Lowcarbezine! 20 September 2000

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Hey, Gang!

It's early!  It's early!  I've never sent Lowcarbezine! out early
before!

Just don't come to expect it, okay? :-)

I think I'll send this out to all of you, and head out for a walk in the
sunshine!  Hope you have sunshine to walk in, too.

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
subscribe for FREE at http://www.holdthetoast.com .

Lowcarbezine! welcomes reader input!  If you have a question, a recipe,
a product review, a low carb success story, send it on in!!
mailto:dana@holdthetoast.com  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!

We are now accepting paid advertising. At this writing, our subscriber
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Press reserves the right to reject any ad, for any reason.

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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Thought For The Week

Is it all worth it?

I mean, I've been doing this -- low carbing, that is -- for *five years*
now, and I'm not skinny.  I'm still curvier than is currently
fashionable. (Although I would have been just about right fifty years
ago.)  I still don't have a bikini body, and I strongly suspect I never
will.  I still have a short waist.  I'm still stocky.  I still wear
clothes in double-digit sizes.  Indeed, since my car wreck this spring,
I'm up about a half a size, and it's looking to be a tedious process
getting it back off.

So, is it worth it?  Or since a low carb diet -- plus exercise, now that
I've been cleared for it by my doctors -- doesn't appear to be able to
make me look like the people on TV, shall I hang it all up and go back
to eating sugar?

As if.

First of all, I have no doubt I would rapidly gain back the weight I
*have* lost, all forty pounds of it, and quickly, too.  And given how
quickly I was gaining weight when I first discovered low carb, I don't
even like to think about how much *more* I might gain on top of it!  As
I've said many times, I may not be a skinny girl, but I am a
substantially skinnier girl, and I have *no* interest in ever seeing 190
pounds again, much less getting bigger than that!

But there's more.  Much, much more.

I never, ever want to go back to feeling crazy about food.  I never want
to feel obsessed again.  I never want to feel that hunger that nothing
can fill.  I can remember one night, realizing that I had been consuming
*something* every few minutes for hours on end, just
nibble-nibble-nibble.  I forced myself to sit on the couch and not
consume *anything* for fifteen minutes.  Just fifteen minutes!  And it
was *hard*.  It seemed terribly unnatural.  Now I eat, I fill up, I feel
satisfied, and I can go do something else for *hours* before I feel
hungry again.  That soul-deep craving is *gone*, and has been for a long
time.  I never, ever want to go there again.

I never want to go back to feeling cranky and sluggish in the morning,
either.  Have you noticed this?  Once you start eating plenty of
protein, and not so much carbohydrate, and you teach your body to access
its fat for fuel, you don't wake up with low blood sugar anymore, and
suddenly you're *cheerful* in the morning!  I still need my 8 hours, but
I'm actually pleasant and coherent and fairly sunny *before* I get my
first cup of tea.  I like it.  I don't want to go back.

I have no interest in going back to big energy crashes, either!  It
almost seems unreal, now, to think of just how badly my energy level
used to bottom out when my blood sugar dropped.  I can remember --
blearily, but I can remember -- shuffling around looking for food, any
food, to get down me and get my blood sugar back up.  I don't need the
crazy roller coaster ride.

And speaking of energy, not  only do I not have big crashes, but I have
lots of energy in general!  How many people by my age -- 42, or near
enough as makes no difference -- haven't run up a flight of steps in
years?  How many never break into a trot crossing the street, because
it's too hard?  How many , if they tried taking a brisk walk of a few
miles, on hilly terrain, would  end up gasping for breath, or aching all
over, or simply quitting halfway through out of exhaustion and going
home?  How many are so beat by the time dinner is over that it's all
they can do to get the kids to bed and sack out in front of the TV?  Not
me, baby!  I can walk practically forever! I can run upstairs! I can
carry 4 or 5 bags of groceries in at once! I won't feel it the next day,
either.  I'm *strong*, and strong is a feeling I love!  No way I'd give
it up.

Along with that energy comes general good health.  Every time I've had
blood work done since I went low carb, it's been better than the last
time.  (I need to have it done again; it's been a while.  I have an
appointment with a new internist in October; I'll let you know what my
blood work looks like then.)  My blood pressure is, if anything, almost
too low.  I have all the outward signs of health, too -- my hair is
shiny and thick, my eyes are bright, my nails are hard and strong. (My
teeth are perfect, too, but that was the case all along.) I show muscle
on my legs and arms.  I may not be rail slim, but I defy anyone to say I
don't look fit and healthy!

I enjoy the improvement in my mental state, too.  Indeed, the emotional
and mental effects of a low carbohydrate diet are almost my favorite
thing about it!  (Other folks have commented on the emotional/mental
benefits of low carbing; you'll find a very interesting letter from a
reader below.)  I'll tell you something very personal:  I started
getting "shrunk" at age 11.  I saw some sort of psychologist or
psychiatrist all during my adolescence -- the very period of my life
during which I was eating fantastic quantities of sugar.  The very first
nutrition book I ever read -- this was in 1978 -- was called
_Psychodietetics_, by Cheraskin and Ringsdorf. (
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/081286266X/lowcarbohysoluti )  It
was about the effects of nutrition, and especially the effects of blood
sugar, on one's mental state.  In this book were listed 45 symptoms of
reactive hypoglycemia -- low blood sugar caused by eating too much
carbohydrate -- that could easily be mistaken for symptoms of emotional
or mental illness.  I had 40 out of those 45 symptoms!  I don't mean to
suggest that I never have an unhappy moment since going low carb, but
I'm nowhere near as prone to fits of irritability, or worse yet,
unreasoning despair.  What could possibly be more important than that?
Certainly not bagels and pasta and cookies.

So, is low carb worth it?  I've taken off a substantial quantity of
weight, and gotten to a size which, although not necessarily
fashionable, is clearly healthy, and has guys flirting with me.  (No
small thing, that!)  I have great hair and nails, and better skin than I
did for a long time.  I have a *TON* of energy, and feel cheerful and
optimistic and on top of things the majority of the time -- certainly
far more than I used to.  I feel clear-headed and able to focus.  I'm
not cranky in the morning.  I have an appetite I can only refer to as
"normal", and I never, ever have to go hungry.  I don't have any nasty,
crazy-making cravings.

Yep.  It's worth it!  And if I had the opportunity to trade it all to be
a size 4, I wouldn't!

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Wanna Be A Reviewer?

So far, I have 20 reviews of my book, _How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet and
Lost Forty Pounds!_, at Amazon.com, and I have a reader rating of five
stars!  I'm, er, just a little proud of this.  However, I've used all of
my reviews in the newsletter at least once, and several of them more
than once.  If you've read my book and liked it, I'd be very pleased if
you'd go to Amazon.com and write your own review!
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966883101/lowcarbohysoluti  (If
you read my book and didn't like it, why do you read my newsletter? ;-D
)

And thank you very much!

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What About Alcohol?

I received this post just today:

Hi Dana,

I have enjoyed a low carbohydrate way of eating for the last few months
with great success.  I have a question though.
How do alcoholic beverages affect your weight loss?  And are there
better drinks than others and how much is okay????
Thanks, can't wait to hear from you.

Hey, Sue --

Complicated subject, and I haven't covered it for a while (did an
article on alcohol right before New Years; seemed timely) so maybe it's
time to do it again.

Bottom line:  Alcohol interferes with fat burning.  It *will* slow your
metabolism.  Whether it slows your metabolism enough to prevent weight
loss entirely is a very individual thing . I've had a glass or two of
wine, or a light beer or two, or a little tequila (NOT all three at
once!) virtually every evening while low carbing.  I've lost weight, but
I have no doubt that I would lose a bunch more if I quit drinking.  Hard
decision to make, though!  Especially since there's a lot of evidence
that light drinking is beneficial to cardiovascular health.

There are only a very few light beers low enough in carbs to fit our
diet -- Miller Lite and Milwaukee's Best Light are both about 3.8 g per
can.  Amstel Lite is 5 g per bottle.  After that, they go up pretty
steeply -- Bud Light has 9 g. per can, and  Michelob Light has *11 g per
bottle*, only three less than most regular beers!  As always, it is
imperative that you *read the labels!!*

Dry wines generally have between 2-4 g per glass.  Chablis, rhine,
chardonnay, burgundy, merlot, pinot noir, cabernet would all be examples
of dry wines.  If you want an exact carb count on a favorite wine,
consider calling the winery.  I did this with Franzia (they make that
"wine in a box" stuff; what my family calls "Chateau Mylar Bag"), and
they were very nice about it.  Just tell them that you have a medical
condition that requires that you be very careful about carbohydrates.
Sweet, and even semi-dry wines have too much sugar for us.  Wine coolers
are OUT!  Just alcoholic soda pop.

The driest champagne is labeled "Brut".  Oddly enough, the stuff labeled
"dry" is sweet!  Extra Dry falls in between.  Stick to Brut champagnes.

Hard liquor -- gin, bourbon, scotch, rye, dry rum, vodka, and tequila --
have no carbohydrates.  (They'll still slow down your metabolism,
though!)  Most "cordials" and liqueurs,  however,  are simply *loaded*
with sugar -- flavored schnapps, Bailey's Irish Cream, Kahlua, all that
stuff.  Steer clear.

 Be very careful about *mixers*.  Diet soda is an okay mixer, and of
course club soda is fine.  If you like Bloody Marys, tomato juice has 8
g. of usable carb in 8 ounces; this would be a splurge to my way of
thinking. Tonic water is loaded with sugar (you can get diet tonic
water, though), and so are most "drink mixes" -- whiskey sour mix,
margarita mix, etc.  Interestingly, one of my food count books gives the
carb counts on mixed drink both "by mix" and "by recipe", and the
difference between the two is *huge*.  For instance, a 3.5 ounce daquiri
prepared from a mix has 18 g., but prepared from the traditional recipe,
it has only 9 g.  A whiskey sour prepared from a mix has 18 g, but "from
recipe" has only about 5 g.  Once again, the food processors have loaded
this stuff down with sugar.  If you like mixed drinks, get a good
bartender's guide, and mix your own from fresh ingredients -- depending
on what fresh ingredients they call for, of course!

How much?  I'd keep it to two drinks a day, tops, and less is probably
better.  A drink would be about 4 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer,
or an ounce of hard liquor.

Still, never forget that you will virtually always lose more weight,
faster, if you exclude alcohol from your diet entirely!  If you've
plateaued at a weight you're unhappy with, knocking out alcohol is
definitely one of your best moves.

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CarbSmart - Smart choice for a low carb lifestyle - is proud to sponsor
Hold The Toast's Lowcarbezine! For the month of September, we are
selling Dana's book _How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet and Lost Forty
Pounds!_ for $8.99 - that's 30% off of cover price! We have all of your
favorite low carb products on sale for at least *20% off list price*!
Come visit us
at http://www.carbsmart.com .

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Usable Carbs Explained Again!

>From a reader known simply as "kel", I received the following:

I was wondering - regarding this absorbable carb thing - do they simply
subtract the amount of fiber from the total carb count or is it more
complicated than that?  I seem to handle some carbs fine, and was
wanting to explore my grocery store more, but I don't want to add too
many and I don't understand the "carbohydrate" section of the food label
very well.
Also, you mentioned something about dairy carbs being different - would
you please repeat that for me.

Hey, I live to serve. ;-)

The thing about dairy carbs first:  Milk, although most of us grew up
thinking of it as a protein food, actually contains about half again as
much carbohydrate as it does protein, in the form of lactose (milk
sugar) -- 12 grams of carbohydrate and 8 grams of protein per cup.  This
is why basic low carb diets, like Atkins and Protein Power, don't allow
milk.  However, in their book _The GO-Diet_, Jack Goldberg, Ph.D. and
Karen O'Mara, D.O., explain that yogurt does not actually contain the
full 12 grams of lactose per cup that were in the milk it was made from,
even though those 12 grams of carb are listed on the labile.  (This
count would be for plain yogurt.  Flavored yogurt, which generally has
sugar added, would have far more.)

Why does the label say 12 grams of carb if there are fewer?  Goldberg
and O'Mara say you should count only 4 grams of carbohydrate for a cup
of plain yogurt, so where did the other carbs go?  They've been
converted into lactic acid by the yogurt bacteria; this is what gives
yogurt its characteristic tangy flavor. (This also means that folks who
are lactose intolerant should be able to deal with yogurt just fine.)
However, when food is assayed -- tested for its macronutrient content --
carbohydrate content is apparently determined "by difference".  What
this means is that they determine the calorie count, and then they
determine the protein content and the fat content.  Once they've
subtracted the protein calories and the fat calories from the total,
whatever calories are left over are assumed to come from carbohydrate.
In the case of yogurt -- and I'd like to emphasize, this is the only
case I'm aware of -- the label is wrong.  Count 4 grams of carb for
every cup of plain yogurt.

(I'd like it insert here that since I read _The GO-Diet_ I have added
yogurt back to my diet with some enthusiasm; I generally eat a serving a
day.  I make my own at home; it's cheaper and I think it's better.  I
like my yogurt best flavored with a few drops of lemon extract and a
spoonful of Splenda or a few drops of liquid saccharine; this is as
tasty as any dessert to my way of thinking!  For a few more grams of
carb, I'll mash in two or three fresh strawberries, plus a little
Splenda, or I'll stir in a spoonful of the new Splenda flavored
preserves I'll be reviewing soon.  I find that yogurt keeps me full for
quite a while, so it sure doesn't seem to be causing any nasty blood
sugar swings for me.  Your mileage, of course, may vary.)

It couldn't hurt to mention here that lactose is a low impact
carbohydrate, and milk certainly supplies protein, calcium, and some
vitamins.  So if you, like Kel, do fine with a few carbs in your diet,
milk is one of the better places to get them.  (Sure beats Count
Chocula!)

As for reading the carbohydrate content on other labels, here's how it
goes *for American food labels* (my European readers should ignore this,
and I don't know about Canada!):

You will find on the nutrition label a listing for "Total
Carbohydrate".  Under that listing, you will also find "Sugars" and
"Fiber"; there is no breakdown for starches.  The thing to realize is
that the number under "Total Carbohydrate" *includes* the number under
"Fiber".  This is because fiber is actually a carbohydrate; however, it
is a carbohydrate that you can neither digest nor absorb.  Therefore you
can subtract the fiber number from the total carbohydrate number, to get
the count for carbohydrates that you will absorb, and that will,
therefore, affect your blood sugar and insulin release.

If you buy a food count book, which you certainly should, the listings
are the same -- the number in the "carbohydrate column" will reflect all
of the carbs, including the fiber.  Therefore, you'll want to look in
the "fiber" column, and do the subtraction yourself.

(If you don't have a food count book, for heaven's sake get one!  I have
two that live on my desk -- how else do you think I work out the carb
counts for my recipes?  I have The NutriBase Complete Book of Food
Counts
( http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0895296675/lowcarbohysoluti
)and _Corinne T. Netzer's The Complete Book of Food Counts_ (
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0440225639/lowcarbohysoluti ).
You can take your pick.  I find it handy to have two because the
portions listed in the books sometimes differs, and it often is helpful
to be able to look up the carb counts for those different measurements.)

HOWEVER!  Be aware that many manufacturers of low carbohydrate specialty
foods are already doing the subtraction for you, so that they can list
that lower carb count in large numbers on their packaging!   Many of
them also subtract out glycerin (used for moistness in virtually all low
carb protein bars) and polyols -- isomalt, lactitol, sorbitol, etc --
carbohydrate-based sugar substitutes which are carbohydrates, but
apparently are barely absorbed at all.  If the manufacturer has done
this, it will say so somewhere on the label.  Likely, too, the
"carbohydrate grams" listing will say "absorbable carbs"..  Don't
subtract the fiber out a second time if they've already done it for you!

(Personally, I'm a little wary of this practice anyway.  While glycerin,
for instance, doesn't raise blood sugar levels directly or cause an
insulin release, it will replace glycogen stores -- glycogen is
carbohydrate stored in your muscles and liver --  which an A) cause you
to gain water weight and B) knock you out of ketosis, if you're on a
ketogenic diet.  It seems to me, under these circumstances, not entirely
honest to exclude these entirely from the carb count. The solution to
this, I feel, is to use the low carb specialty foods as an occasional
treat, rather than as day to day staples of your low carb diet.)

As for my international readers, I have had one or two of you email me
and let me know that in some other countries the fiber content is not
included in the carbohydrate content figure.  All I can suggest is that
you need to be clear as to how food labeling in *your country* works, or
use a good food count book instead.

A couple of notes regarding this subtracting of fiber from the total
carbohydrate content:  Foods which combine their carbohydrates with
large amounts of fiber tend to have a lower blood sugar impact than
foods which have the same amount of absorbable carbohydrate, but don't
have fiber.  The reason for this is that fiber acts a bit like a sponge,
holding onto the absorbable carbs and slowing their absorption into the
blood stream.  So fifty grams a day of absorbable carbohydrate combined
with, say, 10 grams of fiber is going to be easier on your body than
those same fifty grams a day of absorbable carb with no fiber content.

Also, of course, most high fiber carbohydrate foods contain more
vitamins, minerals, and valuable phytochemicals along with them than
most fiber-free carbohydrate foods.  In other words, 50 grams of
carbohydrate worth of spinach, strawberries, pecans, alfalfa sprouts,
and asparagus are going to do a *whole* lot more for you nutritionally
than 50 grams of carbohydrate worth of marshmallows.  I trust this
doesn't come as a big surprise!

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Time's Running Out!  If You Want To Cruise With Me, Today's the Day!

Okay, all you cruise procrastinators -- yes, you, the one who's been
thinking, "Oh, man!  I've got to go on that Low Carb Cruise, but hey,
it's summer.  I'll register later."  Guess what?  Time's running out.
Already there are no ocean view rooms left!  And inside rooms are
disappearing *fast*.  If you want to come along, you'd better make that
reservation *NOW*, as in *right now*.  And don't worry about not having
an ocean view room -- that's what all those decks and pools and stuff
are for!

So reserve your space today!  It's going to be a blast!  We're going to
have whole lot of fun, learn a lot, get away from *WINTER* (which *is*
coming, you know!), get rid of the holiday stress, get the New Year off
to a *great* start, learn about various low carb diet options, look at
the latest low carb cookbooks,  brainstorm day to day low carb diet
strategies, sample new low carb products, learn way-cool breathing
exercises to accelerate metabolism -- all on an outrageously luxurious
and beautiful floating resort called the Carnival Victory, the newest,
largest, and most luxurious ship in the Carnival fleet!  You have to see
this ship to believe it!  And we're going to Mexico, Grand Cayman, and
Jamaica!  How cool is *that*?!

Join me!  Get an autographed preview copy of my second book! Meet new
low carb pals!  Knock off another five pounds!  And have a *ball*!  We
sail on January 7th, 2001 (You'll want to be in Miami by the evening of
the 6th -- we can arrange that, too.) for a full week!

But you want to get your reservations in *now*.  Why?  Because just like
with airlines, you get a better rate with cruise lines if you *book in
advance*.  At this point, we're moving toward the winter Caribbean
cruise season, and prices will only go up.   So book now!!  Your deposit
is fully refundable through October 15th, should anything untoward
happen.  Check out all the details of the cruise at
http://www.holdthetoast.com/cruise.html .

C'mon, which would you rather be doing come the second week in January?
Shoveling snow?  Or sailing blue waters with me and a whole bunch of low
carb diet pals?

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

I am a born skeptic. I also have been obsessed with food for my entire
adult life. When I am going   to eat, what I am going to eat, where I am
going to eat, if there will be enough food left by the time I get to the
front of the line... Not a very nice way to live. This book HAS CHANGED
MY LIFE!   So far, everything she has said has been true. Everything
that she said would happen, has happened.

And it's not hard to do at all! Sure, the initial adjustment to serving
a meal with no potatoes or bread  is a little odd, but you get over it
pretty fast. Somehow, this diet just clicked with me. After reading  her
book, I have at least 6 more reasons to eat this way than just to lose
weight. That's not even my focus any more! She explained all the
different approaches of all these other authors and shows you  how to
pick and choose which aspects of which approaches will work best for
you. It's remarkably easy to read, too!

 I hope you find something that works for you. But for my money, this
was the best that was out there for me.

"Buggily", Minnesota

Thank you, Buggily!!

You can read this and other reader reviews at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0966883101/lowcarbohysoluti

And you can read the first chapter of _How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet and
Lost Forty Pounds!_ for FREE at http://www.holdthetoast.com !  You can
order the book through the order page on the website, through
Amazon.com, or -- and this is a *very good deal!* through Carb Smart, at
http://www.carbsmart.com .

If you'd like to order the book through a local bookstore, you should be
able to do so virtually anywhere in the USA -- just give them the title,

_How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet and Lost Forty Pounds!_, and the ISBN
(0-9668831-0-1), and tell them it's available through Baker and Taylor
-- that's our wholesaler!

International readers, I'm afraid you'll have to order through the
internet, or by sending us a check or money order here at Hold the Toast
Press -- we don't have an international wholesaler yet. :-(  But we've
shipped as far as Japan!  We'd be happy to ship to you!

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Very Cool Reader Letter

Dear Dana,

Just found your web site today and am enjoying all your helpful advice,
delicious sounding recipes and the welcome encouragement.

I started low carb dieting about about 2 months ago just to see if I
could lose a few pounds before my 20 year high school reunion.  I did,
but what was more incredible was the drastic change in my moods.  You
see, about 9 months ago I found myself very depressed, low energy, and
extremely emotional.  It was like PMS 24/7.  Talk about a donkey ride
through hell!  I
tried a low fat diet, acupuncture, chinese herbs, exercise but nothing
helped.  (Didn't want to do the drug thing.)  Within 2-3 days of
discovering and beginning a high protein/low carb diet, I noticed
dramatic changes.  I had tons of energy, felt much more rested upon
waking, lost weight, AND no mood swings or depression.  It was a 180
degree turn for me.  After a couple
of weeks, I went back to the "BAD" way of eating just to see what would
happen; sure enough, the depression returned within a day or two, only
worse.  I've tried this experiment twice in the last 2 months and the
results are the same, so it's no fluke.

I don't know if it has to do with glucose levels or what, but I'd be
interested in learning more about low carb dieting and it's effect on
the brain/moods etc.  Have you come across anything in your research?  I
understand how busy your schedule is, so please do not feel obligated to
reply.  I only wanted to offer my two-cents in hopes that you and other
readers may be encouraged.

Thank you again for your hard work.  It is very much appreciated!

Stacey Gallup

Stacey, thank you very much for sharing this story with my readers!  As
I posted back to you, there is indeed a strong connection between
nutrition and mental health, and most especially between blood sugar
levels and mental health.  I plan to write a feature article on this
soon!

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Readers' Product Reviews!

Here's a couple of product reviews/suggestions sent to me by readers:

Heather Firth writes:

You mentioned that people write to you about craving cinnamon and sugar
- and I thought I was the only one!

I found a really great cure for myself - Lipton's Soothing Moments
Cinnamon Apple Herbal Tea.  This stuff is great - smells good, tastes
good and really kicks that cinnamon craving.  It has less than 1 carb
per tea bag.  I usually pop in a packet of Splenda.  This gives me a
really satisfying "dessert" after lunch at work without bumping up my
lunch carbs.

I think this is a *great* idea, Heather, and I know a whole bunch of
readers are going to be trying this.

And Kathy, aka TopKat, came home from her local WalMart and wrote:

Didn't find Splenda there YET, but a big display of CARB SOLUTIONS
protein bars "For Low Carb Diets" boasting only 2 carbs per bar.  $1.97.

I have taste tested each of the three flavors I bought: Creamy Chocolate
Peanut Butter, Chocolate Fudge Almond, & Chocolate Toffee Hazlenut.

My husband just came home and I gave him the opportunity to taste test.
His comment was "I guess if you were starving half to damn death, you
could eat it".  He's low carb too, so it's not like he is used to
Snickers.

As well as lacking in the flavor department, they have a very bitter
aftertaste.

Maybe we're not such good judges though.  We only like Atkins Chocolate
Coconut bars. For that reason (plus trying to stay close to induction
for a while), we haven't been so anxious to try other brands of bars.
Since these were right in front of me and I got so excited to see
something targeting the LOW CARB DIETERS in a place like WallyWorld, I
couldn't resist.

PS.  Got into a size 14 jeans today, and they came home with me!!!  It's
been years... and it felt so good....

Congratulations on those jeans, Kath!  As for the bars, yes, it is kind
of encouraging to know that we've reached the critical mass needed for a
*huge* retailer like WalMart to decide they need to cater to us -- let's
face it, in American society, true equality means being courted as a
market!  But I don't think I'll be running across town to Wally World
for these, if you know what I mean.

Big thanks to both my guest reviewers!

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That's it for this week!  See  you next week!

Dana W. Carpender

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