Did you know Diet Coke in Japan is sweetened with the plant-based stevia?
About a year ago I blogged about the controversial all-natural sugar alternative called stevia. At the time, I lamented that stevia was not approved by the Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA) to even be called a sweetener...yet! But that may be about to change if a joint venture with The Coca-Cola Company and a major food additive business has anything to say about it (and you KNOW they will because money talks!).
This USA Today story notes that Coke as well as Cargill Foods have decided to take a serious look at a sweetener they want to call rebiana (a shortened word used for Stevia Rebaudiana). Remember that name they have come up with because it's the term these companies are going to be using for stevia soon and it's been three years in the making.
For people who are livin' la vida low-carb and choose to avoid the use of the chemical-based sweeteners that dominate the marketplace, such as saccharin (Sweet 'N Low), aspartame (Nutrasweet, Equal), and sucralose (Splenda), many of us have been using stevia instead because it contains ZERO calories and carbohydrates. That's certainly impressive nutritional info for a natural alternative to sugar.
But it's gonna be a bit of an uphill battle to get stevia approved since the FDA has come down so strongly AGAINST approving it while this list of sugar alternatives get a free pass--all of which are made from chemicals. But there are still a lot of people who have concerns over the safety of these products (and I get e-mails from people ALL THE TIME about my support for Splenda--get over it already people. That stuff helped me overcome morbid obesity, so leave it be!).
As a result, that's the allure of having commercial acceptance of stevia in a popular product like Diet Coke. With crazy new product concepts like the vitamin-infused Diet Coke Plus (made with aspartame), the "calorie-burning" Enviga (also sweetened with aspartame and a touch of ACE-K), and their marketing darling of the moment Coke Zero (yep, you guessed it, sweetened with aspartame and ACE-K), this idea of making a Diet Coke with Stevia is the best thing they've come up with since my favorite sugar-free soda Diet Coke with Splenda was released to the market (although they've never given it the proper marketing IMHO!).
Interestingly, stevia IS already being used in Diet Coke--in Japan, where stevia boasts a robust 40% of the sweetener market, as well as in Brazil, China, and nine other industrialized countries. So what's taking America so long to get going with this in this country already? The FDA needs to get its head out of their backside and approve stevia as a sweetener.
Are they afraid of the competition it will give that disgusting NASTY-tame? If so, then GOOD! They should be because it's high time people have other alternatives. I'm tired of seeing Nutrasweet in EVERYTHING sugar-free/low-carb I would want to purchase. Put Splenda or stevia in some of these products already! There's a bunch of us who don't like aspartame at all!
Currently, the Coca-Cola Company has been seriously looking at this since 2004 and last week filed a total of 24 patents to begin removing the sweetest parts of stevia so they can come up with the perfect taste and blend of rebiana to be used in their future versions of Diet Coke.
It's not yet known if this new sweetener will eventually be phased in to replaced aspartame or if it will be mixed with ACE-K or other sweeteners in totally different products altogether. But clearly Coke is ready to put stevia on the fast-track to FDA approval.
As for Cargill Foods, they intend to use this stevia-based sweetener in foods like yogurt, cereal, ice cream, and other sugar-free sweet treats. This is expected to be a huge undertaking that could quite literally shake up the food and beverage industry unlike anything that has come along in the past few decades. This is long overdue in America and I can't wait to see it come.
A Cargill representative said this was a "significant investment," so don't expect them to take no for an answer from self-serving interest groups who will oppose the use of stevia in this manner to cover their bedonkadonks with the artificial sweetener companies. That's why Cargill has already begun the process of petitioning the FDA to use stevia as a food additive. It's gonna be difficult, but I'm confident they'll get approval. Stay tuned!
Although Coke is saying the stevia they have tested in several of their products has performed just as well as the aspartame and sucralose for sweetness, I'm not as convinced about it. Sure, stevia is an excellent product and I have used it myself in various forms, but the black licorice-like bitterness can be a real turn-off to some people. The blend will have to be perfect.
I'm sure if stevia finally does make it into a Diet Coke product in the next few years that they'll make it taste as sweet as possible by very likely using an ACE-K blend. It'll probably resemble the aspartame/ACE-K blends that dominate the Coca-Cola line of sugar-free products today. This will be a HUGE step in the right direction for the world's #1 beverage maker (although I wouldn't mind having more Splenda-sweetened options, too--HINT HINT!).
If rebiana becomes a household name thanks to Coke and Cargill Foods, then you can expect PepsiCo, Dannon, and other rivals in the sugar-free/low-carb market to develop their own versions of stevia-sweetened products--perhaps they'll be allowed to actually call it stevia. Actually, if they're smart, then they'll start working on this NOW!
I've long held that having an "all-natural" sweetener like stevia is already on the cutting edge and it's only a matter of time before it is as widely used in the United States just as it is in Japan today. It's not a matter of if, but when. I can't wait to try a Rebiana Coke with a green stevia leaf on the can as a logo to distinguish it from the other versions. This will be the most unique diet soda product to ever release!
Dr. Kurt Kraft helps his patients understand the "lifestyle change" concept
My next interview from the obesity conference sponsored by the American Society of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP) in Nashville, Tennessee about a month ago is with bariatric physician Dr. Kurt Kraft. Although he's not an ardent believe in the low-carb lifestyle as a starting point for weight loss and disease management, he does use an Atkins low-carb dietary approach with his patients who are "carb sensitive." Listen to my interview with Dr. Kraft NOW:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 56 [17:36m]: Play in Popup | Download
As you can tell, I enjoyed my conversation with Dr. Kraft because you could tell he honestly cares about seeing his patients get healthy. He takes great pride in and is energized by the success that he sees his patients experiencing. We need more doctors who take such a vested interest in their patients as Dr. Kraft does.
He chooses to use the "healthy" approach with his patients when he first starts them off on their new lifestyle change--which means they eat a low-fat diet. But Dr. Kraft also emphasizes removing the sugar and refined carbohydrates from their diet to help get their blood sugars under control. Many patients continue to eat low-fat while others are placed on a low-carb diet. It's an individualized plan for the person losing the weight--not a one-size-fits-all program.
Get more of Jimmy Moore and his low-carb podcast show by:
Dr. Kraft is certainly a doctor with a positive and jovial outlook on obesity treatment. What do you think about his methodology? Is the low-fat diet the right starting point for an effective and healthy weight loss plan? Tell me what you think about that and anything else Dr. Kraft said in my interview with him.
Amy lost 40 pounds in just 3 months on a low-carb diet
Plus, at the beginning of this podcast, I introduce you to an amazing new low-carb video cooking show called "Eating Low." It's from fellow low-carb success named Amy who in less than 100 days lost an incredible 40 pounds. Now she's sharing her deliciously healthy low-carb, low-fat, low-cal recipes with the world. Check 'em out!
Am I the only one who thinks the new KFC television commercials bragging about their food not having trans fat are over-the-top obnoxious? I'm mean, give me a break already. What is happening to our culture--are we a nation full of mind-numbed nincompoops who buy into everything the media says about health hook, line, and sinker?
What halfway intelligent-thinking person believes the food at the restaurant formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken is now suddenly "healthy" just because it allegedly doesn't have any trans fat? They're so proud of themselves, they even created this page about it on their web site. Oh joy!
It's pathetic, absolutely positively ridiculous. What is KFC thinking with all these ritarded people dancing around, making fools of themselves, celebrating that they can "have KFC again" now that their food is trans fat-free?
Watch this 15-second KFC ad to see what I'm talking about:
Utter nonsense! Sure, they've removed trans fat from their food just like every other restaurant chain has been on the bandwagon of doing since New York City instituted a citywide ban. It's disgusting to see all these restaurants tripping over each other to see who can ban trans fat next.
Who's gonna be next to jump ship on that great evil we call trans fat? It's the hip thing to do ya know and guaranteed to give you tons of FREE publicity with all the headlines in the media. We've seen it happen time and time again this year and it'll keep on happening as long as people keep thinking removing trans fat from restaurant menus will make their food better for them.
Wanna know what's funny? Sure, everybody knows about trans fat now, but how many people had even heard of it three, four, or five years ago? I bet you'd get a lot of funny looks followed by a response like "trans what?" This is a prime example of how the media gets people so worked up over an issue that people become hysterical. Can you say global warming?
When is somebody gonna stand up and say enough is enough already?! The fact is, yes, trans fat is bad news, but so are excessive carbohydrates, sugars, and starchy foods. Add to that all the fast food, processed foods, and fast food for a truly unhealthy diet worse than anything trans fat could ever do to your body. So where's the outrage over this?
The longer we continue to ignore the carb connection to obesity, high triglycerides, insulin resistance, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and many other health ailments, our society will just keep getting fatter and sicker than we've ever been with no end in sight.
How is it that this issue is so easy to see staring us right in the face and yet nobody wants to do anything about it? When is a major restaurant chain gonna take a stand on the gobs of sugary, starchy, carb-loaded foods they are promoting on the menus? Hello? Are you brave enough to truly educate the public and provide them with genuinely healthy options?
Of course, this is America and businesses have the right to sell whatever they want to meet a consumer demand and make a profit. That's capitalism, the product of a free society, the very essence of what makes America great.
But if people knew the truth about what that food on their plate is doing to their bodies once it is consumed, then I don't think the restaurant industry could survive for very long. Some restaurants cater to people eating healthy (like Cracker Barrel), but most of them make their money on the carbohydrate-dense foods--French fries, pancakes, sugary sodas, and worse.
When is America gonna wake up and realize that we've got a lot more problems with restaurant food than just trans fat? It breaks my heart to see people thinking they are eating right and they don't even realize they are not. Chomping down on that trans fat-free bucket of chicken ain't gonna remove the double-digit carb counts that make you fat and sick!
But...
Have you seen the ingredients list of the foods served at KFC? These so-called ZERO trans fat items have an ingredient in just about every single one of them known as partially hydrogenated soybean oil. Um, KFC, I hate to break it to you, but that would be TRANS FAT!!!
Sure, they'll claim they're allowed to round down if there is less than a half gram of trans fat. But it's dishonest to tell your customers you have "zero trans fat" when you've got partially hydrogenated anything in the ingredients.
This guy challenges KFC to fess up about their trans fat or else:
So the next time you see one of those KFC commercials with people overjoyed and excited about there being no trans fat in the food, remember this...that doesn't mean it's healthy. No trans fat is a good start. Now how about doing something about those excessive carbs?
Russell Snell found a mutated cow that makes low-fat milk naturally
Beam me up, Scotty, because I think this world has gone absolutely institutionalized on me now after reading this MSNBC story about a cow that has been found to make (get this!) low-fat milk. Sounds totally sci-fi freaky, doesn't it? Sadly, it's dead serious and coming to a milk carton near you!
It was one thing to create genetically-altered potatoes to make them lower in carbohydrates a couple of years back. But what they're doing to cows just to artificially lower the fat content of their milk takes weird science to a whole new level!
We have the New Zealand-based biotechnology company ViaLactia to thank for stumbling across almost by accident a cow they named Marge in 2001 which has a gene mutation allowing it to produce milk with 1% milk naturally rather than the 3.5% milk that traditional cows make for whole milk. This new low-fat milk produced by this one-of-a-kind cow supposedly has more omega-3 fats and the butter created from it is spreadable even when it's cold.
Ooooooh! Am I supposed to be jumping up and down? NOT!
Russell Snell, chief scientist at Vialactia which happens to be a major subsidiary of milk-producing giant Fonterra, said they paid a mere $218 for Marge to conduct research on why the Fresian cow makes low-fat milk. It looks just like a regular cow and the milk has the same "positive taste" of normal milk except it contains "other desirable benefits."
Interestingly, Snell said they decided to breed Marge to see if her calves would also make low-fat milk--they all have the same "dominant" mutated gene that produces low-fat milk as the mother. But they just don't know exactly why this is happening.
"Every now and then nature throws up these sorts of things, and it was simply a case of us being in the right place at the right time," Snell noted.
The results of Snell's research will appear in an upcoming issue of the UK-based scientific journal Chemistry & Industry.
Vialactia hopes to have this all-natural low-fat milk and softened butter available for retail sale on grocery store shelves within the next four years. But is this REALLY something we should all be clamoring for? Is low-fat dairy, created naturally or by machine, something that should be part of a "healthy" lifestyle? I think not based on the scientific evidence.
That's why you should find low-carb milk alternatives like Calorie Countdown if you are livin' la vida low-carb. So what's next? Gene mutation of sugar to negate the carbohydrates? Don't laugh, I bet they're working on it!
Also, I can't but wonder what this new all-natural low-fat milk is gonna cost--if you think gasoline is expensive, just wait'll you see what they'll charge for this stuff! I think I'll skip past the mutated milk and butter thank you very much!
Lead researcher Peter W. Piper, professor of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at the University of Sheffield, wanted to know what impact a food additive known as E211--the scientific name for the common preservative sodium benzoate used in most soft drinks to prevent molding--has on cells in the body. The cancer connection has already been established when benzene is mixed with vitamin C.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA), which is the British version of the FDA, has already removed four brands of soft drinks from store shelves last year for having excessively high levels of benzene. Piper says the concern is worse than first believed.
In a test conducted on living yeast cells in his lab, the sodium benzoate in the soft drinks sampled actually caused damage to the mitochondria--the important "power station" in DNA.
"These chemicals [in the soft drinks] have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether," Piper exclaimed.
Yikes! Is this really as fatalistic as he's making it out to be?
Piper continued: "The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it--as happens in a number of diseased states--then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA--Parkinson's and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of aging."
Okay, so let me get this straight. Sodium benzoate found in many soft drinks and various food products has been found to damage the mitochondria in DNA which then leads to new brain diseases and premature aging. You got all that? Are you buying it? This blogger sure isn't!
Of course, the soft drink manufacturers point to their trust in the approval of sodium benzoate by the Food Standards Agency as their evidence of the safety of this ingredient. However, like the FDA here in the United States, can we REALLY trust that information? The European Union doesn't think so as evidenced by their emergency investigation into Piper's claims.
A representative from that group said they now need to reevaluate the long-term consequences of consuming sodium benzoate since the findings by the World Health Organization in 2000 which found it was safe are likely outdated.
Additionally, Piper said the FDA-approval of benzene needs updating.
"The food industry will say these compounds have been tested and they are complete safe," he said. "By the criteria of modern safety testing, the safety tests were inadequate. Like all things, safety testing moves forward and you can conduct a much more rigorous safety test than you could 50 years ago."
Hmmm. This is the same corrupt FDA which refuses to admit they were wrong about the high-carb, low-fat diet being a healthy nutritional approach despite the lack of long-term studies to back that claim up. And let's not forget about their role in the current scandal over the diabetes drug Avandia! What makes Piper think the FDA is gonna start a fact-finding mission on sodium benzoate now?
As you know, I love my Diet Coke with Splenda and I notice it does not contain sodium benzoate, but rather potassium benzoate (aka E212). There was nothing in Piper's study about this similar preservative, so the jury is still out about it. I'm not gonna stop drinking it just yet.
Piper says he hopes parents are cautious about allowing their children to be "drinking large amounts" of sodas sweetened with sodium benzoate. Which ones would that be? Diet Orange Crush, Vault Zero, Fanta Pineapple, Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, and the new Diet Pepsi Max, among others. The Coca-Cola Company has already settled their lawsuits by agreeing to change the formulations of their beverages containing sodium benzoate.
PepsiCo still has legal action pending against it and a U.S. District judge denied a motion to dismiss filed by the defendants in the case despite the fact that they have already reformulated the offensive products. Stay tuned for more information about these lawsuits.
Read more information about the soft drink/benzene connection in this excellent blog post about it as well as the Wikipedia page on this topic. What say YOU about this controversy?
"This web site will prove that eating red meat and natural animal fats while restricting carbohydrates is not only healthy but will prevent and cure many diseases," Rieske boasts on his web site.
WOW! What a way to start! Just reading that statement alone made me excited about reading on. Let me warn you--it's a VERY long web site, but chock full of scientific studies, statistics, and other evidence supporting the thesis that a low-carb diet is "healthy." If you can't handle the truth, then come back when you can.
Check out this comment made on the site about the Food Pyramid.
"Warning! This diet will cause many diseases when eaten for 20 years," referring to the 60% carbohyrate, 30% fat, and 10% protein diet recommended by government health leaders.
But it's not just Rieske's opinions--you get links to the studies that back up everything he's saying and it is written in a very compelling format and style. I LOVE this guy and he did an excellent job presenting all the information in one place.
There's so much to absorb from this site that you'll spend hours scouring through all the information. Much of it centers around busting the following health myths in an intelligent and thorough manner:
Myth No. 1 - Saturated Animal Fats Cause Heart Disease and Cancer.
Myth No. 2 - Carbohydrates are Healthy and Needed for Energy.
Myth No. 3 - Fiber is Healthy and Required in the Diet.
Myth No. 4 - Red Meat Like Beef, Lamb and Pork is Unhealthy.
Don't miss the following eye-opening links towards the end of the page: "Drugs and Doctors May be the Third Leading Cause of Death in U.S.," "Why Most Published Research Findings Are False," and "Pharmaceutical firms are inventing diseases to sell more drugs." Like I said, HOURS upon HOURS of low-carb lovin' facts that'll arm you for ANYTHING the low-fatties will ever throw at you!
How can learning how to golf be like low-carb dieting?
We all have things in our lives that we have always wanted to do. You know what I mean--activities that you have longed for but have yet to fulfill. For me, that singular activity that I've been meaning to take up for years is golfing.
Yep, I'm a humongous fan of the game of golf and enjoy watching the PGA Tour on television. Some people think the game is too boring to watch, but not me. Watching the best players in the world hit that little white ball around and get it in the hole under treacherous conditions is simply amazing!
But golf is not necessarily a game of might or great physical prowess, which is why it is attractive to men and women of all sorts. That is the allure that causes relatively intelligent men and women to pick up a bag of clubs and give it a go!
Instead, golf is a game of mechanics, repetition, and finesse--all which come with lots and lots of practice. The golf swing is just the opposite of a baseball swing or a bowling motion. Thinking differently takes a major paradigm shift in your head as I am quickly discovering.
I've only been swinging a club for a couple of weeks so far, but I can already see why people give up on this game. When you first start playing golf, you want desperately to score as low as you possibly can. But the reality is you're very lucky if you can break 150 strokes! You're learning the game and it'll get better with time and experience.
It can be extremely hard at times because this game goes against everything your body naturally wants to do. But quitting is not in my vocabulary, so I'm gonna learn this game yet even if I keep slicing that %$@*!&@ ball to the right! :D Wish me luck!
What's this got to do with a low-carb diet? Read more about what golf and low-carb living have in common by clicking here.
A couple of weeks ago, my fellow low-carb blogger from "The Divine Low-Carb" blog named PJ, a 41-year old single mom who lives in the Ozarks of Oklahoma, was scouring several of the most popular low-carb blogs asking for their RSS feed.
I noticed she did that at my blog as well as several other low-carb sites I have featured in the past. What was PJ up to? Hmmm... I even received an e-mail from her asking me where my RSS feed was. It has now been added to the side panel of my blog for your convenience if you subscribe to blog feeds.
But it seems my friend PJ was up to something special because all of her efforts to get the RSS feeds of her favorite low-carb web sites are encompassed in a beautifully-packaged new blog called "Low-Carb Mania." As soon as you visit PJ's new site, you'll notice she has listed all of her favorite low-carb blogs in one place (mine's at the top of the list--THANKS, PJ!) which lists the three most recent posts from that blogger.
Why did PJ create "Low-Carb Mania?" There's a simple explanation.
"I wanted to get all my fave low-carb blogs into an RSS reader that would automatically show me which things had updated. It's getting to be a bit of a long process, going to every one on my list, when half or more of them haven't changed."
Um, I bet you don't have that problem with my blog, PJ! :D I try to update at least ONCE a day because that's the least I can do to give you a reason to come back to the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog on a daily basis. If I ever stop blogging regularly, then you know it's time to pack it up and call it a day. It's not gonna happen, though, because I'm passionate and excited about sharing low-carb information with my readers.
THANK YOU for creating "Low-Carb Mania," PJ! What a fantastic idea whose time was overdue. Dang, now I wish I had thought of this first. LOL! Just kidding! Be sure to pay a visit to "Low-Carb Mania" and see what's happening in the low-carb blogosphere.
The post that appeared here has been removed for not promoting the low-carb community in the professional manner I have come to expect from myself. THANK YOU!
Victoria Beckham (aka "Posh Spice") made dieting news last week
We live in an entertainment-driven society now and that point was made abundantly clear just last week when a famous British pop singer and wife of a popular professional soccer superstar. In Episode 55 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore," we get the dirty details about how the diet book industry went completely nuts after the super-thin "Posh Spice" bought a copy of a raunchy pro-vegan book entitled Skinny Bitch.
Since I had previously reviewed that book here at my blog, I decided to share my book review in spoken form in today's podcast. Hear it for yourself RIGHT NOW:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 55 [11:18m]: Play in Popup | Download
Victoria Beckham, former member of the Spice Girls and spouse of soccer sensation David Beckham, probably had no idea she was going to be at the center of attention when she decided to buy that copy of Skinny Bitch last week. But that's exactly what happened and sales of this disgusting book zoomed up Amazon UK charts to #10 as well as #200 on Amazon.com.
Episode 55 gave me the chance to reveal exactly what this book written by two militant anti-meat women who have never had to deal with a weight problem in their life are all about. The fact that they describe people who follow the Atkins low-carb diet as a "moron" is indicative of their vile and despicable nature.
Are you a "moron" and want more low-carb podcasting? Get it by:
Have you seen this absurd book from former models Kim Barnouin and Rory Freedman? What do you think about celebrities who can make an obscure diet book like "Skinny Bitch" and instant overnight bestseller? Share your feedback about this and why you think our society has become to dependent on what actors, singers, and athletes have to say, especially on the subject of diet and health.
As has been the tradition on Thursdays for the past few weeks, I will be airing yet another interview from the Nashville obesity conference in the next podcast show from a man named Dr. Kurt Kraft. While he is not a low-carb supporter, per se, Dr. Kraft is at least respectful and open to the possibility that this way of eating can help with obesity. Tune in on Thursday for that engaging conversation!
La Tortilla Factory low-carb wraps are perennial bestsellers
When I started out on the Atkins diet in 2004, one of the biggest obstacles I faced was what I could eat as a healthy substitute for bread. It's nice have a bunless cheeseburger or a breadless deli meat and cheese sandwich for a while, but you start to get the inkling for SOMETHING to wrap your low-carb foods in.
That's why I was so happy to find La Tortilla Factory low-carb wraps and I've been a big fan of these ever since. In fact, I keep a couple of packages of these ever-versatile wraps on hand at all times.
About six months ago I noticed my local grocery store had stopped carrying these wraps despite the fact I bought so many packages of them. When I complained to the manager, he apologized profusely and brought in about 25 packages of each of the flavors: Original, Garlic & Herb, and Green Onion. "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man" has spoken. LOL!
Just one tortilla gives you a mere 50 calories, 5g protein, 2g fat, 8g dietary fiber, and just 3g net carbs. It really is the PERFECT wrap regardless of what your diet plan is. For years these excellent low-carb wraps have been endorsed right there on the packaging by Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades from Protein Power as well as low-carb cookbook author Fran McCullough.
But now they've decided to change their packaging. Uh oh! Does this mean they're taking my favorite low-carb wraps away because I've seen it happen before? Or, perhaps they are keeping the product exactly the same and merely changing the look and name to attract new customers--like with Calorie Countdown milk and Quaker's Q-Smart bars.
According to the square sticker I saw on the front of my latest package of La Tortilla Factory low-carb wraps, this is simply a "New Look...Same Great Product" which is coming soon to a grocery store shelf near you. If you've never seen these before, then allow me to show you the old packaging as well as the new packaging.
THE OLD PACKAGING:
THE NEW PACKAGING:
I like the new "festive" look of the new packaging as well as the name "Smart & Delicious" which is a good marketing strategy to distinguish this brand from the "dumb & nasty" high-carb tortillas made with white flour!
One thing I especially love about the new packaging is how "Low Carb" is such a prominent word on the label along with the use of "High Fiber" coming in a close second. The phrase "low-fat" doesn't even show up on the new packaging for the "Low-Carb" version of the wraps even though they fall into that category, too. You gotta love it! Of course, the low-fatties get their own version, too.
People who are livin' la vida low-carb need to continue to support companies that make products like La Tortilla Factory low-carb wraps because they are giving us healthy, delicious, and nutritious foods to make our low-carb lifestyle that much more enjoyable! Be looking for the Smart & Healthy Tortillas in your area and ask the grocery store manager to stock these.
It's hard to believe, but there are lots of brand new low-carb blogs appearing online in 2007 with people who are gung-ho enthusiastic about livin' la vida low-carb and can't wait to share with everyone who comes across their place online what this way of eating has done for them. I highlighted 10 of them a few months back as well as these five and these five late last year.
Today, I'm pleased to share with you FIVE MORE hot new low-carb blogs that are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face as they represent another fine group of people who are seeking to educate, encourage, and inspire the masses about the amazingly healthy low-carb lifestyle! Be sure to visit each of them and leave comments at their respective blogs. ENJOY!
1. EATING LOW Amy lost 40 pounds in just three months on Kimkins
With the popularity of the Kimkins diet continuing to grow at a rapid pace in 2007, you've got people like Amy who have been so radically transformed (she lost 40 pounds in three months!) that she now feels compelled to share what she has learned about healthy living. For Amy, that means a new venture she calls "Eating Low"--the low carb, low-cal, low-fat way. While not all low-carbers adhere to such restrictions on fat and calories, Amy would be the first to tell you to just enjoy the healthy foods you are cooking which will in the end bring you the weight loss success you so desperately desire. What an amazing turnaround for this newfound cooking goddess! I'm so proud of you Amy and wish you continued success with your outstanding video cooking show.
I love humorous diet blogs because you've got to be able to laugh at yourself if you're going to undertake something as dead serious as weight loss. Thankfully, the woman from Montreal, Canada who calls herself "The Fatsuit Girl" gets that concept as well as anyone I've ever seen with her blog called "Fatsuit Withdrawal." Don't ask me what it means, but I can tell you this...you won't have any trouble figuring out what's on the mind of this blogger because she doesn't hold back when she writes. Woowee, you've gotta read it to believe it! 8-O She's a newbie low-carber, so go show her some livin' la vida low-carb lovin' today, okay?
3. FIRM THIS FANNY Can Deb "firm this fanny" of hers on low-carb?
You have to respect anyone who can use the word "fanny" in the name of her blog. That's why I got a big kick out of the "FIRM This Fanny" blog from that good-looking 38-year old chick named Deb who hopes to "look hot" after losing weight on healthy doses of low-carb living and workout DVDs. Read more about what her low-carb diet looks like in this post where she is hoping to drop 10 pounds over the next month. That's a feasible goal and I wish her well in her efforts to get "fit, toned and shapely." Go get 'em, Deb! :)
4. DIET KING 2 Adam "The Diet King" Wilk is back blogging again
When I first entered the blogosphere back in April 2005, one of the first people I met was Adam Wilk, author of a fantastic satirical look at his rollercoaster ride in the world of dieting called Diet King. He had a fantastic blog and web site at the time, but all good things seem to come to an end at some point and that was right about a year or so ago. But Adam has decided to come back with a new blog he's calling "DietKing2" which he subtitles "Ah, who the hell knows?" From the looks of his first post, it seems the "Diet King" is ready to give Atkins another go. You can do it, Adam! Stick with it as your permanent lifestyle change and get off that diet rollercoaster for good.
Finally, we have an amazing 37-year old woman named Robin who has gotten herself in tip-top shape thanks to her dedication to livin' la vida low-carb and Taebo since August 2006. What an inspiring success story who's blog reads like a virtual open book about what's happening in Robin's life (just read "Ouch..." and you'll see EXACTLY what I mean!). You go on with your bad self, Robin! You DESERVE to be heard because you have overcome some great odds to get where you are today.
Try to visit each of these blogs and share a brief comment when you go to each one. I know it will be a HUGE encouragement to these bloggers who are investing their time and energy into providing their own insights and perspectives about livin' la vida low-carb to a world who may not understand what low-carb is REALLY all about.
The more voices of truth we can get out there, the merrier! Let me know if you have a new low-carb blog that you'd like for me to feature in an upcoming post. E-mail it to me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.
Low-carb is just too expensive for me. Eating this way is not reasonable for the average person on a budget, so I don't think it's a very feasible solution to my weight problem. Eating healthy will hit you in your wallet!
Have you ever felt this way? I know a few of you have because I've read your e-mails and comments at my blog about it. It's quite logical to believe that being poor can promote pudginess since most of the cheapest foods available in supermarkets today are high-carb, process junk products that don't belong in anyone's mouth. And yet they do.
Somebody recently told me that they have learned how to keep their weight and health under control by doing one thing: when they grocery shop, DON'T BUY WHAT FAT PEOPLE PUT IN THEIR CART! While that's funny, it's also a fact.
But obesity is not necessarily something that just impacts poor people--there are plenty of overweight rich people as well. In fact, the sign of a successful businessman in the past was a big belly.
In the column she cited from the Los Angeles Times, the reporter cites a statistic where one million Americans have at their disposal a mere $21 per person for an entire week's worth of groceries. TWENTY-ONE BUCKS! That's it!
Of course, the journalist whined about how impossible it was for her to eat her vegetarian diet on just three dollars a day--the pro-rated daily percentage of the $155/month food stamps per person for somebody on welfare--unless she compromised and ate something she really shouldn't.
A few member of Congress joined in this effort, but Regina wanted to invite people who are livin' la vida low-carb to give it a try, too. Are you willing to try the $21 low-carb diet experiment with you and your family?
"What would be more important - satiety or nutrient-density; could I manage both?" Regina asked on her blog.
Making herself and her family a self-appointed guinea pig with this, Regina has decided to undertake this task of eating on just $3 a day for the next week to see how well she can feed herself, her husband, and that adorable little boy of hers.
"What compromises would I make in my diet to assure his diet was healthy?" she inquired.
Excited about the challenge, Regina has already bought her $63 worth of groceries--that's $21 per person in her family--and is rationing it all out this week to see if she can maintain her low-carb lifestyle on this super-skimpy budget. Remember, this is EXACTLY the amount of money one million Americans have at their disposal for food day in and day out.
Committing to do this for one week, Regina said she is going through this experience "to learn even more about nutrition and provide my readers with insights about how possible it is to maintain a controlled-carb diet while on a tight budget."
Do you think YOU are up to the challenge? If so, then Regina wants to hear from you. E-mail her with any photos or descriptions of how you plan to do this $21 low-carb diet experiment and she will include your struggles and victories in her blog post next week. You can also leave your comments in the post about this challenge throughout the week.
Unfortunately, my wife Christine (who recently started livin' la vida low-carb and is doing FANTASTIC!) and I will not be able to participate in this unique opportunity this week because we are going on vacation in the Smoky Mountains beginning on Tuesday through Saturday with prior plans for meals. However, we have both committed to eating on $42 worth of groceries for the week we get back...hoo boy, we can't wait! :D
If you dare try this, here are Regina's 7 simple rules:
1. The budget for food, all food, is limited to just $3.00 per person in our households each day ($21 per week, per person), so if you're single, you have $21....a couple has $42....each child adds $21. One major caveat - we cannot use anything during the week we already have in the house unless we deduct the cost of it from our budget - so if you're using chopped garlic in a jar already in your refrigerator, deduct the price from your budget for the week! Same goes for spices, cooking oils, and such since it's unlikely we'd have a stocked pantry if we were living life routinely on $21 a week per person!
2. We can shop for, prepare and cook whatever we want to eat, but cannot eat free food at business functions, meetings, work, or other places; but we can sample from tasting stations in grocery stores, and eat at parties we attend, hosted by friends or family (but not business functions!)
3. If you have a child in school, buying school lunch, the cost of the lunch is part of your budget....or you can pack their lunch for the week to buy more groceries. Or you can opt not to include your child in the budget and only do this yourself (and/or with your spouse).
4. We can eat out, but any cost to eat out must come from our $21 a week per person, so if we plan to eat out, we need to plan the cost and keep it within that amount when we do eat out. Friends and family cannot pay for us to eat out during the week, nor can the business expense account pick up the meal.
5. The budget does not include paper products, cleaning products, or non-food items available at grocery stores (lightbulbs, batteries, etc.); the budget does include alcohol, so shop wisely if you want a drink with dinner or use wine in cooking!
6. The budget does include condiments, spices, supplements, and anything you'd consume as part of your "diet," but does not include over-the-counter medications or prescription medications.
7. The challenge includes preparing and eating what you are able to purchase throughout the coming week, and any meals eaten out, since it's one thing to have to shop with a limited budget and another to live with it for a week.
So how about it? Anyone gonna do this? I'm anxious to see how it works for Regina and others who are brave enough to hop on the bandwagon and give it a go. When I return, you can bet I'll post the food I bought for $42 betwen the two of us along with meticulous details of how it went. Can it be done? A $21 low-carb diet?
"Low-Carb Luxury" creator Lora Ruffner contacted me this week
One week ago today, I asked the question here at my blog, "Have We Seen The Last Of Low-Carb Luxury?" after several of my concerned readers inquired with me about the future of the Internet's most prominent low-carb magazine.
Where has it gone? Is it ever coming back?
It has now been over three months since Low-Carb Luxury magazine was last updated and many of us who have enjoyed the high-quality, professional layout of this remarkable low-carb resource want to know what has happened to it. Did they just pack up their bags and call it a day after eight wonderful years of excellence?
Let me tell you, I wouldn't blame Low-Carb Luxury creator Lora Ruffner if she ever decided to do that because pumping out brand new information, especially with a niche subject like the low-carb lifestyle, can be a real challenge sometimes. Sure, there are always things to talk about, but keeping it interesting and building on an ever-changing base of readers takes a lot of work.
But Ruffner, along with her devoted life partner Neil Beaty, has been plugging along beautifully up until February this year. I suppose people had gotten so used to seeing new articles each month at Low-Carb Luxury that they now realize how much they probably took it for granted now that it's missing. It's too bad it takes circumstances like the sudden absence of something you love so much to realize how much you enjoyed having it.
So what's the deal? Is Low-Carb Luxury no more?
That's the million dollar question I wanted answered when I blogged about this last week and I was pleased to hear from Lora Ruffner herself this week in an e-mail. She said that someone she knew who reads my blog had forwarded my blog post to her (THANK YOU to whoever that was!) inquiring about what has become of Low-Carb Luxury and Lora stated she wanted to respond to me "right away."
"There's a long story behind all that has happened," Lora explained, relaying that she has had some pretty major health concerns to come up this year.
Without divulging the specifics to you, let's just say it's one of those things you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy to go through. Just because she has a wildly popular web site about diet and health doesn't mean she's immune to life's unexpected twists and turns. And that's exactly what Lora has been going through in 2007.
After a brief e-mail exchange, Lora and I have set up a meeting in June to get together and find out more about her story so I can share it with you either in a written interview here at my blog or for my podcast show.
"Then I can give you the skinny," Lora exclaimed about our interview next month.
She did want me to reassure fans of Low-Carb Luxury that you shouldn't give up on the site just yet because it is still possible the magazine could come back bigger and better than it ever was before. But it is going to take some hard work.
"There are a number of things that need to happen for the site to survive, but we may be able to make it happen," Lora admitted without getting into the details of what that may entail.
Perhaps we will learn more about what we as low-carbers can do to help in this effort as fans of Low-Carb Luxury following my interview with Lora Ruffner. Now more than ever with the resurgence of livin' la vida low-carb happening in the scientific community right now, we need every positive voice we can get in the diet and health debate. The low-carb comeback is imminent and all hands need to be on deck for it!
Just so you know, your concerns for not just the Low-Carb Luxury magazine, but for Ruffner and Beaty as human beings going through an incredibly difficult situation at this time, have not gone unnoticed by them.
"Thanks for caring," Lora said. "It really does mean a lot to us."
And the "us" in that statement is an important part of where Low-Carb Luxury is headed from here because it is a collaborative effort between both Ruffner and Beaty. Despite the nasty whispers that may have been floating around out there about a rift between them, Lora said it's time to "put all those rumors to rest."
"They're not at all true," she explained. "We're as close as two people can be...without his love and support, I wouldn't be here now."
I'm thrilled to FINALLY have the opportunity to meet Lora Ruffner in person for the first time ever and it's been a long time coming since I've been writing about my nearly 200-pound low-carb weight loss success since 2004. My upcoming interview in the next few weeks should answer a lot of the questions you may have about what is happening with Low-Carb Luxury and where it will be going from here.
As soon as the interview is completed sometime next month, I'll post it for you to read at my blog or hear as a special edition of my podcast show. THANK YOU again to everyone who has e-mailed me over the past few months about the sudden departure of Low-Carb Luxury magazine. There's a story behind everything and soon we will know about all that's going on with this one. Stay tuned!
Do you like getting away from the hustle and bustle of life every once in a while just to relax and reflect on life? Wouldn't it be great if you could somehow get away for a few days in a luxurious location to spend some quality time with others seeking to learn about low-carb as well as with those who have been successful on the low-carb lifestyle or are experts on the subject?
If you like this idea, then there's a quick 10-question survey I'd like to invite you to participate in and it will only take you about two minutes to complete. This dream vacation could very well be a reality based on the feedback from people who would want to take part in something like this.
A group of influencial members of the low-carb community are attempting to gauge the interest there may be in having an educational, yet informal low-carb retreat that would help people learn more about livin' la vida low-carb. There would be time for question and answer sessions, cooking demonstrations, testimonials, and, of course, lots of fun activities in the destination city. Would you like something like this?
This is still just a concept at this point, but could turn into something more once the results of the survey have been tabulated. CLICK HERE to take the survey and share your thoughts about a low-carb luxury retreat.
One of the things I enjoy doing at my blog is helping educate misinformed newspaper columnists as it relates to livin' la vida low-carb. You know, I'm sure these people are well-meaning in their own sick, perverted way thrashing the Atkins diet, but I for one will not allow the ignorance to go unchallenged. It's the least I can do as a public service to society. :)
Ah, these people never cease to amaze me with all the ways they try to bring down this healthy lifestyle change that millions of us have made our one and only way to eat for the rest of our lives. And yet they STILL do as I noticed in this East Hampton Star column from a woman named Laura Donnelly. She wrote about the subject of diet in her column this week and had to get in her digs on the Atkins low-carb diet.
Let's take a look at what she wrote, shall we? Lamenting about the "conflicting information" about diet and health that exists in our society, Donnelly said she prefers to implore "basic, common-sense guidelines" in her recommendations for a healthy way to eat and live. First on her list is "eat in moderation."
HA! What a freakin' joke, Ms. Donnelly! This whole "eat in moderation" mumbo jumbo is silly because it is so subjective that it means nothing to the average person. It kinda like telling people to eat a "healthy diet"--but even that isn't so clear to most people as you admitted at the beginning of your column.
But then Ms. Donnelly turns her attention to our cherished and beloved Atkins diet and didn't hold back her angst and fury over this healthy alternative to the low-fat diets. Here's what she wrote:
"Look at the success of the ghastly Atkins diet: How any intelligent human being could think that a diet recommending crumbled fried pork rinds as a substitute for bread crumbs is logical is beyond me, but this diet did appeal to lots of menfolk. And everyone I know who tried this diet has gained the weight back. Again, let me preach: Everything in moderation."
I decided this was just a wee bit over the top for my blood, so I wrote a letter to the editor to the East Hampton Star responding to that one paragraph alone in Ms. Donnelly's article. This was my response exactly as I submitted it to them:
Dear Editor,
I was disappointed by your columnist Laura Donnelly in her recent column entitled "The East Hampton Diet" where she describes the Atkins low-carb diet as "ghastly" and shares her utter ignorance of what this way of eating is all about in her rant about "everything in moderation."
The most absurd statement she made was the following: "And everyone I know who tried this diet has gained the weight back." Well, guess what, Ms. Donnelly? Now you DO know someone who has lost weight on the Atkins diet and then KEPT it off over the long-term. That would be me.
In 2004, I lost 180 pounds after reading "Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution" and today I am, as I like to describe it in my book, blog, and podcast show, Livin' La Vida Low-Carb!
This truly is the most remarkable nutritional approach I've ever seen in my entire life because it transformed me from an extremely unhealthy morbidly obese 410-pound man on a one-way ticket to an early grave into a physically fit 220-something man with more energy, vitality, and love of life than he ever thought possible!
People who have never read any of the books about low-carb (as is clearly the case with Ms. Donnelly and her obvious ignorance of what low-carb is all about) have not walked a mile in my shoes to know what it is like to live life as a fat person in America. If the Atkins low-carb diet is helping people like me get their life and health back, then why discourage others from trying it, too?
My philosophy is for people to find what works for them, follow that plan exactly as presribed by the author of the plan, and then keep doing it for the rest of your life. Whether that's low-fat, low-carb, or yes, even low-carb, let people decide what's best for them and stop your scaremongering already. That's a lesson that would serve you well, Ms. Donnelly.
Sincerely,
Jimmy Moore
I have no idea if they will publish my letter or not, but I encourage you to submit a letter about your low-carb success as well to inform Laura Donnelly that people really do lose weight and keep it off on a low-carb diet. Send your letters to letters@easthamptonstar.com.
She goes on to push exercise so you can "earn your strawberry shortcake" as a reward. UGH! Will these people EVER learn? I guess we'll have to keep setting them straight when they get it wrong. And they WILL keep getting it wrong as long as they continue to NOT educate themselves about the low-carb lifestyle. Don't worry, though, I'll keep an eye on them. :D
Valerie Liberty (left) shares her story on CBC's "The Gill Deacon Show"
I love hearing about inspirational weight loss success stories (yes, even those of us who ARE big losers ourselves like 'em, too!), but it's even more special when the people who lose the weight did it by livin' la vida low-carb. We low-carbers have to stick together and support one another because we've got enough people telling us how our "fad" diet is so "dangerous" to our health that it's gonna kill us--despite our HUGE successes! ARGH!
Bright, articulate, and drop-dead gorgeous--that's Valerie Liberty!
Such is the case with that blonde bombshell you see above named Valerie Liberty from Oakville, Ontario Canada. Believe it or not, she used to weigh at one point in her life 314 pounds. Yep, she sure did! Like so many of us who have finally found our answer in the low-carb lifestyle, Valerie ended up playing the grueling rollercoaster game with her weight going up and down and up and down throughout most of her life. That's one ride I was happy to get off of for good.
When she tipped the scales at well over 300 pounds, Valerie finally said enough was enough and decided to have what many believe is the be-all, end-all "cure" for morbid obesity (or at least that's what we're told about it)--GASTRIC BYPASS SURGERY! Sure enough, the surgery worked and Valerie lost 100 pounds. But she was absolutely miserable and within five years had gotten back up over 300 pounds again.
Yikeseroo!
Through what had to be fortuitous circumstances that I know she is eternally grateful for now, Valerie was introduced to the Atkins low-carb diet in 2003 when she decided to make it her permanent lifestyle change. Not surprisingly, in just ten short months of livin' la vida low-carb, she lost an incredible 100 pounds off of her body and has been able to maintain (and even lose 30 or so pounds more!) in the 2 1/2 years since.
Why? Because she didn't just go on a diet. Valerie absorbed like a sponge all the information about the Atkins diet that she could and is now a walking, talking encylopedia of what livin' la vida low-carb is all about. Plus, she LIVES this way now rather than those former poor habits that made her morbidly obese. That's lifestyle change personified, baby!
Today, she proudly weighs a petite 167 pounds--NEARLY HALF THE WEIGHT SHE USED TO BE! WOO HOO! You go on with your bad self, Valerie. :D That's totally amazing and I am so proud of you for FINALLY finding what works for you and then doing it. You are a fine example for this way of eating and nobody can ever take this accomplishment away from you.
Because of her stunning triple-digit weight loss success, Valerie Liberty was invited to be a guest on the Tuesday, May 22, 2007 episode of the Canadian television program called "The Gill Deacon Show" to discuss what it was like to be morbidly obese and then lose 100 pounds. Most of the questions were quite typical of the mainstream interviews I have done with media types who want to know what made you finally want to lose weight and why you didn't do it sooner.
Will these people EVER understand that some of us aren't naturally wired that way and we have to be shown how to eat better? Sigh. Even still, Valerie was fantastic and got in some EXCELLENT points about livin' la vida low-carb that were RIGHT ON TARGET! I couldn't stop yelling "OH YEAH!" throughout the interview because it was THAT great!
Valerie was kind enough to post the 12-minute interview (split into two 6-minute segments) on YouTube featuring her and another lady who had lost 100 pounds on Weight Watchers. I have a comment to say about that woman in just a moment, but first watch these two video segments from the show. ENJOY!
