Dana's blog

I have read a big ol’ pile of nutrition books in the past 33 years. I generally learn at least a little something from each one, or at the very least am reminded of a point I may have forgotten. But in his new book Wheat Belly, Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist from Milwaukee, and author of Track Your Plaque, and the Heart Scan Blog has written a book in which the majority of the information is new to me. I am agog. And excited – I am a big nutrition geek, after all; it’s thrilling to have this sort of stuff presented to me, and presented in such a readable form.

But I am also frightened. Why frightened? Because the problem Dr. Davis has limned in this groundbreaking new book is staggering in its scope and implications. And the stuff causing it is not only near-universal, but widely seen as the most wholesome and beneficial of foods.

Ironically, I had it in my mind that I needed to write a review of Wheat Belly today, when I got an email from a reader, thrilled with my low carb whole wheat bread recipe. I’m glad she likes it, and the book, but... sigh.

A few months back, I wrote about the Arby's "Good Mood Food" ads. Tonight I saw the new iteration: Arby's ads now refer to their "mood-enhancing curly fries."

Laced with Ecstasy? Or Prozac? What's your bet?

A Two Line Review of the new Chocolate Quest Bars:

Me: "They remind me of Tootsie Rolls."

TNBIM: "Oh, geez, totally!"

Considerably higher protein and lower carb than Tootsie Rolls, of course.

So I made the pork rind cake. I started with the canonical recipe, making these changes:

* I did use sour cream instead of heavy whipping cream I soured with vinegar or lemon juice.

* I cut back on the cinnamon. The original recipe called for a half a cup, which is a heckuva lot of cinnamon. It's also 43 grams of carb, although 30 grams of that is fiber. I used 6 tablespoons, or 25% less.

This started as a recipe for a Thai Rice Salad with broiled salmon, but I had leftover chicken in the house, and I sure wasn't going to use rice! I played with the dressing some, too -- the original was sweeter, so add another teaspoon of sweetener if you think it needs it. I think the salad would be improved by chopped dry roasted peanuts on top, but I was going for something that would please regular low carbers and those who eat closer to paleo, as well -- since peanuts are a legume, they're not paleo. But truly, they'd be great here, if you want to add 'em.

For years I've heard rumors of Pork Rind Cake, and reports that it actually tastes quite good, like a spice cake or carrot cake. I happen to have a bunch of extra pork rinds in the house, left over from the Meet & Greet, so I think it's time to give it a try. Probably alter the canonical recipe some, though. Among other things, it calls for heavy cream soured with vinegar; I see no reason not to use sour cream.

I will report back here, and fill you in on A) my version, and B) if it's any good.

Finally wrote up the Low Carb Meet & Greet. Go to CarbSmart and see!

So our friend Scott Merritt was nearby, having been to GenCon, an event about which I know little except it's a huge, big deal for science fiction fans of all sorts, and apparently for Dr. Who fans in particular. Scott makes his living selling tee shirts at such events.

Sadly, having had to be at GenCon this past weekend meant that Scott won't be able to make it to the Low Carb Meet-and-Greet this coming weekend -- he lives in Texas, and it's quite a drive -- so he came by and hung out for an evening. Very good to see him.

The whole idea here was to come up with a recipe that would work for low carbers and paleo/primal folks, both. The only switch needed is to sub real honey and maple syrup for the sugar-free versions. These are mildly sweet; you could add more stevia if you want them sweeter, or even add some Splenda if you like.

I think these would be great in a kid's lunch box. Or bag. Or whatever kids carry lunch in these days.

Cherry-Almond-Coconut Cookie-Snacky Things

2/3 cup almond butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons sugar-free pancake syrup

Almost a year ago, I wrote about my attempts to make sugar-free limoncello. As I said at the time, I've never had the sugary kind, so I had nothing to judge it against. It's nice, but really too sweet for my tastes, drunk alone.

Over at the Facebook Fan Page, Susan Fortenberry Winkler expressed unhappiness that she didn't have a low carb meat loaf recipe, so I promised I'd post one here. This one is from The Glycemic Load Diet Cookbook, that I wrote with Dr. Rob Thompson.

This past week our nephew, Henry, and our niece, Halliday, have been visiting us. They're terrific kids, 13 and 10, and we had a lot of fun -- went to the local county fair, did some geocaching, poked around the pioneer village and the old, old cemetery at a local park, watched a few movies (Halliday is a To Kill A Mockingbird fan), and just hung out.

And as of this morning, I have an extra 5 pounds around my middle. Argh.

This is not due to any major Indulgence, but rather to just a modest relaxation of restrictions for the duration. To wit:

Back in May, I gave a less-than-enthusiastic review of Planter's Flavor Grove Skinless Almonds Chili Lime To recap, I found them bland and soggy and uninteresting. Indeed, the remainder of the bag is still sitting, untouched, on the side table behind my desk. I should feed them to the chickens.

I have been very quiet recently, and I want to apologize. It turns out that only part of my problem was sodium deficiency. The whirly head upon standing and the cramps when I pointed my toes went away, but after a few days of feeling much better, I was exhausted again, yawning all day, and barely able to think. Part of that was that my insomnia, usually pretty well controlled, has been acting up, but even on days when I'd slept well the night before I was tired and blank.

Clearly, sodium was not my whole problem.

I've mentioned this on the Facebook fan page and the podcast, but suddenly realized I hadn't blogged about it -- and it's one month from today! YIKES!

Folks, on Saturday, August 13, from noon till 4 pm, we're holding the 2nd Annual Low Carb Meet-And-Greet with me, Jimmy Moore, and low carb blogger Amy Dungan. We'll be hangin' in my back yard, eating low carb food and shooting the breeze.