One of the easiest ways to cut calories and sugar from your diet is to give up your soda habit. But for one Swedish woman, asking her to quit drinking Coke is like asking her to quit breathing. She took drinking soda to an entirely new level -- from bad habit to total addiction.

Addicted to Coca-Cola? Really? Yes, really.

In fact, the woman, who also happens to be deaf, had to go through legal channels to have her addiction recognized. An appeals court recently ruled that she be hospitalized for her addiction to Coke and food, due to her uncontrolled high blood pressure and diabetes.

People joke all the time that they're addicted to their favorite foods. Though they may not be an addiction in a true sense, cravings can be a very powerful thing. Check out the gallery below for tips on how to keep them under control, and when cravings do strike, try substituting one of these low-cal snacks instead.

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Welcome to Walking the Walk, a feature that takes a deeper look at commonly shared diet and fitness advice. Every other week, I'll choose one piece of advice and practice it for seven days. Then I'll report back on what I discovered about making it work in real life and how it affected my own personal fitness -- and how it ultimately can affect your own efforts.

January is the perfect time to try something new, isn't it? That's why I was clicking around over at AOL Health's America Takes it Off, looking for something inspiring to try this week on Walking the Walk. I've created a pretty good routine for myself -- limit my calories, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and be as active as possible -- but still, there's always room for improvement, right?

When I saw this tip from Jillian Michaels, I was intrigued. To get cut, she says, cut the salt ... and that doesn't mean just removing the salt shaker from your dining room table. Instead, she says, to beat the bloat, get your sodium intake down under 500 mg a day.

But salt makes things so tasty, you're thinking (or am I the only one?). Is it really that important to keep an eye on it? According to Jillian, yes. And her take on sodium has the support of top health organizations such as the American Heart Association. Our bodies need about 200 mg of sodium a day, but in reality, most of us eat much, much more than that.

Jillian's 500 mg a day is considerably lower than the 1,500 to 2,400 mg a day that most health organizations recommend. Because my blood pressure tends to fall into the "wow that's low, are you sure you aren't feeling dizzy" category, I've decided to split the difference and stick to 1,000 mg a day this week.

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The Mediterranean diet has long been touted as a healthful way to eat. Now, new claims suggest that pairing a Mediterranean diet with a small snack of nuts daily boosts the health benefits.

Metabolic Syndrome is a combination of heart-disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, excessive abdominal fat, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar. The Mediterranean diet is thought to reduce some of the risk factors involved in metabolic syndrome. A new study separated 1,224 people into three groups: one group received advice on a low-fat diet, the second was instructed on the Mediterranean diet plus were given one liter of virgin olive oil each week and the third received the Mediterranean advice plus 30 grams of mixed nuts each day.

Over the course of the one-year study, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome was reduced in all three groups: The low-fat diet group saw a two percent reduction in metabolic syndrome, the olive oil group reduced metabolic syndrome by 6.7 percent, and the group that followed a Mediterranean diet as well as eating nuts reduced the prevalence of metabolic syndrome by a whopping 13.7 percent.

AOL Health has more information on the Mediterranean diet.

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All fruits and vegetables are good for you, but grapes are getting some additional props for their heart-healthy benefits.

A recent study divided mice who were specially bred to be susceptible to high blood pressure into diet-defined groups -- one got a low-salt diet, another got a high-sodium diet, a third got a high-sodium diet with the addition of a grape mixture, and a fourth got a high-sodium diet with a small dose of hydrazine (a common blood pressure medication). At the end of the study, the mice who got the grape mixture came out on top with lower blood pressure, better heart function, reduced inflammation, and less heart muscle damage.

Grapes make a convenient and healthful snack as is, but there are lots of other ways you can enjoy grapes. Freeze them for an alternative to other frozen treats. Top your salad with some red or black grapes. Or sip on a few ounces of 100% grape juice.

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Skyrocketing childhood obesity rates have an unwanted side effect -- more kids are being put on prescription medications to combat related chronic diseases.

A recent study revealed there have been surges in prescriptions for children with diabetes and asthma as well as smaller increases in high blood pressure and high cholesterol medications. To varying degrees, obesity can play a role in all of those conditions. While some of the medication increase can be attributed to modified guidelines, the rise is concerning.

If your child is overweight, there are many positive, supportive ways you can help. AOL Health has other suggestions for battling childhood obesity.

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Yo-yo dieting -- losing weight only to quickly gain it back -- has been linked to many health problems, including high blood pressure. Average Joes and Janes aren't the only ones who fall into this dieting pitfall; Martha recently told us about some celebs who have famously yo-yo dieted.

Some experts dispute the claims that weight cycling can lead to cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. While losing excess weight and keeping it off is undeniably the best way to go, anyone who has pounds to lose shouldn't let the fear of yo-yo dieting keep them from trying to shed their excess pounds.

The key to keeping weight off is maintaining good habits -- exercise and healthful eating don't go away once you hit your goal weight. It's also a good idea to step on the scale from time to time to make sure you're sticking to your goal weight. Diet Blog has some more weight maintenance tips to share.

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If you want to follow the latest fashion trends, you should go for it. Want to get that trendy haircut? More power to you. You should get in on the diet and fitness trend too -- because high blood pressure is on the rise in America, and we're pretty sure this is one trend you'll want to avoid.

The numbers are climbing -- from 1998-1994 24.4% of Americans had high blood pressure; more recent numbers show that 28.9% are now diagnosed with the condition. On the upside, more people are being properly treated, so deaths related to blood pressure have decreased.

While you can't control some risk factors for high blood pressure -- such as family history, race, and age -- there are things that you can control. Maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly, eat a healthful diet that's low in sodium, avoid drinking alcohol, and keep your stress level under control.

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When you were little, your mom probably made sure you got your vitamin C to help fend off those nasty bugs that float around classrooms. But recent research shows that adults have good reason to get their vitamin C as well.

At their Conference of the Council for High Blood Pressure Research, the American Heart Association revealed that vitamin C has a positive effect on blood pressure. The practical applications aren't yet known but in the study, high doses of vitamin C resulted in an average seven percent drop in blood pressure.

While it's not reasonable for you to take high doses of vitamin C like those administered in the study, you can be sure to incorporate lots of healthful foods that are rich in vitamin C. Choices include citrus fruits, broccoli, greens, and melon.

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