucson?

A room with a view - Islet de Gigliio

How do you pull the scents, sights, and sounds of a country and a culture through your computer keys? How do you explain the immense joy you’ve experienced? How do you thank all those who traveled with you and those you met and shared personal moments with? Here are a few final impressions…

The antiquity, layered history and magnificent art

Duomos, statues, fountains, marble, sanctuaries, ornate design, massive mosaics, bell towers, castles, frescos painted in such intricate detail they look 3 dimensional

Duomo in Pisa

All this and so much more everywhere and in everyday life

The food and the wine – Oh the food and the wine!

Fresh and simple, abundant loaves of crusty bread, pastries, croissants, cappuccino, chocolate cauldo, pasta (how many kinds of pasta can there possibly be?), olive oil, olives, proscuitto, cheese (give me more of that fresh ricotta), forcaccia, gelato, grappa, Liquirzia, Chianti, pizza, nutella

Fuel food

Dinner

Breakfast

Lunch

OH the teramisu

Won't forget the gelato

The table has been set for the best life has to offer – wine, antipasto, primo, segundo, dolce, grappa or digestivo

The landscape  – the rural countryside, the mountains, rugged shoreline and the cities

Serene, picturesque, rugged, villas, vineyards, narrow roadways, quaint and cozy villages, alleyways, stairs, walkways, foot bridges, paths, trails, flowers, piazzas, green shutters, balcones, locals and tourists, the scooters, trains and buses, the Dolomites, the sea

The people

Conversing, emotive, gesturing, friendly and welcoming, familial, smoking, riding bikes and walking, beautiful leather, scarves and snappy shoes and stilettos, carrying their bags and purses, talking about cooking and eating food.

The cycling and our amazing groupo

We’ll have some fun reminising next time we all regroup. It was a great two week ride!

One thing I will not miss is schlepping my suit case up and down stairs and alleyways and onto and off trains, buses and boats. I do know that when you travel for only 6 weeks you realize how much you are not seeing. Till the next adventure…

Thanks for joining me on this one.

Ciao