Low Carb Diet, Atkins Diet Products, Low Carbohydrate Diet

Recalling the first holiday season that my husband and I faced while still newbies to low-carb seems not unlike trying to remember a foggy dream. We were both so determined to succeed that we gritted our teeth and plowed through it like a couple of bulldozers. I do recollect that it wasnt all that bad really, bridged in large part by our serious resolve.

Thanksgiving was actually fairly easy, in fact. We filled up on lots of turkey, of course, allowing ourselves a small spoonful of carb-laden dressing, and then enjoyed my revamped Low-Carb Cranberry Relish and Corn Pudding. We gratefully concluded our feast with an ample slice of Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake without a single twinge of feeling deprived. We ate well and yet we each gleefully noted a pound lost that week. Nothing is sweeter than success except when it comes so effortlessly.

I do distinctly remember that, though feeling quite satisfied, I did not suffer my usual over-filled misery. That is truly one of the benefits of low-carb eating, a sense of full and sated without that now I need to go somewhere and explode sensation.

In October that year, blissfully only eight weeks into our low-carb diet, I was suddenly forced to think about how we would deal with our annual family Thanksgiving feast and then beyond through the rest of the holidays. We had made such good progress I couldnt bear to think about blowing it in the remaining weeks of the year. I was afraid we wouldnt go back afterward if we gave in before we had accomplished our goals.

With my usual naivete, I asked myself how hard could it be and armed with a few good kitchen tools and a comprehensive carbohydrate counter, I dug in. My intention from the outset was not to invent new recipes but to take my old favorites and convert them to low-carb. The new sweeteners have made this task much easier now, but it remains ever difficult to find suitable substitutes for flour or cornmeal, both high in flavor and carbs, both staples to many holiday recipes.

To bolster my confidence I decided to tackle dessert first. The Pumpkin/Pecan Cheesecake was a no-brainer. I took my much loved and by then perfected Low-Carb Cherry Cheesecake and added canned, unsweetened pumpkin. My first real breakthrough happened when I realized that little is much and to add an essence or flavor to a recipe, you dont necessarily need a lot of an ingredient. So, I used only 1 cup of the pumpkin instead of a whole can. When you think about it, its actually the aromatic spices that make your kitchen smell like Thanksgiving and create the familiar taste anyway.

My instincts were right and it worked. The first bite sent my confidence off the chart. I might have even been a bit arrogant with success on that one. Nevertheless, it encouraged me to dive in for more daring experimentation.

Coming up with a substitute for Low-Carb Cranberry Relish was really only a matter of subbing out the sugar-sweetened gelatin for plain and then adding the high carb flavors, like orange with Splenda sweetened Sugarfree Syrup. I rationalized that 2 cups of raw cranberries have approximately 17 carbs but when you think of these dispersed into a larger volume of ingredients and then divided again into small servings, the dilution almost nullifies the carbs. It certainly tames them to a reasonable number. But the taste is still full and satisfying and thats all that really matters.

This was another culinary epiphany that I experienced in my recipe trials. A carb is a carb, after all. Regardless of the total in a given ingredient, if diluted with other low-carb or no-carb ingredients and then divided by serving size, which you control, almost any food, even the high-carbers can be made acceptable to a low-carb WOE.

I was on a roll. Some folks dont care for cranberries but I cant imagine Thanksgiving without this dish. I also cant imagine Thanksgiving without Sage Stuffing and Corn Pudding. these are just simply traditional in my household.

I did not have a substitute for the Sage Stuffing on our first low-carb Thanksgiving, because the new low-carb breads, like the wonderful ones available at Life-Style Breads, were not yet available at that time. As I mentioned, we ate only a small spoonful of the real thing, but I can now, four years later, share with you my latest happy discovery - Low-Carb Sage Stuffing, which we will be enjoying this Thanksgiving. Not only is it good, its easy too, you can make it in your crock-pot while the turkey is roasting. Made this way it is unbelievably moist.

In 1999, though unable to make low-carb sage dressing, I was, however, determined to come up with a low-carb version of Corn Pudding. One of the first things to consider when converting a standard recipe to low-carb is to begin by comparing a number of different versions. I pulled out five adaptations of Corn Pudding to evaluate, quickly eliminating all but one as doable. It really is amazing how a single recipe can have so many combinations.

The original recipe I started with called for these ingredients.


1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 can creamed corn
1 cup corn meal
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup Cheddar cheese grated


To adapt a recipe, first I scan the ingredients looking for certain key differences in flour and sugar amounts. Sometimes flour is used in a recipe just as a thickener. If it isnt the primary ingredient, its probably a recipe that can be converted. Xanthan gum, plain gelatin and eggs are thickeners too, but without the carbs.

Then I analyze the liquids. If a recipe calls for milk, Im usually home free because I know I can use cream thinned either with water or Vanilla Sugarfree Syrup. In this case I needed to substitute the buttermilk, which has twice the carbs of a cup of cream. To do this, you simply sour the cream with a tsp of vinegar, allowing it to sit for a few minutes.

Some recipes arent the same without milk, however, and in that case I use whole milk. Perhaps you didnt realize that the higher the fat content in milk, the lower the carbs. This is where volume makes the difference. Skim milk has a higher carb count than heavy cream per cup because it has more whey than fat. The carbs are in the whey, which contains the natural sugars. Serious low-carbers keep this in mind when reading labels. Products that tout being low-fat will also generally have higher carbs per serving than the normal product counterpart. The best example of this is in comparing the carbs per serving in low-fat peanut butter to regular, youll find its more than double.

Scanning the original corn pudding recipe, after substituting the buttermilk, I had to decide what to do about the corn, without which the whole thing is sort of pointless, so I took it down to 1 cup using the less is more theory and using kernel corn instead of creamed which has sugar in it. Also by using corn that has no sugar added I kept the additional carbs to 14.

The corn meal was my next, perhaps worst, challenge. I knew the corn meal in this recipe only added bulk, thickening and flavor, so I thought about things that I could use instead for the bulk and texture and then grace it with just a smidge of the corn meal for flavor. Almond flour is our friend here. I used 1 cup of almond flour and 1/4 cup of the corn meal and added 21 carbs to my growing total. Throw in a handful of carbs from the cheese topping and the two eggs and the grand total is 48. Divide this by 8 ample servings and the total is 6 ECC per serving. Not too bad for a very special and flavorful treat.

Another great traditional holiday (or anytime) recipe that was nearly impossible to convert to low-carb before the new low-carb breads came on the scene is Bread Pudding. There are literally dozens of variations on this and almost every fine restaurant has its own signature version. Some with lemon or cream based hot sauce, some with nuts or raisins, some with lots of cinnamon and/or fruit.

The original recipe I transformed had these ingredients.

4 cups day old bread
3 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
dash salt
vanilla


The first ingredient -bread - is a no-brainer now that we have wonderful low-carb loaves like Life-Style Bread. The milk is replaced with 1 1/2 cup cream and then use 1/2 cup vanilla syrup to make up the volume, eliminate the vanilla unless you want a strong vanilla flavor. Substitute the sugar with your favorite sweetener, toss in the cinnamon and salt. Ta-Da. Low-Carb Bread Pudding. How hard was that

But wait. Maybe I want to jazz it up and put something else in it. What if I added 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts and 1 apple chopped Or top it with a cream sauce All these variations can be accomplished once you have the basic conversion. Just remember to adjust the carb count for anything you add.

Ive only used a couple of my personal favorites here as examples for converting to low-carb to give you something to go by for altering your own favorites. There inevitably will be recipes that cannot be completely converted like the time-honored Southern dish Ambrosia, which is made of oranges and coconut. But you can at least exchange the sugar for sweetener and use unsweetened coconut and greatly reduce the carb count.

If Thanksgiving isnt the same without Ambrosia, take my advice and go ahead and treat yourself to a small serving and enjoy it. Ill wager that it wont set you back. After all, it isnt really the single serving, but the heaping plateful and second helpings that do the damage. Life is really too short to sweat the small stuff.

As we gather with family and friends to celebrate and give thanks for the bounty of our blessings, I wish for everyone peace and good mouth-watering aromas coming from your kitchen, low-carb or otherwise.

Low-Carb dieting is bad for you.

Oh, excuse me that was last months news.

Okay, -- update -- Low-Carb dieting is good for you. You should eat fat and protein, reduce carbs, avoid sugar and, oh, yeah, no need to count calories.

No. Thats not right either.

Update -- Watch the fat and protein, and COUNT calories too.

Hold on a minute, thats not Low-Carb, thats the old low-fat/ calorie count diet.

Eat, dont eat, count, dont count. If I were just starting to think about doing Low-Carb now that it has become a household word, truthfully, I wouldnt know how to begin or who to believe. It was much easier five years ago. You kept your carbs under 30 grams a day until you lost your weight and then you gradually added back in high value carbs until you found your own personal maintenance number. That could be double or even triple and in some carb resistant individuals it might mean as few as 20 additional a day. Everyone is supposed to find his/her own number. No need to worry about calories, though, because they sort of take care of themselves when balanced eating is achieved.

Low-Carb dieting used to be about as easy as one could live with until suddenly it became a hot topic. Today, not only does everyone have an opinion, the original philosophy that mysteriously worked so well for so many people for better than 30 years is now subject to a complete overhaul. Seems we just cant leave well enough alone, can we

Type in the words Low-Carb in any search engine and youll instantly have hundreds of websites at your disposal. Obviously many are commercial sites and exist only to sell Low-Carb products. Many are links to forums where people gather to share and debate. Still others are sites specifically designed to inform on the latest scientific information about Low-Carb dieting.

FYI -- dont be fooled into thinking that there arent hidden agendas behind the research. Many tout profoundly negative opinions, while others sing the praises of all things Low-Carb, and not a few have just about succeeded in completely redefining it to the point that it no longer even resembles the original Atkins plan.

Regardless and apparently its nearly impossible to not have an opinion about Low-Carb and/or how to do it. Mores the pity, this is a predictable outcome once an issue swells into a BIG subject and many different, often opposing, opinions start flying about. simplicity becomes collateral damage in the ensuing word storms.

Given that Low-Carb dieting can be easily tweaked to suit individual metabolisms and lifestyles its not all that surprising that scores of new interpretations have emerged, though I find it absurd that this simple fact is brushed aside and so many hard line positions about how it ought to be done are tossed out as THE ONLY WAY.

What confounds even more is the myth that persists that Low-Carb translates only to NO potatoes, NO rice, NO flour, NO vegetables, NO fruits, NO this, NO that, NO the other.

Unfortunately, just as many think it means NO CARBS at all. its only cheese, steaks, fat, bacon, lunchmeat and more fat. No wonder there is so much controversy. no wonder many fail at it and then scream, It doesnt work and furthermore Im damaged.

And lets not even venture into the sweetener wars, which are largely perpetuated by those who have vested interests in selling their products. Nevertheless, deep lines are dramatically drawn in the sand as though the essence of true Low-Carbing hangs in the balance depending on the sweetener one chooses.

Good grief, people, lets get a grip here.

One of the most definitive and often overlooked advantages of Low-Carb dieting is that you dont have to be hungry. Let that soak in. You dont have to be hungry. Eating good fat and protein and limiting empty starches satisfies hunger and keeps the body functioning. If you use up your 30 carb budget early in the day, for whatever reason, you can still eat and eat well, but it has to be something that is low or no carbs, like meat, salad and/or cheese for example.

You cannot take advantage of this while counting calories. Lets say you have reached your daily calorie allotment at 4.00 pm. What are you going to do Knock yourself out with a sleeping pill at 4.30 pm so you wont lose the will power battle

And what about AFTER you lose the weight on a low calorie diet Add those calories back in and see what happens. What a shock, you have to drag out those fat clothes you had put away. No wonder diet is a four-letter word.

I did not choose to adopt the Low-Carb WOE because I lost weight on the diet and Im rather fond of butter, cream and steaks. Originally, I chose the Low-Carb diet because it made sense to me and it is one I believed I could live with AFTER weight loss. But heres a hard truth. it only makes sense when NOT taken out of context.

You cant sort-of-do Low-Carb, you cant combine it with low fat/low calorie and then also enjoy the upside benefits to Low-Carbing, which are the essential supporting elements that keep you on target and help you transition to maintenance, and thus keep the weight off.

You also cannot expect to be healthy if you dont eat well-rounded, balanced meals, which certainly can include foods that have served humanity for eons, i.e., fresh vegetables and whole grains (but thats a topic for another article).

It comes to this. the spotlight shining invasively on Low-Carb has cast long shadows and grossly altered the original simple premise thus exposing it to a whole new round of misinterpretations. Suddenly it has begun to morph way beyond what I believe Dr. Atkins had ever intended.

Frankly, it seems that Low-Carbing going mainstream is something of a mixed blessing. On the one hand, many restaurants, including fast food, have leaped onto the bandwagon and joined the parade, introducing new products and choices daily for Low-Carbers.

On the other hand, as it often happens when things go commercial and money becomes the goal, the core value of true Low-Carbing has been trampled in the hoopla, distorting it beyond recognition and possibly to terminal ineffectiveness.

The only way to sift through all the hype, bias, misinformation, and outright lies, is to look logically at the fuel you consume. Is it balanced for your personal life-style Is it a reasonable daily quantity, not too much, not too little Is it whole and not refined and are you satisfied, healthy, energetic, and just the right size for you

Ive been doing Low-Carb for nearly five years and I can honestly answer yes to these questions. Am I just an anomaly I doubt it. Maybe it was mere dumb luck that I was able to set my Low-Carb WOE before the tidal wave of new interpretations swamped us, but Im grateful.

As always, and in all things, I tend to strike a middle path between extremes, but I believe that if I were only starting out today, using the new more rigid guidelines, juggling all the conflicting opinions, I dont think Id last too long in the weight loss phase and I doubt Id ever make it too far into maintenance.

It appears that finding the REAL LOW-CARB WOE is really more the challenge now than actually doing it. Theres a lot to be said for simple.

Speaking of simple, what other diet would allow you to have Baked Beef Stroganoff during the weight loss stage and then add Low-Carb Butter Dumplings to the dish in the maintenance stage And what other diet would allow you to have rich creamy Pina Colada Pudding or Gooey Brownies for dessert during weight loss or otherwise

Did you answer Low-Carb

Everyday Low-Carb Desserts . Over 120 Delicious Low-Carb Treats Perfect for Any Occasion by Kitty Broihier

Imagine how much more fun and satisfying a low-carb diet would be if a rich slice of cake, a luscious piece of pie, or some chewy cookies were part of the meal plan.

Now, in Everyday Low-Carb Desserts, nutritionist Kitty Broihier offers readers the long awaited chance to satisfy their sweet tooth with over 120 sensational low-carb treats.

Broihier has created innovative low-carb versions of all the traditional favorites-including cheesecake, peanut butter cookies, pumpkin pie, tiramisu, and chocolate mousse-without sacrificing any of the great flavor, and offers dozens more recipes that are sure to wow even the choosiest dessert lover.

Everyday Low-Carb Desserts recipes cover the full spectrum of desserts, from cakes, cookies, and fruit concoctions to pies, tarts, and puddings, and includes a special section with fabulous holiday creations that will impress even those not eating low-carb. With helpful baking and preparation tips and nutritional breakdowns for each recipe, Everyday Low-Carb Desserts is an essential addition to every low-carbers cookbook collection.

From the authors of the phenomenal bestseller Protein Power comes a quick, easy-to-follow low-carb diet plan designed to get you on the fastest possible track to losing weight, feeling fantastic, and improving your health.

If youve heard all the recent publicity about how low-carb eating can turn your health aroundby keeping your insulin levels down and getting your excess weight offbut dont want to wade through hundreds of pages of explanation or complicated formulas before you get started, The 30-Day Low-Carb Diet Solution is for you.

Unlike any other low-carb diet book on the market, this book gives you low-carb 101. the basics of low-carb eating without all the fuss. In this much-needed book, two of the most trusted names in low-carb dieting who have helped millions of readers lose weight provide the simplest possible diet designed for the best possible results. Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades give you the step-by-step basicswhat to eat, what to avoidand even provide specific low-carb meal plans to guide you at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for a full month.

For those who would rather design their own meals, they include expert advice for easily creating a customized plan based on your current weight, health status, and goals. They show you the exact portions of carbohydrate-rich foods you can enjoy now to reach your goals and how to increase portions to maintain your health and weight for the long haul.

Simply by knowing your height, weight, and gender, you can quickly determine how much protein to eat for optimal healthno complicated measurements, charts, or formulas to follow. The Drs. Eades include everything you need to get started now. self-assessment quizzes to help you effortlessly tailor your program to fit your needs, fill-in worksheets for planning meals and tracking your progress, and other important nutritional information for easy reference.

By following the simple but highly effective and powerful diet in The 30-Day Low-Carb Diet Solution, complete with 30 days of meal plans and close to 100 delicious and easy recipes, youll be on your way to a thinner and healthier you in just a month.

As many enthusiasts have discovered, its easy to lose weight on the low-carb diet. But keeping the weight off requires an ongoing commitment--not an easy feat when faced with dieting drudgery, dinners out, holiday gatherings, and demoralizing eating binges. While many low-carb diet books offer the initial thrill of weight loss, this book is a lifelong manual, offering tips and guidance to keep readers committed for the long haul.

Author Fran McCullough starts with secret weapons (such as blocking sugars, cleansing the liver, and keeping a food diary), must-haves in any long-term dieters arsenal. She also offers a valuable Troubleshooting section that covers commons challenges, such as dinner invitations (Come on over for Dinner) and binge eating (Blowing It). She addresses the persistent snacking problem with a list of low-carb delights (including shrimp with guacamole or prosciutto and melon).

She even lists alternative foods for the times when you crave disaster foods. (For example, a craving for pizza can be satisfied with grilled eggplant, mozzarella cheese, and oregano.) The second half of the book is devoted to McCulloughs specialty--tasty and satisfying low-carb recipes, such as Buffalo Boys Chili and Berry and Mango Compote

Here is the secret to achieving long-term success on a low-carb diet. With foolproof strategies for controlling binges and cravings, invaluable tips on eating in restaurants, guidelines for dealing with sudden weight gain, and more than 175 delicious new recipes, LIVING LOW-CARB is a godsend for the millions of American dieters now dedicated to the low-carb lifestyle.

Drs. Rachel and Richard Heller, authors of the revolutionary New York Times bestselling Carbohydrate Addicts books, are renowned for their ability to motivate readers with their own combined 200-pound weight loss success. Drs. Heller understand the physical and emotional reasons why people struggle to stay on their low-carb dietsor fall off them completely. Now comes the right help at the right timea plan to put the low-carb dieter back in controlwithout deprivationin only a week or less.

Holidays, vacation, stress, boredom, and daily emotional wear and tear are all factors that can chip away at the most sincere diet commitment. What starts out as a simple cheat often leads to bona-fide failure. In the end most low-carb dieters are left to watch helplessly as their eating spirals out of control and the pounds creep (or rush) back on. Drs. Heller know that once someone has fallen off any low-carb diet, they need help to get back on, and stay on.

Now theres a day-by-day, scientifically-based motivating and empowering program that will immediately reduce cravings, satisfy the bodys need for carbohydrates, and help low-carb dieters regain control over their eating and their weight.

The 7-Day Low-Carb Rescue and Recovery Plan includes. - 7-Day Jump-Start Plan. Goes to work immediately to help eliminate cravings, balance blood sugar and insulin levels, and put you back in chargewithout asking you to give up your favorite food.

- Five Clues Low-Carb Diet Doctors Miss. What you dont know could kill your diet. What you need to know to ensure success.

Replace a meal with Diet Lean - Finding suitable meals when you are controlling your carb intake can be a difficult task. Diet Lean Low Carb Dieters Shake is a great tasting way to replace while youre counting carbs. Each 8 oz. shake has 1 net carb per serving with 17 grams of protein and 23 vitamins and minerals.

Half the Carbs of the Leading Brand - 1 Net Carb. Diet Lean Low Carb Dieters Shake has half the total carbs of the leading controlled carb brand. For those controlling carbs, count only 1 gram of net carbs for this product after subtracting 1 gram of dietary fiber which has a minimal impact on blood sugar.

Dont sacrifice on taste - Diet Lean tastes delicious. Were so confident that youll like the taste better than the leading brand that well return the entire purchase if youre not satisfied for any reason.

Directions Add 2 scoops (27 grams) of diet Lean Low Carb Dieters Shake to 8 oz. of cold water and shake or stir with a spoon until smooth.

Whenever a person goes on a diet that restricts total intake of food, drastically reduced calories, or very low fat, the body reacts to this dieting as if famine had set in. Each time you diet, your bodys metabolism slows down in order to store fat. The more you diet, the slower your metabolism, and with each successive diet it becomes more difficult, if not impossible, to lose weight.

Most current research confirms the view that the ultimate result of this deprivation is an increase in stored fat. Dr. Kelley Brownell of the University of Pennsylvania found that yo-yo dieting increases the activity of an enzyme that promotes the storage of fat. Losing and regaining cycles demonstrably increase body fatness.

From an evolutionary point of view, the survival of our species may be directly related to our bodys ability to store fat in times of plenty for use in times of famine. Like the animals who gain weight in anticipation of hibernating for the winter, people in northern climates were originally heavier and larger than those in southern climates. Their lives depended on it.

With the great equalizer of warmed homes and stocked groceries, this imbalance no longer exists... in fact, with every corner store bulging with rows and rows of sugar drenched products, we can all rest assured that the fat is equally distributed onto all our bodies.

So, how to escape the cycle If you havent already guessed, the exception to the fat-storing education the body gets from low-fat and low-cal diets is LOW CARB.

With a properly maintained low carb diet, theres no spring that must give from being wound too tight from constant hunger. Theres been no slowing of the metabolism. Done right, low carb can truly be the end to years of the yo-yo. It means no hunger. It means rich, satisfying foods. And dont let anyone tell you it excludes nutritious veggies and an allowance of whole grains and lots of fiber. Or that its boring since you eat just meats and cheeses... we enjoy some of the most creative baking and cooking of any diet, giving us cookies, ice cream, cakes, waffles, and so much more. Its healthy, its satisfying, and it will be the scissors you use to snip the string of that yo-yo.

My reasoning as to why kids run and play far less than they used to They simply dont have the energy. Whether their days diet has consisted of usual kid-fare (Little Debbie cakes, pizza, Lunchables, Coke, or a Snickers bar), or of their healthy alternative (pasta, cereals, potatoes, rice, etc), these kids are groggy, listless, and even downright sleepy from the constant onslaught of carbohydrate rich foods. Far easier to sit zombie-like in front of a television set.

They want the kids to join the local swim team... Excuse me Understand that if chubby little Billy joined a swim team, what would happen when all the other kids showed up in their little Speedos

Consequently, many of these children will be spending their entire childhoods on a diet. Feeling deprived, beating up their carbohydrate metabolism so later in life even small amounts of starchy or sugary foods will pack on the pounds, and playing hell with their self esteem.

What if we lowered the carbs these kids take in Its unlikely most kids would need a truly LOW carb diet to lose weight and feel good. They could have a diet rich in protein packed meats, nutrient dense vegetables, fruits, and WHOLE grains. Kids dont need sugar. They dont need bleached white flours or the pastas or breads that come of them. What if kids were fed TRULY healthy diets Diets that allowed them to bound with energy, rather than leaving them as drugged zombies that cant remember wanting to run and play.