Top 10 Low-Carb Movers & Shakers Of 2005

With the low-carb industry seemingly at a crossroads in 2005 because of the persistent media perception that this lifestyle is on its way out, I thought it would be beneficial for me to introduce to you ten low-carb leaders who I believe are the real movers and shakers making things happen for the cause of low-carb with their tremendous efforts to promote the low-carb lifestyle.

You may have heard of some of these people already and perhaps there are others you haven't heard about before. Regardless, each one of these men and women are low-carb leaders that you really should get to know and be grateful for their tireless contributions on behalf of livin' la vida low-carb.

The following is my random list of who I think are the top ten low-carb movers & shakers of 2005:

1. Jonny Bowden - JonnyBowden.com



What more can you say about Jonny Bowden that hasn't already been said before? As a certified nutrition specialist, fitness guru, talented speaker, and a man devoted to helping people overcome challenges in their lives, Jonny is arguably the hardest working individual in the low-carb industry. His bestselling book Living The Low-Carb Life is the must-have book for anyone contemplating a low-carb lifestyle, but unsure about which plan to do. We can expect many more great things from Jonny in the coming years as he continues to carry the torch proudly on behalf of the low-carb lifestyle.

2. Dana Carpender - HoldTheToast.com



If you are a low-carb cook or wanna-be cook, then you probably already know who Dana Carpender is. Her popular bestselling recipe and cookbooks have sold in excess of one million copies, including her autobiographical low-carb weight loss book How I Gave Up My Low-Fat Diet and Lost 40 Pounds. She is a strong advocate of low-carb living and is living proof that this way of eating can taste great!

3. Julia Havey - JuliaHavey.com



Julia Havey is the epitome of a low-carb weight loss success story. Her story of triumph over her weight and overcoming tremendous personal obstacles in her life has inspired tens of thousands in her role as a Master Motivator for eDiets.com. Through her book Awaken The Diet Within as well as her LifeChanger Weight Loss Program, Julia is impacting the low-carb market by offering people hope and motivation to start low-carbing for themselves just as she did.

4. Hannah Sutter and Kevin Dorren - GoLower.com



I list Hannah Sutter and Kevin Dorren together because they are the co-founders of a company called GoLower, which manufactures and distributes the best-tasting non-chocolate, sugar-free snacks you will ever taste in your life. See my review of these amazing products here. Although this product is primarily sold in the UK and has quickly started to spread across Europe in recent months, Hannah and Kevin have not yet released this product to the U.S. market. But when they do, I fully expect their attention to quality and detail will result in phenomenal sales in the low-carb/sugar-free industry. It certainly does hurt that their business was featured in this week's issue of Financial Times. Remember the name -- GoLower!

5. Regina Wilshire - Weight Of The Evidence



As a fellow columnist over at LowCarbNewsline.com, I have grown to appreciate the in-depth knowledge and research that Regina Wilshire brings to the low-carb industry. Her no-nonsense statistical prowess is unmatched and she has a deep passion for sharing the scientific evidence that proves a controlled-carb nutritional plan is a healthy and permanent way to lose and control your weight. She and her husband founded the Carbohydrate Awareness Council in 2003 and Regina shares her insight on the latest research about low-carb at her blog. She will be a force to be reckoned with as more and more research is released over the next decade.

6. Andrew DiMino - CarbSmart.com



Andrew DiMino, President and Founder of CarbSmart, Inc., is an innovator in the low-carb industry. He got a trademark on the name "Carbsmart" long before low-carb hit it big and it paid off. Now his licensed product name is found in virtually every supermarket in America and his wildly popular online low-carb store has over 1,300 wonderful products for people who are following a low-carb lifestyle to choose from. He has made CarbSmart.com a one-stop shopping source for products that support the low carb lifestyle. There are other great low-carb stores online, but Andrew's commitment to educating the public about low-carb through tools like his CarbSmart Magazine make him a strong voice on behalf of the low-carb lifestyle.

7. Andrea Mondello - LowCarbEating.com



Another phenomenal weight loss success story is found in Andrea Mondello, webmaster for the very high-profile LowCarbEating.com web site. Featured recently in a USA Today article, Andrea has been inspiring people to make the low-carb lifestyle their choice for losing and controlling their weight since 1999. She is a true representative of what is right about low-carb living and her efforts have not gone unnoticed. We need more people like Andrea to step forward in the low-carb debate.

8. Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades - Low-Carb CookwoRx



The bestselling authors of the low-carb classic Protein Power, Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades are undoubtedly the most famous faces who support a low-carb approach. Their PBS television show "Low-Carb CookworRx" gives them a forum for sharing healthy low-carb cooking with so many viewers each week. They are crusaders blazing new trails for the sake of low-carb.

9. Jacqueline Eberstein



Spending nearly three decades of her life working alongside Dr. Robert Atkins and his phenomenal research into the controlled-carb approach, Jacqueline Eberstein, R.N. has a thorough medical knowledge of why the low-carb lifestyle works and helps treat obesity and diabetes. As the Director of Nutrition Information for Atkins Health & Medical Information Services, she has seen many patients experience vast improvements in their overall health thanks to the Atkins diet. She co-authored the comprehensive book Atkins Diabetes Revolution based on the work that Dr. Atkins started in the early 1970's. Jacqueline will continue to be a voice of reason in the ongoing debate over the viability of low-carb.

10. Lora Ruffner and Neil Beatty - Low-Carb Luxury



While most of the other low-carb magazines have gone out of business over the past year due to declining advertising interest, Low-Carb Luxury magazine keeps trucking along thanks to the leadership of Lora Ruffner and Neil Beatty. They have been on the low-carb bandwagon when it wasn't cool, helped keep the low-carb consumer properly informed with the facts during the height of the low-carb boom, and continue to provide excellent information for people who are low-carbin' it to use and enjoy in the midst of unprecedented negative attacks on this lifestyle they know and love. These two have never been afraid to be innovative and to just be honest about what they are doing. Low-carb is well served by Lora and Neil whose are undoubtedly the most connected movers and shakers in the low-carb industry today.

(HONORABLE MENTIONS: Katherine Prouty from LowCarbFreedom.com and Carla Gray from The Low-Carb Fast Food Diet)

So, there you have it. These are my top ten low-carb movers & shakers of 2005. I'm sure I missed some well-deserving picks, but these are the men and women who I believe have carried the message of low-carb to the masses and will continue to do so in the coming years. They have all proven their worth in the low-carb community by sharing with us their tremendous insight and knowledge about what livin' la vida low-carb is all about.

If you feel I missed an important player in the low-carb industry, then please feel free to share with the readers of "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" who else I should have included on this list in the comments section below.

9-06-05 UPDATE: A couple of the featured "movers & shakers" have reacted after finding out they made my top 10 list today.

- Regina Wilshire blogged about this list over at Weight of the Evidence today and sent her congratulations to the others who were chosen for this list.

- Andrew DiMino e-mailed me to say that he was "humbled and honored" to be named among the top 10 low-carb leaders of 2005 and appreciated being mentioned among such a stellar group of people.

"We are all in this together to educate the public to the truth and we will win the war," DiMino said in his e-mail.

If any of the others "movers & shakers" share their comments with us, then I will post them here for you to read.

9-8-05 UPDATE: I heard from a couple more of the people I described as low-carb "movers & shakers":

- Julia Havey said "thanks for the blog mention." You are VERY welcome, Julia.

- Kevin Dorren, speaking on behalf of himself and Hannah Sutter, exclaimed "WOW" when he found out he made my list of the top low-carb leaders.

"To be even recognized in your list is a total honor," Dorren wrote in an e-mail. "We have tried so hard to buck the trend with our products that we are constantly amazed by you and your readers support."

And we can't wait to see the GoLower bars in the United States VERY soon, Kevin!