Carb Wars Blog

PRIZE PACKAGE #5 IN THE "NOURISHED" GIVEAWAY

2012-01-29T17:42:00.000-08:00

Today marks the beginning of week #5 in the giveaway to celebrate the launch of my new book, Nourished; A Cookbook for Health, Weight Loss, and Metabolic Balance.

THERE WILL AGAIN BE TWO LUCKY WINNERS!

Each winner will receive:

A 12 pack of 10-ounce packages of
HOMESTYLE BEEF AND BEAN or CHICKEN AND BEAN CHILI, with a retail value of $32.28.

PLUS

A 6-pack of large (0.75-ounce) bottles of
EZ-SWEETZ LIQUID SUCRALOSE,
with a retail value of $62.99.

The total value of each of the two prize packages is $95.27!

~~*~~

Homestyle Chili:

I'm sure I cook more than the average person, but sometimes I still long for the days when lunch was as simple as "open--heat--eat." Homestyle Chili is a delicious option for those days when you want something good and hearty but don't have the time or energy to make it from scratch. You won't be tempted to fall off the low-carb wagon and order a pizza or grab a sandwich if you have a few packages of this chili in your pantry.

Homestyle Portable Portions Beef or Chicken Chili with Beans also makes a great portable lunch or snack to take to the office or anywhere with access to a microwave oven (or a pan and stove top). Many schools now provide microwaves for students who bring bag lunches so they can prepare their own hot lunch. Each serving contains 26 grams of protein and less than 5 net grams of carbohydrate. The packages require no refrigeration and the handy, microwavable, single serving plastic cups are BPA free, also an important consideration.

My favorite accompaniment for chili is a handful of the Almond Parmesan Crisps from Nourished, made of almond flour and Parmesan cheese. They have a net carb count of 0.2 grams each. If you make them very thin and bake them until they are golden brown, they taste a lot like Pringles, but 5 Crisps have only 1 net carb, the amount in one potato chip! Make them ahead and and keep them handy to pair with your Homestyle Chili whenever you need an easy, tasty meal at home or on the go.

For more information, customer reviews, and where to purchase Homestyle Chili, go to: http://www.homestylefresh.com/main.htm.

EZ-Sweetz liquid sucralose:

The EZ-Sweetz company has generously provided two more 6-packs of their large bottles of liquid sucralose for my readers. The picture above shows only one bottle, but each of the winners will get six! Each 6-pack contains a total of 1,800 servings of sugar-free, calorie-free, zero carb, sweetener. One drop of EZ-Sweetz equals 1 teaspoon of sugar. It is heat stable and can be used in recipes that will be cooked. Unlike some sweeteners, sucralose does not alter the effect of medications or affect blood glucose levels and it has been approved for use by children and pregnant or nursing mothers.

EZ-Sweetz will be featuring special introductory offers and coupons on their website at http://www.ezsweetz.com/ and on their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ezsweetz?sk=app_108742052506030 in the next few weeks to mark the introduction of EZ-Sweetz in retail stores across the country.

~~*~~

Entries for Prize Package #5 will be accepted until February 4th at 12 midnight, Pacific Time. To see how to enter the Nourished giveaway, go to:

http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2012/01/deadline-for-prize-package-3-and-new.html

ENTRIES FOR PRIZE PACKAGE #4 DUE BEFORE MIDNIGHT TODAY

2012-01-28T10:05:00.000-08:00

Time is running out if you want a chance to win one of two vanilla gift boxes plus two six-packs of large bottles of EZ-Sweetz liquid sucralose! A new contest starts on Sunday, 1/29/2012.

(C) 2012, Judy Barnes Baker, www.carbwars.blogspot.com

PRIZE PACKAGE #4 WILL HAVE TWO WINNERS!!

2012-01-22T16:10:00.000-08:00

Prize package for winner #1 in the 4th Nourished giveaway:

Prize package for winner #2 in the 4th Nourished giveaway:

I am so excited to tell you about the 4th Prize Package in the Nourished giveaway. And this time there will be 2 prize packages and 2 lucky winners!

One winner will receive a Baker's Gift Set of vanilla products from Singing Dog Vanilla, with a retail value of $34.99 PLUS a 6-pack of 0.75-ounce bottles of EZ-Sweetz liquid sucralose, with a retail value of $62.99. That's a grand total of $97. 98!

The second winner will receive a Vanilla Lover's Gift Set from Singing Dog Vanilla, valued at $28.50 PLUS the 6-pack of EZ-Sweetz liquid sucralose, valued at $62.99 for a total of $91.49!

~~~*~~~

Singing Dog Vanilla

The Baker's Gift Set from Singing Dog Vanilla, is the perfect gift for the person in your life who loves to bake. It includes a bottle of Organic, Pure Vanilla Extract with a whole vanilla bean inside, a jar of Vanilla Bean Paste for adding a touch of class to any dessert, and a bottle of alcohol-free Pure Vanilla Flavor for adding real vanilla taste to frostings and cold desserts.

The Vanilla Lover's Gift set includes Organic Vanilla Coffee, Organic Vanilla Lip Balm, Organic Pure Vanilla Extract, and alcohol-free Pure Vanilla Flavor.

One of my favorite new recipes in Nourished, Vanilla Spice Broiled Chicken, was inspired by a recipe for a barbecue rub from the Singing Dog website.

Singing Dog, all-natural, fair trade, organic, and sugar-free vanilla is available in natural stores nationwide and online from www.singingdog.com and www.lowcarb.com.

(What is a singing dog? The vanilla beans for Singing Dog Vanilla are grown in Papua New Guinea, home of a wild dog that doesn't bark, but "sings" like a whale. You can hear the song on their website.)

~~*~~

EZ-Sweetz

The makers of Splenda chose to use sugar as the bulking agent for their sucalose products. What were they thinking? It adds 24 grams of sugar (that's 6 teaspoons!) to an amount equal to one cup of sugar (sucrose). Finally we can choose to have a zero-calorie, zero-carb sweetener without even a trace of sugar. EZ-Sweetz is poised to go mainstream in the next few weeks and it will soon be as readily available in stores as Splenda is now. They will be featuring special introductory offers and coupons on their website at http://www.ezsweetz.com/ and on their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/ezsweetz?sk=app_108742052506030.

The EZ-Sweetz company has generously provided several 6-packs of their large bottles of liquid sucralose for my readers. The pictures above only show one bottle, but each of the winners will actually get six! Each 6-pack contains a total of 1,800 servings. How sweet is that?

To see how to enter the giveaway, go to:

http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2012/01/deadline-for-prize-package-3-and-new.html

PRIZE PACKAGE #3 WINNER

2012-01-22T15:55:00.000-08:00

Jennifer Dolan is the winner of $100 worth of products from Cleure and Primal Body, Primal Mind, by Nora Gedgaudas. I have Prize Package #4 almost ready to post, so check back later today and see the great prizes you can win in the next round of the giveaway.

Congratulations, Jennifer!

DEADLINE FOR PRIZE PACKAGE #3 AND A NEW EASIER WAY TO ENTER

2012-01-21T12:26:00.000-08:00

The deadline for entries for Prize Package #3 ($100 worth of Cleure products and the Nora Gedgaudas book) in the Nourished giveaway is tonight, January21, 2012, at midnight, West Coast Time. There are three more exciting prizepackages yet to come.

I wanted to enlist your help in spreading the word aboutthe new book, which was my purpose in holding the giveaway. However, I've hadcomplaints that my instructions are too complicated and difficult to understand.As of today, I'm making it easier. I still hope you will talk about Nourished, tell yourfriends about it, Tweet about it, blog about it, mention it on Facebook, sign upto follow my blog, or buy the book, but I won't require you to do any of that.

How to enter:

All you now have to do is tell me you want to enter andhow I can contact you if you win. You can tell me via a comment on my blog, or,if you don't want to reveal your e-mail address to the public, send me ane-mail at judy@carbwarscookbook.com. Everything else will stay the same. The winner will be randomly selected at the end of each week and a new sweepstakes will be posted on the following Sunday. I will ask permission before revealing his/her name. At the end of each of the contests, all the entries will be discarded and you must submit new entries for the new prize package. Good Luck!

You can read the stuff I'm required to tell you at the end of the first post about the giveaway here:

http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2012/01/six-weeks-of-prizes-to-celebrate.html

(C) 2012, Judy Barnes Baker, www.carbwars.blogspot.com

2012-01-17T20:53:00.000-08:00

I've been invited as a guest on the John Phillips Show on KABC Talk Radio in Los Angeles this morning and the McIntire in the Morning Show tomorrow. It occured to me that new visitors to my blog might expect to find a description of my latest book, so here it is:

NOURISHED;

A Cookbook for Health, Weight Loss, and Metabolic Balance

Thescience is clear—controlling insulin is the key to health and metabolic balance,and controlled-carbohydrate diets are the natural way to control insulin. The menus in Nourished will promote effortless weightloss without hunger or deprivation. They can be combined to provide a full dayof delicious food that totals between 20 and 50 grams of digestiblecarbohydrates. Substantial scientific evidence indicates that this range keepsinsulin levels low enough to provide a metabolic advantage for weight loss, toprevent and reverse the complications of diabetes and many other disorders, andto reduce or eliminate the need for medications.

The 236 recipes in 52 menus contained in Nourished demonstrate just how sumptuous, indulgent, and satisfying this way of eating can be. They range from basic to gourmet; there is a pie with just 3 ingredients, but there is also an authentic gumbo that lives up to the highest standards of New Orleans cuisine. Other recipes include: Vanilla Spice Broiled Chicken, Home Fries, Cheddar Biscuits with Butter and Jam, Candied Fennel Tart, and a Cake with Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting that has less than 4 grams of carbohydrates per slice.

There are menus for quick breakfasts and snacks, tasty everyday meals, elegant dinner parties, traditional holiday feasts with all the trimmings, and everything in between. Every menu includes carbohydrate totals for the meal in order to simplify carb counting. Mix and match alternatives and options make them easy to customize for individual needs. A complete nutrition data analysis, including portion sizes and preparation time, is provided with each recipe. Helpful tips, stories, and quotes make Nourished not just a cookbook, but a good read as well.

Nourished includes comfort foods and traditional favorites as well as innovative ideas and products. For example: there are recipes for pies and desserts that rival the conventional versions while using non-starchy vegetables in place of high-carb fruits. There are recipes using exciting new products that make it possible to closely duplicate the taste and texture of baked goods made with regular flour and sugar.

Nourished is sponsored by the Nutrition and Metabolism Society and endorsed by Innovative Metabolic Solutions, an organization that educates medical practitioners around the world about treating diabetes and other metabolic disorders.

Reviews:

“Nourished flows from the science, science that it explains well. Like Judy Barnes Baker’s first book, Carb Wars: Sugar is the New Fat, it provides a good introduction to the metabolic theory that makes dietary carbohydrate restriction the best diet for weight loss, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and, for most people, general health. Carbohydrate restricted diets are really insulin-control diets, and the science is clear on the need to control insulin fluctuations.”– Richard D. Feinman, Ph.D., Professor of cell biology at SUNY and founder of The Nutrition and Metabolism Society

“...When I recommend this book to my patients, I do it with confidence. Using this excellent tool, they are well on their way to changing their life and health with all the benefits I see every day for this lifestyle: fewer drugs, fewer health problems, more energy, less pain. If they have questions about the science, well, the answer is often here. Judy addresses some of the most common issues and discusses the science. So if I can’t be there to explain, this book can help....I will be using this in my clinic, but I’ll enjoy cooking from it as well. When I bring in these delicious recipes, the hospital staff will gather around pronto. I’m already considering what to prepare for the next holiday when I work.

Thanks, Judy. My patients needed this book, and so did I.”– Mary C. Vernon, M.D., Specialist in metabolic disorders and co-founder of Innovative Metabolic Solutions with Gary Taubes and Eric Westman, M.D.

“The “meat” of this book is the extensive culinary information, recipes, and meal plans that will make losing weight and establishing your lifestyle not only nourishing but fun and tasty. Recipes for a variety of very low levels of carbohydrate intake are included.” – Jacqueline Eberstein, R.N., Controlled Carbohydrate Consultant

416 pages in full color, more than 80 pictures

Available from: www.lcfoodscorp.com/books, and from: http://danforthbooks.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/nourished-a-cookbook-for-health-weight-loss-and-metabolic-balance. Amazon also has books but they are still saying it is "out of stock." That should be corrected soon: www.amazon.com/Nourished-Cookbook-Health-Metabolic-Balance/dp/0979201810/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327016317&sr=8-1

NOURISHED GIVEAWAY #3: A NEW WINNER AND A NEW PRIZE PACKAGE

2012-01-15T16:52:00.000-08:00

The winner of the 2nd prize package in the giveaway celebrating the launch of Nourished; a Cookbook for Health, Weight Loss, and Metabolic Balance, has been selected and notified. She requested that I not publish her name.

Here is #3 in our line up of fabulous awards. Review the rules and entry requirements here: http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2012/01/six-weeks-of-prizes-to-celebrate.html (It's easy, but we have to tell you these things.)

Prize Package #3:

A shopping spree from CLEURE. Retail value - $100.

PLUS

~*~

CLEURE is a combination of clean and pure. Their motto is "What goes on, goes in."

Dr. Flora Stay, a practicing dentist, university professor, author, and leading wellness expert, started the company when she could not find a chemically safe toothpaste for her patients. Dr. Stay's attention to detail has translated into the same painstaking process in formulating products and selecting safe packaging material. Today, Cleure is at the forefront in formulating and marketing a complete line of salicylate-free, paraben-free, fragrance-free, simple, safe, and effective personal care and skin care products and makeup. Cleure believes in keeping our environment safe, inside and out, by using environmentally friendly and green components. They also actively reach out to help those in need; they currently give back through the following organizations:

1. Dr. Paul St. Amand's research on fibromyalgiaat The Fibromyalgia Treatment Center in Marina Del Rey, CA.

2. The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in Camarillo, CAwho ship coffee for our troops as a way of saying thanks for their service.

3. Donations of money and products to 7 RescueMissions in California.

4. Donations of money and products to an African missionary in Camaroon focusedmostly on children.

I discovered this wonderfulcompany through Dr. St. Amand about 5 years ago. I have been a loyal customer andpromoter ever since. Check them out here: www.cleure.com.

~*~

Here's what Jimmy Moore, author of Livin' la Vida Low Carb, had tosay about Primal Body, Primal Mind; Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life, by Nora T. Gedgaudus:

“It’s a health plan so easy even an unga bunga caveman can do it!Gedgaudas uses humor, science-based facts, and common sense to debunk many ofthe myths we have been told about weight and health control in the 21stcentury. In the world of healthy high-fat, low-carb nutrition research and education, this is yet another book to complementyour healthy lifestyle change.”

REMINDER

2012-01-14T13:15:00.000-08:00

Entries for prize package #2 must be in by midnight tonight (1/14/12), so get yours in ASAP! See how to enter here: http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2012/01/six-weeks-of-prizes-to-celebrate.html . The next contest starts on Sunday (January 15, 2012).

(c) 2012 Judy Barnes Baker, www.carbwars.blogspot.com

SIX WEEKS OF PRIZES TO CELEBRATE "NOURISHED" #2

2012-01-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

Prize Package #2:

A Gift Basket of Products from LC Foods. Retail value - $55.86

PLUS

21 Life Lessons From Livin' La Vida Low-Carb: How The Healthy Low-Carb Lifestyle Changed Everything I Thought I Knew, by Jimmy Moore, 2009. List Price -$27.99

~*~

LC Foods Gift Basket:
The science is clear, but the stores are still full of non-fat, low-fat, and low-calorie "diet" foods, while low-carb items are hard to find and usually disappointing. What should be the world's easiest diet, one that never leaves you hungry, has been complicated by the difficulty of finding tasty products and cooking ingredients that fit the lifestyle.

I'm happy to tell you that all that is changing thanks to LC Foods. I had the chance to preview some of their remarkable products while they were still being developed: brownies that are moist and fudgy, pie crust that is flaky and tender, bagels, pizza crust, and breads that rival those you might find at a local bakery, things that I thought I would never be able to enjoy again.

Glen Frederich, the owner of LC Foods Corp, has worked tirelessly perfecting their flours, sweeteners, cereals, cakes, candies, and much, much more so we can enjoy a full range of high-quality, very low-carb and sugar-free foods and ingredients that are both healthful and delicious. People who have visited the website tell me, "This place is amazing!" I couldn't agree more.

Glen has graciously offered to provide one of my readers with a shopping spree at www.HoldTheCarbs.com. The winner of Prize Package #2 can choose a gift basket of 7 products valued at up to $55.86!

(Reminder: Glen also has the best prices anywhere on my books with an extra discount if you buy both. Check it out at: www.lcfoodscorp.com/books.)

21 Life Lessons From Livin' La Vida Low-Carb by Jimmy Moore:

Jimmy Moore rose to Internet fame following his own triple-digit, low-carb weight loss in 2004. His relentless work on his Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb blog http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/, which has had more than 4 million visitors, and his interviews with hundreds of guests on his podcast series, "The Livin La Vida Low-Carb Show," have made his one of the top diet and health web sites online in the world today.

Jimmy has been described as a steady voice of reason in a sea of diet insanity. His first book about his low-carb weight loss success Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb: My Journey From Flabby Fat To Sensationally Skinny In One Year, was released in 2005. This, his follow-up book in 2009, continues the story of his remarkable journey and his dedication to showing others how to live a more healthful and joyful low-carb life.

Jimmy will personally ship his book out to the winner, so ask him to sign it just for you.

WE HAVE A WINNER!

2012-01-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

Prize Package #1 in the Nourished giveaway, a hardback copy of Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It and a set of eight stainless steel steak knives, goes to (drum roll, please): Genevieve Carter!

There are lots more good things to come, so don't give up if you didn't win this time. I'll be posting Package #2 shortly, so reread the rules here http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2012/01/six-weeks-of-prizes-to-celebrate.html and get your entries in for the next round. Don't forget to tell me that you want to enter the giveaway, which activities you did, and provide me with an e-mail address or a phone number so I can contact you to get your address if you win.

Congratulations, Genevieve, and thank you to everyone who posted, Tweeted, blogged, LIKED, or came up with other creative ways to help me get the word out about the new book!

ENTER TO WIN

2012-01-06T09:24:00.000-08:00

Don't forget to enter to win the first of 6 prize packages in our giveaway. Entries are due by midnight tomorrow! Details are here:
http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2012/01/six-weeks-of-prizes-to-celebrate.html

Amazon update:
Amazon has changed the status for Nourished to "out of stock," which is what they should have said. They are taking orders again and should start filling them soon.

The responding person (entity?) gave a lame excuse for the mistake and said they always put up an "out of print" notice when they run out of books. (No they don't. They put up an "out of stock" notice.) Tip: Amazon offers free shipping, but LC Foods has the best price.
(C) 2012, Judy Barnes Baker, www.carbwars.blogspot.com

PROBLEM WITH AMAZON

2012-01-04T10:27:00.000-08:00

We've hit a bump in the road for the book launch. "Nourished" was set to be released on Amazon on January first. They were taking pre-orders until the 31st, but on January first, they marked it as "Out of Print" and stopped taking orders. As far as I can tell there are no actual humans who work there, so it's very hard to get a response when there is a problem.

Nourished is NOT out of print! It is available from LC Foods

http://lcfoodscorp.com/books at a great price and from Danforth Books, who also offer it at a discount. http://danforthbooks.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/nourished-a-cookbook-for-health-weight-loss-and-metabolic-balance.

SIX WEEKS OF PRIZES TO CELEBRATE "NOURISHED"

2012-01-01T16:35:00.000-08:00

Prize Package # 1:

Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It, by Gary Taubes, 2011. List Price -$24.95.

Plus

A set of 8 stainless steel steak knives. Retail value - $80.00.

~*~

We are celebrating the release of Nourished; A Cookbook for Health, Weight Loss, and Metabolic Balance by giving away some fabulous prizes. Six (so far) prize packages will be announced here on my blog over the next six weeks, starting today, January 1st, 2012. Entry deadline for prize package #1 is Saturday January 7th, at midnight. At the end of each week, one lucky winner will be randomly selected and a new sweepstakes for the next prize package will start the following week.

There are a number of ways to enter. Each approved activity from the list below will give you one entry to win one of the prize packages. You may enter up to once a day for each of the prizes packages for a total of 7 entries per person per prize package. One winner will be announced on my blog at the end of each week. All non-winning entries will be discarded. New entries are required to be eligible to win the next prize package.

Important Change: By popular request, the entry rules have been simplified. See revised rules here: http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2012/01/deadline-for-prize-package-3-and-new.html

To enter:
Leave a comment on my blog at www.carbwars.blogspot.com and tell me that you want to enter the current Nourished giveaway or send me a message at www.judy@carbwarscookbook.com, then tell me which of the activities you did. You will get one entry for each activity. Be sure to include an e-mail address and/or a phone number where I can reach you. I will notify you if you win and get your address. Winners will be announced on my blog. Good Luck!

Activities to enter:

1. Order Nourished from LC Foods Corp (http://lcfoodscorp.com/books), Danforth Books (http://danforthbooks.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/nourished-a-cookbook-for-health-weight-loss-and-metabolic-balance), Amazon, or any other vender, or pre-order or order any version of the e-book from Amazon or any other vendor when it becomes available. (Previously purchased book also qualify, just tell me where you bought your copy when you enter.)

2. Post a comment or a review about Nourished on you own blog or website or mention it on another site where permitted.

3. Add a comment to any of my blogposts at www.carbwars.blogspot.com.

4. LIKE us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000564656569#!/profile.php?id=100003192738073&sk=wall or LIKE Judy Barnes Baker's Books Page on Facebook www.facebook.com/pages/Judy-Barnes-Bakers-Books-Nourished-Carb-Wars/244707018931254.

5. Sign up to follow my blog at www.carbwars.blogspot.com.

6. Tweet about Nourished.

7. Or come up with another way to spread the news and tell us what you did when you enter.

The Fine Print:
1. No purchase necessary to win.

2. Sweepstakes open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Colombia at least 18 years of age or older on date of entry. Void where prohibited.

3. One prize package per person.

4. The number of eligible entries received will determine the odds of winning.

5. Winners are responsible for any applicable taxes.

6. If a prize is not claimed by the winner within 2 weeks of the drawing, it may be forfeited and an alternate winner may be chosen.

7. Judge's decisions are final.

8. Participating entrants agree to all the rules and condition of this sweepstakes.

9. All Federal, State/Provincial, and local laws apply. By participating, entrants agree to release, discharge, indemnify, and hold harmless the sweepstakes Entities and each of their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives, and agents from and against any claims made by winners, entrants, or any other third parties, related in any way to the operation of this Sweepstakes as well as any other claims, damages, or liability due to injuries, damages, or losses to any person (including death) or property of any kind resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, misuse or use of any prize or participation in any Sweepstakes-related activity or participation in this Sweepstakes.

10. All rules are subject to change.

11. Disclosure: Some of the companies and individuals who have donated awards for this giveaway have provided me with samples of their products.

12. Giveaway sponsored by Duck in A Boat, LLC, PO Box 1185, Snohomish, WA 98291..

(C) 2012, Judy Barnes Baker, www.carbwars.blogspot.com

Interview with Dr. Su about Holiday menus and recipes

2011-12-26T12:22:00.000-08:00

I'm a little late posting this link to the interview I did with Dr. Su on his Carbohydrates Can Kill website. He invited me to share some of the holiday menus and recipes from my new cookbook, Nourished. It is always a pleasure to talk with Dr. Su and as usual, we ran out of time before we ran out of conversation.
http://www.carbohydratescankill.com/3311/80-judy-barnes-baker-on-lowcarb-holiday-entertaining

This Christmas tested our ingenuity as a sudden windstorm knocked out our power just as my daughter was putting four ducks in the oven. It stayed off for 12 hours. She brought out the camping gear and we used the barbecue and a Dutch oven to cook our holiday meal. Everything turned out great!

I hope you had a jolly time and may the coming year bring health and happiness to you and your loved ones.

(C) 2012, Judy Barnes Baker, www.carbwars.blogspot.com
Nourished, a Cookbook for Health, Weight Loss, and Metabolic Balance
Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

COOKIES FOR CHRISTMAS

2011-12-13T11:03:00.000-08:00

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 large egg

1 cup natural peanut butter, crunchy or plain, brought to room temperature

High intensity sugar substitute, such as sucralose or stevia, equal to 3/4 cup of sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of brown sugar replacement, such as Diabetisweet, LC Sweet Brown, or Just Like Sugar Brown

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup sugar-free chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet.

Beat the egg with a fork until smooth. Add peanut butter, sweetener, vanilla, baking powder, and baking soda and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips if using. Shape tablespoonfuls of dough into 34 balls and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Flatten the balls with a fork, making a crosshatch design on each cookie. (Cookies will have a diameter of about 2 inches and will not spread much.) Bake for about 15 minutes or until firm and browned. Let cool for a few minutes before removing from pan.

Makes34 cookies.

Per cookie—Net carbohydrate:0.9 grams (with a zero-carb sweetener); Protein: 2.1 grams; Fiber: 0.5grams; Fat: 3.9 grams; Calories: 47
Total weight: 13 ounces or 381grams

Weight per cookie: 1/3 ounce or 11.2 grams

Preparation time: 10 minutesactive, 35 minutes total

T i p:

Refrigerate natural peanut butterafter stirring and the oil will not separate.

Recipe from Nourished; A Cookbook for Health, Weight Loss, and Metabolic Balance by Judy Barnes Baker, available from: http://danforthbooks.myshopify.com/collections/frontpage/products/nourished-a-cookbook-for-health-weight-loss-and-metabolic-balance

or
http://lcfoodscorp.com/books
.

Almond Thumbprint Cookies

Help Santa lose his jelly belly by leaving him a plate of these tasty treats, filled with bright jam or rich chocolate.

1 stick butter (1/2 cup), softened to room temperature

Sugar substitute equal to 1 cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups almond flour or almond meal

1/3 cup finely chopped almonds

1/4 cup sugar free jam

Cream the butter with an electric mixer, then blend in the sweetener, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Whisk the almond flour together with the baking powder and salt. Stir into the butter mixture until smooth.

Refrigerate for 1 hour. Shape dough into 1-inch diameter balls and roll in chopped almonds. Place on a large cookie sheet. Make an impression in each ball with your thumb. Return to the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake cookies for 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned and baked through. While still hot, fill the cavities with a teaspoon of jam. Return to oven for 2 or 3 minutes to melt jam.

Recipe adapted from Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat, by Judy Barnes Baker

Makes 30 cookies.

Total Carbs per each: 3.3 grams;

Fiber: 1 gram;

Net Carbs per each: 2.3 grams (1.5 grams with zero-carb sweetener)

Recipe adapted from Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat, by Judy Barnes Baker, available from: http://www.amazon.com/Carb-Wars-Sugar-New-Fat/dp/0979201802/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323897043&sr=8-1

or
http://lcfoodscorp.com/books
.

Variation:

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

Instead of jam, fill the centers of the hot cookies with chopped, sugar-free chocolate chips or chocolate bars, such as Choco Perfection. Return to oven briefly if necessary to melt chocolate.

Recipe adapted from Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat, by Judy Barnes Baker, available from: http://www.amazon.com/Carb-Wars-Sugar-New-Fat/dp/0979201802/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323897043&sr=8-1
or
http://lcfoodscorp.com/books

NOURISHED IS LAUNCHED!

2011-12-10T11:12:00.001-08:00

I got a big surprise today! I had promised the first box of books to Glen over at LC Foods Corp. It seems he got his delivery before I got mine, and he has already started shipping them out. http://lcfoodscorp.com/books/nourished-judy-barnes-baker-book Then a little while ago, I got an e-mail from Jimmy Moore saying I should check out his blog at: http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/low-carb-cookbook-author-judy-barnes-baker-releases-her-long-awaited-new-book-nourished/12520. Wow, it looks like Nourished is launched!

Glen is selling Nourished at his cost and he even says he can get them out in time for Christmas giving. With his energy and enthusiasm, I know he can do it!

Thanks guys!

NOURISHED; A Cookbook for Health, Weight Loss, and Metabolic Balance

2011-11-28T13:33:00.001-08:00

I am very pleased to say that my new book isgoing to make its belated appearance soon. If you have been following thissaga, the first thing you may notice is that the title has changed. After myinterview with Jimmy Moore http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/the-llvlc-show-episode-469-judy-barnes-bakers-almost-ada-approved-low-carb-diabetic-cookbook/10714,one of my recipe testers contacted me to say that when she searched for the originaltitle, Eating on the Edge,something totally different came up—a line of low-fat products and a book thathad just come out. To avoid confusion, I changed my title to what you seeabove. The silver lining is that I like the new title better. (One person toldme Eating on the Edge sounded like goingto the jungle to eat bugs and worms, while Nourished sounds warm and comforting.) We are planning to celebratethe launch with a promotional event including some really great prizes. Detailswill be forthcoming.

Meanwhile, check out Dr. Feinman's blog tosee what a REAL Mediterranean diet looks like. He included a couple of recipesfrom Nourished as examples. http://rdfeinman.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/a-mediterranean-interlude/

RED KURI

2011-11-18T19:21:00.001-08:00

I've been looking forward to the fall season after reading about Red Kuri Squash. It didn't disappoint.

Red Kuri may also be called Japanese Squash, Hokkaido Squash, or Uchiki Kuri Squash. It is Potimarron in France, and Onion Squash in the UK. In the US, it shows up around Halloween and disappears again after November. This tear-drop shaped, red-orange winter squash has the same high-fiber and low-carbohydrate count as pumpkin (4 net grams of carbs per 1/2 cup serving), and it can be used in the same recipes, but it has a firmer texture and the flavor is more like butternut squash than pumpkin.

I roasted some for dinner tonight and served it with steak, broccoli, and cranberry sauce. It will make a perfect side dish for Thanksgiving, reminiscent of sweet potatoes, but much lower in carbs. I started out with a very simple version, but it was so good, I may not change it (although a little cinnamon and nutmeg might be nice).

Red Kuri has a very hard rind, so I punctured it with a knife to keep it from exploding and microwaved the whole thing for 2 or 3 minutes until it softened a bit. Then I cut it up and used my trusty grapefruit spoon (never yet used on a grapefruit) to scrape out the seeds. I peeled the pieces with a vegetable parer and cut them into one-inch dice. I put them in a roasting pan with some chopped onion, sprinkled it all with salt and pepper, and dotted it with butter. After about 45 minutes in a 375 degree oven, stirring once half way through, the squash was soft and starting to brown. I left it in the oven for a few minutes longer while I pre-heated the broiler for the steaks. Actually, I left it a little too long and had to pick out a few blackened pieces, but other than that, it was a complete success!

Red Kuri Squash photo above by Schwabin.
(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker, www.carbwars.blogspot.com

STEVIA: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE BITTER

2011-11-05T19:16:00.000-07:00

Stevia comes from a South American herb that has been used by the indigenous people of Brazil and Paraguay for thousands of years as a sweetener and as a folk remedy for diabetes. It is hundreds of times sweeter than table sugar, but in its original form it has a bitter aftertaste that some people find objectionable. Many of the new stevia products that are now available, such as Truvia, Nuva, and PureVia, use only the sweet-tasting part of the leaf combined with erythritol as a bulking agent. Stevia is also available as a liquid and as a blend with fructooligosaccharide (FOS), a sweet fiber that comes from chicory root or Jerusalem artichokes, and other sweeteners.

Stevia was banned for use in foods in the US in the early 1990s and could only be sold as a dietary supplement. As a result of intense lobbying from the soft drink industry, rebaudioside-A, an extract of stevia, was granted GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status in 2008. A GRAS designation allows it to be sold as a food without undergoing the normal tests for safety. Some countries still restrict or ban the sale of stevia.

A study published in Denmark in 2000 demonstrated that stevia has the ability to stimulate insulin secretion by acting on the beta cells in the pancreas. The researchers concluded that it may have potential as an anti-hyperglycemic agent in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. 1

Stevia can cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) in some people and it may increase insulin sensitivity and delay the absorption of glucose from the intestines. As a result, it can change the effectiveness of diabetes medications and interfere with the timing of injected insulin, making it essential for those with diabetes to consult a doctor before using it. It is also said to lower blood pressure, so those on medication for hypertension should seek medical advice about using stevia.

Mayo Clinic nutritionist, Katherine Zeratsky, R.D., L.D., had this to say: "...It is probably safe in moderate doses. However, until we have more research, women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should probably avoid using stevia. Similarly, people taking diabetes or blood pressure drugs should use stevia with caution because of the risk that it might cause hypoglycemia or hypotension when combined with these drugs."2

I've noticed one more thing about stevia from my personal experience that I haven't seen mentioned. It has always been known that some people love stevia and some think it tastes bitter. The new reb-A extracts were supposed to solve that problem by using only the sweet compounds and leaving out the bitter ones. When I tried some of the new products, I found that they didn't taste bitter, but they also didn't taste sweet. It dawned on me that some of us can't taste the sweet components and that's why it tasted bitter in the first place. That would explain what happened a while back when the owner of a company that makes stevia-sweetened cookies sent me some samples. (I can't remember the name—and wouldn't tell you if I did, as I wouldn't want to discourage anyone from trying them or hurt the company's business.) I really wanted to like them, but they were horrible, like a mouthful of straw. The comments posted on Amazon by buyers showed that some people loved the cookies, but some reacted the same way I did.

Many sugar substitutes that contain stevia are blended with erythritol, lo han guo, sucralose, or other sweeteners, and those taste fine to me, but not quite sweet enough, as would be expected if I can taste all the sweeteners except the stevia. I still use them, but I either use a bit more or kick up the sweetness by adding a little sucralose. I'm not sure how many people are like me in regard to stevia. It is especially strange because I am usually something of a "super-taster." I can't eat cilantro, for example, because it has a strong, nasty flavor to me that other people can't taste at all. Clearly, there's just no accounting for tastes.

1 Jeppesen, P.B.; Gregersen, S.; Poulsen, C.R.; Hermansen, K.; "Stevioside acts directly on pancreatic beta cells to secrete insulin: actions independent of cyclic adenosine monophosphate and adenosine triphospate-sensitive K+-channel activity," Metabolism 2000 Feb; 49(2):208-14. Abstract at:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gove:80/entrez/query/fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10690646&adopt=Abstract

2 www.mayoclinic.com/health/stevia/AN01733MayoClinic.com

Stevia photo by Ethel Aardvark.
(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker
www.carbwars.blogspot.com

WHAT DOES A 400 POUND GORILLA EAT?

2011-10-28T23:17:00.000-07:00

For more than a year, I have been on a panel of advisers to the Kraft Food Company through their Cultivar Community program. I get an e-mail once a week suggesting a topic for discussion or asking a food-related question. I can state an opinion or respond to the comments posted by others. The activities are fun and and they elicit some interesting feedback. A few weeks ago, the administers posed the discussion topic: "What current or recent word or trend annoys you most?"

A member identified as Tanya O responded: "The food myths that bug me the most are: 'All carbs are bad,' and 'It is difficult for vegetarians to get enough protein' - gorillas are vegan and they don't have a problem :)'"

I remembered reading a post by Dr. Barry Groves on his website, Second Opinions, that specifically mentioned gorillas, so I went back to refresh my memory before posting a reply to Tanya with a link to his article.

Dr. Groves says, "No mammal - not even the herbivores - has developed an enzyme that will digest vegetable fibre. This is why we tend to discount it when calculating our calorie intakes, however, while mammals have not developed an enzyme that will digest fibre, there are lots of micro-organisms and bacteria that can do the job for them. The herbivores employ billions of these bacteria...." He goes on to discuss the digestive systems of various mammals, including gorillas and humans.

Herbivores derive nutrients from fiber in two ways. Some, like cattle, sheep, and deer, are foregut digesters. They have multiple stomachs that serve as fermentation tanks where fiber is broken down by bacteria. The dead bacteria then provide short-chain fats that nourish the animal. I took this picture showing the digestive system of a bison in a museum in Montana this past summer. The four stomachs are numbered.

Animals like rabbits, pigs, horses, and gorillas are hindgut digesters. They absorb some nutrients through the stomach and small intestine in the same way carnivores do, but the fiber in their diet is fermented to produce short-chain fatty acids (saturated fats) in the cecum and the colon. These fats are then used as fuel.

All herbivores use one of these two methods to get energy from what appears to be energy-deficient food sources. Obviously, all of them are adapted and designed to live on a high-fat, low carbohydrate diet, with a moderate amount of protein. The illustration below, from Dr. Groves, shows the difference between the digestive tract of a carnivore and a hindgut-digester, such as a gorilla. The gorilla's cecum, the long, spiral-shaped organ in the picture on the right, is analogous to the small human appendix. It is used to breed enormous quantities of bacteria that convert fiber into fat. The gorilla's diet of leaves ultimately breaks down to provide 24.3% of calories from protein; 15.8 % from carbs, and 59.8% from fat.

Plant eaters have large bellies to accommodate these fermentation factories and they must spend most of their time eating in order to survive on such a diet. By contrast, lions, wolves, and humans have short guts and they have (or should have) slim waists. They can spend most of their time lying in the sun like cats, or making things, conquering the world, or playing around like humans. A dog is not a cow. A gorilla is not a human. No amount of conviction or compassion can change one into the other, but ultimately, all wild mammals, both herbivores and carnivores, get about 60- to 70% of their calories from saturated fat.

I encourage you to read all of the 3-part article by Dr. Groves (www.second-opinions,co.uk/should-all-animals-eat-a-high-fat-low-carb-diet.html) so you will be prepared with an answer should you encounter someone like Tanya or Alicia Siverstone, the actress-turned-activist, who says she became a vegan because she loved her dog. When asked what she feeds her dog, she said she gives him the "same healthful, vegan food" that she eats. Poor doggie. She should get a rabbit.
(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat
www.carbwars.blogspot.com

NEW COOKBOOK FROM JENNIFER ELOFF AND FRIENDS

2011-10-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

LOW-CARBING AMONG FRIENDS

Jennifer Eloff was a true pioneer in the low-carb cooking world. She has been writing cookbooks since 1994 when she lived in Canada where three of her books made the Canadian Best Sellers List.

Jennifer's specialty is breads and baked goods and many of the things that have become standard practice for most of us were her innovations. I became acquainted with Jennifer through her blogs and by e-mail and now consider her a good friend although we have never actually met. (I'm hoping she and her husband, Ian, will join us on the Low Carb Cruise in May, the closest thing we have to a low-carb convention.)

Jennifer hatched the idea to put together a cookbook that was in fact, really 5 cookbooks in one by 5 different authors. I was invited to be a 6th, but sadly had to refuse as I was already committed to a book of my own. This book is the first of a series, however, and I am definitely on board for the 2nd installment. Low-Carbing Among Friends also contains contributions from 6 well-known personalities in the low-carb community, who served as advisers and supporters.

The timing was perfect for this new book, which is not only low-carb but gluten-free as well. It is due for release on November 11, but you can get a substantial discount by pre-ordering it from the website (http://amongfriends.us/index.php) before the official launch date. The first print run is already 80% sold out, so hop on over to the website to preview some of the yummy things this team of friends has cooked up for you and place your order while there are still a few books left. But don't worry, a second printing is already underway so there will still be time to pick up a few copies for Christmas gifts.

SERIOUSLY FUNNY CEREAL

2011-10-17T16:10:00.000-07:00

Food blogger, Kiri Tannenbaum, (www.delish.com) posted this story about an art installation at a Ralph's supermarket in Venice, CA. Artist Ron English's entertaining statement about a serious subject is titled, "Popaganda."

Artist’s Cereal-Box Stunt Makes a Real Point About Sugary Cereals

October 13, 2011 at 8:58AM by Kiri Tannenbaum

On the heels of a restaurant serving diners on Sadaam Hussein's plates comes another clever stunt. This time it's on cereal boxes. If you live in the Los Angeles area and happen to be perusing the cereal aisle at the Venice location of mega-supermarket Ralph's, you may find yourself confused. Gawker reports the manufacturer's boxes have been replaced with contemporary artist Ron English's "popaganda".

The packages have been rebranded, giving their names and slogans a satirical twist: "Sugar Frosted Fat," "Fruit Looped," and "Sugar Diabetic Bear." The controversial artist is famous for hijacking and twisting pop culture icons and advertising brands for his surreal pop art…."

Read the rest of the story here: http://www.delish.com/food/recalls-reviews/artist-creates-cereal-stunt-at-los-angeles-supermarket?GT1=47001

Used by permission.
(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

Harvard's New Healthy Plate

2011-10-03T20:45:00.000-07:00

This is really short notice, but we are invited to submit questions to Dr. Eric Rimm of the Harvard School of Public Health in response to the release of their "Healthy Eating Plate," the version of the nutritional recommendations that they propose as an alternative to the USDA's "My Plate." There will be a live, one hour, online question and answer period tomorrow, October 4, from 2:30 to 3:30 PM, EST. This is a chance to get your voice heard.

The press release from Harvard showing the new plate is here: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/2011-releases/healthy-eating-plate.html. You can get all the details about how to sign up with links on Jimmy Moore's blog at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.

They are accepting questions before the session at communications@hsph.harvard.edu or you may submit them on Twitter with the hashtag #platetalk.

After you have registered and submitted your question or questions, send a copy to Jimmy. He has agreed to collect and document all our messages.

Just to get you started, below is the question I submitted, one from Fred Hahn's list, and one from Dr. Feinman's list:

Question:

Since our government and health agencies advised Americans to eat less fat and more carbohydrates in the early '80s, obesity and diabetes have reached epidemic levels and cancer rates have tripled. The following quote is from Dr. Craig B. Thompson, President and CEO of Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

"It matters where your calories come from....If you overfeed somebody with fat you don't increase their cancer risk at all.... Overfeed with carbohydrates and you drastically increase their cancer risk. Protein is halfway between. That's why we are going to have a huge debate about these carbohydrate-based diets."

Carbohydrates appear to occupy about 75% of Harvard's New Healthy Eating Plate. How can you justify this?

--Judy Barnes Baker

Question:
Since there is ample scientific research to support a low carbohydrate/sugar diet for improvements in diabetes and other maladies associated with metabolic syndrome, why is your food plate three quarters carbohydrate? Has your group evaluated what the typical person’s blood sugar levels are after eating a meal that consists of three quarters carbohydrate in the proportions you suggest?
--Fred Hahn

Question:
Dr. Rimm, The Healthy Plate still limits saturated fat even though a study from your department showed that there was, in fact, no effect of dietary saturated fat on cardiovascular disease. The study was, in fact, an analysis of numerous individuals, the majority of which individually showed no risk from saturated fat. What was wrong with that study that allows you to ignore it?
--Dr. Richard Feinman

(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

SLOPPY JOE STUFFED PEPPERS

2011-09-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

This recipe didn't make it into the new book, so I thought I'd share it with you. The original version came from Linda Sue Genaw's website at www.genaw.com.

SLOPPY JOE STUFFED PEPPERS
Trade those soggy buns for tender-crisp, baked red peppers.

1 pound ground beef
¼ cup chopped onion, about 1 ounce
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in garlic oil, snipped or diced
¾ cup tomato sauce
Sugar substitute equal to 1 teaspoon sugar
1 ½ teaspoons white vinegar
1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon dry mustard
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 red bell peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded

Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease a 9- by 9-inch baking pan or dish.

Cook the ground beef in a skillet until it starts to brown. Drain off extra fat and add onion, celery, and garlic (use an extra clove of garlic if sun-dried tomatoes are not packed in garlic-flavored oil). Add dried tomatoes and some of the garlic-flavored oil. Stir in all remaining ingredients except the cheese and red peppers. Simmer 10 minutes. Stir half the cheese into the hamburger mixture. Place peppers in greased baking dish and fill with the meat and cheese mixture. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350º F for 20 to 25 minutes until hot and bubbly and peppers are tender-crisp.

Makes 6 servings
Per Serving: about 4.9g Net Carbs

Note: Use purchased dried tomatoes packed in garlic-flavored olive oil or increase garlic to 2 cloves and use dried tomatoes that have been covered with olive oil and heated until softened.

BACON LEEK SOUFFLE

2011-09-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

It is very rare to find a recipe in a major magazine that is almost perfect as it is. I made only a few small changes in the gorgeous soufflé pictured in the June/July issue of Fine Cooking. Mine looked exactly like the one in the magazine (I'll try to take a picture next time I make it, and I expect to make it often!). The recipe says it makes 6 servings, but the two of us ate half of it for supper with just a green salad and finished off the rest for breakfast the next morning. Although the recipe warns that it will deflate if not served at once, mine was still firm and high after a night in the refrigerator and a few minutes in the microwave.

BACON AND LEEK SOUFFLE

5 slices bacon, thinly sliced crosswise
2 medium leeks, light green and white part only
½ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup low carb milk* or ¼ cup cream plus ¼ cup water
5 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
5 large eggs, separated
1 large egg white
½ teaspoon cream of tartar (omit if beating egg whites in a copper bowl)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease an 8- by 8-inch baking pan. Chop the leeks; you should have about 2 cups, chopped.

Cook the bacon in a medium skillet until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the leeks to the skillet, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 4 minutes or until softened. Place leeks in bowl with bacon and stir in the thyme, salt, and pepper.

Gently warm the milk or milk substitute in the skillet on medium-low heat. Stir in the cream cheese and Parmesan and whisk until melted and smooth. Add the milk and cheese mixture to the bowl with the bacon and leeks and stir together. Let cool until just warm. Gently stir in the egg yolks and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar, if using, with an electric mixer to medium-stiff peaks. With a large spatula, carefully fold the egg whites into the leek and bacon mixture. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until puffed and golden brown on top 22 to 24 minutes. Serve immediately. (It took a little longer in my oven. If it is still soupy in the middle, put it back in the over for another 5 minutes or so.)

For each of 6 servings: Net Carbohydrates: 4.2; Fiber 0.4; Calories: 329; Protein: 12.4; Fat: 29.4

*You can use reconstituted LC Foods low-carb milk, Hood Calorie Countdown 2% milk, or "milk" made by my recipe in Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat.

(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker; Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

IS CHOCOLATE GOOD FOR YOUR HEART?

2011-09-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

A recent study from the University of Cambridge in the UK suggests that eating lots of chocolate may prevent heart disease. The report was published in the August 29, 2011 online edition of the British Medical Journal.

Chocolate has been linked to health benefits before, but in this analysis of recent studies, researchers found that those who ate the most chocolate reduced their risk for heart disease by one-third. Dr. Oscar H. Franco and his team did a meta-analysis of seven published medical studies that included a total of 114,009 people. The researchers did not differentiate between the kind of chocolate eaten: it included dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate drinks, cookies, and desserts. It compared those who reported eating chocolate more than once a week to those who ate it less than once a week. (The study was not funded by chocolate manufacturers.)

This was all epidemiological evidence. The researchers combed through computerized data looking for trends, but it doesn't actually prove anything; it can only show correlations. Just because two things happen together doesn't mean that one causes the other and it doesn’t rule out the possibility that the effect may be from something else entirely, including random chance. However, it can be useful as a way to rule things out. (In other words, it only takes one black swan to disprove the theory that all swans are white).

Puzzled by the seeming contradiction that a food high in saturated fat could reduce the risks of heart disease, the researchers seized on the only explanation that could co-exist with their preconceptions about chocolate: the antioxidents and bioflavanoids in chocolate must be powerful enough to over-ride the "bad" things in it.

To his credit, Dr. Franco warned that there have not been any clinical trials to see if the association is real or to determine how much and what kind of chocolate gives the best results. He doesn't recommend that anyone should eat chocolate for its health benefits, and if you do eat it, he says, you should eat it only in moderation because of its fat, calorie, and sugar content. (Saw that coming, didn't you?) He says, "We still need to clarify the quantity that permits chocolate to prevent heart disease….we don't think it's going to be a high quantity."

It doesn't occur to him that the benefits of chocolate might be because of the fats and not in spite of them, especially when tested in a population eating a diet in which most of the natural, traditional fats have been replaced with damaged fats, trans fats, and pro-inflammatory oils made from soy and grains. Dr. Franco should listen to his own advice and apply the same standard of proof to the studies frequently cited to show that saturated fats, like those in cocoa butter, are bad for you in the first place.

Plain, unsweetened chocolate is 87% fat, most of it saturated. But the largest percentage of the saturated fat is stearic acid, which is quickly converted into monounsaturated fat, like olive oil, when ingested. Stearic acid is the most common saturated fat and the predominate fat in red meat (the name is derived from the Greek word for "tallow," the fat found in red meat). Even the USDA's new guidelines exempt stearic acid from the list of saturated fats that should be avoided. In both epidemiological and clinical trials, stearic acid has been associated with lowered LDL cholesterol. (See footnote #1.)

I’d also point out the fallacy of his belief that chocolate necessarily contains sugar (one taste of a ChocoPerfection bar would be the best argument to refute that), although it is refreshing that he recognizes that sugar is not innocent. I'm sure the results would have been much more dramatic if sugar-free chocolate had been in the running.

Yes, chocolate is rich in antioxidants, with an ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbence Capacity) value of 55,650 for cocoa powder compared to 9,621 for wild blueberries or 3,290 for raw gogi berries. It is also a good source of fiber, iron, magnesium, and zinc and an excellent source of copper and manganese. It is naturally low in sugar and carbohydrates and has a glycemic load of zero. If more of the people in the studies examined by Dr. Franco ate chocolate, minus the sugar, several times a day, like I do, I'm sure the results would have been much more conclusive that chocolate is good and good for you.

1. Hunter, J. Edward; Zhang, Jun; Kris-Etherton, Penny M. (January 2010). "Cardiovascular disease risk of dietary stearic acid compared with trans, other saturated, and unsaturated fatty acids: a systematic review". Am. J. Clinical Nutrition (American Society for Nutrition) 91 (1): 46–63.

(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker; Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

NEW BREAD FLOURS AND MIXES AND A SPECIAL OFFER FROM LC FOODS

2011-08-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

LC Foods, the new low-carb food company that I had the privilege of introducing via my blog last November, has a special free offer for Carb Wars readers to introduce the latest additions to their line: LC-White Bread Flour and Mix and LC-Multi Grain Bread Flour and Mix, each with less than one net carb per generous slice.

Buy one bag of any product and get a FREE bag of any other product using the coupon code CARBWARS (see Sidebar). There is no minimum order and you can take advantage of this special until the end of the year. This is a great chance to try the new breads absolutely free.

And don't forget that LC Foods features the lowest price ever, anywhere, for Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat.

(C) 2011 Judy Barnes Baker, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

FINALLY: A PUBLIC FORUM TO DEBATE THE MERITS OF LOW CARB!

2011-07-15T16:25:00.000-07:00

In the talk he gave on last year's cruise, Tom Naughton suggested a way to bring the obesity epidemic to a screeching halt: one of us should sue Dr. Mary Vernon for malpractice. It was just such a scenario that led to a dramatic change in the eating habits of the Swedish people.

Dr. Anna Dahlqvist was forced to defend her practice of treating diabetic patients with a low-carb diet after a pair of dietitians reported her to the authorities. They accused her of harming her patients with a high-fat diet. The case generated a lot of publicity and the arguments on both sides were widely reported in the media.

On January 16, 2008, the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare declared publicly that a low-carb diet is “in accordance with science and well-tried experience for reducing obesity and Type 2 diabetes.” Bottom line: she was exonerated and one-fourth of the population of Sweden now follows a low-carb diet. (They call it LCHF, for low-carb, high-fat.)

It looks like we may, at last, have a chance to get the word out in a public forum that will generate attention like that of Dr. Dahlqvist's trial. It will lay the facts out before the American people about how to safely and healthfully prevent, treat, and reverse diabetes without expensive and dangerous drugs and how to put an end to our growing epidemic of obesity.

Ironically, it was an article in Diabetes Health Magazine by diabetes "expert," Hope Warshaw, that lead to this opportunity. You can read the original article and the 64 comments that it generated (not counting an unknown number, such as one from Dr. Feinman, that were never printed): http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2011/06/28/7199/type-2-diabetes-from-old-dogmas-to-new-realities---part-2/?isComment=1#comments.

The comments came mostly from people who were horrified that anyone would actually recommend that those with diabetes should INCREASE their consumption of carbohydrates. Many of the responses were from people with diabetes who shared their stories about how they got worse, not better, when they followed the "conventional wisdom" on diet advocated by their physicians, the ADA, the AHA, and the USDA.

Below is Dr. Feiman's letter to Nadia Al-Samarrie, Publisher and Editor in Chief of Diabetes Health Magazine, in which he suggested a panel discussion between the two opposing sides. Much to my surprise, she loved the idea and responded, "Together, including Dr. Bernstein, we can work on getting all the organizations involved. I will start at the AADE conference first week in Aug. Organizations like the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society can weigh in as well."

This could be it folks--the turning point in the fight for evidence-based medicine, a joust between the champions of low-carb against the champions of low-fat. If it is a fair fight, there is no question who will be victorious.

Those of us in the stands can show our support by joining the NM Society. Let our champions wear your colors as they go to battle for truth in science and for the health and healing of our nation. Do it now:
http://www.nmsociety.org/join.html#10

Proposal from Dr. Feinman, founder of the Nutrition and Metabolism Society, to the editor of Diabetes Health:

Dear Nadia,

I understand that publishing a popular site requires one to be provocative and I think you can see that many people had a strong response to Hope Warshaw’s article and your response. I think you will agree however that this is a serious matter and I want to suggest a mechanism for bringing the science out for the general public. I am suggesting a discussion between opposing points of view, less a debate that than a presentation of facts although one implementation might be to have a kind of jury of impartial scientists to present summaries. I would suggest that you and I be organizers and if DiabetesHealth would be one of the sponsors, I feel sure that I would be able to provide other sponsors. It would, of course, be imperative for the American Diabetes Association and the USDA Advisory committee to participate (send or endorse discussants) to establish that recommendations for people with diabetes conform to some kind of “sunshine law.”

The details of such a meeting could be worked out but as a starting point, I would suggest something along the lines of the following.

There would be two panels, one who maintains that a low-carbohydrate diet (definitions to be agreed upon in advance) is the default diet, that is, the one to try first, for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. The other would conform to the very restricted view on such diets (only for weight loss, concerns about heart disease or kidney disease or whatever).

There would be, say, four representatives on each panel endorsed, again, by the ADA and USDA, Diabetes Health and by the Nutrition and Metabolism Society.

Because of the voluminous literature, each side would specify ten papers in the literature, popular writings or book sections (max 30 pages each). Discussion would be restricted to these sources.

Participants would meet before hand to set up preliminary procedures to avoid a free-for-all or any “defenestration.”

Variations might include a second day in which both panels took questions from the public or press.

I feel sure that such a meeting would go a long way towards reducing the palpable bad feelings and I am sure you agree that the enemy is diabetes and related diseases and not people with other opinions. I would be glad to discuss, on the phone, how we can get started.

Best Regards,
Richard David Feinman

(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

HOMINY SALAD

2011-07-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a potato-less side dish, just in time for your Fourth of July cookout. The recipe is adapted from one by Martha Hall Foose; hers is made with regular hominy and has 20 net grams of carbohydrate per cup; mine has 6.l grams.

Have a great day!

Hominy Salad

1 can (29-ounces) Juanita's or Teasdale's Mexican-style hominy
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup Greek-style, full-fat yogurt
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
4 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon salt

Rinse and drain the hominy. Combine everything in a large bowl and toss. Chill for an hour and serve.

Recipe adapted from Martha Hall Foose's book, "A Southerly Course."

Makes 8 servings of 1 cup.

Net carbohydrate: 6.1 grams; Protein: 6.4 grams; Fat 11.2 grams; Fiber: 5.8 grams; Calories: 176

(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker

DISCOUNT OFFER AND BEST PRICE EVER ON "CARB WARS"

2011-06-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

Glen Frederich, owner of LC Foods, has really got a deal for you. He has decided to sell Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat for just $11.50; that's almost 50% off the list price of $21.95!

But that's not all. If you type "CARBWARS" (all caps, no space) in as a coupon code, you will get a 10% discount on everything you order in the next month. This is Glen's way of showing his appreciation to me for introducing his company via my blog as well as providing an enticement to my readers to try some of his products.

Go to www.HoldTheCarbs.com to see some of the great new things you can enjoy as part of your healthful low-carb lifestyle and take advantage of this introductory special.

(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

LC Foods Now Accepting Orders

2011-06-20T13:21:00.000-07:00

Last November, I told you about a new low-carb food company in the works, called LC Foods: http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2010/11/lc-foods-great-news-your-low-carb-life.html. This was exciting news, as we've seen the number of companies selling low-carb products steadily decline year after year. I'm happy to report that LC Foods is now open for business! They just rolled out 13 products with new ones appearing on the website daily.

Initial offerings include two of their innovative sugar substitutes: LC-Sweet White and LC-Sweet Brown. The bulking agents used in LC-Sweet are inulin (from chicory root) and polydextrose. It has 0.1 net carbs per teaspoon and 5.3 net per cup. (Compare this to Splenda(R) Granular, which has 0.5 per teaspoon and 24 per cup. The sweet fibers in LC-Sweet also provide the bulk and many of the other qualities of regular sugar that are missing in high-intensity sweeteners like Splenda(R).)

Another product that I especially like is the Real Milk Mix. You add your own fresh cream to make delicious whole milk. I find it much better then soy or almond milk in taste, and more convenient to use. Even when Hood(R) was still making low-carb, whole milk, I could never finish a carton before it spoiled. (All the stores in my area have discontinued even the 2% version now; they only stock non-fat and chocolate.) That's no longer a problem with LC Milk, since I can keep it on hand and mix just the amount I need, when I need it.

Other items now ready for ordering include: Frosting and Glazing Mix, Ice Cream Mix, Chocolate Milk and Hot Chocolate Mix, Hot Chocolate Sauce Mix, a low-carb thickener called Thick'nSaucy, Granola and Cookie Bites, and several cereal and cracker products, including a breading mix. Read more at www.LCFoodsCorp.com.

Glen has been sending me samples of his products as they were being developed, so I've had a preview of these as well as some of what is yet to come. He has also sent samples to other bloggers and low-carb foodies who volunteered to be testers and tasters so he could tailor his products based on our feedback.

I'm sorry to say that I didn't have as much time to devote to testing as I would have liked, as I've been preoccupied with the final push to get my book out (more news about that soon), but I can say that LC Foods has come up with some wonderful things that I don't think are available anywhere else. He has customized his line to give us what we asked for--quality foods with very few net carbs that taste good and don't contain sugar, soy, or sugar alcohols.

Most food manufacturers continue to cater to the low-fat, no-fat dictates of our misguided health agencies and many people who try a low-carb diet report that they give up because they can't find anything to eat. It takes a huge investment of time and money to start a company and develop a product line from scratch. It also takes a lot of courage and commitment to go against the trend and do what you believe in. I appreciate Glen and Elise Frederich's willingness to bet on low-carb and trust that those of us in the low-carb community will support them.

Thank you Glen and Elise. I applaud your efforts and wish you success in your new venture.

(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker, author, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

Disclaimer: I have received samples from LC Foods.

Better Late than Never: Advice About Normal Blood Sugar From The ADA

2011-05-26T13:47:00.000-07:00

I was astonished to see the ADA logo at the top of an article titled, "Eight Tips for Super Blood Sugar Control," in the May 24th issue of the Diabetes Health newsletter. If this was actually published with the approval of the ADA (and not another prank from Dr. Feinman*), it signals a turn-around of galactic proportions. The author, Clay Wirestone, even recommend reading the books of Gary Taubes and (are you sitting down?), Dr. Bernstein!

When I was under contract to write a low-carb book for the ADA, they told me I could select anyone I wanted to write the Foreword. I said, "How about Dr. Bernstein?" (It was really a test to see how they would respond.) They said, "Anybody but him!"

Dr. Bernstein has long been an outspoken critic of this organization. He told me he was the only author ever barred from advertizing in the ADA's publications. He often debated representatives of the ADA on the issue of normal blood sugar levels for those with diabetes, which they have always opposed. (In a confrontation with Hope Warshaw, she argued that, "Diabetics deserve to enjoy the same foods as everyone else." He said, "Diabetics deserve to be healthy.")

Mr. Wirestone waffles a bit, and his "under 7%" target for A1C levels is far above what Dr. Bernstein would prescribe, but if readers take his advice and read the recommended books, they will certainly learn what they need to know and they will also realize that they have been misled by our government and health agencies, including the ADA.

"Eight Tips for Super Blood Sugar Control
by Clay Wirestone, Diabetes Health

You're heard the doctors. You've read the articles. You know all about tight control.

Ever since the results from the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial were published in 1993, everyone has known that reducing A1C levels staves off complications and keeps us healthy longer. We know this. And we've listened.

But many type 1s--and even type 2s who aggressively manage their illness--suspect that they could do better. And just a bit of searching around the web or browsing in your local bookstore will prove you right.

For me, it was the work of Dr. Richard Bernstein. "Diabetics are entitled to the same, normal blood sugars that nondiabetics enjoy," Bernstein wrote in the preface to his book Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. He's stated that viewpoint repeatedly in interviews and articles.

And who could argue with it? Some disagree with Bernstein's advice on how to get that level of control--an extremely low-carb diet figures into his plan--but his basic notion tantalizes. Are normal blood sugars possible? Can people with diabetes transform good blood sugar control into great blood sugar control?

I think we can. And what's more, it's not that complicated. Here are eight suggestions...."

Read the rest of the article here:

http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2011/05/20/7159/eight-tips-for-super-blood-sugar-control/

* Dr. Feinman's press release from April 1, 2010: http://www.free-press-release.com/news-merger-of-metabolism-society-and-american-diabetes-association-surprise-union-to-promote-low-carb-diets-1270129599.html

(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH JIMMY MOORE!

2011-05-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

Unless you are new to the low-carb lifestyle, you are certainly familiar with Jimmy Moore's Livin' La Vida Low-Carb site at http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/. Jimmy serves as Grand Central Station for the low-carb community. I have him to thank for much of the success of my first book, and I was thrilled when he invited me for one of his very popular podcasts to introduce the new one.

When we recorded the interview, I was confident that the book would be out, or at least available for pre-order, by the time it aired, but I'm sorry to say that it is not. We are still tying up the loose ends before it goes to the printer.

Jimmy has been involved with this project from the start. (It was over three years ago when I sent him an e-mail with the slightly over-optimistic subject line, "The Carb Wars are Over; We Won!") Whenever I needed to consult with an educator, researcher, or doctor for advice about nutrition and metabolism, Jimmy could always put me in touch. When I needed to recruit recipe testers, it was Jimmy who put out a message that resulted in so many volunteers that I had to regretfully turn some of them away. When I just needed encouragement when things were going wrong, he was always there for support. He even helped me choose the title:

The Healthy Edge; A Cookbook Based on the Latest Science of Nutrition and Metabolism;

Preface by Dr. Mary C. Vernon

Foreword by Jacqueline Eberstein, R.N.

Scientific Perspective by Dr. Richard Feinman

Below is part of the copy that will appear on the back cover of The Healthy Edge:

"The Healthy Edge flows from the science, science that it explains well. Like Judy Barnes Baker’s first book, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat, it provides a good introduction to the metabolic theory that makes dietary carbohydrate restriction the best diet for weight loss, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and, for most people, general health. Carbohydrate-restricted diets are really insulin-control diets, and the science is clear on the need to control insulin fluctuations."
Richard D. Feinman, Ph.D, R.D.

"...when I recommend this book to my patients, I do it with confidence. Using this excellent tool, they are well on their way to changing their life and health with all the benefits I see every day for this lifestyle: fewer drugs, fewer health problems, more energy, less pain. If they have questions about the science, well, the answer is often here. Judy addresses some of the most common issues and discusses the science. So if I can't be there to explain, this book can help....I will be using this in my clinic, but I'll enjoy cooking from it as well. When I bring in these delicious recipes, the hospital staff will gather around pronto. I'm already considering what to prepare for the next holiday when I work.

Thanks, Judy. My patients needed this book, and so did I."
Mary C. Vernon, M.D.

"The “meat” of this book is the extensive culinary information, recipes, and meal plans that will make losing weight and establishing your lifestyle not only nourishing but fun and tasty. Recipes for a variety of very low levels of carbohydrate intake are included."
Jacqueline Eberstein, R.N.

I hope you will enjoy the interview as much as I enjoyed making it. Listen here:
http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/shownotes/4064/469-judy-barnes-bakers-new-cookbook-dr-charles-mobbs-diabetic-research-breakthrough-and-more/

(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker

Brainstorming in Portland for the Metabolism Society

2011-05-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

Dr. Feinman, founder of the Nutrition and Metabolism Society, invited me to join him and two other Northwest NMS members for a brainstorming session in Portland a little over a week ago. D offered to drive me down, so we put on a CD of Bluegrass music and took the day off for a much-needed mini-vacation. That's me, Dr. Ann Childers, Dr. Peter Ballerstedt, and Dr. Richard Feinman in the picture above (left to right).

I was thrilled to meet Dr. Ann Childers, a child and adult trained psychiatric physician who helps her patients regain their physical and mental health naturally through nutrition and sleep. Her website is: http://annchilders.blogspot.com/2011/01/butter-up-buttercup.html.

Dr. Peter Ballerstedt is an advocate for sustainable, grass-fed beef. He has a blog about the production and utilization of animal fat and protein from forages and why it is vital to the health of humans, their communities, and the earth itself. You may be surprised at some of what he has to say on the subject. Read more here: http://grassbasedhealth.blogspot.com/

And Dr. Feinman, a bigger-than-life hero in the low-carb community, is always a joy to talk with. I try to do more listening than talking, since he is a brilliant scientist as well as an articulate spokesman and activist who is passionate about changing the conventional wisdom of the medical establishment that has undermined the health of our nation. Check out Dr. Feinman's new blog at: http://rdfeinman.wordpress.com/.

The mission statement from NMS says:

"The Metabolism Society is dedicated to addressing the problems of obesity, diabetes & cardiovascular disease through public awareness and education. The Society believes specifically that the therapeutic potential of carbohydrate-restricted diets for the treatment of these diseases is under-investigated and under-utilized. The Society seeks to support research in this area....Our mission is to improve current nutritional guidelines and to see that sound scientific information is provided for the public."

You can be a part of this important work by joining the Metabolism Society (you can now join for only $10.00 a year!). More information about ways you can support truth in science is here: http://www.nmsociety.org/

Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat, 2007; The Healthy Edge, summer, 2011

Response to: "The New Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, The Nutritional Law of the Land"

2011-04-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

The March issue of The Front Burner, published by the International Association of Culinary Professionals, included an article by Michelle Dudash titled, "The New Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010: 'The Nutritional Law of the Land,'" with advice about how we can help implement the recommendations. This is my response:

The first Dietary Goals for Americans in 1977 (1.) told us to eat more carbohydrates and less fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and salt. This same advice, carried to further extremes, is served up in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) Report. (2.)

Over the past 30-plus years there has been a dramatic change in the eating habits of Americans in response to the advice coming from our government and health advocacy groups. Many whole foods, such as whole milk and real cheese, have practically disappeared from store shelves and high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, and starchy fillers have replaced fat in most commercial products. Pork has been breed to be so lean that processors must inject it with a solution of sugar, salt, and chemicals to make it palatable. Fast food outlets and restaurants have replaced natural fats with processed soy and grain oils for cooking and many mainstream publications now routinely specify eggs substitutes, low-fat cheese, non-fat milk, and low-sodium ingredients in their recipes.

These changes coincide precisely with the epidemic of obesity, diabetes, and many other conditions that have gotten worse during this time period. (Go to the following link and click through the map showing obesity trends for a jaw-dropping overview of what happened from 1985 to 2009: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html.) Obesity has continued to increase every year, in spite of the fact that hundreds of thousands of Americans have undergone dangerous and expensive bariatric surgeries while the number of Americans diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes has tripled. (3.)

Americans are eating more now than in the past, but the increase in calories is primarily due to a greater carbohydrate intake (Fig. 1). Average daily calories from meat, eggs, and nuts stayed almost the same from 1971 to 2000 as average daily calories from flour and cereal products have increased significantly. One of the well-known effects of carbohydrate consumption is increased hunger.

(Click to enlarge graphs above.)

The 2010 committee tells us to "shift food intake patterns to a more plant-based diet that emphasizes vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds," (5.) while admitting that there is no sound evidence on which to base such advice, as the following two excerpts from the report clearly show:

"Assessing vegetarian eating patterns and their protein content is complex and current methodologies do not capture critical variations. Therefore, investigators’ ability to quantify any possible association with health benefits is limited." (6.)

"Studies of carbohydrates and health outcomes on a macronutrient level are often inconsistent or ambiguous due to inaccurate measures and varying food categorizations and definitions." (7.)

One very large study that tested the kind of diet endorsed by this committee was only "inconsistent" because the outcome did not match the researchers' preconceived expectations. The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Dietary Modification Trial (8.) was a huge government study, involving 49,000 women, designed to show the effects of a low-fat diet on health. After eight years, the women who both significantly reduced the amount of fat in their diet and increased their consumption of fruits, vegetables, and grains, had the same rates of breast cancer, colon cancer, strokes, and heart disease as those in the control group who did not make any changes. And although the women were overweight at the start of the study, they also failed to lose any weight.

Many controlled studies have shown low-carb diets to be superior to low-calorie and low-fat diets for heart disease risk markers, to be equal to or better for weight management, and to be vastly superior for blood glucose control and reducing hunger. A sample of some of them follows:

A 2008 study from Duke University compared two diets to see which led to greater improvement in blood sugar control. Eighty-four obese volunteers with type 2 diabetes were randomized into either a ketogenic diet with 20 grams of carbs or fewer per day or a diet that was both low on the glycemic index (slowly digested carbohydrates) and reduced in calories with 500 calories per day less than the amount needed for weight maintenance. Of the participants who completed the study, those eating fewer carbohydrates lost more weight and had greater improvements in HDL (good) cholesterol, triglyceride levels, and glycemic control, and 95.2% were able to significantly reduce or eliminate their diabetes medications.

The conclusion from the abstract of the study states, “Lifestyle modification using low carbohydrate interventions is effective for improving and reversing type 2 diabetes.” (9.)

Fig. 2. Comparison of a high-cereal diet and two low-GI diets with a very-low carbohydrate diet. Data from Jenkins et al. (10.) and Westman et al. (11.) _2008 Richard D. Feinman. CHO, carbohydrate; GI, glycemic index; HbA1c, hemoglobin A1c; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; TG, triacylglycerol; total-C, total cholesterol.

Figure 2, above, shows the results from studies comparing a high-grain diet and two low-glycemic diets to a low-carbohydrate diet. (The second and the fourth bars in the graph look the same in black and white; the fourth bar in each box represents the low-carb diet.) Notice the rise in good cholesterol and the huge drop in triglycerides for the low-carb group, in addition to the improvements in A1c and blood glucose rates. (Note: There are several kinds of LDL particles; a low carb diet has been shown to increase the large, fluffy particles and reduce the small, dense ones; the rise in LDL on low carb diets usually results from an increase in the kind that is not harmful.)

The chart above is from the A to Z Study (Fig 3) from Stanford University. (12.) Lead scientist, Christopher Gardner, a vegetarian, was clearly surprised and dismayed by the results. You can watch his very entertaining video called, "The Battle of the Diets: Is Anyone Winning (At Losing?), on Youtube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eREuZEdMAVo. Note: The low-carb faction started at 20 grams a day, but were allowed to increase their carbohydrate consumption by 5 grams per day every week after the induction period, which explains the upward trend of the blue line after 6 months. The other dieters continued to eat the same diet for the duration of the study. Also noteworthy: more participants in the low-carb arm of the study stuck with their assigned diet.

Fig. 4. (15.), above, shows weight loss on a very low-carb, ketogenic diet compared to a low-fat diet from a study at the University of Connecticut. Data from Volek et al.

There are many studies with outcomes similar to the ones I have cited here that were excluded from the DGAC report. The DGAC report also fails to mention a recent, meta-analysis, (14.) reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that reviewed all the available data and found no evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of heart or coronary artery disease. The conclusion from the study says: "A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD. More data are needed to elucidate whether CVD risks are likely to be influenced by the specific nutrients used to replace saturated fat." You can read about the study here: http://www.ajcn.org/content/early/2010/01/13/ajcn.2009.27725.abstract

Also not discussed are basic science studies demonstrating that the amount of saturated fat in the blood, the presumed cause for concern, is largely determined, not by fat, but by dietary carbohydrate. (15. and 16.)

The DGAC report claims to rely on the USDA's newly created Nutrition Evidence Library (NEL) and cites "strong evidence" that dietary saturated fat increases LDL cholesterol and the risks for heart disease. It should be pointed out that most of the studies included in the "Search Plan and Results" section of the NEL measured saturated fats in the presence of high carbohydrates, while most studies with a low-carbohydrate intake were excluded from consideration. (17.)

Contrary to the impression given by the DGAC, eating a diet high in natural fat is a health risk only when the diet is high in carbohydrates, which provoke the release of insulin, the fat-storage hormone. Insulin inhibits fat burning and leads to obesity and diabetes and many other diseases that have gotten worse since the government first issued its misguided advice. The 2010 committee makes the same mistake that set off the current era of fat-phobia by putting all "solid fats" into one category. Natural fats, which have been staple foods in the diets of healthy populations since prehistoric times, are lumped together with the artificially-hardened fats like hydrogenated shortening and margarine, that have been shown to be detrimental to health.

Fats and proteins are essential to life. Dietary carbohydrates are not. Some carbohydrates contain essential micronutrients, all of which are readily available from low-carb sources, such as green vegetables and low-sugar fruits.

There is a growing body of research that shows that most of the ills that have been blamed on fats are really caused by the excess sugar and starch that replaced them in the American diet. (Starch is quickly converted into sugar in the body.) Diabetes is a condition in which the body’s ability to metabolize carbohydrates is impaired, yet the USDA advises everyone, even those with diabetes, to consume most of their calories as carbohydrates. New research is showing that advice to be, not just counter-intuitive, but part of the problem. It is time to return to the good, natural fats that have been blamed for the mess created by the heavily-promoted, "heart-healthy," low-fat foods and manufactured fats that replaced them.

Harvard professor, Mier Stampfer, who worked on the last food pyramid, said that this year's committee, "knows perfectly well what the evidence says, but they don't want to shake the status quo or risk confusing the public by changing the message," (www.slate.com/id/2248754).

The Dietary Guidelines serve as the cornerstone of Federal nutrition policy and nutrition education activities. They strongly influence education and research funding and they decide the content of the government's meal programs, including food supplied to military personnel, prisoners, and school children. They give direction to the food industry, regulatory agencies, consumer advocates, and the media. The DGAC panel is appointed by the Secretaries of the U. S. Department of Agriculture and of Health and Human Services; they wield tremendous power for a committee that is not elected and answers to no one.

In suggesting the need for an entirely new process, Richard David Feinman, Professor of Cell Biology at SUNY Downstate Medical Center said, “The previous Guidelines have not worked well. It is simply unreasonable to ask the DGAC to audit its own work. An external panel of scientists with no direct ties to nutritional policy would be able to do a more impartial evaluation of the data. This would be far better for everyone.”

A story of two lunches:
I recently ate lunch at a Greek restaurant. The gentleman next to me ordered the special—a plate with grilled chicken kebobs, Greek salad, pita bread, and rice. I ordered the same plate, but said "hold the pita and rice." My low-carb lunch had fewer calories, fewer carbohydrates, it provoked less insulin (the fat storage hormone) and it kept me satisfied until dinner. His had the same amount of fat and protein, was higher in calories, higher in carbohydrates, and it must have provoked a significant insulin response. He, no doubt, stored more of his lunch as fat and was probably hungry again an hour later. I ask you, who had the more healthful meal?

(1.) Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs of the United States Senate. Dietary goals for the United States. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 1977.

(2.) US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services. Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the dietary guidelines for Americans, 2010. June 15, 2010. Available at: http://
www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-DGACReport.htm.

(3.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Health Interview Statistics, data from the National Health Interview Survey. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/

(4.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Trends in intake of energy and macronutrientsdUnited States, 1971–2000. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2004;53:80–2. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/
mmwrhtml/mm5304a3.htm..

(5.) DAGC report, Part B, Section 3, p.3 (http:// www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-DGACReport.htm)

(6.) DAGC report, Part D, Section 4 p. 31 (http:// www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-DGACReport.htm)

(7.) DAGC report, Part D, Section 5, p. 43 (http:// www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-DGACReport.htm)

(8.) The Women’s Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Dietary Modification Trial, Journal of the American Medical Association, February 8, 2006, Vol. 296 No.
(9.) Westman, E.C.; Yancy, W.S. Jr; Mavropoulos, J.C.; Marquart, M.; McDuffie, J.R.; “The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus,” Nutr Metab (Lond), 2008 Dec 19;36.

(10.) Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, McKeown-Eyssen G, Josse RG, Silverberg J, Booth GL, et al. Effect of a low-glycemic index or a high-cereal fiber diet on type 2 diabetes: a randomized trial. JAMA 2008;300:2742–53.

(11.) Westman EC, Yancy WS, Mavropoulos JC, Marquart M, McDuffie JR. The effect of a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Nutr Metab (Lond) 2008;5:36.

(12.) Gardner C, Kiazand A, Alhassan, Kim S, Stafford RS, Balise RR, et al. Weight loss study: a randomized trial among overweight premenopausal women: the A to Z diets for change in weight and related risk factors. Comparison of the Atkins, Zone, Ornish, and LEARN. JAMA 2007;297:969–77.

(13.) Volek JS, Phinney SD, Forsythe CE, Quann EE, Wood RJ, Puglisi MJ, et al. Carbohydrate restriction has a more favorable impact on the metabolic syndrome than a low fat diet. Lipids 2009;44:297–309.

(14.) Patty W Siri-Tarino, Qi Sun, Frank B Hu, and Ronald M Krauss Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies evaluating the association of saturated fat with cardiovascular disease, Am J Clin Nutr 2010;91:502–9.

(15.) Volek JS, Fernandez ML, Feinman RD, Phinney SD. Dietary carbohydrate restriction induces a unique metabolic state positively affecting atherogenic dyslipidemia, fatty acid partitioning, and metabolic syndrome. Prog
Lipid Res 2008;47:307–18.

(16.) Forsythe CE, Phinney SD, Fernandez ML, Quann EE, Wood RJ, Bibus DM, et al. Comparison of low fat and low carbohydrate diets on circulating fatty acid composition and markers of inflammation. Lipids 2008;43:65–77.
(17.) http://www.nutritionevidencelibrary.com/template.cfm?template=sort_list_template&key=1023.

Much of the information above is from an article in Nutrition: A. H. Hite et al. In The Face of Contradictory Evidence: Report of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans Committee, Nutrition 26 (2010) 915–924. Read the entire article here: http://www.sportfuel.com/userfiles/file/hite_dgac_critique_nutrition_2010.pdf

BLOGGER WOES

2011-03-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

"I have always wished that my computer would be as easy to use as my telephone. My wish has come true. I no longer know how to use my telephone."--Bjarne Stroustrup

I want to apologize for problems on my website(carbwarscookbook.com). My husband's computer died a year or so ago and he lost the codes that we used when we set it up, so I have not been able to update it since then and most of the links no longer work.

I've also been having trouble with my blogging platform--sometimes I can post, sometimes I can't, and sometimes I can post but the results look a little weird. I may have to start over from scratch on both sites. Since my new book is due out soon and I had planned to put up revised versions of both sites at that time, I am going to wait a while longer to work on a fix. Thank you for your patience.

(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

Register to Win at LC Foods

2011-03-11T09:55:00.000-08:00

I told you about an exciting, new, low-carb food company in a previous post here: http://carbwars.blogspot.com/search?q=LC+Food I recently had an e-mail from Glen saying they are almost ready to launch their initial product line, and they would like to get your input to help them decide which items to make available first. Those who help them with this market research will have a chance to win a FREE product from LC Foods!

Here is how it works:
Simply go to www.HoldTheCarbs.com, register, and look over all the products on the site. Select the ones you would be most interested in and likely to purchase (if the price is right, of course). E-mail LC Foods owner, Glen Frederich, at LCFoodsCorp@aol.com and give him your list. LC Foods will send 10 lucky responders a FREE, no-obligation product from their wish list.

Don't forget to register on the site as that will guarantee that you will be notified and given the first chance to place an order with LC Foods when they announce their Grand Opening. Everyone who registers will be notified when a new product becomes available and will also receive exclusive specials.

(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker: Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

Disclaimer: I have received product samples from LC Foods.

All Calories No Longer Equal at Weight Watchers, Cattlemen Fight Back, Pork Producers Change Slogan, and Harvard Says, "End the Low-Fat Myth"

2011-03-09T21:33:00.000-08:00

"Calorie counting has become unhelpful," according to David Kirchoff, president of Weight Watchers International. The company's website has announced a change in their point system.
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The old plan allowed dieters to eat whatever they wanted as long as they kept portions under control using points based on calorie content.

The new PointsPlus system puts higher point values on fat and empty calories and gives lower points to foods that are high in protein or fiber, which make the body work harder to convert them into energy. The point values went up for most high-carb foods, which are "more easily absorbed and turned into fat," but fructose-laden fruit and all but the starchiest vegetables are assigned zero points and are now considered "free" foods. (Eat all the bananas you want and lose weight? Good luck with that. But at least they are no longer saying, "a calorie is a calorie is a calorie.")

Read more here: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2042344,00.html#ixzz1G7xXKEBT

Here's an interesting announcement from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. It's high time they quit apologizing and showed a little fight:
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Beef Industry Carves a Course; Cattlemen's Group Promotes Red Meat, Trains Recruits to Win Over Consumers: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703842004576163243369084776.html?mod=dist_smartbrief&mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_6.

At the seventh annual World of Healthy Flavors Conference in Napa CA, Nutrition experts from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) told food industry leaders, "It's time to end the low-fat myth." (The conference is co-hosted by HSPH and the Culinary Institute of American.) Walter Willett and Dariush Mosaffarian of HSPH, along with Ron Krauss of Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute, presented a panel called "Focus of Fat." They told the audience to avoid the term "low fat," since diets low in fat are often high in sodium and carbohydrates. Instead they encouraged chefs to cut out trans fats and focus on educating consumers about choosing healthful fats.

Dr. Krauss made it clear that his definition of "healthy fat" does not include saturated or animal fat, however, he added " …even saturated fat is not so bad compared to refined carbohydrates and if we were to eliminate it from our diet we would also be eliminating many foods that are also rich in healthy fats, like fish, whose omega-3 fatty acids are vital to good health."
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http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/coverage-in-the-media/time-to-stop-talking-about-low-fat-say-hsph-nutrition-experts/index.html

(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker: Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

Gary Taubes on Dr. Oz Today

2011-03-07T10:27:00.000-08:00

I'm not a follower of the Dr. Oz daytime television show, but I won't miss it today because Gary Taubes, author of Good Calories, Bad Calories and Why We Get Fat, is scheduled to appear. The promo for the show says, "The man who thinks everything Dr. Oz says is wrong." It is scheduled to air at 3:00 PM today on the West Coast, but check your local listing for the channel and time in your area.

(C) Judy Barnes Baker, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

LESSONS ABOUT OBESITY FROM FAT MONKEYS

2011-03-02T12:14:00.000-08:00

An experimental drug that dramatically reduced the appetite of rodents caused obese baboons to double or triple their food intake and is now being considered as a treatment for cancer patients and those who need to gain weight. Monkeys are better research models because they are more like humans than rats or mice, not only physiologically, but also in eating behavior; they will eat when they are bored, even if they are not hungry. Fat monkeys are providing some interesting findings about what causes obesity and diabetes.

"Nonhuman primates don't lie to you," said neuroscientist, Dr. Kevin L. Grove, who directs the "obese resource" at the Oregon National Primate Research Center. "We are trying to induce the couch-potato style. We believe that mimics the health issues we face in the United States today."

The monkeys are fattened on a diet of dried chow pellets with one-third of the calories from fat plus adequate protein and nutrients. They can eat all the pellets they want plus a chunk of peanut butter and sometimes popcorn and peanuts. They also get a fruit-flavored punch containing the amount of fructose equivalent to one can of soda per day. It adds up to twice the calories consumed by a normal-weight monkey and 60% of them get fat on it.

One of the monkeys, named Shiva, gained 15 pounds in six months and weighs twice as much as normal for his age. Most of his excess weight is belly fat, an indication that he suffers from the same metabolic disorder that affects two-thirds of Americans.

According to Dr. Grove and researchers in other centers working with fat primates, it is the high-fructose corn syrup that appears to accelerate the development of obesity and diabetes. "It wasn't until we added those carbs that we got all those other changes, including those changes in body fat," said Anthony B. Comuzzie, of the Southwest National Primate Research Center in San Antonio.

Dr. Barbara C. Hansen of the University of South Florida has been doing research on obese monkeys for four decades. She prefers animals that naturally become fat with age, just as many humans do. One of her test subjects, Fat Albert, who was at one time the world's heaviest rhesus at 70 pounds, ate "nothing but an American Heart Association-recommended diet," she said. "To suggest that humans and monkeys get fat because of a high-fat diet is not a good suggestion," she said.

The scientists are seeking clues that may lead to the development of new drugs, since much of the research is funded by pharmaceutical companies. Most of them have little incentive to discover the best diet for primates, but the evidence indicates that the problem may not be the couch potato life-style after all. It may a matter of what we eat and drink while vegetating on the couch.

Footnote: Today's lab rats of obesity: Fat, furry monkeys, by Andrew Pollock of the New York Times; Controversial research aims to give insight into human obesity epidemic and diabetes. Read the article online here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41692358/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/?gt1=43001#

(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker: Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

SMART EATS LECTURE SERIES

2011-02-26T19:30:00.000-08:00

I've been invited to speak at the Smart Eats Store in Mill Creek on Tuesday, March 8, at 6:00PM. I've copied the invitation below so you can send your RSVP to Dan and Amber. Hope to see you there!

Smart Eats is happy to announce that our friend and local author Judy Barnes Baker will be coming on Tuesday March 8th at 6:00PM to speak to our customers about her book, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat, and low carb in general. Space is limited, so if you would like to attend please RSVP to info@smarteatsusa.com to be added to the guest list.

If you have specific questions that you would like answered, please include them in your RSVP and I'll forward them to Judy so she is ready with answers!

We look forward to seeing you soon at Smart Eats!
Thanks,

Dan & Amber

15224 Main Street Suite #100
Mill Creek, Washington 98012
425-338-1300

(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker: Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

CHOCOLATE FOR YOUR VALENTINE

2011-02-14T18:49:00.000-08:00

I got a lovely box of sugar-free chocolates and an extravagant card today, but I'm sad to say that my Valentine got an I-O-U instead of the cherry pie he usually gets on his birthday and for Valentine's Day. I've been working very hard and just forgot what day it was. Luckily, his second favorite treat, after cherry pie, is anything chocolate, and I have a lot of it around since I've been experimenting with some new chocolate recipes.

His pie will show up eventually, but for now I will share my new way to make sugar-free chocolates with all of you and wish you a very happy Valentine's Day!

CHOCOLATE CLUSTERS AND CHOCOLATE BARS
Adding liquid to melted chocolate is a big no-no. After years of using a powdered, dry sweetener (with sugar as the bulking agent) in my chocolate, I hit on a better solution. It lets me use one of the zero-carb sweeteners like liquid sucralose or stevia without causing the chocolate to seize and turn into a hard, dry lump.
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Ingredients:

High-intensity liquid sweetener equal to ½ cup sugar, more to taste (Recipe was tested with 12 drops of EZ- Sweetz®.)

1 teaspoon no-trans-fat shortening, such as Spectrum

A few grains of salt

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, either in disk form or chopped

Chopped nuts, toasted coconut, and/or dried cranberries, optional
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Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and chill in the refrigerator if you want to make chocolate candy clusters. Chill a candy bar mold, available at craft stores, to make chocolate bars.
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Place liquid sweetener in a small saucepan. Add shortening and salt and place over very low heat until shortening melts. Cook and stir for 1 minute more to let the liquid evaporate. Stir in chocolate and continue to stir until almost smooth.

Remove pan from heat and let cool, stirring frequently, until it is about 80°F. (The slow cooling tempers the chocolate so it is smooth and shiny.)

Mix in chopped nuts, toasted coconut, or chopped, sugar-free dried cranberries, if desired. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto the chilled sheet pan to make nut and/or fruit clusters or pour melted chocolate into candy bar molds to make chocolate bars. Return sheet pan or molds to refrigerator until set. Store candies away from heat in a covered container. Wrap bars in foil.
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Makes 4 ounces total or 16 small candies. The number of chocolate bars will depend on the size of the mold.

The whole batch contains 10.5 net grams of carbohydrate, so 0.65 grams for each of the small candies.

Counts do not include nuts or cranberries.

SMART EATS CELEBRATES FIRST ANNIVERSARY

2011-02-09T10:15:00.000-08:00

Last February, I posted an invitation to the grand opening of a new store called Smart Eats on Main Street in Mill Creek, Washington. The store sells low-carb, diabetic, and gluten-free products. They recently celebrated their first anniversary and they report that their business is better than ever.

Store owners, Dan Arnold and his wife, Amber Wester, have become effective advocates for healthful eating. Dan gives his wife credit as the low-carb expert who decides which products to stock and she clearly knows what she is doing. Amber is passionate about low carb. She has two aunts who have both had liver transplants due to diabetes, but they are still following the high-carb advice given out by the powers that be. Amber was spurred into action when her 28 year-old brother was taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The doctors referred him to a series of classes to learn what he should eat and sent him home with sample meal plans for those with diabetes—the first dinner listed was a giant baked potato stuffed with chili.

With her family history, Amber could predict what the future held for her if she continued down the same road. Dan also benefited from her decision to try low-carb; he lost 50 pounds and is now running marathons and testifying to all who will listen.

I appreciate the Smart Eats store, not only because I can find everything that I need in one convenient place and without paying shipping fees, but also for the inspiration that their success gives to the beleaguered low-carb community. Another bonus for me is that it is in the beautiful new town center of Mill Creek, just down the street from the Central Market, my favorite place to buy fresh produce, fish, meat, and poultry.

Those who live in the Seattle area (Eastside) can support Dan and Amber in their effort to have a positive impact in our community and to spread the word that there is a smarter way to eat. I see their success as the vanguard of a new trend toward a more healthful lifestyle that is spreading across the country. And if you don't live nearby, you can now order what you need to eat smart online at http://www.smarteatsusa.com/.

Dan and Amber also publish a newsletter and have started a lecture series featuring experts on weight loss and healthful eating. Sign up on the website to receive the newsletter and announcements about the sales, lectures, and other events they sponsor.

Congratulations, Dan and Amber! I wish you many more years of success and count myself lucky to have the two of you as friends and neighbors.

Smart Eats, http://www.smarteatsusa.com/,
15224 Main Street, Suite 100, Mill Creek WA 98012
Tel: 425-338-1300 Fax: 425-645-8036

(C) 2011, Judy Barnes Baker, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the store above other than as a regular customer, and I have not been compensated for the opinions expressed.

THE SOLUTION FOR DIABETES

2011-02-02T10:44:00.000-08:00

Way back in 2008, Dr. Michael Eades posted an article about resistant starch. I asked him a question and now every time someone posts a comment on that story, I get an e-mail notice. Yesterday the comment below popped up in my in-box. I want to repeat it here because I doubt that many people will find it since it is on an old blog post and doesn't have much to do with the topic of resistant starch.
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I don't know who Mary Lee is, so I have not asked her permission to use her story, but since it was a public post, I don't think she will object if I repeat part of it here. It is typical of what I hear over and over from those who have diabetes.
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There is a new comment on the post "Resistant starch". http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/metabolism/resistant-starch/

Author: MaryLee

"…I started eating very low carb after running out of my Humalog insulin (I was a type II diabetic with poor control on all meds). I tried to eat things to not raise my blood sugar and came upon Atkins-like eating ... I started losing weight and got scared ... I had an extra 40 pounds to spare so it wasn't a problem.

Two months after feeling good and not spiking any blood sugars (a new thing for me), I had blood work done. My A1C was in normal range ... not just for a diabetic ... but actually 'normal' ... my cholesterol had dropped into normal range (it had been high for 20 years and I didn't want to take meds for it).

I had my food log and my results of blood sugar testing (I did 10 a day to see what reaction to the food I was eating had).

My doctor, who had told me to not eat eggs, red meat, etc. because of the high cholesterol, said after we went over my blood tests and I told her what I'd been doing .... "That works for some diabetics."

I had NEVER been told about this way to control my blood sugar ... in 25 years of type II diabetes ... the dietitians I was sent to always had the standard diabetic pyramid and I followed it and took my meds and my A1C was always between 8 and 9. I was 100 pounds overweight off and on throughout those years. I was basically not believed [when I said] that I measured my portions and took my pills/then insulin as directed.

The other benefit I got from the low carb eating is that the neuropathy in my lower legs and feet that I was told was permanent but we could keep it from getting worse ... is gone... I have full feeling in my legs and toes and never want to get the little pin prick toe test again .. because I feel it now.…"
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Thanks for sharing your story, Mary Ann, and congratulations on discovering the solution for your diabetes. It is tragic that it took 25 years and that you had to find it on your own.

© 2011, Judy Barnes Baker, author, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

NEW USDA GUIDELINES RELEASED: NOT MY PYRAMID!

2011-01-31T07:11:00.000-08:00

The New Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 were released today. Your can view the press conference here: http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdamedia?navid=USDA_LIVE.

Watch it to the end to see the question and answer segment and you will hear a representative from the American Dietetic Association gushing about the "excellent, excellent" guidelines and an angry woman in a red scarf demanding to know why they didn't just say, "EAT LESS MEAT!" (She was told that saying "eat more seafood" means the same thing.)

You will also hear Peter Farnham of the Nutrition and Metabolism Society question the high carbohydrate content in the guidelines in light of the current epidemics of diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. He was told that the committee received a lot of public input on that issue and that they did look into it, but concluded that the "the evidence was just not there" to support any recommendations in that area. Too bad Mr. Farnham didn't get a chance to ask a follow-up question about what science they found to show that we need a minimum of 3 ounces of whole grains every day. Or that cholesterol in the diet raises cholesterol in the blood. Or that eating less and exercising more leads to weight loss. Or just where did they find the scientific evidence to support ANY of the guidelines?

PS: Jimmy Moore found 28 research studies that support carbohydrate restriction in one hour on Goggle. Check them out on his video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIPPkz8x7eE and then please forward the link to everyone you know.

DOMINO'S TO THE RESCUE

2011-01-28T11:01:00.000-08:00

Domino's Pizza announced on Jan. 17 that they are, "striving to be a part of the solution," as they launched their new Domino's Smart Slice school lunch program. (http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dominos-pizza-launches-dominos-smart-slice-school-lunch-pizza-program-113912129.html) The Smart Slice was specifically developed to meet the new federal guidelines for school lunch programs. It is already being served in more than 120 school districts and they plan to double that number within the next year.

Cindy Haren, CEO of Western Dairy Association, whose organization worked with the franchise and the schools in partnership with the National Dairy Council to develop the new pizza, says, "The development of Domino's Smart Slice shows how collaboration among dairy farmers, schools, processors, and major food brands like Domino's can result in healthier, flavorful, and fresh school food choices for our children."

So it seems that bread topped with tomato sauce and fake cheese is now seen as the epitome of healthful food for school children. Parents who have the resources will be able to provide better lunches for their children, but the real tragedy is that the poorest children are already the ones who suffer the highest rates of obesity and they are the ones who are most likely to depend on free meals provided by the schools. If the "solution" to childhood obesity is low-fat pizza, the new guidelines are certainly going to make the problem worse, not better.

PEDIATRIC NUTRITION WITH DR. SU AND FRED HAHN

2011-01-19T13:56:00.000-08:00

Dr. Robert K. Su invited Fred Hahn, author of The Slow Burn Fitness Revolution and Strong Kids, Healthy Kids, and me for a three-way discussion as part of his podcast series about Pediatric Nutrition on the Carbohydrates Can Kill website. He originally planned to give us 30 minutes, but we were still going strong and having such a lively exchange that he let us keep going for a whole hour. The three of us even continued to talk long after we were off the air.

You can listen to the interview here: http://www.carbohydratescankill.com/1269/return-of-fred-hahn-judith-baker-barnes-ep-32

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS

2011-01-15T23:02:00.001-08:00

The February issue of Reader's Digest features a smiley face made out of two eggs and a strip of bacon. The headline reads: "Eat This, Lose Weight; The New Science of Dieting."

The bacon and egg face is a parody of the frowney face on the cover of the March 26, 1984 Time Magazine. The headline then was: "Cholesterol, and Now the Bad News." Inside, an article titled, "Hold the Eggs and Butter," started with the following statement: "Cholesterol is proved deadly, and our diet may never be the same." The first assertion was false (although the second certainly turned out to be true).

In fact, the study that lead to this conclusion was not a diet study at all, but a study of a cholesterol reducing drug. All the previous studies that tried to link dietary cholesterol to heart attack risk had failed. We now have good science that shows why; eating fat and cholesterol actually reduces the amount in the blood.

Dr. Jeff Volek and a team of researchers at the University of Connecticut discovered that those who eat less saturated fat have more in their blood. The researchers also reported that the markers for inflammation were dramatically reduced on a low-carb diet that included more fat. You can read about the actual study on Pub Med at: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrezDb=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=18046594&ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
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Basil Rifkind, the project director for the study referenced in the 1984 Time article, was quoted as saying he "believed" the research indicated that lowering the cholesterol and fat in your diet would reduce your risk of heart disease. It was a belief, nothing more. (The nine-page article laid out the low-fat orthodoxy that continues to this day. You can read it here: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,921647,00.html#ixzz1B96rh7k4.) Now, 27 years later, we are still burdened with the fallout of that belief, but at last, there is some good news to report.
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The feature story in the February, 2011, Reader's Digest is an interview with Gary Taubes that covers some of the main points from his new book, Why We Get Fat and What To Do About It.
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According to Taubes, if the energy balance system (calories in verses calories out) determined how much we weigh, we would all be fat, because it is impossible to precisely regulate calorie consumption. Being off by just 20 calories a day would add up to a twenty pound weight gain every ten years and most of us would be obese by the time we reach middle age. Twenty calories is about the amount in one bite of a hamburger or two sips of Coke.
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He says that for the most part, you can define an obese person as "someone for whom eating less didn't work," and that the most important observation in the field of obesity research is, "that you can have an effective diet that doesn't restrict calories."
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He also says, "If you've been fat for a long time, getting rid of carbohydrates might not make you lean. But the leanest you can be is on the diet with the least carbohydrate."

Here's one last quote that sums it all up, "All I'm saying to obesity researchers is, pay attention to the hormonal and enzymatic regulation of the fat tissue. And if you do, you'll get a different answer for what causes obesity and what cures it."
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I made the bacon and egg faces above for breakfast this morning. Join me in celebrating what the Reader's Digest calls the new science of diet by making your own bacon faces. Snap a picture and stick it up on the fridge where it can make you smile as you prepare your now officially healthful breakfast. Better yet, e-mail it to me and I'll post it here.
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© 2011, Judy Barnes Baker, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

THE AMAZING BENEFITS OF CARBOHYDRATE RESTRICTION

2010-12-27T12:27:00.000-08:00

Do you find it hard to stick to your low-carb regimen over the holidays? Just reviewing the benefits of carb restriction is enough to renew my resolve in the face of temptation. Here are some of the stories that have been making news recently about the advantages of low carb living. Be sure to read all the way to the end of this post; I saved the best for last.

And, in case you missed it, here is the link to a great article that appeared in the LA Times, titled, A Reversal On Carbs: http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-carbs-20101220,0,5464425.story?page=1.

A KETOGENIC* DIET IMPROVES VERBAL MEMORY:
A 2010 study conducted by the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati found that those eating a ketogenic diet saw significant improvement in their "verbal memory" (memory of words and abstractions involving language). The higher the ketone level, the more the verbal memory improved.

Researchers randomly assigned 23 older adults with mild cognitive impairment to either a high-carbohydrate or a very low-carbohydrate diet. After 6-weeks, they observed improved verbal memory for the low carbohydrate subjects as well as reductions in weight, waist circumference, fasting glucose, and fasting insulin. This suggests that ketones provide superior fuel for the body as well as the brain and that carbohydrate restriction provides significant benefits and may improve cognitive function.

*A ketogenic diet is one that limits carbohydrates to under 50 grams a day, the level at which most people switch from burning sugar for energy and storing fat to burning fat. Ketones are by-products of fat burning.

Footnote: Krikorian R, et al. Dietary ketosis enhances memory in mild cognitive impairment. Neurobiol Aging, December 2, 2010 (epub ahead of print).

DIABETIC BRAINS SUFFER FROM A LACK OF CHOLESTEROL:
A study reported in the December issue of Cell Metabolism found that the brains of those with diabetes suffer from a LACK of cholesterol. According to C. Ronald Kahn, of Harvard's Joslin Diabetes Center, people with diabetes have a lot of problems with brain function. The assumption has been that this was the result of poor glucose control, but this study suggests a totally new explanation for the neurologic and cerebral complications of diabetes, including cognitive dysfunction, depression, and an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.

The discovery came from the exploration of changes in gene activity in the brain's hypothalamus in insulin-deficient, diabetic mice. The researchers found changes in the genes that involve appetite and feeding, as expected, but they also found changes in many genes involved in cholesterol synthesis.

The brain contains more cholesterol than any other organ in the body. It is essential for normal brain function and most of it is produced within the brain itself. The mice in the study showed a reduction in a gene called SPEBP-2, a master controller of cholesterol metabolism. The change reduced the production of cholesterol in the brain and lowered the amount in cell membranes that play an important part in communication between brain cells. Kahn explained that the test animals showed changes after just a week or two of insulin deficiency and these changes were traced to the direct effects of insulin on brain cells. Cholesterol synthesis was restored to normal after the animals were injected with insulin.

Kahn said that for those with diabetes, "This is another reason to think that keeping good control over blood sugar might make a difference." He added that we need to learn more about cholesterol metabolism in the brain and that these results raise the prospect that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, some of which can cross the blood-brain barrier, might have unintended consequences for brain function. Indeed.

Footnote: Ryo Suzuki, Kevin Lee, Enxuan Jing, Sudha B. Biddinger, Jeffrey G. McDonald, Thomas J. Montine, Suzanne Craft, and C. Ronald Kahn, Diabetes and Insulin in Regulation of Brain Cholesterol Metabolism, Cell Metabolism, Volume 12, Issue 6, 567-579, 1 December 2010

HOW TO TURN ON THE YOUTH GENE:
A geneticist at University of California at San Francisco has apparently discovered the secret to a long, healthful, and energetic life. A simple change in diet is all it takes to activate the genes that control aging.

Scientists already knew they could make laboratory animals live longer by cutting their food intake down to ¾ of what they normally ate. Dr. Cynthia Kenyon discovered why this works when she tweaked the genes that control insulin production in round worms. She discovered that carbohydrates directly affect two genes that regulate youthfulness and longevity. By turning down one gene, she coaxed the worms to live up to six times their normal life span.

The genes that control insulin in worms are also found in rats and mice and researchers around the world who have successfully repeated Professor Kenyon's work are finding evidence that they work the same way in monkeys and humans. When one gene is turned down, it activates a second gene which acts as a restorative "elixir of life." The scientists dubbed the first gene, "the Grim Reaper." The second one, whose proper name is DAF 16, they called, "The Sweet Sixteen" gene, because it kept the worms active and youthful long past their normal life expectancy.

The report in the Daily Mail says, "Discovering the ... [first] gene has prompted the professor to dramatically alter her own diet, cutting right back on carbohydrates. That's because carbs make your body produce more insulin (to mop up the extra blood sugar carbs produce) ... so the vital second gene, the 'elixir' one, won't get turned on."

What this new study shows is that the positive effects of low-calorie diets are due to the reduction in insulin. But you don't have to reduce calories to cut down on insulin. You only have to reduce the carbohydrates that provoke the release of insulin.

This research may come as quite a shock to the members of The Calorie Restriction Society who have been starving themselves for years in an effort to live longer. It looks like they could have been eating a big juicy steak topped with butter along with their kale and sprouts without provoking the Grim Reaper after all.
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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1323758/Can-cutting-Carbohydrates-diet-make-live-longer.html#ixzz18LgvrA3Q
© 2010, Judy Barnes Baker, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

POSTSCRIPT: A SPECIAL OFFER FROM NMS

2010-12-27T11:30:00.000-08:00

The Nutrition and Metabolism Society is offering a $10.00 membership special through December 31, 2010.

Your gift will help promote scientific information in an environment where such information is not adequately supported by government and private health agencies.

Be part of the change in 2011, support health for all and give today. Your donation will support public education and nutritional research that can save lives.

"With your assistance we will eliminate the epidemics of diabetes and obesity."

1. Click on this link: http://nmsociety.org/Membership.aspx

2. Click on the blue "Join Now" button

3. Type the word membership in the first box, fill in the dollar amount and update total. Provide the credit card information requested and complete - it's that easy!

Or, you can become a lifetime member for just $500.

BE AN ANGEL

2010-12-19T16:54:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season for thinking of others. Here is a reminder about some gift ideas that will have a major impact long after the tinsel is down and the tree has turned brown.

-The Nutrition and Metabolism Society asked in a recent e-mail, "Would you spend a dollar a day to save the life of a puppy? Please consider doing the same for your friends, family, and future generations."

Your donation will support public education and nutritional research that can save lives. Support truth in science with a membership and/or a donation to The Metabolism Society at: http://www.nmsociety.org.

- Also, please consider a contribution to CJ Hunt's fantastic documentary, In Search of the Perfect Human Diet. Read my previous posts about his project here: http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2009/10/in-search-of-perfect-human-diet.html and here: http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2010/06/perfect-human-diet.html.

CJ recently received a significant donation from a group who wants to remain anonymous for now, but he still needs our help to cover post production costs, editing, and preparations for distribution of the four-part series. I'm sure that any amount would be welcome, but there are some serious perks for those who contribute at each level of support.

Go to CJ's website at www.perfecthumandiet.com to join the Producers Circle and help him change the world.

- And don't forget to pre-order Gary Taubes's new book, "Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It." All the pre-orders on Amazon will vest on December 28th when the book is released. Let's get some attention by making his book open at the top of the Best Seller List. Also, write a review of the book on Amazon to help counter all the orchestrated attacks he will surely get from his critics. (Read the book first, which is more than most of them will do.)

The tree isn't up (actually, haven't even bought one yet), the cookies aren’t baked, the cards aren't sent, and the elves haven't come to help out, so I'd better get to work.

Enjoy the holidays, but take Tim Ferriss's advice: "Eat like Santa; Look like Jesus." You know how to do that.

© 20010, Judy Barnes Baker: Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

NEW PHILLY FUDGE

2010-12-05T20:24:00.000-08:00

Cream cheese is an indispensable ingredient for low-carb cooking. It provides the missing bulk in sugar-free recipes and adds a smooth, creamy texture to faux potatoes, frozen desserts, cheesecakes, frostings, and baked goods.

William Lawrence of Chester, N.Y. accidentally invented cream cheese in 1872 while trying to reproduce a French cheese called Neufchatel. He wrapped his cheese in foil wrappers and sold it under the brand name Philadelphia Cream Cheese.

Kraft Foods took over the Philadelphia brand in 1928 and began promoting the use of cream cheese as a versatile ingredient for cooking. Cheese dips, spreads, nut-studded cheese balls, and sandwich loaves frosted with cream cheese became the rage. “Philly” fudge, introduced in the 1950s, was one of their most popular recipes. Below is my sugar-free version, perfect for the holiday season.

NEW PHILLY FUDGE
Sugar substitute equal to 1¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons of sugar
A few grains of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon water
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped into small pieces or grated
½ cup chopped nuts, optional

Line a small, shallow container (about 6 inches square) with plastic wrap for easy removal or use a candy mold.

Place the cream cheese in a small bowl and mix until creamy. Add sweetener, salt, vanilla, and water and stir until blended.

Bring one-half inch of water to a simmer in the bottom of a double boiler. Reduce heat so water is hot but not bubbling. Place the chocolate in the top pan and set it over, but not touching, the hot water. Stir until chocolate is melted. Remove the pan of chocolate from over the hot water. Scrape the cheese mixture onto the chocolate and use a heatproof spatula or a wooden spoon to work it in until it is smooth. Stir in the nuts, if using. Let cool for a minute or two.

Scrape the fudge into the container. Chill until firm. Remove from container and cut into ¾-inch slices. (The candy will cut more easily before it is completely cold.) Store in the refrigerator. Makes 36 slices.

Net carbohydrate per serving: 0.7 grams;
Calories: 38
Protein: 0.8 (without nuts)
Preparation time: 10 minutes active, 15 minutes total

(C) 2010, Judy Barnes Baker, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

50% DISCOUNT ON ALL BOOKS FROM FRP

2010-11-29T12:32:00.000-08:00

FRP is now offering a 50% off on all the books ordered from their site through December 31st. Order by December 14 for Christmas delivery. Standard shipping fees apply. Go to www.cookbookmarketplace.com and enter Promo code: DEC-HOLIDAY at checkout to get the discount.

SWITZERLAND

2010-11-26T09:55:00.000-08:00

My husband had a business meeting in Switzerland the week before Thanksgiving and I decided to go along since I had the chance. The picture above shows a unit at the Palafitte Hotel on Lake Neuchatel (literally on Lake Neuchatel) where we stayed. It was like being on a luxury cruise without the rocking.

Switzerland is known for watches, knives, chocolate, banking, and because it is a mountainous country better suited for grazing cows than farming, it is also famous for its marvelous cheese and butter. Writer, Alexandre Dumas, said that Neuchatel looked like a city that was "carved out of butter" because of the soft, yellow limestone used for its buildings. Below is a picture that shows how well his description fits.

Picture above by Sophie Baudrin-Alogogiannis

It is only 12 miles from the French border so most of the people speak French and the cuisine reflects the French influence. Every meal was phenomenal.

Two other wives came along on the trip and the three of us were free to explore while our spouses attended meetings. We were lucky to have Sophie Baudrin-Alogogiannis, who lives in Neuchatel, to act as our guide for a tour of Neuchatel and Bern, a short train ride away. The picture below shows my new freinds, Teresa, Sophie, and Kay in Bern.
We spent the day sightseeing and shopping and had lunch in a quaint cafe in Bern, then we took the train back to Neuchatel for dinner at a restaurant that specialized in regional dishes. I ordered trout with butter and almonds while Sophie explained to the waiter that I wanted vegetables instead of the potatoes listed on the menu. They brought me the most amazing plate; a fish fillet in butter sauce surrounded by an array of roasted vegetables and purees, including celery root, artichokes, bok choy, beets, celery, fennel, leeks, mushrooms, and several others that I didn't even recognize. All were much more interesting and delicious than the fries they replaced.

On our last night in Neuchatel, we were treated to dinner at La Maison du Prussien, ranked as one of the top four restaurants in the city. We arrived at 7:30 and left after midnight! The extensive menu was in French; the waiter said they had tried to translate it but that there were no equivalents for too many words, so our host had the daunting task of repeating the waiter's descriptions in English. We all decided on one of several set menus as a way to simplify the choices. D and I chose a menu with a wild game theme. Everyone else in our party picked one that featured truffles in every dish (even the dessert).

I lost track of the number of courses we had; I think it was at least ten, each one an exquisite work of art and an experience in culinary innovation in the modern style called molecular gastronomy. I would love to have photographed every plate, but didn't want them to think I was trying to steal their ideas. I will try to describe a couple of the courses to give you an idea of what they were like:

An oblong plate had a tiny, stemmed glass in the middle that contained crunchy black currents in jelly. The waiter topped the jelly with a pink foam from an aerator. Four spoon-sized scoops of ice cream fanned out like petals on one side of the glass, but this was not a dessert. Each one was a slightly different color and made with a different kind of mushroom. One was porcini and one was chanterelle, but I couldn't identify the other two.

The dessert was especially entertaining. The waiter set a rectangular plate in front of each of us. On one end there was a small, round dish with a domed lid. Swirls and puddles of various sauces decorated the plate and a single dot of chocolate perched on the lip of the dish. On the other end of the plate was a spoon containing an oval scoop of rose-flavored ice cream garnished with a crystallized rose petal. The waiter lifted the lid off the tiny pot to reveal cubes of stewed quince. "This is a puzzle," he said. "You must find the chocolate." D found it first. He picked up the lid that the waiter had set aside and looked underneath. It was filled with chocolate mousse, held in place by a layer of hardened chocolate poured over it.

At the other extreme of the food spectrum, street vendors and fast food shops in the pristine cities and rail stations sold sandwiches, pizza, pastries, and pretzels, which the pedestrians ate out of hand. The restaurants served rosti (hash browns) or fries as a side with most of the main dishes and yet the Swiss, like most Europeans, are as slim and healthy as we were 30 years ago. As we were sitting on the train waiting to depart for the return trip to Zurich, I decided to do a random survey of the people who passed by my window. Out of 53 passers by, only one was overweight and one more was slightly pudgy. (Five were smoking.) It has to be the butter.

There is an old joke about national stereotypes that goes like this:

Heaven is where the French are the cooks, the English are the police, the Germans are the mechanics, the Italians are the lovers, and the Swiss organize everything.

Hell is where the English are the cooks, the Germans are the police, the French are the mechanics, the Swiss are the lovers, and the Italians organize everything.

In my opinion, the Swiss excel at all of the above, certainly cooking, and from the number of kanoodling young people we saw, I'll bet they are no slackers in that department either.

Note: A 10-year study done by the World Health Organization called, Multinational Monitoring of Trends in the determinants in Cardiovascular Disease (MONICA), last updated in 2005, found that the Swiss have the highest average levels of cholesterol of any population or country in the world, yet their heart disease rate is 1/3 that of the United Kingdom (http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=i8SSCNaaDcE). Astonishingly, every single country in the top eight of saturated fat consumption had a lower rate of heart disease than every single country in the bottom eight of saturated fat consumption.

© 2010, Judy Barnes Baker; Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

2010-11-25T05:22:00.000-08:00

"There is one day that is ours. There is one day when all we Americans who are not self-made go back to the old home to eat saleratus biscuits and marvel how much nearer to the porch the old pump looks than it used to. ... Thanksgiving Day ... is the one day that is purely American."

--O. Henry, American writer

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

KETOSIS OR KETOACIDOSIS?

2010-11-18T16:47:00.000-08:00

I picked up a little booklet in the waiting room at the doctor's office yesterday. It was an ad for the latest edition of Outsmart Diabetes 1-2-3 from the editors of Prevention Magazine. It contained a lot of info-mercial style teasers about all the wonderful secrets that will be revealed to those who buy the book, such as:

"Reverse the Rising Tide of Blood Sugar FAST!...Check out page 246…"

"…People who walk at least a certain distance every day are fully one-third less likely to have trouble sleeping!..See page 242 to learn just how far you have to walk…"

"Type 2 diabetes disappears in 78.8 percent of people who do THIS!...See page 294….."

On page 9 of the booklet, there was a clue about what you can expect to find in Outsmart Diabetes. An article called, "Low Carbohydrate Diets Can Make You Sick!" contained the following advice from someone identified as, "an MD, PhD specialist in cardiology and nutrition." Here is what Dr. Anonymous MD, PhD had to say: "Low-carb diets are dangerous because they put you in ketoacidosis (a serious condition that can lead to diabetic coma or even death)." His Advice? You need a "balanced diet," which you can read about on page 249.

It's not surprising that Dr. Anonymous MD, PhD didn't give his name. He has mistaken ketosis for ketoacidosis. Perhaps he was napping during his classes on human metabolism. (Perhaps he should read page 242 so he can get more sleep.) Benign, dietary ketosis is not only harmless but it is a highly desirable state. It means the body is burning fat for fuel. Ketones are produced as a result of the breakdown of fat. The alternative to ketosis is burning sugar and storing fat, something most of us try to avoid. Keto-acid-osis is an entirely different thing.

Dr. Mary Vernon explains it this way: Benign, dietary ketosis occurs whenever the body is burning fat for energy in the presence of normal amounts of insulin; diabetic ketoacidosis occurs when insulin is low or absent, preventing the body from removing glucose (blood sugar) from the blood. Since the sugar is not available for use without insulin, the hormone glucacon is released to initiate fat burning to provide ketones for use as an alternate fuel. Unopposed glucacon promotes rampant fat burning and ketone production, while the lack of insulin keeps the glucose level in the blood elevated. Glucose and ketones together cause severe dehydration when they are excreted by the kidneys and water is lost along with them.

There may be some perfectly dandy tips in Out Smart Diabetes, 1-2-3, but if Dr. Anonymous is typical of their experts, I wouldn’t expect much help in out smarting anything, certainly not diabetes.

And the come-on about how type-2 diabetes disappears in 76.8% of people who do THIS? No doubt a promo for bariatric surgery. Aren't we lucky to have the smart people from Prevention Magazine to keep us from doing anything foolish or dangerous? Like not eating sugar?

© 2010, Judy Barnes Baker; Carb Wars; Sugar Is The New Fat

HOW CAN FRUCTOSE BE BAD IF IT IS IN FRUIT?

2010-11-09T21:53:00.000-08:00

That is probably the most frequently asked question I hear when I talk to people about the low-carb lifestyle. Our health organizations tell us that fruits and vegetables are the basis of a healthful diet. They always refer to "fruits and vegetables" as if they are one category and equally beneficial, but they can be as different as candy is from kale.

Technically, any part of a plant that contains seeds or is involved in reproduction is a fruit. Leaves, stems, and roots are vegetables. But, in common usage, we classify plant foods based on sweetness. If it is sweet, we call it a fruit; if it is not, we call it a vegetable. Most of us can tolerate a few berries, but if we want to cut down on carbs, we must limit or avoid some fruits. When we eat too many of the sweet ones, such as bananas, grapes, mangoes, and pineapple, we get a big dose of sugar, much of which is fructose, the most dangerous of all the sugars.

However, you'll have no trouble getting your recommended two servings of fruit a day while sticking to your low-carb eating plan if you remember that an eggplant is a fruit. Avocados, zucchini, green beans, and olives are fruits. Pumpkin and cucumbers are fruits. A tomato is a fruit. And there is no end to the things you can do with these "vegetable" fruits. It seems perfectly normal to have pumpkin pie made out of a "vegetable" fruit, but you don't need to stop there. I also make avocado ice cream, chayote squash apple pie, and black bean cake. I've even made "raisins" out of olives (still working on that one).

Green tomatoes and tomatillos are my new favorite "vegetables" to use as fruits. When they are still crunchy and tart, green tomatoes make a perfect substitute for apples in jams, chutneys, sauces, and pies. Tomatillos, familiar to most of us as the main ingredient in salsa verde, are the little green fruits encased in a papery lantern commonly used in Mexican cuisine. While green tomatoes are only available in late summer, and then only if you have access to a local garden, tomatillos are easy to find fresh and canned year round in many groceries and ethnic markets. They are also known as husk tomatoes or jamfruit; the name "jamfruit" inspired my recipe for the sweet/hot tomatillo jam in Carb Wars.

Below is my recipe for Tomatillo Sauce. It makes an interesting alternative to cranberry sauce for your holiday table or a dessert topping for ice cream or puddings. If you cook it down until it is thick, you can use it like jam or as a filling for pies and tarts.

TOMATILLO SAUCE
1 pound of tomatillos
Sugar substitute equal to ½ cup sugar, preferably a sweet fiber*
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

Remove husks from tomatillos and wash off sticky residue. Chop into small pieces, reserving juice and seeds. Mix the fruit, the reserved juice and seeds, and the sweetener. Let stand for 24 hours to draw out the juices.

Place fruit and juice in a heavy saucepan. Grate the thin, yellow part of the lemon rind into the pan and add the lemon juice. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. Remove cinnamon. To thicken, puree some of the mixture in a food processor or press through a sieve and return to the pan.

Use like cranberry or apple sauce, as jam, as a topping for yogurt or ice cream, or spread it in a low-carb tart crust. See variation below for Pocket Pies. Refrigerate or freeze.

Recipe makes 1 cup of sauce or 16 servings of 1 tablespoon each.
Total carbs in whole recipe—9.2 grams; Fiber 2 grams; Net carbs: 7.2 grams
Carbs per tablespoon—0.57 grams; Fiber 0.12 grams; Net carbs: 0.45 grams

*Sweet fibers are sugar substitutes with bulk, such as Sweetperfection©, Just Like Sugar©, or stevia blends with oligofructose or erythritol. You could also use xylitol or maltitol.

VARIATION: POCKET PIES
Joseph's brand pitas are very thin and make a crisp, pastry-like crust. They have only 2 net grams of carbs in each half for a total of 3.8 net per pie (excluding the ice cream).

Cut a low-carb pita pocket in half. Melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add one pita half and fry until brown and crisp. Turn over. Carefully open the pita with a fork or spatula and spread ¼ cup of drained Tomatillo Sauce inside. Continue to fry until second side is brown. Sprinkle with cinnamon and more granular sweetener and serve hot with a scoop of low-carb ice cream. Wipe out the pan and repeat with other half.

© 2010, Judy Barnes Baker, Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

LC FOODS: GREAT NEWS! YOUR LOW CARB LIFE IS ABOUT TO GET BETTER

2010-11-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

Glen Frederich in 2009, at 375 pounds

Glen and Elise Frederich in 2010

Every year hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. undergo gastric bypass surgery. Candidates for the procedure are routinely put on a low-carb diet to lose weight and reduce fatty liver disease to help them survive the operation; afterwards, they must continue to avoid sugar and starch to prevent a painful condition called "dumping" and to keep from regaining weight. It is at this stage that they frequently invite someone like me to speak to their support groups about what they can eat. When I ask them why they went through this dangerous and expensive surgery when they had demonstrated that they could lose weight without it, they tell me, "Because I knew I could never stick to the diet."

When I ask, "Could you do it if you had really good food that didn't leave you feeling deprived?" they always answer, "Yes, of course!"

There is nothing wrong with the human digestive tract. It's what we put into it that needs to be redesigned. And I have some really good news to report about someone who is doing just that.

Glen Frederich's struggle with weight led him to try dieting and exercise and to start a food company that specialized in low-fat snack foods. Although his company was very successful, Glen's weight continued to climb. He eventually reached 375 pounds eating his own products. He had high blood pressure, sleep apnea, knee and back pain, and other health problems. He was miserable and hopeless, but rather than give up, he set out to learn why his previous efforts to lose weight had failed. He read more than 12 books on nutrition, picking up bits of information from each, "like putting together a puzzle," until he could see the big picture. He says, "…so I dug and dug till I had new truths no one would tell me. Not the doctors, not the diet plans, not the pharmaceuticals, and for heaven's sake not the food industry."

With his new understanding of how fats, proteins, and carbohydrates effect the body, and how insulin, released in response to dietary sugar and starch, is the hormone that drives fat storage, he set off to the grocery store to buy the food needed to implement a new lifestyle. "And guess what?" he says, "It was not there." This is when his "relentless, focused, A-type" personality kicked in and LC Foods was born.

I was thrilled when Glen contacted me to tell me that my book had helped him lose 108 pounds on a low-carb diet (without surgery or starvation dieting) and start his new low-carb food company. He has worked tirelessly with scientists, baking companies, and food manufacturers and packagers to bring a wide range of low-carb products to market. He started with a line of flour replacements; it took a year and half to perfect his five different blends, one for every specific baking need.

Next came sugar replacements made with natural fibers and sweeteners, and then low-carb cereals. The line now includes milk, syrups and sauces, chocolates, frostings, potato mixes, dried fruits, jams and jellies, ready-made breads, crackers, and brownies, and much more. You can see the list here: http://lcfoodscorp.com/products.

You can contact Glen through his website at http://www.holdthecarbs.com/. You can support his efforts by buying his products as they become available and telling your diabetic and weight-conscious friends about LC Foods. He's also looking for success stories and recipes made with LC Foods ingredients to post on his website.
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Glen is sending me samples of his baking products and recipes to try. He tells me that his flour mix #4 makes perfect, flaky pastries and pie crusts, so I plan to start with that one. He even offered to bake me a cake! I'll be waiting with a fork in my hand for his parcel to arrive!

A SPECIAL INVITATION FROM JIMMY MOORE

2010-10-29T19:16:00.000-07:00

My son sent me this picture of some un-scary pumpkins. They have nothing to do with this post, but they are cute and seasonal, so I thought I would include them.

Are you a fan of Jimmy Moore's Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Blog and podcast? Jimmy is the hardest working blogger I know and one of the best interviewers in the business. He has a knack for getting all the people you want to hear to talk to him. He's always polite, but he's not afraid to ruffle some feathers when necessary.

Jimmy's podcasts are free, but he is adding Premium Content for those who sign up for his special fan club. The official kick off for the club will be December 1st, 2010, but there are some pretty serious perks for those who register early. Those who sign up before 12:59 PM on Sunday, October 31st (ah, there is a Halloween connection, after all!), will get $20.00 off the regular price. Plus they will get one free month, and the first 50 people to register will receive e-copies of both Jimmy's books as a bonus. Read more here: The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show Fan Club.

What I like best about the fan club is that members will have access to transcripts of the podcasts. If you are like me, you don't always have time to listen to the shows in one sitting, but with transcripts I can read at my leisure and go back and find a passage that I want to double check or quote without having to listen all the way through again.

So remember, the deadline for early registration is Holloween night at the witching hour!

A BRAVE EXPLORER: DR. ROBERT K. SU

2010-10-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

"Christopher Columbus, as everyone knows, is honored by posterity because he was the last to discover America."
--James Joyce

Today is Columbus Day, when we honor a courageous man who defied conventional wisdom to set out on a voyage of discovery. I'd like to introduce you to another brave explorer: Dr. Robert K. Su. This remarkable physician is one of many doctors who have independently discovered that the conventional wisdom about a healthful diet is sadly flawed and often has deadly consequences. And like Dr. Richard Bernstein, Dr. Robert Atkins, Dr. Jay Wortman, Dr. James Carlson, Dr. Michael Eades, Dr. Eric Westman, and many others, he had the courage to tell the truth even at the of risk being ostracized and labeled as a trouble maker or even a quack for refusing to toe the line set by the medical establishment and Big Pharma.

After years of frustration trying to help his patients lose weight and improve their health, Dr. Su decided to use himself as a subject and perform experiments to see what worked. As usual, the science is clear once someone is open minded enough to see it. Dr. Su was so excited to discover that carbohydrate restriction was the solution to his own health issues that he wanted to tell others how to save themselves and enjoy a more healthful life. The title of his book says it bluntly:"Carbohydrates Can Kill." In his passion to spread the good news to the world, Dr. Su started his own web site and pod cast series featuring many prominent figures in the growing low-carb community. I was delighted to be the subject of one of these pod casts. You can hear it here:

http://talk.news-medical.net/profiles/blogs/judy-barnes-baker-author-of

or here:

http://www.carbohydratescankill.com/684/judy-barnes-baker

SIMPLIFY YOUR HOLIDAY, GIVE BOOKS

2010-10-09T10:34:00.000-07:00

My mailbox is crammed with catalogs, a sure sign that it's time to start thinking about Christmas. My solution to holiday shopping during this busy time of the year is gifting with books. It's easy to find something special for everyone on my list and with just a few clicks my choices can be on their way, boxed, gift wrapped, and customized with a personal message. Some venders will even throw in free shipping if your order qualifies (over $25.00 for Amazon).

And just in time, I got the following notice from FRP, the distributor for Carb Wars and lots of other neat cookbooks. October is National Cookbook Month (I didn't know that) and they are celebrating by offering ALL their cookbooks at a 30% discount until October 31! Head over to The Cookbook Marketplace at www.cookbookmarketplace.com and take a look. Type in the code, OCT-COOK, when you check out to get the sale price. Be sure to order one for yourself, then you can spend all that extra time making (low-carb) goodies, partying, or just snuggling by the fire.

WHAT'S REALLY IN THAT PACKAGE?

2010-09-29T16:37:00.000-07:00

I received a question a while back about one of the ingredients I used in Carb Wars from a man whose wife has gestational diabetes. He said the net carb count of 48 grams that I gave for oat flour was different from the count given on the Bob’s Red Mill website.

I happened to have a package of Bob’s Red Mill oat flour in my cupboard, so I checked the label. It says 16 grams of carbohydrate and 3 grams of fiber in 1/3 cup (27 grams), so a cup would have 39 net grams, which is actually lower than what I reported in the book. The Bob’s Red Mill website now gives the count as 66 net grams, so they have obviously recalculated it.

This has happened to me before and it can be a real problem when you must keep your carbs very low. Coconut flour used to be listed as being about 2 net grams per serving and now some brands say it has three times that many. Why do counts change? Perhaps the company has switched to a new database. Samples vary and the databases are all different. Or they may have been cited for having the numbers wrong and been required to correct them. Andrew DiMino has an interesting article on the CarbSmart website: http://www.carbsmart.com/carbcounts1.html. He explained that many things can affect the nutrition counts, including time, temperature, humidity, shipping method, etc., in addition to the fact that samples from different years or different locations will naturally differ from one another. He also said that some venders lie.

Anyone who regularly checks his/her blood sugar can get some idea of what is really in a product, but according to diabetes expert, Dr. Richard Bernstein, even that can change from day to day and hour to hour depending on many factors.

Oat flour still has an advantage over wheat flour; it is at least somewhat lower in carbs, it has fewer anti-nutrients than wheat, and it has 2 to 3 times more soluble fiber. However, the lowest net-carb grain I've found is Sustagrain barley. I posted about it with the numbers and sources here: http://carbwars.blogspot.com/search?q=sustagrain. It has much more fiber than oats. It is available as flour or flakes from The King Arthur Flour Company.

Some other possibilities for low-carb baking:

-Atkins has brought back their low-carb bake mix.

-Carbalose flour and CarbQuik, by Tova Industries, can be ordered from www.netrition.com and most online low-carb stores.

-Bob's Red Mill's sells a low-carb flour mix from their website.

-You can also use a mixture of gluten flour, almond flour, and whey protein powder as a flour replacement. Jennifer Eloff has a recipe for many flour subs and some excellent recipes using them in her books and on her blog at: www.low-carb-news-.blogspot.com. She also has posted some recipes using a combination of her bake mix and Carbalose flour that look good.

The bottom line is that we need to keep our consumption of carb-containing foods low, low, low, especially those who are diabetic, because it is impossible to know for sure exactly what's in there. And, although we all like starches and grains, there is absolutely no biological need to eat any of them.

© 2010, Judy Barnes Baker
Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

GREEN TOMATOES

2010-09-18T16:44:00.000-07:00

If you've ever tasted ripe tomatoes fresh from the vine, still warm from the sun and sweet enough to eat out of hand, you will understand why my husband keeps trying to grow them—not an easy thing to do where we live. This year, he found a variety bred specifically for Oregon and Washington. He started the seeds inside on a heated pad to give them a head start and then potted them up and put them out on our back deck, the only place that gets full-day sun. We put water-filled, red plastic surrounds over the seedlings so we could put them outside while the nights were still cool. The water was supposed to absorb the sun during the day and keep the plants warm overnight to fool them into thinking they were in Texas or Florida. It probably helped, but unfortunately, we had the coldest Spring on record; it was May 14 before the temperature reached 70 degrees. Our plants survived but didn't grow much until July and didn't bloom until late in August. Finally, now in mid September, we have green tomatoes, but we are already back into Fall mode with highs in the 60's and our prospects for ripe, home-grown tomatoes are fading fast. However, there is an upside to this story.

An article by Lynne Rossetto Kasper about green tomatoes made a timely appearance in her column, "Ask the Splendid Table." (The Seattle Times, Sept. 15, 2010.) She says, "anything you can do with a tart apple, you can do with a green tomato." Bing! The light bulb came on. I know you can make desserts with tomatoes, but it hadn't occurred to me that when they are still crunchy and tart they could sub for apples in condiments, chutneys, jams, and pies. I quickly looked up the nutrition data for green tomatoes. Although they are a little higher than ripe tomatoes, they are a LOT lower than apples.

Below is my version of Lynne's recipe for Rustic Italian Green-Tomato Jam. Check back after I've had time to experiment a bit more. This is going to be fun.

Note: 100 grams of raw, green tomatoes has 5.1 grams of carbs and 1.1 of fiber for a net of 4 grams. (More than a red tomato by 1.28 net grams.) The same weight of apples has 13.81 grams of carbs and 2.4 of fiber for a net of 11.41 grams, so the green tomato has a significant advantage as a replacement for apples.

GREEN TOMATO JAM
I used a granular sweetener called Just Like Sugar, which is made of oligofructose and orange peel. I'll try it with other sweeteners to see if they work as well.

1 pound of green tomatoes, cored and cut into ½-inch pieces (reserve juice and seeds)

Sugar substitute equal to ½ cup of sugar, preferably a sweet fiber such as oligofructose (Sweetperfection or Just Like Sugar) or a stevia blend with oligofructose or erythritol

2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of grated zest (the amount from 1 medium lemon)

Pinch of salt

1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick

In a heavy sauce pan, mix the tomatoes, any reserved juice and seeds, and the sweetener. Let stand for 24 hours to draw out the juices.
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Grate the thin, yellow part of the rind from the lemon into the pan and add the lemon juice. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 40 minutes or until thick. Use like jam, as a topping for yogurt or ice cream, or spread in a low-carb, almond tart crust. (I'm going to try it in a turnover recipe I've been working on.) Refrigerate or freeze.

Recipe makes 1 cup of jam or 16 servings of 1 tablespoon each.

Total carbs--9.2 grams; Fiber 2 grams; Net: 7.2 grams.

Carbs per serving--0.57 grams; Fiber 0.12 grams; Net: 0.45 grams

Tip: Additional advice from Lynne: Use green tomatoes raw or cook them down. If they are cooked for a short time, they will be slimy.

WHY WE GET FAT AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT, by Gary Taubes

2010-09-09T09:57:00.000-07:00

Breaking news: Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It by Gary Taubes, the author of The New York Times best seller Good Calories, Bad Calories, is due out on December 28.

Go to Amazon right this instant and order this book! The pre-publication sales have already reached 6,748 in books on Amazon's website, and that number will skyrocket as the word gets around that it is available. All the sales that are placed for a book prior to publication will vest on the day it is released, so all our orders will be counted on December 28. (The rank for book sales is determined by the total number of orders placed in the least amount of time.) Let's make this book open on The New York Times Best Seller List as NUMBER ONE! That should get some attention, don't you think?

Here are the advance reviews for the book:

"In the New York Times best seller Good Calories, Bad Calories, acclaimed science writer Gary Taubes argues that certain kinds of carbohydrates—not fats and not simply excess calories—have led to our current obesity epidemic. Now he brings that message to a wider, nonscientific audience in this exciting new book. Persuasively argued, straightforward, practical, and with fresh evidence for Taubes’s claim, Why We Get Fat makes his critical argument newly accessible.Taubes reveals the bad nutritional science of the last century—none more damaging than the “calories-in, calories-out” model of why we get fat—and the good science that has been ignored, especially regarding insulin’s regulation of our fat tissue. He also answers key questions: Why are some people thin and others fat? What roles do exercise and genetics play in our weight? What foods should we eat or avoid?"

Gary Taubes is a correspondent for Science magazine; his writing has also appeared in The Atlantic and The New York Times Magazine. He has received three Science in Society Journalism Awards from the National Association of Science Writers, the only print journalist so recognized. He is currently a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Investigator at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health.

(C) 2010, Judy Barnes Baker
Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

THE FOSTER STUDY: "A LOW-CARB DIET IS ASSOCIATED WITH FAVORABLE CHANGES IN CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS AT 2 YEARS."

2010-08-31T09:59:00.000-07:00

You have probably read about the Foster study by now. It has gotten a lot of press coverage and most of the headlines mention that it shows that a low-carb diet is good for the heart. We should all rejoice that that message is (finally!) getting out. The improvements in blood lipid profiles were just too dramatic to be explained away (probably not for lack of trying). But when it comes to weight loss, we hear the same old refrain, "no difference in low fat verses low carb…all diets are the same." I'd like to make a few points about the study that I haven't seen mentioned in other reviews.

1. Here's what the researchers found:
In the first 6 months of the study, the low carbers experienced a greater rise in good cholesterol, lower triglycerides, a greater reduction in blood pressure, a greater reduction in very-low-density liproprotein (VLDL, the bad form of LDL), but less reduction in the large, fluffy, harmless form of LDL. They also lost more weight. It is also noteworthy that they did not suffer bone loss in the study, another mythical danger of such a diet. But after 2 years, the weight loss was about the same for both diets. A closer look reveals a probable explanations.

The participants ate 20 grams of carbs per day for the first 3 months, then they increased the carbs every week by 5 grams per day. They could have been eating 80 grams of carbs per day at the 6 month point. The upper limit for most people to stay in ketosis is 50 grams per day, so for the remaining year and a half of the study, they were probably no longer on a ketogenic (fat burning) diet.

The following quote is from the study as it was reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine. http://www.annals.org/content/153/3/147.abstract?aimhp

"After 3 months, participants in the low-carbohydrate diet group increased their carbohydrate intake (5 g/d per wk) until a stable and desired weight was achieved."

Do you see the significant word? "Desired." In comparing the weight loss in the two diets, it is important to note that the participants eating the low-carb diet chose how much weight they wanted to lose. The charts that are included in the actual study show their weight loss was greater until the carbs were significantly, and apparently, voluntarily, increased. By the end of the 2 years, those in the low-carb faction may have increased their carb intake so much that what they were eating would hardly qualify as low-carb, although it was probably still lower than those who had to limit fat and calories. So to say the diets were equally effective for weight loss is misleading. Those on low-carb may have reached a preset weight-loss goal or perhaps they just decided to tolerate a few extra pounds in order to go back to eating "normal" food. Whatever their reasons, they decided to eat more carbs and stop their weight loss at some point in the experiment and this is reflected in the graphs included with the report.

2. The researchers state that they did not include anyone who suffered from dyslipidemia (a disruption of blood-fat profile) or diabetes in the study. Both these conditions are symptoms of carbohydrate intolerance. Since approximately 2/3 of the population falls into that category, that means the ones who would have benefited most from carb restriction were excluded. The low-fat dieters in the study were not yet carbohydrate intolerant, but could still be on the road to becoming so in the future if they continue to follow the same diet.

3. Dr. Foster emphasizes the negatives of the low-carb diet, but doesn't mention the great big one associated with the low-fat/low calorie one, which is constant hunger. The low-fat dieters had to limit the total amount of food they ate to 1200 to 1800 calories a day. The low-carb dieters limited the starch and sugar but could eat as much as they wanted from the other food groups. Most people find it difficult to stick to a way of eating that keeps them hungry. He also fails to mention that the complaints were probably limited to the early stages when carbs were severely restricted. A typical high-carb diet causes the body to retain water (that's why high blood pressure is rampant). When the sugar is purged, water goes with it and an ion imbalance may result as minerals are lost along with the water. For most people this causes side effects that will quickly disappear after their bodies have adjusted to the new lifestyle or when the carb count is increased a little. (Switching from a low-carb diet to a low-fat diet also causes side effects.)

Dr. Foster also failed to mention that there are easy solutions for all these complaints. The authors of The New Atkins for a New You say that most of the side effects in the early phase of carb restriction, such as headaches, dizziness, fatigue, bloating, and constipation, can be remedied by drinking more water and getting at least ½ teaspoon of salt per day. The other complaint, bad breath, is simply the result of being in ketosis. (This is also the cause of morning breath—everyone goes into ketosis after an overnight fast.) Some describe it as "fruity" or "sickly sweet," rather than "bad." It is proof that the diet is working and you are burning fat. The remedy is the same as for the other gripes: dilute the ketones by drinking more water.

Jimmy Moore posted a good, in-depth article about the Foster Study here: http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/two-year-study-shows-low-carb-diet-effective-for-weight-loss-improves-hdl-cardiovascular-health-risks/8686. I hope Dr. Eades will give us the benefit of his interpretation when his schedule permits and I know Dr. Feinman will as well. (This sort of thing was Regina Wilshire's forté —how I miss her insightful commentaries!)

An excellent article by Bob Kaplan about the Foster Study appeared in the Los Angeles Times (http://articles.latimes.com/2010/aug/23/health/la-he-my-turn-atkins-20100823/2). The author states the obvious; "After losing weight and keeping it off on the Atkins diet, it seems odd that no one wants to find out why this higher-calorie option appears to be more effective."

And in case you missed this, read how a twenty-three –year-old, raw-food blogger named Denise Minger single-handedly demolished The China Study here: http://rawfoodsos.com/2010/07/07/the-china-study-fact-or-fallac/. Dr. Michael Eades weighed in on the subject here: http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/cancer/the-china-study-vs-the-china-study/.

(C) 2010, Judy Barnes Baker
Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

BERRY, BERRY GOOD

2010-08-21T17:33:00.000-07:00

In most fruits, the part that is good for you is the dark skin, not the pale, sweet pulp. Big, juicy, black grapes, purple plums, and deep red cherries, bursting with healthful nutrients are, unfortunately, also bursting with sugar, especially fructose. Most of us are well aware of the dangers of fructose as one study after another links it to fatty liver disease, gout, metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, infertility, and on and on. Yet most of us continue to think eating fruit is a good thing. Our health organizations all tell us that fruits and vegetables form the cornerstone of a healthful diet. They always refer to "fruits and vegetables" as if they are one category and are equally beneficial, but they can be as different as candy is from spinach. Dates, for example, are fruits, but dates and honey were probably the first sources of concentrated sugar in the diet of humans. (Technically, vegetables are the edible roots, leaves, and stems of plants, while fruits are the parts involved in reproduction. Most of our sugar now comes from beets or cane, while some comes from palms and maple trees. Does that mean it counts as a vegetable?)

Here are some suggestions for how to get the benefits of fruit with less of a sugar hit.

1. Peel dark-skinned fruit and eat just the peel.
I do this sometimes, especially with black grapes, since the longevity-enhancing resveratrol is concentrated in the bitter seeds and skin, but it doesn't taste very good, in fact, it is terrible. If you make the peel a little thicker, it will taste better, and you'll still get less sugar than if you ate the whole thing.

2. Eat only very tart fruits.
You can make them as sweet as you like with sugar substitutes. Cranberries are wonderful made into sugar-free cranberry sauce or dried to use like raisins. All kinds of wonderful things can be made with lemons and limes, which have almost no sugar. Gooseberries also have very little sugar and they are becoming more available. I was thrilled to find some at a local market recently. I used them to make a delicious sauce for lamb and a topping for ice cream. Fresh currents are similar and they are also becoming easier to find. I think you can also grow gooseberries and currents in the US now; they were banned in the past because they carried a disease that could infect other crops.

3. Eat low-sugar fruits that are usually considered vegetables.
Avocados, for example, can be added to smoothies or made into mousses or frozen desserts. I've also seen tomatoes served in tarts and pies and there is a classic dessert from the Alsace region of France made of stuffed tomatoes. Some creative chefs are even using black olives in desserts. And don't forget how well zucchini pairs with chocolate for cakes and muffins (yes, zucchini is a fruit). Pumpkin is perhaps the most popular in the "vegetable-as-dessert" category. It has only 4 net carbs per ½ cup serving. It can be used to make pies, puddings, breads, and muffins. Pumpkin tamales, fritters, and hush puppies are among my favorite dessert recipes from Carb Wars.

4. Conversely, eat vegetables that can be used as fruits.
Rhubarb and fennel have carb counts similar to celery, but they make wonderful sweet treats. Carrots, of course are traditionally used for cakes and muffins, but they are a bit higher in sugar.

5. Eat small fruits.
Scientists have been tirelessly breeding fruit to be bigger, sweeter, and easier to harvest and ship. Most of what we find on the produce aisles in today's stores would be unrecognizable to our great grandparents. Lemons are as big as oranges and oranges are as big as grapefruits once were. Choose the smallest fruits you can find; they will have more of the nutrient-rich outside in proportion to the sugar-rich inside. Tiny strawberries are certainly a better choice than the big ones with white shoulders and hollow cores.

6. Eat wild when possible:
Best of all, eat wild fruits if you can. They will probably be smaller, seedier, and less sweet than the varieties cultivated for the modern consumer. They will also be available for only a few short weeks while they are in season. And this brings me to the real subject of today's post.

The Pacific Coast region of the Northwest, where I live, is not a good place for farming. This is probably one reason the native Americans who lived here were still hunter-gatherers when the first Europeans arrived, long after most of the residents of the New World had turned to agriculture. The crops that thrive beyond the mountains in Eastern Washington don't get enough heat to grow well here. Berries are the exception. They love our cool summers with long daylight hours.

I have more than six kinds of edible, wild berries growing in the woods around my house, and these are just the ones I know are safe to eat. The pictures above were taken in my front yard. The berries on the left are red huckleberries. We also have tiny, black, evergreen huckleberries, several kinds of raspberries and blackberries, thimble berries that fit over the end of your finger (like a thimble), and salmon berries, so called because each berry looks like a clutch of golden salmon eggs.

The dark berries pictured above on the top right are from the salal plants that grow like weeds here. You have probably seen salal leaves because they are widely used as long-lasting greenery in floral arrangements. Most people don't know the berries are edible, but they are mildly sweet, tasty, and virtually seedless. I have no way of knowing the nutrition counts for them, but they are tiny and tedious to pick and the season is short so I am not in danger of eating too many. I pull off a few each day when they are ripe and eat them on my way out to the mailbox.

If you do a little research, you may find edible fruits that grow wild in your area. Even if you live in the city, you may discover a few berries in a park or along a walkway that are free for the taking.

Note: Read up on them to be sure they are safe and don't collect anything that may have been treated with chemicals or anything that grows beside a busy road where it may have accumulated high levels of lead from car exhausts.

I'd love to hear from you about what you have eaten that grows wild where you live.

Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

Carb Wars; Sugar is the New...SALT!

2010-08-07T11:01:00.000-07:00

For years, we've been told that too much salt causes high blood pressure, a condition affecting roughly one-third of Americans. The government is even talking about requiring food manufacturers and restaurants to cut down on salt in their products. Many companies are doing so voluntarily and will no doubt be trumpeting the low-sodium message to customers in their advertising campaigns.

One of the benefits of a low-carb diet is that it effectively reduces blood pressure for most people, making salt reduction unnecessary. In fact, some low-carb experts warn that it is possible for individuals to experience adverse reactions if sodium levels fall too low and that some people will actually need supplemental salt when eating 50 grams of carbohydrate or less per day.

Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades say that if you feel light-headed or dizzy after starting a low-carb regimen, you may need more salt. They suggest adding more salt to your food or eating half a dill pickle twice a day. (Dr. Eades drinks dill pickle juice in order to supplement his salt intake. There is a picture of him drinking from his dedicated pickle jar on his blog at: http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/music/photo-food-diary-friday-dec-5-2008/.

Dr. Mary C. Vernon tells her patients that if they experience dizziness or feel ill before they are fully adapted to a low-carb diet, they should add ½ teaspoonful of salt daily. She explained to me that typical high-carb diets cause water retention, but when the body switches from burning sugar to burning fat, stored sugar is released and retained water and minerals are lost with it, which can result in ion imbalances. In The New Atkins for a New You the authors say that this imbalance is also the reason most people feel terrible during the two-week induction phase on Atkins, a side effect often called the "Atkins flu". (I wish I had known back in 2000 that all I needed was an extra ½ teaspoon of salt!)

Of course, if you try to tell the average Joe that it is excess carbohydrate that causes hypertension, you can expect to be dismissed with the usual eye roll. At last, here is a study that we can point to that offers evidence that it is sugar, not salt, that is to blame. Granted, it is an epidemiological study, the kind that shows a correlation rather than proving causation, but it is convincing.

The researchers analyzed data collected from 4,528 Americans who were part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2003 to 2006, who had no history of hypertension. They reported that those who consumed 74 grams or more of added sugar a day were 77% more likely to have a blood pressure reading of 160/100, the level at which doctors generally prescribe medication. Seventy-four grams of sugar is equal to 18.5 teaspoons, the amount in 2½ sodas.

Note that the study tallied only "added" sugar and didn't count the sugar in fruit and other foods or the correlation would have been much more dramatic. (Why would it make a difference whether the sugar comes from fruit or from corn?) The average American consumes 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day. The current USDA guidelines recommend 300 grams of total carbohydrate daily, which equals 75 teaspoons of sugar or 1.56 cups. The national average comes closer to 500 grams, that's 125 teaspoons or 2.6 cups of sugar. This study focused on fructose and soft drinks as the culprit, which doesn't tell the whole story, but it's a start.

The study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health. You can find it here: http://jasn.asnjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/ASN.2009111111v1.

(C) 2010, Judy Barnes Baker,
Carb Wars; Sugar is the New Fat

ICE CREAM, MILK FAT, AND HOGS

2010-07-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

A fellow low-carber who is still mourning the loss of Watch'n Carbs, the low-carb ice cream recently discontinued by Lucerne, sent me a message about his latest discovery. He was excited that he had found a sucalose-sweetened ice cream at a Ben and Jerry's stand at the airport. With guarded optimism, I checked their website: The first flavor listed on their nutrition info chart was Butter Pecan. It had 17 grams of carbohydrate and zero fiber, so a net of 17 grams. The very last flavor on the chart and the only no-sugar one, was Vanilla Fudge Chip, No Sugar Added. It came in at 20 total grams of carbs minus 3 fiber for a net of, drum roll please, 17 net grams. It was indeed sweetened with sucalose and Ace K so I can only assume that it has more skim milk, and as a result more lactose (milk sugar), than the regular flavors.

So, if there is no difference in the sugar content, perhaps there is something special about the other nutrients? Nope. The Butter Pecan has 260 calories and 20 grams of fat. The No-Sugar-Added Vanilla Fudge Chip has 250 calories and 17 grams of fat, but the serving size is smaller—80 grams rather than 86--so I'd say it is pretty much a wash. What gives? Hey Ben and Jerry, why bother to make a product without sugar when the counts are almost identical?

The Ben and Jerry's website lets you submit a request for a flavor. I sent them a plea for a really, truly, low-sugar, low-carb ice cream. I asked, "Can't you provide at least ONE flavor that can be eaten by those with diabetes and metabolic syndrome, which now includes over 2/3 of the population of the US?" Still waiting for a response.

Then today I came across a new study on milk fat. It was reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and it shows that dairy fat reduces the risk of heart attacks. (Read the study here: http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/ajcn.2009.29054v1.) The Conclusion from the study states: "Milk fat biomarkers were associated with a lower risk of developing a first MI, especially in women." The researchers also found that drinking full-cream milk and eating cheese and other dairy products made from full-cream milk lowered the risk for metabolic syndrome—the collection of symptoms associated with obesity and diabetes.

Most studies such as this rely on questionnaires filled out by the participants to determine how much of a particular nutrient the subjects ate. In this study, they actually tested for blood levels of two fatty acids that are found only in dairy foods, a much more reliable method of determining the actual intake of milk fats.

Also on the subject of milk and its relation to fat, there is this blog from Fred Hahn, over at The Slow Burn http://slowburnfitness.com/swine-fattening-or-people-fattening/. In a post titled, "Swine Fattening or People Fattening," he quotes from The Farmer's Cyclopedia of Livestock, 1908, which recommended that the best way to fatten hogs was to feed them a combination of skim milk and corn.

He says: "As we all know, the American food supply is riddled with corn and skim milk, meaning starch and sugar. In fact, the 2010 USDA nutritional guidelines are essentially hog fattening guidelines. Corn and sugar – all part of a nutritious breakfast!" The Slow Burn, July 16, 2010

LAST DAY FOR COMMENTS ON USDA GUIDELINES

2010-07-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

July 15th is the last day to submit your comments to the USDA about their new food guidelines. I urge you to please speak out before this travesty is finalized. You are limited to 2,000 characters or less, and they seem to count spaces. If you want to send a longer message, you can send it as an attachment. I thought people would be more likely to read it if they didn't have to open anything, so I worked really hard to get my comment down to the proper length.
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Tom Naughton has a nice (and much more entertaining) summary of the proposed guidelines on his site that is helpful if you don't want to plow through all the proposal documents yourself. It is here: http://www.fathead-movie.com/index.php/2010/07/08/2010-dietary-guidelines-fat-made-us-fat/
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Send your comments to the USDA here:
http://usda-cnpp.entellitrak.com/etk-usda-cnpp-2.8.0-prod/tracking.base.create.request.do?dataObjectId=21

Below is my comment:
For the past 30 years we have been told to eat less fat because of the supposed link between heart disease and fat intake. But heart disease is still a leading killer and diabetes and obesity have reached epidemic proportions. Diabetes is a condition in which the body’s ability to metabolize sugar and starch is impaired, yet the USDA advises everyone, even those with diabetes, to consume most of their calories as carbohydrates. New research is showing that advice to be, not just counter-intuitive, but part of the problem. It is time to return to the good, natural fats that have been blamed for the mess created by the heavily-promoted, "heart-healthy," low-fat foods that replaced them in the American diet.

Eating a diet high in natural fat is a health risk only when the diet contains too much carbohydrate, which provokes the release of insulin, the fat-storage hormone. Insulin inhibits fat burning and leads to obesity and diabetes and all the other diseases that have gotten worse since the government first issued its misguided advice. Fats and proteins are essential to life. Dietary carbohydrates are not.*

Harvard professor, Mier Stampfer, who worked on the last food pyramid, said that this year's committee "knows perfectly well what the evidence says, but they don't want to shake the status quo or risk confusing the public by changing the message." (www.slate.com/id/2248754) What they fail to realize is that their refusal to change their advice to match emerging research is already undermining their credibility. The public would be far more likely to support them if they would acknowledge the existing science. There is no disgrace in changing your mind when the evidence changes. Refusing to alter your position when you know it is wrong is indefensible.
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*The lower limit of dietary carbohydrate compatible with life is apparently zero.” (The Dietary Reference Intakes, the document on which the government supposedly bases its guidelines, Ch. 6, 275)

(C) 2010, Judy Barnes Baker

HOME AGAIN AND QUICK CHILI

2010-07-13T22:45:00.000-07:00

I got in very late last night after a long vacation, which ended with a week in a rustic cabin in West Virginia. We were surrounded by wildlife: deer, bear, groundhogs, rabbits, hummingbirds, vultures, butterflies, etc. outside, and bugs and mice inside. We resorted to storing our food in the oven to keep it from being nibbled. One night we were awakened by a bat swooping over our bed catching insects. We shinned a flashlight on it to keep track of where it was until it eventually found a chink in the wall big enough to escape.

We were almost totally isolated from contact with the outside world—no phone, no cell phone, no Internet, no television, no radio. The closest grocery store was an 18 mile drive over West Virginia's famous "country roads." There was only one cafe in the park, so we improvised most of our meals in the small, sparsely equipped kitchen. One thing that worked well in this situation was my Quick Chili recipe from Carb Wars. It was simple enough to make without referring to the recipe and it didn't require investing in an assortment of spices and other ingredients that would have to be discarded when we left. I made a double batch one night for dinner and we had it over Dreamfield's rotini (which I brought with me) for lunch later in the week. (The tortilla chips in the photo are also from Carb Wars.)

Quick Chili

1 pound ground beef
1 cup water or broth
1 (15-oz) can enchilada sauce
1 (15-oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
Salt, pepper to taste
Chili powder to taste, optional

Brown ground beef and drain off the fat. Put meat, water or broth,
enchilada sauce, and tomatoes in a large saucepan. Simmer for 30
minutes. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper and chili powder to taste.
Serve with shredded Cheddar cheese, chopped green onion or chives,
and sour cream or Crème Fraîche for topping.

Servings: 6
PER SERVING:
Total Carb: 6.8g Fiber: 0.6g Net Carb: 6.2g

THE PERFECT HUMAN DIET

2010-06-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

The USDA is now advocating a plant-based, very low-fat diet. What can we do beyond writing letters? Here's a chance for you to help get the truth out.

I blogged about a fantastic documentary called "In Search of the Perfect Human Diet" in a previous post after I had a chance to preview an excerpt: http://carbwars.blogspot.com/2009/10/in-search-of-perfect-human-diet.html.

Some of the world’s leading scientists in human evolutionary nutrition were involved in this international endeavor, including:

• Dr. Loren Cordain (author of The Paleo Diet, Colorado State University)

• Dr. Michael Richards (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany -Department of Human Evolution)

• Dr. Jay Wortman (Inuit Diet research, Canada)

• Dr. Steve Phinney (Professor Emeritus of Medicine, UC Davis)

• Gary Taubes (New York Times science writer and author of Good Calories, Bad Calories)

• Dr. Michael R. Eades (author of Protein Power)

• Barry Sears Ph.D. (author of The Zone)

• Dr. Leslie C. Aiello (President, Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, New York)

• Robb Wolf (Research bio-chemist, author of The Paleolithic Solution)

• Professor Richard D. Feinman, PhD (Downstate Medical Center (SUNY) in New York)

• Professor Craig Stanford (Chair, Department of Anthropology, USC)

• Dr. Lane Sebring (Sebring Clinic, Wimberley, TX)

• Eric Schlosser (author of Fast Food Nation)

CJ Hunt, producer and host of the four-part series, is nearing completion, but he urgently needs your help. Your support will enable Hunt Thompson Media, LLC to finish the post-production work by November of 2010, and release it for the 2010 Christmas and the 2011 New Year's resolution season. For more information on the documentary series visit www.perfecthumandiet.com.

Donors of $100 or more will get a Special Edition DVD set and Film Credit for their support.

To make a donation click the Chip In button below or go to: http://www.chipin.com/contribute/id/b680640edbcc5238

"In Search of the Perfect Human Diet™" (Coming Fall 2010)
www.perfecthumandiet.com

This film evolved from our hosts’ true-life story, beginning when he was brought back to life at 24 after dropping dead while jogging. At 46 he had a pacemaker implanted, and was officially classified as handicapped. Rather than being deterred by these events, CJ was motivated to help create positive change in the world by seeking out and sharing innovative discoveries that could help us all achieve longer, healthier and happier lives.

THE PERFECT HUMAN DIET is a trademark of Hunt-Thompson Media/CJ Hunt III Productions, LLC. All rights reserved. © 2009 Hunt-Thompson Media/CJ Hunt III Productions, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

(C) 2010, Judy Barnes Baker