A Good Old-Fashioned Low-Carb Roundup

What a week for conglomerated low-carb blogging with this and this post wrapping up some of the latest news and headlines in the world of low-carb living. Well, I'm still in busy mode and have so much to share with you, I barely know where to begin. So let's just have ourselves a good old-fashioned low-carb roundup! YEE HAW!

INSPIRED BY DIABETES WANTS YOUR CREATIVE SUBMISSIONS

There's a really neat contest sponsored by the diabetes awareness web site located at InspiredbyDiabetes.com. What they are looking for are submissions by people who have been touched by diabetes that shares their story through some form of artistic talent, including essays, poems, photographs, drawings, and musical composition. It's called the Creative Expression Competition and they are awarding a Grand Prize of a $5,000 contribution to the diabetes-related charity "Life of a Child" and a trip to the Inspired by Diabetes art exhibition. The deadline for entering is January 31, 2008, but don't delay in sharing YOUR diabetes story in this most unique way! You could even share how livin' la vida low-carb is keeping your disease in check--that'll wake 'em up, don't ya think? :D Winners will be announced in the Spring 2008.

DANA CARPENDER DISCUSSES EXERCISE WHILE ON A LOW-CARB DIET

If you exercise, then you need to eat your carbs right? Well, not so fast says low-carb expert Dana Carpender in her latest nationally syndicated column entitled "Keeping up your stamina while lowering your carbs". The bottom line is unless you are training for athletic competition (like this Olympic athlete who recently e-mailed me), then you DON'T need to "carb up" prior to exercise. Read what Dana has to say about people who are wanting to get in a little physical activity while on their low-carb lifestyle.

IS WONDER BREAD GOING OUT OF BUSINESS BECAUSE OF LOW-CARB DIETS?

Interstate Bakeries, the maker of such high-carb foods like Wonder Bread and Twinkies, is in trouble again after deciding to close up shop in Southern California because of "the low-carb diet craze" (YOU GOTTA LOVE IT!). I've blogged about how livin' la vida low-carb is making Interstate bite the dust (confirmed by this market analysis of their bankruptcy last year) just as it has for Krispy Kreme doughnuts in recent years, too! It's just another sign that the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins has left an indelible mark on our culture that will continue to be felt for generations to come.

THE MIGRAINEUR RAILS AGAINST THE ADA'S POOR ADVICE FOR DIABETICS

I think I've found a new favorite blog for you to check out: The Migraineur. I only recently discovered this AMAZING blog because of an awesome post chastising the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for being "no friend of the diabetic." WHOA! Why have I never heard of this blogger before?! WOW!!! I think the following quote from the blog post says it all:

"If you wanted to deliberately devise a diet that would cause a diabetic to die a slow, painful death, you couldn’t do better than the diet currently recommended by the ADA. The organization’s insistence on a high-carbohydrate diet, in the face of mounting evidence that diabetes is better managed by limiting carbohydrate consumption, would be laughable if it was not endangering the health and the very lives of the people it claims to advocate for."

This is something I've recently blogged about and even highlighted comments made by low-carb researcher Dr. Richard Feinman along the same lines. The Migraineur blogger says it was that New York Times article by Gary Taubes that led him to start livin' la vida low-carb! Yet ANOTHER reason to Celebrate Gary Taubes Week!

IS THE FDA FORCING CHOCOLATE MAKERS TO USE VEGETABLE OIL, NOT COCOA BUTTER?

In one of the most bizarre food stories I've seen in a while, it appears the geniuses at the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) have put out a call to the major chocolate companies letting them know they need to replace the cocoa butter in their chocolate with vegetable oil. Have you heard about this? It's in response to some industry groups who are afraid of the saturated fat content in cocoa butter causing health problems as well as making it cheaper for the consumer. But THANK GOD at least ONE company has told the FDA where they can shove it: Mars, makers of Snickers and M&M's. This isn't about making better products, it's about reducing quality just to make things cheaper. That doesn't make it better and they had better not mess with my favorite sugar-free, low-carb chocolate bar made with cocoa butter!

900-POUND MAN NEEDS FORKLIFT, FIREFIGHTERS TO BE RESCUED FROM HOME

Have you seen the opening scene of the Adam Sandler movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry? There's a burning building and a frantic woman cries for someone to help save her baby who's still trapped in the apartment. When they reach the kid, it turns out this "baby" is a morbidly obese 700-pound man who is bedridden. The scene is pretty hilarious with the firefighters, played by Sandler and Kevin James, getting crushed under the weight of the man while trying to save him.

That scene flashed across my mind as I read this story about a group of firefighters in Lansing, Michigan who had to chop a hole in the side of a 900-pound man's house to rescue him after a nurse said he needed medical help as soon as possible. They even had to implore the use of a forklift to get the 33-year old man out. It turns out he has a rare condition called Prader-Willi Syndrome like the infamous obese 8-year old named Connor McCreadie does.

This story reminded me of the 500-pound truck driver who also had difficulty getting rescued by emergency workers because of his weight in July. It's so sad to hear the helplessness of people like this and it makes you wonder if these traumatic experiences make ANYTHING click inside their mind to finally get their weight and health under control. You have to wonder.

BARILLA PASTA COMPANY NO FRIEND OF THE LOW-CARB LIFESTYLE

Some people in the low-carb community have hailed the Barilla brand of whole wheat pasta as an excellent alternative to regular pasta for people on a low-carb diet. But have you seen this diatribe on the dangers of low-carb dieting posted right there on their web site? It's obvious to anyone with half a brain that their "concerns" are nothing more than the same old tired excuses that have been proven to be myths time and time again. For that reason alone, I would say AVOID Barilla and just stick with the good stuff--DREAMFIELDS!

Well, that's about it for now, but I still have lots more to share with you as I continue catching up to so much stuff to blog about this week. THANK YOU for your devoted readership of my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog and I look forward to your feedback on these stories. Come talk about them at my forum, too!

Don't Ruin Shirataki Noodles With Carbs

One of the most popular topics I blogged about in 2006 was the sudden emergence of the low-carb pasta alternative known as shirataki. I held a recipe contest and blogged at great length about these Japanese wonder noodles.

Last month, I was interviewed by a student in Toronto, Ontario Canada who was doing a project for her journalism class on popular new trends and she chose shirataki noodles. I've learned a lot about this stuff, so I guess I was as good a resource for her as anyone. And I was happy to talk with her about my own personal use of shirataki.

Well, it's happened again with this Star-Bulletin highlighting the high-fiber alternative to regular pasta. Although the author Keiko Ohnuma mentioned my blog in the column (which I appreciate), I was VERY concerned about two things:

First, Ohnuma mentioned that "comments on blogs such as 'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb' find Americans now gobbling up shirataki by the caseload in recipes loaded with fat-free cheese, fat-free sour cream, Boca Burgers, Egg Beaters and Splenda."

Say what?! "Fat-free cheese, fat-free sour cream, Boca Burgers, Egg Beaters?!" I challenge Ohnuma to send me the links to the posts where either me or any of my readers used any of those ingredients in low-carb shirataki recipes. UGH! Come on, man. You're killing me here with the fat-free crap!

Then, as if the fat debacle wasn't enough, then he posts THREE recipes using shirataki noodles that are clearly NOT healthy for you to consume because of the high carb content. A "Spicy Pork with Cellophane Noodle" recipe has 60g carbs while a "Sweet Potato Noodle Stir-Fry" contains a whopping 83g carbs per serving. Are they TRYING to kill people?

If we're gonna promote something healthy life shirataki noodles, then don't ruin the health benefits with needless carbs. It does no good to eat shirataki if you take away what makes it good for you to begin with.

You can e-mail your comments about this story to Keiko Ohnuma at kohnuma@starbulletin.com.

Golden Low-Carb Baked Macaroni & Cheese

This popular side dish is back on the menu for low-carbers again!

I am a bona fide fanatic when it comes to homemade macaroni & cheese. When I was growing up and my dad owned some buffet-style restaurants, I got so excited on the days he put this delectable side dish on the menu and usually piled my plate high with the stuff. Of course, that could explain how I got to be so fat for most of my life until I started livin' la vida low-carb.

So it was a major thing for me to give up my mac & cheese habit when I started the Atkins diet in 2004, but I did it despite all the kicking and screaming I was doing inside my head. If you read my book, then you know how much I absolutely LOOOOOOVVVVE it.

But wouldn't you know it, I've been able to find a low-carb recipe for macaroni & cheese that tastes just like the real thing. Better yet, it is for a baked mac & cheese (no cheap-o box version here, baby!). Compliments of our friends at Low-Carb Connoisseur, I'm pleased to present you with this easy-to-make recipe for Low-Carb Baked Macaroni & Cheese. ENJOY!

LOW-CARB BAKED MACARONI & CHEESE

3 eggs
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 lb grated sharp Cheddar
1 lb grated Mozzarella
1 box Dreamfields brand low carb elbow macaroni

Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 2 quart baking dish with spray oil. Cook Dreamfields pasta as directed on box, drain and set aside to cool slightly.

In a blender, combine eggs, cream cheese, butter and heavy cream until smooth. Fold this mixture into the cooked macaroni until well coated.

Place 1/2 cooked macaroni noodles evenly in baking dish. Top with mozzarella cheese. Add remaining macaroni and top with cheddar. Bake for 1 hour. The top layer of cheese should be browned slightly.

Total Net Carbohydrates = 66.72
Net Carbs For 1/8 Serving = 8.34

Makes 8 servings

Study: High-Carb Foods Lead To Kidney Cancer

Man shall not live by bread alone, but he could get cancer from it!

If people thought the popularity of the low-carb diet was bad for the bread, pasta, dairy, and rice industries, then they ain't seen nothing yet!

A brand new Italian study released on Friday provided the shocking revelation that a diet rich is bread consumption is directly linked to the most common type of kidney cancer there is called renal cell carcinoma (RCC). This research may be the most damning evidence yet against eating a high-carb diet for health ever again and is proof yet again why livin' la vida low-carb truly is a healthier way to eat for the rest of your life.

Lead researcher Dr. Francesca Bravi, from the Milan, Italy-based Institute of Pharmacological Research "Mario Negri," and her fellow researchers conducted a large controlled study of 2301 Italians adults to determine if diet and nutrition played any significant role in the development of RCC. Dr. Bravi said this is an extremely controversial subject among dietary researchers and she wanted to see if a link existed.

"To our knowledge, no other study investigated the role of cereals on RCC," Dr. Bravi remarked about the reason for her research.

One-third (767 study participants, including 494 men and 273 women) were already diagnosed with RCC when the study began and the other two-thirds (1534 study participants, including 988 men and 546 women) were used as the control subjects in the study because they had not previously been diagnosed with the disease. In fact, there were two control subjects matched up by gender, age, and location with each RCC-diagnosed case.

For everyone who participated in the study, Dr. Bravi and her team looked at their lifestyle, where they lived, who they interacted with, what kind of medical history each of them had, and other appropriate measurements at the beginning of the study.

The participants were also required to take a food frequency questionairre consisting of 78 questions about food and beverage intake was adminstered to determine what the average weekly diet was like for them over the previous two years to see if any of the foods they consumed played a role in the RCC. Alcohol consumption was also assessed in a separate set of questions.

What they found was a "significant direct trend in risk" of developing RCC when foods like bread, pasta, rice, milk, and yogurt were consumed. Here is what the study found regarding the probability of INCREASED risk of the onset of RCC for eating any of the following foods:

Bread -- 94 percent increased risk
Pasta -- 29 percent increased risk
Rice -- 29 percent increased risk
Milk -- 27 percent increased risk
Yogurt -- 27 percent increased risk

The researchers suggest that the greater risk of RCC from these high-carb foods "may be due to the high glycemic index of these foods and their possible involvement in insulin-like growth factors." This is much more serious than the excessive acne caused by high-carb diets which was recently studied.

At the same time, Dr. Bravi found that many of the following low-glycemic, low-carb foods were actually protective against RCC because they DECREASED the risk of developing it:

Poultry -- 26 percent decreased risk
Processed meats -- 36 percent decreased risk
Vegetables -- 35 percent decreased risk

Dr. Bravi said each of these foods were "inversely associated with RCC risk." In fact, she went on to say that there was "no relation" to RCC found in coffee, tea, soup, eggs, red meat, fish, cheese, fruits, potatoes, sugars and desserts.

"Decreasing risk was associated with increasing intake of poultry, processed meat, and all vegetables, both raw and cooked," Dr. Bravi noted in her study.

Vegetable consumption, which is a staple among most healthy dieters including those on low-carb diets, has long been found in studies to contain many vitamins, carotenoids, flavonoids and phytosterols--all of which are good for your body and help keep you healthy.

"The results of this study provide further indications on dietary correlates of RCC, and in particular indicate that a diet rich in refined cereals and poor in vegetables may have an unfavorable role on RCC," the researchers concluded.

The study entitled "Food Groups and Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Case-Control Study from Italy" was published in the October 20, 2006 issue of the International Journal of Cancer.

While the dieting world has been exposed to a lot of crazy diets over the years, this new study just confirms how truly ridiculous these cereal diets you see on television all the time as well as books such as "The Pocket Diet," "The Bread For Life Diet," "The Diet Code" really are when it comes to a healthy lifestyle.

And let's not forget about the government-recommended USDA Food Pyramid. Are they going to back away from these suggestions for grain intake in light of this new study? Don't count on it. It's another reason why YOU must take control of your own health and never allow the government to tell you what is good for you. This study is proof positive they are simply not looking out for the best interests of you and me.

As for me, I'll keep on livin' la vida low-carb proudly because I can be confident my weight will be controlled and my risk of developing renal cell carcinoma is MUCH lower than it would be on the typical high-carb Standard American Diet (SAD). It is SAD indeed.

Mix It Up With Tomato Lemon Feta Pasta

Fresh uncooked tomatoes make this unique pasta recipe memorable

Tomatoes are an interesting food for people who are livin' la vida low-carb. While they are not real low in carbs, they are certainly chock full of healthy vitamins and goodness as a refreshing way to add something new to your low-carb lifestyle.

While the debate over whether a tomato is a vegetable or a fruit will never end (and who really cares anyway?!), one thing there isn't any argument over is how much fun it is to cook a new recipe featuring this tasty food that the good Lord has provided for us to eat and savor.

This recipe compliments of our friends at Low-Carb Connoisseur contains a unique uncooked tomato sauce that provides a twist to the usual cooked traditional tomato sauce dishes. Plus, this pasta dish is made with the awesome Dreamfields pasta that is perfect for people who are eating a lower-carb diet (which is most of you who are reading this blog!).

So, go ahead and mix it up with this delightful recipe featuring your favorite tomatoes along with fresh lemon, feta cheese and, of course, low-carb pasta, baby! ENJOY!!!

TOMATO LEMON FETA PASTA

3 medium tomatoes (about 18 ounces), cut into 1/2" dice
1 small red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
8 ounces Dreamfields Fettuccine or Penne
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1. In a medium bowl, combine tomatoes, onions, zest, salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature at least 30 minutes.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and toss with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with feta. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Servings: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Bake/Cook time: 7 minutes

Carbohydrates: 24.5g
Fiber: 11g
Net Carbs: 13.5g
Protein: 43g
Fat: 11.5g
Calories: 367