Low Carb Freedom

Great Low Carb Blog...

OK, this isn't really news. I should have linked to this blog a long time ago from my low carb blogroll. But, better late than never!

Do check out Weight of the Evidence for an in-depth look at new research coming out that impacts the low carb lifestyle.

Updated 4/12/06 Low Carb Discontinued Product Watch

Folks, I'm updating this again!

Here is the most low carb disctinued product recent update that includes Anthony's Reduced Carb Pasta, Mueller's Reduced Carb Pasta, and Carb Options Salad Dressings, plus hints of things that are changing in the South Beach product world.

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!)

Atkins Company files for Bankruptcy

With the Atkins company filing for bankruptcy, a host of inaccuracies are again flooding the news wires.

1. The falsehood that Atkins was overweight when he died, even Mort Zuckerman from US News and World Reports repeated this on the Situation with Tucker Carlson on August 1. He wasn't. And more here.

2. That Atkins would have approved of the foods that the Atkins company put out after he died. Most of the Atkins foods were filled with Maltitol and were overpriced. This blog rarely, if ever, endorsed a food product put out by Atkins.

Embedded in this Reuters story is the following statistic:

The low-carb craze peaked in early 2004, when over 9 percent of U.S. adults claimed to be on such a diet, according to market research firm NPD Group. That figure declined to 2.2 percent last month.

No one said that everyone should be on the diet, however, I suspect that this number will go up as more and more research comes out about how certain people really respond to the Atkins diet, and for them, it is healthy.

Certain parts of what Atkins espoused pertain to everyone. Reduce sugar intake, increase fiber, and stay away from products made with white processed flour.

Sale at Netrition, Including Dreamfields

I just finished my netrition order because tomorrow, Thursday, is the last day for the Dreamfield pasta sale of $2.19 a box. (More on Dreamfields here and here.) I ordered a lot of it to keep in the pantry. (For more on netrition, click here.)

I also ordered the following products:

• Keto Jams (the best tasting low sugar jam out there, and Keto is now out of business)

A whole lot of syrups and let me tell you why. My kids love Slush Puppies and Slurpies and Italian Ices in the summer. There is no way that I can keep letting them eat these sugar laden products, but I have to substitute something else. I was able to purchase a slush machine yesterday at Costco on clearance for $29.97 that looks like it will make great slushes (I hope!). With these syrups, the kids might be satisfied with the substitutes, and I can make fun summer drinks with them by just adding a bit of rum for the adults!

• DaVinci Watermelon Syrup and I already have a DaVinci pump so it will look just like the slush syrup. If the watermelon flavor is good, then I will try grape and raspberry in the future.
• Baja Bob's New Martini Mixes in Sour Apple and Blue Raspberry! Obviously, I won't put the liquor into the slushes for the kids, but if the syrups taste like Sour Apple and Blue Raspberry, the kids will love them, and they will be a cool treat for the summer. (Also, much cheaper than buying everyone slushes out!)

Of course, I'll let you know how they come out once they get here.

• CarbQuick. I haven't tried it yet, but I just received an advance copy of a book that I want to tell you more about that would make this product obsolete, but I have to do a bakeoff!
• Black Soy Beans. I've been looking for these everywhere. I want to try them in my chili. High fiber and low carb.
• Erythritol Granular Powder. I want to try this plain to see what happens.

For my complete shopping list, click here.

Are newer versions of low sugar candies better?

According to this article, the Chairman of Jelly Belly has type II diabetes. He wants to create more low/no sugar candies. I'm sending him a copy of this post: Sell Your Stock in Maltitol Companies.

Another Vote for Short Bursts of High Intensity Exercise

Remember the study that showed that two minutes of exercise in short bursts of 30-second increments three times a week equaled the health benefits of 3 2-hour workouts? Well, it seems that this type of workout is also better for diabetics!

For active diabetics, moderate-intensity exercise, such as light continuous jogging or cycling, poses a greater risk of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) than intermittent high-intensity exercise representative of the activity patterns of team and field sports, such as soccer or hockey, research shows...

They found that both moderate-intensity and high-intensity exercise led to a decline in blood sugar levels, but the decline was greater with moderate-intensity than with high-intensity exercise, despite a higher heart rate and greater total work load with high-intensity exercise.

I wonder if this regimen would work with the people who have been clinically proven not to benefit from exercise as well.

I have started walking this week, but maybe I should add two minutes of vigorous exercise three times a week to see what happens? It can't hurt.

Drug reduces same diabetes risk factors as low carb diet

The headline to this post should be the headline to the article on Canada.com, but it isn't. The actual headline reads:  Diet drug cuts blood sugar, trims waistline in type 2 diabetics, study finds. The same could be said about another article with this headline about another drug: AstraZeneca diabetes drug controls sugar, fats.

It would be one thing if patients were given the risks/rewards of these drugs versus going on a low carb diet, but they won't be given that option until the low carb diet is irrefutably proven safe over the long term -- and by that very definition, that time is years off.

Sugar Shouldn't Be Taxed

One thing that the low carb "craze" did was point out the downside of sugar, but this proposal to tax sugar is way out of line. Why? Because the next thing they are going to tax is food that has fat as one of the first four ingredients.

What we need is better education, better food labeling (including on alcohol), better scientific studies, the willingness to go with true science -- not consensus science, and the broad realization that one diet doesn't work for everyone.

Exercise: Having No Time May Not Be An Excuse -- Have 6 Minutes a Week?

I managed to lose my weight with no exercise, but I have been putting off the much-needed exercise regimen because of time constraints. If the latest study proves valid, that excuse for me and for millions more may be obsolete.

A new exercise study reports:

Key points
• Study find 3 x 2-minute bursts of exercise as healthy as 3 x 2-hour workouts
• Two-minute regimes based on intense cycling
• Tests showed rate of oxygen absorption same for those doing both regimes

Key quote
"We have shown that a person can get the same benefits in fitness and health in a short period if they are willing to endure the discomfort of high-intensity activity" - Professor Martin Gibala, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

And this is based on a non-impact exercise routine! I wish they had a video of this "discomfort of high-intensity activity." How bad can 30 seconds of exercise be?

If this proves to be valid, I can see the establishment having fits of pique, just like they did with the low carb diet. "It isn't healthy in the long run -- it puts a strain on your system -- we don't have any long-term studies." The good thing about the exercise regimen is that it is much easier to study than a diet. Although, of course, because everyone is different, some people truly don't respond to exercise, as this study contends. (I'd love to see the folks who don't respond to exercise try this short burst exercise regimen and see what happens.)