Lowcarbezine! 24 January 2001
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Hey, Gang!
Once again, I started out wondering what I was going to write about, and
ended up with a longer ezine than I probably should!
Just as well. I'm afraid that there will be no Lowcarbezine! next
week. My mom is having minor surgery, and needs me to come to Chicago
to drive her to
and from the hospital, and take care of her for a day or two. So have a
lovely Groundhog Day without me, remember that Groundhog Day means that
we're *halfway to spring!*, and I'll be back the following week.
Read on!
Dana
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All contents copyright 2000 by Hold the Toast Press. All commercial
reproduction and/or use is expressly prohibited. As always, feel free
to forward Lowcarbezine! to any family or friends you feel might enjoy
it, provided that you forward it in its entirety.
If Lowcarbezine! has been forwarded to you and you enjoy it, you can
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Lowcarbezine! welcomes reader input! If you have a question, a recipe,
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mailto:dana@holdthetoast.com All submissions become the property of
Hold the Toast Press. If you don't want us to print your letter, just
let us know, and we won't! However, please note -- although I really
do read all my email my very own self, I get a *lot* of mail --
generally over 200 posts a day (not all of them about Lowcarbezine!), so
I can't promise to answer every post personally. Or I'll never get the
next book written!
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If you need a website designed or hosted, please check out the info on
Webbalah at the bottom of this newsletter! (Hey, *my* website looks
good, right?)
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A Reader Asks...
I got this email from a reader, and I felt that it addressed a number of
issues that touched all low carb dieters, so I thought I'd answer it
here.
"I have never felt better, but I would like the weight to keep coming
off. I have lost 8 pounds in 14 days and have come to a standstill. 2
days without any loss. I have not changed my diet, still little to no
carbs. I am getting sick of eggs every morning though. I can't believe
that I am not constipated yet. Is that a natural occurrence on this
diet. I am taking Metamucil once every morning to prevent it. It must
be working. I want to thank you for your great hints and advice. I love
the newsletter, even if I am a new subscriber. It has
been beneficial. Keep up the good work. I have 27 more pounds to go
till I hit my goal. I am looking forward to the weight coming off
again. Should I go back to my normal eating on the weekends now? A
little variety would help the mind I think. Is it too soon for that. I
will stay on this strict no carb diet as long as it takes.
Thanks for everything...."
Janet
First of all, Janet, glad you've never felt better! I know how you
feel. Welcome to the wonderful world of stable blood sugar. We have
more fun here than you might imagine!
Now, about that two day stall: Take a deep breath, and relax. Weight
loss happens in fits and starts, and is quickest at the beginning,
because -- as detractors of low carb will point out to you endlessly --
you're dropping all your excess water in the first week or so. Two days
without losing weight is no big deal. (I had one plateau of 3 months on
my way down. That hurt.) Could be attributable to anything -- hormonal
fluctuation, intestinal contents, whatever. Anyway, if you lose a pound
or two a week, that's considered really great on most diets! Beats a
week where you *gain* a pound or two, no?
As for not being constipated, nowhere near everyone has trouble with
their bowels on a low carb diet; I certainly didn't. The Metamucil may
well be helping -- make sure it's the sugar free kind! -- but also
helpful is the fact that you're not eating a bunch of white flour stuff
that essentially turns to paste in your guts.
However, as I read along in your post, I see that you're referring to
your diet as a "no carb" diet. I hope that's not really the case! You
should be on a *low* carb diet, but not a *no* carb diet. If you're on
a no carb diet, that means you're not eating any vegetables, and you
should be eating plenty of the low carb vegetables! Other good, healthy
sources of the few carbs you should be getting are nuts and seeds, and
low sugar fruits like berries, melon, and grapefruit.
You need to understand the concept of the "usable carb" or "effective
carbohydrate count" -- which may mean, among other things, that you can
drop the Metamucil. What do I mean? Well, take a look at a nutrition
label. You'll see that it lists "Total Carb", and gives the number of
grams. Under that you'll see "Sugars" and "Fiber", with a gram count
for each of them. Those numbers are included in the Total Carb number
-- that's a breakdown of where some of that total carb count is coming
from. Sugar, of course, is a problem. But *fiber* is our friend --
it's a carbohydrate which we can neither digest nor absorb, so it will
neither raise our blood sugar, nor cause an insulin release. Further,
it will slow the absorption of the carbs we *can* digest, buffering
their effect on our body.
For these reasons, you should subtract the fiber count from the total
carbohydrate count to get the "usable carbs" or "effective carbs" -- and
*this* is the number of carbohydrates you should count. You can do this
with the listings in your trusty food count book, too -- you *have*
bought yourself a food count book, right? :-)
(VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: This holds true *only* for *AMERICAN* food
labeling. Or rather, I only know for certain that it applies to
American food labeling. My international readers will have to learn
exactly what the laws are regarding food labels in their own countries;
I know there are some European countries where the fiber is *not*
included in the total carb count, but is a totally separate number.)
This subtracting out of the fiber grams gives you a *lot* more
vegetables! And more nuts, seeds, and fruits, too. Even some high
fiber baked goods -- I eat fiber crackers from time to time. All of
which should give you the variety in your diet that you're looking for.
Should you go back to your normal eating on the weekends? I don't
know. I truly don't know. There is a concept called the "cyclic
ketogenic diet", where people eat a *very* low carb diet during the
week, and go into a pretty deep ketosis, and then "carb up"
periodically, usually combining the carb-up with *heavy* exercise. And
this works well for some people, although if you're not an athlete, I'd
recommend that your carb-up happen only every other week, and only last
for a day.
On the other hand, if you feel better from low carbing, you're apt to
feel pretty icky again from adding the carbs back. I tried a mini-binge
type diet -- the sort outlined in The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet -- and
found that adding those carbs back in made me feel drunk, or drugged. I
finally gave it up when I fell asleep in front of dinner party company!
(Talk about embarrassed...)
Too, there's the question of whether you'll have what it takes to jump
right back on the wagon come Monday breakfast -- and only you know the
answer to that!
However, before you go back to eating carbs again on the weekends, I'd
work on devising yourself a more interesting low carb diet, one that
incorporates more of the low carb vegetables and such. Which leads me
to maybe my most important comment about your post:
You say that you're willing to stay on this strict, no carb diet as long
as it takes. I say that you *must find a low carb way of eating which
will satisfy you for life -- because that is how long it takes.*
If carbohydrates are your problem today, they'll be your problem
tomorrow, and next week, and next month, and next year, and forever
more. If you do this with the idea that you're going to be as strict as
you can be, to get the weight off as quickly as possible -- so that you
can go off your diet and go back to eating "normally" -- you'll gain
your weight back as quickly as you lost it. Maybe quicker.
Please, stop worrying about how long it takes. Work on learning all you
can about low carbing. If you've only read about one form of low carb
diet -- and it sounds to me like you're doing Atkins, or something
similar -- read some of the other low carb books out there. Of course
I'd love it if you read mine, but there are many fine books on the
subject out there, and many forms of restricting carbs in the diet, each
good for a different segment of the population. Go to your local
library and see if they have The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet, or The
GO-Diet, or Neanderthin, or Your Fat Is Not Your Fault. If they don't
have them on hand, they can get them for you through interlibrary loan,
or may even be willing to order them for the collection if you ask.
Join a low carb diet discussion email list -- these are a *terrific*
source of information and support. One good place to go is
http://members.aol.com/lowcarbs/index.htm . These lists are FREE, so go
sign up!
*Try* stuff. Tweaking your diet, to make it right for *you*, is an
ongoing process. For example, I know folks who have needed to cut back
to 10 grams of carb a day to lose, and I know people who have lost
weight with 100-150 grams per day in their diet, so long as they ate
only low impact carbs. I know people who do well on three meals a day,
no snacks, and I know people who have jump-started their weight loss
when they started dividing the same amount of food into 6 or 7 smaller
meals. I know folks who, so long as they keep the carb count very low,
don't need to worry at all about how much they eat, and I know folks who
have to count carbs and calories both. Bodies differ, and only
experimentation can teach you what's right for yours.
Most importantly, embrace all the *wonderful*, delicious foods available
to us on low carb. You're bored? Make a list of every low carb food
you absolutely *love* -- lobster tail with lemon butter, broiled rib eye
steak with bleu cheese and butter melted over it, macadamia nuts,
deviled eggs, caesar salad with *real* dressing, not low fat, guacamole,
broiled lamb chops, runny brie. Whatever you love! Then *buy it* or
*make it*, and EAT IT!!
You might invest in a few low carb treats, if you're missing sweets or
crackers or chips or whatever. Yes, they can be pricey, but if they
keep you from feeling sorry for yourself, they're a sound investment.
Buy some low carb cookbooks. If you're bored with breakfast, I'd start
with Diana Lee's _Baking Low Carb_, because it will show you how to make
low carb, high protein muffins and tea breads, just the thing to have
with a cup of coffee for breakfast.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0967998808/lowcarbohysoluti .
Another great book is Fran McCullough's _Living Low Carb_; I've never
tried a recipe from Fran that I didn't like.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0316557684/lowcarbohysoluti .
(Re that bored with breakfast thing: Remember that you may eat for
breakfast anything you could eat at any other time of day! A chop. A
hamburger. A protein shake. A hunk of cheese. If you'd like something
sort of light, how about a half-a-cup of cottage cheese and a few
berries, or a little diced melon? So long as you keep your carb count
under, oh, let's say 15 g of usable carb, and get a *minimum* of 14
grams of protein, it's a good breakfast. And eggs will get far more
interesting if you start making omelets, because you can vary them
unendingly.)
The point is that you feel better than you've ever felt, and that tells
you that your body really, really likes this. You need to work on
making your mouth and your head like it too!! Carb intolerance is for
life. That's why my new book will be called Low Carb For Life!!
Hope this helps, Janet!
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Atkins Bake Mix on average costs $11.99 for 20 ounces. Aunt Pearl's Low
Carb Bake Mix costs just *$7.38 for 24 ounces!*
WHY PAY MORE?!?!? Make low carb biscuits, pancakes, waffles, even pot
pies for LESS!!
http://www.lowcarbgrocery.com We now have _How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet
and Lost Forty Pounds!_
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Super Bowl Sunday!
YIKES! It's another All-American Junk Food Fest! Yep, it's Super Bowl
Sunday! (For my international readers -- the Super Bowl is the big,
final game of the American football (not to be confused with your
football, which we call "soccer") season, and it's a big
whoop-dee-doo.) Chances are very good that many of you are going to be
having a party, or going to a party. And we all know what that means --
junk food!
Luckily, we have a couple of things going in our favor. One, we've just
come off of the Holiday Season, so I've been throwing low carb party
ideas at you for a couple of months. And two, at such a
testosterone-driven event as a Super Bowl Party, you're unlikely to get
funny looks for serving protein.
So do! Hot wings, Little Smokies, cold cut platters, cocktail shrimp,
cubes of cheese. Hey, you can probably get away with nuts, too. Put out
a hot dip with some fiber crackers for you, and regular crackers for
them as wants 'em, and that should round things out nicely.
Heck, I bet no one even notices you're dieting!
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We Have *EVERYTHING* Low Carb, And It's All At a DISCOUNT!
Darrell Lea Chocolates, Atkins Bars, ProSlim Pasta, Baja Bob's Low Carb
Margarita and Strawberry Daiquiri Mix, and Low Carb Bread Mixes to help
you with that Thanksgiving stuffing! You can also find Low Carb
Cookbooks, Atkins Supplements, Ketosis strips, Protein Chips, Low Carb
Tortillas, and much, much more!
EVERYTHING we sell is DISCOUNTED every day!
Get Dana Carpender's _How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet and Lost Forty
Pounds!_ for just $9.99! http://www.webbalah.net/carbsmart.html
If you're Low Carb and Smart, you'll shop CarbSmart!
http://www.webbalah.net/carbsmart.html
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New Reviews
I've been using the same reviews over and over again, recently. If
you've read the book, and would like to review it, you can do so at
Amazon.com (
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966883101/lowcarbohysoluti ) --
or just send your review to me! You may see it here in Lowcarbezine!
Thanks!
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Girl Scout Cookie Time!
Yuh-oh! It's Girl Scout Cookie Time! Any day now, hordes of adorable,
bright-eyed children are going to be asking you to buy cookies for an
undeniably good cause! What's a low carber to do?
You could do what I do -- give 'em money, and don't ask for anything in
return. I do this every time I encounter a troop selling cookies, which
is generally 2-4 times during each cookie season. The nice thing about
simply donating to the troop is that when you do this, the money you
donate can stay with the troop, whereas the majority of the proceeds of
the cookie sale goes to Girl Scouts International. (Nothing against
GSI, you understand, but I do like to support my local troops.) I
particularly like to give the new Sacagawea dollars to the Girl Scouts,
since Sacagawea was an heroic woman, and a childhood hero of mine.
(Hey, I even know the name of that baby on her back, and his father!)
But maybe you just can't avoid the cookies. Maybe you've got a Girl
Scout in the house. Maybe you're a leader or a Cookie Mom (and if you
are, good on you. I was a Scout for years and years; it's a wonderful
organization.) Maybe you've got a skinny family who'll mutiny if you
don't bring cookies home. How on earth are you going to stay on your
diet?
* If you're taking cookies home, and you possibly can, take the kinds
you care about *least*. If you're a Chocolate Mint fan, buy
Shortbread. If you're a Shortbread fan, buy Samoas. Just try not to
buy your own personal kryptonite.
* Buy the fewest boxes you can get away with. Even if your spouse and
kids are rail-slim, sugar, white flour, and and hydrogenated vegetable
oil are *not* good for them. And they're surely not good for you!
* If it's your spouse who insists on your buying the cookies, tell him
or her to take them to work and keep them there!
* Find a good substitute for your favorite kind of Girl Scout Cookie.
If you're a Peanut Butter Patty fan (and these names may have changed,
since I haven't actually bought the cookies in years, but the varieties
seem to be amazingly stable), make my Peanut Butter Silk Pie. If you're
a Chocolate Mint fan, try the Doctor's Diet chocolate mint protein bars,
which taste just about the same to me.
( http://www.webbalah.net/carbsmart.html ) If you're a shortbread fan,
make a batch of my Hazelnut Shortbread. If you're a Samoa fan, perhaps
the Nanaimo Bar recipes from just before Christmas, with their
chocolate/coconut layer, are what you're looking for -- or maybe you'd
like Darrell Lea's Rocky Road.
And if you're a Girl Scout Leader, here is my plea to you: Please get
your troop more involved in the other Girl Scout fund raisers, and
de-emphasize the cookie drive. Yes, it's a long-standing tradition --
heck, I did it back when we all went and knocked on doors -- but that
doesn't mean that it's sacred. Your troop has lots of other
fund-raising options -- I've known local troops to sell nuts, calendars,
or magazines to support the Girl Scout Council.
I know I'm, well, a bit *biased* on the subject, but it really bothers
me to have kids so intimately involved in selling junk food.
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Dr. Paul M. Kanter, creator of Carbostop and low carb bake mixes that
are marketed worldwide, has now formulated SLENDERPRO-a starch blocker
with MACA(energizes, helps PMS, menopausal symptoms, sluggish thyroid
and male impotence. Completely safe without the side effects of
steroids, ephedra, mahuang, caffeine and guarana.
http://www.justsaynotocarbs.com
1-800-428-3328
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Radio Appearance!
Huh. That looks like an oxymoron to me. Well, never mind. Just wanted
to let my Wisconsin readers know that I'm going to be on WHBY Radio out
of Appleton on Valentine's Day. I'll be on Kathy Keene's "The Good
Neighbor Show" from 9:30-10:00 am. Tune in!
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Reader Review of _How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet and Lost Forty Pounds!_
Don't let the cover fool you! This book gets 10 stars!, July 4, 2000
I bought this book and read it in 2 days. It should be a "must" have for
any low-carb dieter. Dana gives info on all the various low carb diets
out there, so you can
choose which works for you. She gives you a wealth of information that I
didn't find in the Heller's book
or the Eades' book. She tells you what works and what doesn't.
I almost didn't buy this book because the cover looked, well, weird.
Never judge a book by its cover! The inside flap has a wonderful before
and after shots of Dana,
and she is quite pretty. The book had cute little cartoon guys and girls
that made me smile.
If your still in doubt, read through Amazon's listing of her table of
contents. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? I almost gave up my low carb
diet in spite of the benefits because I
was struggling with some things- but Dana cleared up some things. Like I
was gnashing my teeth
a lot, and Dana gave a lot of info on supplements (do not buy the store
multivitamin junk- not
sufficient at all! ). I gnashed my teeth because I was not getting the
correct minerals and vitamins. Read the
book, find out more!
This book is awesome! I have lost 15 lbs in 2 months and this book will
help me reach my goal, and live happily ever after. What more could you
ask for?
sleeplessincs, MI
Thanks, Sleepless -- hope you're sleeping better! ;-)
If you'd like to read the first chapter of _How I Gave Up My Low Fat
Diet and Lost Forty Pounds!_ for FREE, you'll find it at
http://www.holdthetoast.com , along with the foreword and the table of
contents. And a FAQ, and a whole bunch of other stuff!
You can order the book through the website, or you can go to
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966883101/lowcarbohysoluti and
find it at Amazon.com, along with a whole pile of other nice things
people have said about it!
Or, for that matter, you can visit
http://www.webbalah.net/carbsmart.html , and order
it from Carb Smart, where it's at a discount. Low Carb Grocery has it
at a discount, too -- http://www.lowcarbgrocery.com .
If you'd like to buy the book from a bookstore, you'll probably have to
special order it. If you're in the USA, this shouldn't be a problem --
just tell them that you want to order _How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet and
Lost Forty Pounds!_ by Dana Carpender, and that the ISBN is
0-9668831-0-1. You could also tell them that they can order it through
Baker and Taylor; one of the country's biggest book wholesalers. We do
ship to Canadian bookstores.
If you're outside of the US, your best bet is to order from Amazon.com.
We can ship internationally from here at Hold the Toast, too, but we're
not set up for it big-time like Amazon is. If you're a book wholesaler
outside the US and interested in carrying _How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet
and Lost Forty Pounds!_, we'd love to hear from you!
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Reader's New Years Questions
In the New Years edition I asked readers to answer a few questions --
1) I want to know what you're proudest of in the past year (does *NOT*
have to be health and diet related!) New Year's Resolutions tend to be
about
the ways we feel we're not good enough, not measuring up, and how to be
better. Tell us about a way that you're already *great*!
2) I want to know what important thing you *completed* this past year.
We're all *way* too busy, and we tend to see the great mass of things we
still need to do, instead of the things we've actually gotten done. As
a
result, we tend not to feel we're getting *anything* done! So to give
yourself
that sense of closure and accomplishment, share something you've gotten
done
this
year!
3) I want to know what you intend to add to your life this year simply
because it will bring you joy! Not because it will make you slimmer, or
healthier, or richer, or more organized -- just because it will put a
great big grin on your face, and make your heart sing. More sleep? Going
dancing
regularly? Lunch with friends more often? Taking voice lessons? Getting
a makeover? Treating yourself to a massage weekly? Paying someone else
to clean
your house? Installing a lock on the bathroom door and taking a long
soak on a
regular basis? Make plans to be happy in 2001!
4) Last, but certainly not least, we all want to know your single best
low carb dieting tip, recipe, or strategy!
Boy, oh, boy, did I get answers!! Here are a few responses; I'll be
running these for a few weeks!
Jennifer Conway wrote:
Dana,
Thanks for offering an opportunity to brag... er, share things we're
proud of!
Sometimes the things you do that are great accomplishments to in your
own eyes would not necessarily seem very impressive in the eyes of the
world. This year, I happen to have done things that I think even sound
impressive, and I am proud of them. I wrote a play ("The Secret
Garden," adapted from the book), I finally finished my master's thesis
and got my
graduate degree, and I rode 2000 miles across country on a bicycle -
from the
Oregon coast to Lake Superior.
You'd think it wouldn't be possible to ride that far and actually gain
weight, but I did - after I got back! I am glad you are planning on
writing more about PCOS, as I have been diagnosed with it and think it
is partly to blame for my quick post-trip weight gain. It's slowly
sinking in
that low carbing may not be so much of a choice as a necessity for me.
Good
thing it's time for all those New Year's Resolutions!
Deborah Webb wrote:
1) I moved out on my own with a friend of mine. We had our first
Christmas away from the family complete with a real Christmas tree and
lights around the balcony of our apartment.
2) I graduated from college! It only took me 4 years, and in that 4
years, I also traveled to Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia, and Spain. Not
too
shabby!
3) I want to create and follow a budget.
4) I keep a list of foods I allow myself to eat in my purse, on the
fridge, in my car. It's a reminder as well as an encouragement because
it lets me know that there is a variety of foods I can still eat and it
also
keeps me accountable no matter where I am!
And Vicky Martin wrote:
I'm responding to your request for news other than the typical New
Year's resolutions and I'll respond in the order that you posed the
questions
in your newsletter:
1) I'm proudest of my three children. All three now have good, stable
jobs and are well on their way to happy, productive adult lives.
2) The most important thing I completed in 2000 was my weight loss goal
of 50 pounds (thanks to the discovery of a wonderful new life in the low
carb world) and beginning a walking program that led me eventually to my
first ever mini marathon (the Indy 500 mini marathon). Unfortunately, I
succumbed to heat exhaustion after 9 miles, but I'm so proud of myself
for even getting to the place physically that I could participate. I
plan to
give it another try this year.
3) In 2001, I will be adding two new daughters and a grandchild to my
life! ! ! My two sons are engaged to be married (both this year within
two months of each other - July and September) and the young women who
will
become their wives and our daughters are absolutely delightful! Also,
my
daughter will be presenting us with our third grandchild in June.
Nothing brings me greater joy than my family.
4) My single best low carb dieting strategy is simply don't give up!
If you really want something indulgent that's not on the diet, go for
it. The worst thing you can do is deprive yourself of something you
think
you really want. Just enjoy then go back to the lifestyle of the low
carb
diet. If you indulge periodically, but don't make a habit of it, you
should
have no problems continuing with the great success the low carb life
gives
you!
Thank you all! And I'm proud to have such accomplished people as my
readers.
More next issue!
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Product Review
PARTY!!! PARTY!!! PARTY!!!
Okay, so the whole cruise was a party. (In a side note, I was *amazed*
at how much the average cruise ship passenger *drinks*. Yowza.) But
our last night out we had a private cocktail party for our group, and
surprised the heck out of the bartender and waiter assigned to us -- a
fellow named Ming -- by showing up with both our own snacks and our own
mixers!
Our party was sponsored by Carb Smart
( http://www.webbalah.net/carbsmart.html ), and was *definitely* enjoyed
by all! We had margaritas and strawberry daiquiris, both made from Baja
Bob's sugar-free mixers. The margarita mix is *awesome* -- this was a
*very* strong consensus! (Got an email just today from a cruiser who
mentioned that she needs to order some of that "killer margarita mix"!
So do I -- I brought home the leftover bottle, and it's just about
gone.) If you like margaritas, you absolutely *need* to go to Carb
Smart and order some Baja Bob's, TODAY! (You also ought to know that
our teetotalling cruiser liked the margarita mix just fine all by
itself.)
Feelings were more mixed regarding the strawberry daiquiri mix; some of
us liked it a lot, others found it too sweet. Me, I think I'd like it a
lot if I also threw a few frozen strawberries into the blender. You can
also make strawberry margaritas with this mix if you like, it's just a
matter of what kind of liquor you prefer, rum or tequila.
So what sorts of snack foods did we try? Oh, boy!
The winner of the title Favorite Snack Food Sampled, hands-down, bar
none, was the crackers from Cheeter's Diet Treats. These crackers are
-- well, crackers! They have the flavor and texture of crackers, and
come in several varieties. The sweet cinnamon flavor disappeared like
snow on a summer day, and was loved by all. If you miss cinnamon graham
crackers, these are for you! I personally think they'd be particularly
nice with some cream cheese, but they're great just plain. We also
tried onion, rye, and plain -- these flavors certainly went better with
our drinks! -- and loved them all! Cheeter's Treats crackers are just
plain terrific. They do have a bit of soy, but the "flour" mix also
includes almond and hazelnut meal, diluting the soy content somewhat.
Get 'em at Carb Smart!
Another snack food sent by Carb Smart was Psyllie Snax. These are chips
made from -- no joke -- psyllium fiber. Yep, Metamucil chips. Sounds
dreadful, huh? They look nasty, too -- sorta like little dried bits of
seaweed. Imagine, then, my surprise when these turned out to be my
favorite low carb chip I've tried so far! These things are *good*. We
tried three flavors -- Garlic Parmesan, Spicy Sesame, and Sweet Buttered
flavor. The Sweet Buttered flavor appealed a lot to some of us, and not
at all to others. I really liked them!! But the two savory flavors,
the garlic parmesan and spicy sesame, were pronounced very tasty by
all. I think these have a more authentically "chippy" texture than the
protein chips I've tried, too -- light and crispy.
Of course, being made from fiber, there's a limit to how much you want
to eat of these things, or, er, you may end up getting some exercise, if
you know what I mean, and I think you do. But on the other hand, if
you're looking for a way to add some fiber, and particularly some
soluble fiber, to your diet, this is a *much* more appetizing way to
supplement your fiber levels than powders or pills!
All told, Psyllie Snax were a very, very pleasant surprise, and I'm
likely to buy some more! Once again, these are available through Carb
Smart.
We all also liked Just the Cheese chips -- these are chips made from
bits of cheese baked until they're quite crisp. If you like cheese
you'll love them! (And if you don't, you won't. :-) ) These are, of
course, very high in protein and fat, and therefore *FILLING*. They
come in small bags, and I can't imagine eating more than, oh, a third of
a bag at a sitting. They're very, very tasty, with a nice crunch, and
again, they come in several flavors, including white cheddar, nacho,
jalepeno, and sour cream and onion. Highly nutritious, too! Plenty of
protein and calcium.
Can you stand one more snack food review? Pumpkorn! Pumpkorn is a new,
hip line of roasted pumpkin seeds in various flavors -- original, mildly
original, mesquite, curry, chili, caramel, vanilla maple, etc. If you
like pumpkin seeds, chances are very, very good that you will like
Pumpkorn -- just pick the flavor that appeals to you most (I like the
spicy flavors better than the sweet ones, myself.)
If you've never had a pumpkin seed, what the heck are you doing with the
seeds out of your jack-o-lantern at Halloween?! No, I'm sorry, I mean
if you've never tried pumpkin seeds, you should! They're *INCREDIBLY*
nutritious -- not only are they low carb, and high in protein, healthy
fats, and fiber, but they're also simply *loaded* with minerals. Among
other things, they're an excellent source of magnesium (which can help
soothe sugar cravings), copper, zinc, iron, potassium, and phosphorus.
They also contribute some calcium, vitamin A, folic acid, and a few B
vitamins. All that, and they're crunchy and yummy too -- what more can
you ask from a snack?! I've loved pumpkin seeds for years and years --
they're the thing I buy most often at truck stops and convenience stores
-- and it's cool to try them in all these flavors. I particularly like
the hot kinds, like chili.
One other neat thing to know about pumpkin seeds -- they're reputed to
be very good for the prostate gland. Maybe it's the zinc, maybe it's
something else, I don't know. But if you're a man, these are an even
*better* bet for you!
Pumpkorn is *also* available through Carb Smart!
http://www.webbalah.net/carbsmart.html
Still more cruise reviews next issue!
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That's it for this week! See you in two weeks!
Dana W. Carpender
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