Lowcarbezine! 31 October 2001

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Hey, Gang!

Happy Halloween!  And git yer grubby paws out of that kid's goodie bag! 
You think I don't see you? ;-)  Go eat a pumpkin seed instead.  And do
your best to keep 'em from eating all that stuff in a day or two, will
you?  

Happy Samhain to those who have the slightest idea what the word means. 
Happy All Saint's Day!  Feliz Dia de los Muertos to my Mexican readers!
And on to the Holidays!

Read on!

Dana

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All contents copyright 2001 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
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What About Glycerin?

Reader Glenn Simon sent me a press release regarding the labeling of low
carb nutrition bars.  An independent lab has tested a variety of these
bars, and found that over 60% of them had inaccurate labels -- they
contain more carbohydrate than claimed.  This, of course, is not good
news.

However, it's more complex than that.  The big "error" seems to be that
the bars are not listing glycerin as a carbohydrate on their labels. 
Since the FDA defines glycerin as a carbohydrate, this appears to be a
big no-no.  But is it deliberately deceptive?

Dunno.  

What is glycerin, anyway?  It's a clear, syrupy, mildly sweet liquid;
the kind used in protein bars is generally vegetable derived, although
it's found in animal fats as well.  Glycerin forms the "backbone" of
fats -- for instance, three fatty acids joined to a glycerin molecule
make a "triglyceride."  And the body can, indeed, turn glycerin into
glucose -- sugar.

However, there is a fair amount of controversy over how much of glycerin
is turned into sugar, how quickly, and whether it causes a substantial
rise in blood sugar, with its subsequent insulin release.  Atkins,
defending the fact that glycerin is omitted from the carb count on the
labels of his advantage bars and shakes, claims that glycerin causes
almost no rise in blood sugar.  Others -- with, it should be noted, less
of a financial stake -- claim that virtually all glycerin consumed
becomes glucose.  This doesn't tell us how quickly, and there is
something to be said for slowly absorbed carbohydrates, but still, we're
trying to limit absorbable carbs in general, and personally, I'd rather
get mine from vegetables and fruits than from protein bars.

A few interesting notes --  Carlton Fredericks, a nutritionist who wrote
in from the '40s to the '70s or so, recommended glycerin for
hypoglycemics whose blood sugar was crashing.  It would, he said,
replenish their glycogen supplies without causing big blood sugar
swings.  The part about no big blood sugar swings is nice, but if you're
on a ketogenic diet -- of which, of course, Atkins is one -- the part
about replenishing glycogen supplies is not.  Glycogen, if you don't
know, is "muscle sugar" -- it's the way your body stores a little extra
sugar for emergencies.  And depleting your glycogen stores is an
essential part of going into ketosis.  Replenish your glycogen supplies
and you'll knock yourself out of ketosis, and it may well take you a day
or two to get back into it.

Also, apparently body builders have seized on glycerin as a new workout
supplement because it gives them the glycogen needed to get through a
heavy duty weight work out -- *and* it causes water to be stored in the
muscles.  Can you say, "water weight gain?"  I knew you could.

Most alarming, I have had reports from diabetic readers that their blood
sugar has jumped alarmingly in response to eating some of these bars. 
However, it is unclear whether this is due to glycerin, or due to the
fact that by some reports there are protein bars out there with
considerably more *sugar* than the label says.

Why is glycerin used in protein bars?  Because it makes them moist and
chewy, something that is usually a function of *sugar*.  Take the sugar
out of the bar, and you're left with something rather dry unless you
find something to substitute for it.  The big question is whether
glycerin is a substitute that is truly viable for the low carber?  And
I'm afraid that the answer is a big "I don't know."

But I plan to find out.  Putting on my white lab coat once again, and
taking my trusty glucometer in hand, I hereby promise to test my blood
sugar response to a representative sampling of "low carb" protein bars,
and report back to you, my faithful readers.  Science never rests.

In the meanwhile, if you've been eating protein bars regularly and are
having trouble losing, or maintaining ketosis, they're the most likely
culprit.  Cut them out and see how you do.  

I believe that this is the right time for a repetition of my constant
refrain:  Eat real food, will you?  Protein bars and shakes are no
substitute for meat and eggs and cheese and vegetables.  And no, I don't
care how busy you are; I'm busy too. Eat real food.  Low carb processed
food may be a bit better than high carb processed food, but it's still
processed food, and no substitute for the stuff we evolved on.  

If you're busy in the mornings, keep hard boiled eggs and individually
wrapped string cheese in the fridge, and grab them on the way out the
door.  If you're pressed for time at lunch, get a McDonald's Chicken
Caesar or Chef's Salad or a Garden Salad with a hamburger patty on top. 
If you hate cooking dinner, pick up a rotisseried chicken or some frozen
grilled fish fillets, or stick a chop in the Foreman grill.  But stop
trying to turn your low carb diet into "American Normal" -- shudder! 
That's what made you fat and sick and tired in the first place,
remember?    

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Recipes!!  We Need Recipes!

So here I am, working away at the revised and expanded version of my
book, since I owe the nice folks at Fairwinds Press a manuscript by the
first of the year, when I get a call from my editor, Holly.  After some
discussion, she and I decided that maybe we should get a cookbook out
first, since soooo many people already understand their low carb diet --
they just want to know what the heck to fix for supper!  

One tiny hitch:  We want to have *500* recipes in the book, no less, and
I only have in the neighborhood of 300.  Yes, I can step up recipe
development -- and I have (we're eating really good around here these
days!) -- but 200 recipes by early winter?  Even eating low carb, I'd be
as big as a house!  So, we're asking all of you to contribute your
favorite low carb recipes!

This is your big chance for low carb immortality!  If we use your
recipe, you will be credited in the cookbook, and low carb dieters the
world around will know your name, and thank you in their hearts!  So
send those recipes in!  

Here are the guidelines for writing your recipes down:

1.  List ingredients in order of their use.
2.  Include exact measurements and package sizes of all ingredients
("salt and pepper to taste" is okay).
3.  Write preparation directions in complete sentences.
4.  Make sure you include directions on how to use all ingredients
listed.
5.  Include sizes of pots, pans, and casseroles.
6.  Indicate exact cooking temperature and time.
7.  Add a tip on how to tell when the food is done (e.g. "brown and
bubbly", "reaches 150 on a meat thermometer", "firm to the touch").
8.  Include the number of servings based on reasonable portions.
9.  Avoid using specific brands of ingredients.  Recipes should use
standard grocery or health food store items rather than specialty
low-carb products by specific manufacturers.

So send in those recipes!!

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What's That In The Vege-Sal?

Long time readers know that I'm a big fan of a product called Vege-Sal,
a combination of salt and powdered, dehydrated vegetables that improves
most anything it touches.  I often will list "salt or Vege-Sal" in the
ingredient list of a recipe for this very reason.  However, a reader
recently wrote and said she'd read the Vege-Sal label, saw that it
listed "hydrolized vegetable protein," and was concerned that this might
be related to hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is truly nasty stuff,
nutritionally speaking.

Lay your mind at rest.  They both have "hy" and "vegetable" in the name,
but there the similarity ends.  Hydrogenated vegetable oil is liquid,
unsaturated vegetable oil which has been artificially saturated, and
thus made solid -- think Crisco or margarine -- by pumping hydrogen
through it at high temperature and pressure.  This forms an unnaturally
saturated fat, full of "trans" fatty acids, one of the worst fats you
can eat.  Indeed, there is reason to believe that these artificially
saturated fats, which we've been urged to eat in place of butter or
lard, are *far* more likely to raise bad cholesterol levels than their
more traditional, unprocessed counterparts.

Hydrolized protein, on the other hand, isn't a fat at all.  It's made
from various kinds of protein, most usually soy, which has been
hydrolized.  Well, yeah, you say, but what the heck is "hydrolized"? 
Best I've been able to learn is that it's processed with water -- that's
the "hydro" part -- to break it down into its various component amino
acids.  Anyway, it's used as a flavor enhancer.  The biggest risk of the
stuff seems to be that you can't be entirely sure which kind of plant
protein is used, which can be risky for folks with severe food
allergies.  As for soy, in these quantities -- HVP is the last
ingredient listed on the Vege-Sal label -- I wouldn't sweat it.

So go buy some Vege-Sal.  At a health food store near you!

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Heavenly New Muffins From Cheeters!  Blueberry and Strawberry!! Just 2
grams of effective carb for an entire muffin!! Regular Retail $7.99, but
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Available now!  Dana's top rated drink mix favorites, Baja Bob's Sugar
Free Margarita and Strawberry Daiquiri Mixes!

Plus, get your "Sugar Free But Still Sweet!" or "Low On Carbs -- High On
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Coming Soon -- Low Carb Gift Baskets!

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Holidays Are On The Way!

It's November!  (Or almost -- it's late afternoon on Halloween as I
write this.)  And you know what that means-- the holidays are right
around the corner!  That doesn't just mean it's time to start shopping,
it also means it's time to start *planning* -- planning how you're going
to make it to New Year's Day 2002 with your diet and your waistline
intact.  Here are some things you'll want to start thinking about:

* Of all of the events that happen during the holidays, pick just a few
where it will really, really matter to you to have an Indulgence.  Of
course, Thanksgiving Dinner and Christmas Dinner stand out, but among
all the parties, is there one that really stands head and shoulder above
the rest, either in traditional, emotional appeal or because the host or
hostess is simply a *fabulous* cook?  Okay.  *Those* are your
Indulgences.  Give yourself a tough little lecture right now that those
are the *only* times that you get to deviate from your low carb
lifestyle during the holidays -- because those wall-to-wall candy canes
and cookies can get mighty treacherous, but just how great are most of
them, really?

* Think *now* about your Thanksgiving menu.  Are there carbohydrate
dishes in it that no one really cares about that much, but you make just
because, well, you've always made them?  For instance, in my family both
candied sweet potatoes and creamed onions are traditional, and carb-y,
but I couldn't care less about them, and neither could my husband. 
Well, I doubt you'll get written out of the will or haunted by the shade
of Great Aunt Edna if you simply drop those particular carbs from the
menu.  I mean, it's one thing to Indulge in the stuff you adore, and
it's quite another to blow your diet just because "mom always made
this."

* Is there a recipe in your holiday menu that can be de-carbed?  Or is
there a lower carb substitute that you'd like as well?  For instance, a
lot of American families serve that green bean casserole with the cream
of mushroom soup and the canned fried onions, both of which are pretty
carb-y.  Would you like Beans Amandine (with toasted almonds) as well?
Could you serve sweet potatoes without a heavy, sugary glaze, or
marshmallows? Would anyone even notice if you served whole berry
cranberry sauce sweetened with Splenda, instead of the sugary kind from
a can? Could you increase the amount of celery and onions in your
stuffing, or add some chopped mushrooms, too, thus reducing the amount
of bread?  Adding browned, crumbled sausage to stuffing is also
wonderful -- and lowers the carb count per serving.  For that matter,
last year my sister baked low carb bread from Diana Lee's _Baking Low
Carb_ to make her stuffing, and said it came out well.  I made stuffing
from Better Bakery reduced carb croutons, and that also worked out just
fine.

* If you have a family favorite that you think might be de-carb-able,
send it in and I'll give it a shot.  No guarantees -- there really isn't
a way to make, say, Honey Glazed Yams low carb -- but hey, I have a
great low carb pumpkin pie recipe -- and yes, of *course* I'll be
reprinting it before Thanksgiving!  Anyway, I'll try to cut the carbs in
your family favorites.

* If there are likely to be more and more sugar bombs waiting for you in
the break room, start planning *now* for what you're going to bring to
work to counteract them!  A container of Sugar Free Chocolate Mousse to
DIE For (recipe at the website), a sugar free chocolate bar, some Swiss
Miss Diet Cocoa mix, a few sugar free hard candies -- or even (gasp!)
some sort of treat that *isn't* sweet, like toasted pecans or a favorite
cheese.
Just make sure you've got *something* to stave off temptation and self
pity.

So start thinking *now* about how to get through the holidays!  And
remember, despite all evidence to the contrary, Thanksgiving and
Christmas are really about family and love and blessings, not food!
    
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Low Carb Success Stories Needed!

I'm looking for low carb success stories to use in the revised, expanded
edition of my book.  Whether you've lost weight, improved your health,
or both, I want to hear from *you*!  I'll run the best stories here in
Lowcarbezine!, too -- so send in your success story today!

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Reader's Low Carb Family Success Stories!

Last week I first put out the call for success stories for the revised
and expanded book, and boy, did you respond!  So I'll start printing
some today.

>From Dr. Peggy Holloway comes:

I would be pleased to have my "family story" included in your book. I 
sent it a few month ago, but would be glad to revise and elaborate on 
it. Three wonderful additions to the story are:

1.  My son has given up his sugary breakfasts and eating eggs, etc. 
instead, and is eating the same dinners as I eat and his school work 
has improved remarkably (from a C/D student to an A/B student) and he 
doesn't have headaches every afternoon.

2. My daughter (on a "careful carb" diet with the help of a George 
Foreman grill and Atkins bars) continues to lose weight and is 
looking gorgeous. (She always was beautiful, but was depressed and 
weighed over 300 pounds at her heaviest - she has lost over 100 
pounds!) She is doing phenomenally well in College, has incredible 
energy, and is no longer on Prozac!

3. My sister can't get her insurance company to pay for glucometer, 
because "She doesn't have diabetes." Her blood sugar was over 200 
last December and she was "diabetic" then,  but since going low-carb 
in January, her blood sugar is under 100, so she isn't diabetic 
anymore!

Thanks for all you are doing!
Peggy
Dr. Peggy Holloway

Thank you, Peggy!  And watch for your family story in the revised
edition of the book!


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Reader Review of _How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet and Lost Forty Pounds!_

Reader Review of _How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet and Lost Forty Pounds!_

 I have been on weight loss diets almost all of my life! I've lost and
gained over 500 pounds in my lifetime. This will no longer be the case
for me now that I have read Dana Carpender's book "How I Gave Up My Low
Fat Diet And Lost Forty Pounds" and am  following her plan! I am now at
the lowest weight I have been in ten years and it was so easy to attain
this weight loss. How can you call this program a diet? I've eaten
steak, chicken, veggies, cheese and occasionally Peanut M&M's, ice cream
and chocolate mousse! This program is not a starvation plan. I have
always
felt so satisfied and healthy and have so much energy! Best of all I
know I will be able to stay on this food program for the rest of my
life! If you are tired of the diet yo-yo I highly recommend Dana's book.
It's a fun, fast paced, easy read and it will be the last diet book
you'll ever need to buy!


 J. Crear, Hobart, WI 

Thanks, J!

You can read this and 24 other reader reviews of _How I Gave Up My Low
Fat Diet and Lost Forty Pounds!_ at Amazon : 
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966883101/lowcarbohysoluti --
and of course, you can also order the book!

If you'd like to read the first chapter of the book for FREE, plus find
a bunch of other useful low carb info, visit:
http://www.holdthetoast.com .  You can also see my smiling face and my
before-and-afters.

Or, for that matter, you can visit
http://www.webbalah.net/carbsmart.html , and order
_How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet and Lost Forty Pounds_ from Carb Smart,
where it's at a discount.  Low Carb Grocery has it at a discount, too --
http://www.webbalah.net/shoplowcarb.html.

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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You're Lucky You're Overweight

You may not think so, but it means that you've got enough to eat, and
millions upon millions go hungry.  You can help them without leaving
your computer, and without spending a cent.  Just go to the Hunger Site,
and click on the "Give Free Food" button.  The Hunger Site will donate
food for hungry people for every click they get -- and you can click
once every day!  Then go to Stop the Hunger, and click to donate money
to hungry people in the USA.
 It's the easiest thing you've ever done to help your
fellow human beings.  Check out the ways you can actually give *more* to
hungry people with each click -- still without spending a cent!

Go to the Hunger Site *NOW*, and click to feed those less fortunate than
you! http://www.thehungersite.com 

Go to Stop the Hunger, and click to donate food to hungry Americans:
http://www.stopthehunger.com 

And tell your friends!

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If You Like Lowcarbezine!, You'll LOVE CARBSMART!

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