Low Carb Freedom

Low Carb stops or starts rages?

Jimmy over at Livin' La Vida Low-Carb has a post about how low carb or Atkins causes "rage" in people.

I've never experienced it. In fact, I wrote about how controlling your blood sugar actually decreases fits of anger in a much earlier post.

However, at least low carbers are open to asking people if they have experienced anything like it! In fact, Jimmy has another post about how a researcher is going to monitor the brain activity of people who low carb. Science will either refute or confirm the assertion that eating low carb starves the brain of vital nutrients. (You know where my bets are.... But after the study, it won't be as much fun to go after news articles like this one because they couldn't write them!)

Low Carb Oreos are back!

According to this fascinating article on Oreos:

The low-carb Oreo also didn't last, but that had more to do with a fad-driven marketplace than with science. When Kraft ditched the low-carb Oreo, it took the same cookie and put it in a new box touting a hotter diet trend.

And with that, the Oreo CarbWell last month became the Sugar Free SnackWell's Oreo.

It also details the history of the trans fat warnings and how Oreo has responded. Read the whole article.

(As an aside: I wish some other companies would bring back their low carb offerings as sugar free and give them wider distribution and a more sane price point -- specifically Heinz ketchup!)

Update to the Low Carb Discontinued Product Watch: Carb Countdown Yogurt, Sahara Carb Counting Pitas, Total Protein, Hershey 1g

Updates on:

• Atkins Carb Countdown Yogurt
• Yoplait Carb Monitor Yogurt
• Sahara Carb Counting Pitas and Wraps (breads)
• Hershey 1g candy bars
• Total Protein Cereal

Click here for all the low carb product news. Remember, I have been keeping this Low Carb Discontinued Product Watch since February and the newest entries are in purple.

Low Carb Yogurt: Moove Over Sugar by Stonyfield or Dannon Light'n Fit Carb Control

OK, OK, Atkins Carb Countdown Yogurt and Yoplait Carb Monitor Yogurt have been discontinued. There are still options out there!

First, you can buy Dannon Light'n Fit Carb Control. This has been around a long time.

You can also buy Stonyfield Farms Moove Over Sugar, which is organic. The Moove Over Sugar has more carbs than the Dannon Carb Control, but it also has erythritol and inulin. (Good stuff!)

Moove Over Sugar is mostly available in health food stores, but it is also available in Stop & Shop.

If you want access to Moove Over Sugar,

1. print out this form,
2. check off Moove Over Sugar,
3. and give it to the dairy manager at your local store so he or she can order it.
4. Plus, click here for ecoupons

Make your own decision on taste and how well your body responds.

	Moove Over Sugar - Wild Berry
Serving Size	4 oz.
Calories	70
Total Fat	2g
Saturated Fat	1.5g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	10mg
Sodium	35mg
Postassium	110mg
Total Carbohydrates	17g (minus the fiber and erythritol to get net carbs)
Dietary Fiber	1g
Sugar	8g
Erythritol	7g
Protein	4g
Ingredients	Cultured pasteurized organic low fat milk, water, erythritol (natural sweetener), naturally milled organic sugar, organic cream, milk protein concentrate, inulin (natural dietary fiber), milk mineral concentrate, organic strawberry juice (from concentrate), natural flavor, carrot and organic beet juice concentrate (for color), pectin, guar gum. Contains six live active cultures including l. acidophilus, bifidus, l casei, and l. reuteri.

And here is the second ingredient list!

	Dannon Light'n Fit Carb Control Blueberries 'n Cream
Serving Size	4 oz.
Calories	60
Total Fat	3g
Saturated Fat	2g
Cholesterol	10mg
Sodium	25mg
Postassium	80mg
Total Carbohydrates	3g
Dietary Fiber	0g
Sugar	3g
Protein	5g
Ingredients	Water, ultra-filtered skim milk, cream, blueberry puree, contains less than 1% of whey protein concentrate, modified corn starch, natural and artificial flavors, Kosher gelatin, sucralose, potassium sorbate (to maintain freshness), malid acid, Red 40, Blue1, sodium citrate. Contains Active Yogurt Cultures.

Let me know which one you like the best!

Low Carb Ice Cream (with no cream) that is Good for You: Alpine Ice from Mountain Herbal Foods

While I have been disappointed by many low carb foods in the past, new "good for you" foods that taste great are coming down the pipeline, and Alpine Ice certainly fits the bill. Not only does it have lower carbs, but it also has no dairy, no soy, no gluten or eggs. It is also certified Vegan and low fat. (Not that I care about these last facts.) You can give this to just about anyone on any type of diet. I bet this ice cream (with no cream) would be great for people who have had gastric bypass or lap band surgery too.

It wasn't developed for low carbers; we just happen to be a lucky ancillary market. It was developed for cancer patients and is suitable for diabetics.

The Zone doctor, Dr. Barry Sears, was an advisor, and even has a great quote on their website:

I feel that Mountain Herbal Foods ushers in a new era of "guiltless pleasures."

These are foods that you believe you should feel guilty about eating because they have such great taste, yet they are manufactured to deliver incredibly high level of nutrients known to improve health and wellness. 

Life can't get much better than that.

I tried this at a local ice cream store in Marblehead, MA -- Terry's Ice Cream Shop on School Street. Terry's has two flavors: Lavender Sunrise and Green Tee Herbena. I tried both of them with a mini teaspoon and decided to get a bowl of the Lavender Sunrise. For some reason, this dessert seemed like it should come from the Orient and not "handmade in small batches in the Berkshires of New England." The taste was light and refreshing, and it was further enhanced by the knowledge that this stuff truly was good for you AND ONLY 45 calories! About half an apple! (Read here why calories do count.)

Besides lots of herbs, teas, etc., Alpine ice contains inulin and erythritol instead of maltitol, and long-time readers of this site know that these ingredients are the best ingredients to have in a product.

Distribution is limited at this moment, but I'm sure if there is demand, something can be done. I suggest printing out this page and bringing it to your local health food/low carb market. Many low carb stores also cater to the gluten-free and dairy-free customers, and this certainly fits the bill.

If you look at the label, the fact that this is low carb doesn't jump out at you because they haven't broken out the sugar alcohols. (I think they should, of course.) Mountain Herbal clarified the sugar alcohol content and trans fat in an email, so the complete nutritional label should be as follows:

	Alpine Ice Lavender Sunrise
Serving Size	1/2 cup (about 80 grams)
Calories	45
Total Fat	0g
Saturated Fat	0g
Trans Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	10mg
Total Carbohydrates	20g
Dietary Fiber	8g
Sugar	3g
Sugar Alcohol	6.6g
Protein	0g
Ingredients	Ingredients: Tea (Water, Lavender*, Green Tea*, Blue Malva*, Chamomile*, Lemon Balm*, Peppermint Leaves*), Harmony Infusion (Water, Elderflower*, Raspberry Leaf*, Green Tea*, Peppermint*, Nettle Leaf*, Dandelion*, Lemon Balm*, Orange Peel*), Inulin, Erythritol, Lemon Juice, Fructose, Maltodextrin*, Gum Acacia, Glycerine, Tara Gum, Guar Gum

Now, according to the folks at Mountain Herbal, I really should try the Bolder Berry, which is available now, and with the ingredient list filled with berries, I can't wait to try it.

Mountain Herbal Foods LLC
217 humphrey street
marblehead, ma 01945
t: 781.639.1192    f: 781.639.4356
info@mtnherbal.com

Ruby Tuesday's Getting Rid of Some Low Carb?

I read the Washington Post article about the disconnect between what people say they want to eat versus what they actually eat.

Restaurants find healthy foods flop

Chains discover such fare isn't really what diners want

The national restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday added a low-fat Blueberry D'Lite yogurt parfait to its menu more than a year ago to capitalize on the apparent growing appetite among consumers for healthful fare.

The parfait joined more than 40 better-for-you offerings, along with listings of calorie and fat contents for everything on the menu. French fry portions were trimmed. Heavy advertising touted the chain's Smart Eating program.

But diners didn't bite. So Ruby Tuesday has eliminated the Blueberry D'Lite, along with several other healthful dishes ditched after a lengthy period of slumping sales at the chain. Calorie and fat information was dropped except on the healthful items that survived and were moved to the back of the menu.

Now the chain is aggressively promoting its biggest burgers...

Notice the big headline.

I immediately became worried about the low carb Ruby Tuesday fare and went and checked their menu. Under Ruby Tuesday Smart Eating there was still item after item of good low carb fare:

Calories / Fat gm / Net Carb gm / Fiber gm

Steaks, Seafood & Chicken

Entrées served with choice of two sides. Nutrition information does not include side items.

Smart Eating^SM Petite Sirloin*

A smaller version of our irresistible top sirloin.   222/8/1/0

Smart Eating^SM Top Sirloin*

A seasoned sirloin steak.   285/11/1/0

Smart Eating^SM Ribeye*

Our juicy ribeye cooked just the way you like it.   635/44/4/0

Smart Eating^SM Grilled Chicken

Peppercorn-seasoned and grilled.   209/5/0/0

Smart Eating^SM Creole Catch

Broiled seasoned tilapia.   312/16/0/0

Smart Eating^SM Peppercorn Salmon

A peppercorn-seasoned fillet.   287/15/0/0

Smart Eating^SM New Orleans Seafood^™

Broiled seasoned tilapia and shrimp topped with creamy Alfredo sauce.   507/31/4/0

Smart Eating^SM Church Street Chicken^™

Grilled chicken with sautéed mushrooms, crisp bacon and melted Swiss cheese.   523/32/0/2

Side Items & Sauces

Plain Baked Potato 296/2/49/11

Add Ruby's salsa or light ranch dressing.

Salsa 10/0/3/0

Light Ranch Dressing 55/5/1/0

Thai Peanut Sauce 66/3/8/0

Bleu Cheese Dressing 177/19/1/0

Fresh Steamed Broccoli 129/8/5/3

Sugar Snap Peas 82/0/10/4

Sautéed Mushrooms 276/27/0/4

Creamy Mashed Cauliflower 166/11/9/6

Side Caesar Salad 120/10/4/1

Brown Rice Pilaf

Topped with cheese and tomatoes.   223/7/34/2

Dessert

Low-Carb Cheesecake

Our creamy cheesecake with a crunchy nut crust is carb-friendly and delicious.   400/32/1/5

Just ditch the baked potato and the rice pilaf and you can have a field day! And I didn't even excerpt the whole menu!

I would love to try the New Orleans Seafood! (And I'm surprised that the author of the article didn't dispute their "Smart Eating" designation with low carb items on the menu... but that is another article.) And on low carb, you can certainly eat the big burgers they are advertising -- just without the bun.

I have an email into their Marketing dept. to try and find out what items were actually discontinued. I'll let you know what they tell me.

Walden Farms No Carbs Grape Fruit Spread

It is with a heavy heart that I write this review. I purchased this fruit spread at my local Stop & Shop for $2.99 a jar a few months back. (I don't think they have it now.)

I was excited.

No carbs, sugar free, calorie free.

Verdict? It was inedible in my opinion. And I wasn't alone. My son refused to eat his peanut butter and jelly when I made it with this product. The consistency was.... not like jelly and not like vaseline, more like fat globules that roll around.

Both of us love the Keto jelly, but Keto has gone out of business, although the Keto jelly is still available at netrition for who knows how long.

One version of Pollaner All Fruit is sweetened with Splenda, and it is on my Everyday Low Carb Shopping List. It is available at some grocery chains like Stop & Shop. I don't eat the Smucker's because it is sweetened with aspartame.

Interesting ingredient list below....

	Walden Farms No Carbs Grape Fruit Spread
Serving Size	1 Tbsp (15g)
Calories	0
Total Fat	0g
Saturated Fat	0g
Cholesterol	0mg
Sodium	0mg
Total Carbohydrates	0g
Dietary Fiber	0g
Sugar	0g
Protein	0g
Ingredients*	Triple Filtered Purified Water Grape Flavor, Natural Flavor, Sucralose (Splenda brand), Citric Acid, Cellulose Gel, Xantham Gum, and Sodium Benzoate * Contains trace calories (ed: means that the calories are less than what has to be displayed on the label for the serving size.)

The Best Low Carb Pizza I Ever Tasted -- and it is discontinued: Red Baron Carbworks

If anyone finds these in a remainder freezer somewhere, snatch them up for the taste, and let others know where you found them. I found them in my local Market Basket a few months back and I haven't seen them since. There is also no mention of them on the Red Baron website now.

When Low Carb comes back, it would be great if the food manufacturer's took this product as a template and then improved on it in terms of nutrition, not necessarily on taste. You would have never known that this was a low carb pizza. It beat the new South Beach pizza by a mile. The French Bread version, which I tried, was just as big as the Stouffer's French Bread Pizzas. With 13 grams of net carbs, it was worth a splurge once in a while.

	Red Baron Carbworks Pizza
Serving Size	1 pizza (164g)
Calories	350
Total Fat	18g
Saturated Fat	7g
Cholesterol	30mg
Sodium	1040mg
Total Carbohydrates	27g
Dietary Fiber	14g
Sugar	3g
Protein	27g
Ingredients	Toppings: Sauce: Water, Tomato Paste, Margarine (Soybean Oil, Partially Hurdogentated Soybean Oil, Water, Salt, Vegetable Mono and Diglycerides, Vegetable Lecithin, Natural Flavors, Beta Carotene, Vitamin A Palmtate Added), Seasoning (Paprika, Granulated Onion and Garlic, Spices, Citric Acid), Soybean Oil, Contians 2 percent or less of salt, Xantham gum, Guar Gum, Oligofructose, Fructose, Acesulfame Potassium. Cheese: Low Moisture Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese (Pasteurized Part Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes). Cooked Italian Sausage: Pork, Water, Spices, Salt, Dextrose, Favorings, TBHQ, BHT, Citric Acid. Pepperoni: Pork and Beef, salt, Spices, Dextrose, Sodium Ascorbate, Sodium Nitrite, BHA, BHT, Citric Acid. Red Peppers. Green Peppers. Onions. French Bread: Water, Vital Wheat Gluten, Wheat Protein Isolate (Wheat Gluten, Lactic Acid, Sulfite), Whole Wheat Flour, Is olated Oat Product, Modified Wheat Starch and/or Corn Starch, Enriched Unbleached Wheat Flour (Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Wheat Bran, Acacia Gum, Contains 2 Percent or Less of Sugar, Salt, Yeast, Soybean Oil, Oligofructose, Fructose, Acesulfame Potassium, Datem (Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Ester of Mono and Diglycerides), Ethoxylated Mono and Diglycerides, Mono amd Diglycerides, Hudrogenated Vegtetable Oil (Cottonseed and.or Soybean), Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Wheat Flour, Enzymes, Ascorbic Acid, Calium Propianate. (Contains: 11% Sausage, 2.7% Pepperoni).

If you get a new cell phone -- cell phone fraudulent billing

I normally only post about low carb, but if you or someone you know gets a new cell phone, beware.

Some of the previous services and agreements that pertained to the old owner "carry over" to you and you will get billed.

First, you think it might just be annoying text messaging spam, but then you get billed for it. Read about my ongoing debacle with sms.ac and know that it could happen to you. Click here for more.

TastyKake Sensable Sugar Free (Lower Carb) Treats: a Sugar Free Twinkie

First there was low carb Oreos, now there are low carb Twinkies (OK, OK, they aren't really Twinkies because they are made by a different company, but it is the first thing I thought of.) I picked these up at my local Market Basket. I hardly ever look at the cake section anymore, but I managed to find these one day when I was looking for some desserts for the kids at the church.

Now, these aren't the best things for you. They have maltitol, they don't have whole flour, and they have lots of chemicals.

However, they come in single serving wrappers, unlike some of the former Entenman's products, and I find that single serving wrappers go a long way towards keeping me from over eating. And if you need a dessert quickly and once in a while, you can take one of these cakes, and put some berries and whipped cream on top. My sister-in-law's family came down, and everyone agreed that this dessert tasted great. I'm sure anyone would think it was adequate.

I went to the web site, and they advertise the fact that you can find products in your area, but the Sensable Sugar Free products are not available on the pull down menu. Furthermore, it isn't updated properly because I couldn't get my local Market Basket to show up, and I know they carry them. You can order these sugar free products via the mail on their website though: 14 packages for $23.95. You get the whole product line though. The only ones I have tried are the Finger Cakes because they have fewer carbs than some of the other products.

Whatever you do, don't eat these often. And of course, as you know, it is better to not eat them at all -- but we all fall off the wagon sometimes.

	Sensables Sugar Free Tastykake Chocolate Chip Finger Cakes
Serving Size	1 cake 32g
Calories	110
Total Fat	8g
Saturated Fat	2g
Cholesterol	15mg
Sodium	110mg
Total Carbohydrates	13g
Dietary Fiber	4g
Sugar	0g
Sugar Alcohol	5g
Protein	3g
Ingredients	Water, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Shortening (Soybean, Cottonseed Oils), Eggs, Bleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate-B1, Riboflavin-B2, Folic Acid), Polydextrose, Maltitol, Sugar Free Chocolate Chips (Maltitol, Chocolate, Cocoa Butter, Soy Lecithin, Artificial Flavor), Whey Protein Concentrate (Milk), May contain two percent or less of:  Food Starch Modified, Leavening (Baking Soda, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate), Skim Milk, Wheat Gluten, Cellulose Gum, Soy Lecithin, Gum Arabic, Salt, Propylene Glycol Monoesters, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Artificial Flavor, Guar Gum, Sodium Propionate and Sorbic Acid added to preserve freshness, Sucralose, Xanthan Gum, Sorbitan Monostearate, Mono and Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60.