Dana's blog

The average citizen regards himself as healthy so long as the little discomforts he shrugs off as "inevitable" do not incapacitate him for work or for enjoying a televised fight. Public acceptance of well-being means suffering with no more than a touch of sinus, bursitis, neuritis, indigestion, heartburn gas, constipation, athlete's foot, poor eyesight, dry hair, brittle finger nails, fatigue, frequent colds, corns, assorted allergies, decayed teeth, blotchy skin, obesity, irritation, and occasional insomnia.

Today is the 15th anniversary of That Nice Boy I Married becoming That Nice Boy I Married. (Before that he was That Nice Boy I Live With, and before that That Nice Boy I'm Dating.) Happy Anniversary, my darling! I've said it many times, and it's as true as true can be, I would have been a very great fool not to marry you. I love you forever.

This flyer was included in my info packet at the Metabolism Society meeting last weekend. Speaks for itself, really:

Here's what That Nice Boy I Married had for breakfast today. It's not dirt-low in carbs, but it's darned nutritious, and has enough fat and protein that it should keep him full for hours. This would be a great breakfast for kids who are addicted to sweet junky breakfasts.

Peanut Butter Parfait Smoothie

3/4 cup cottage cheese
2 tablespoons chocolate sugar free syrup
2 tablespoons caramel sugar free syrup
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1 pinch salt (unless your peanut butter is salty)
1 egg
1/4 cup water
3 ice cubes

Many of you may have tried a product called Flax-z-Snax, a granola that has been very popular with low carb dieters. I have heard from Andrew DiMino, my friend who runs CarbSmart, that he and his friend Bernie Roddy, who runs Netrition, paid to have an independent research lab run an analysis of Flax-z-Snax, only to discover that they were far higher in carbs than the label claimed. Here is what Andrew had to say about the controversy.

Here is Dr. Robert Su describing his new book, Carbohydrates Can Kill.

My journey to the meeting of Metabolism Society was long and tiring -- and so totally worth it. So glad I went.

I'm home! I'm home! Since Thursday I have driven from Indiana to New Jersey, taken the train into Manhattan, taken the train back, and driven all the way home, and quite frankly, I'm wiped. I've had supper -- the leftovers of the Chinese food I ate in my motel in New Jersey on Friday night -- and now I'm going to take a bath and go to bed early. I just wanted to check in and say hi and tell you all that the meeting, and the Metabolism Society were very cool. And you should all go to the Metabolism Society website and join. Really.

Here I am at my Super 8 in Wheeling, WV, sucking down tea before I grab a shower and hit the road. As do so many hotels and motels these days, the Super 8 Wheeling offers a Continental Breakfast, and you know what that means: Carbs, carbs, carbs, carbs and carbs. They have cold cereal, toast, sweet rolls, juice, and fruit. I didn't notice, but they may have frozen waffles, too. The only thing I would have been willing to eat was the butter -- if it was real butter, not margarine -- but just a few lumps of butter do not a breakfast make.

I have to pack and get on the road. I'm going to NYC for a meeting of The Metabolism Society. Should be very cool; I'll meet a lot of important researchers in the field. I'll also see my Evil Twin, Adele Hite, who will be presenting. (Adele was the clinic manager for Dr. Eric Westman of New Atkins For a New You fame -- Dr. Westman is perhaps the most important researcher into low carbohydrate nutrition in America today.

Long-time readers know that I never tire of eggs for breakfast. Heck, I love eggs so much I have 29 chickens! (And, I might add, a very big yard.) However, I know that not everyone agrees with me. And sometimes, on a sultry summer's day, a smoking-hot omelet is more than a body can bear. So here are some ideas for cool summer breakfasts you might prefer:

I'd like to do a new feature on the site, aimed at newbie low carbers. The idea is to give them my best tips for low carb success. I don't want to make it a blog post, because then it will just blend in. I thought of two ways of offering the tips: Either I could record them and make them available as an mp3, or I could send them by email, one tip a day. I can see advantages to both -- the recording is more personal, people will know I'm speaking to them. On the other hand, the tip-a-day thing will provide daily reinforcement for a couple of weeks.

My most recent article is up at CarbSmart; it's a review of RW Garcia Soy and Flaxseed Tortilla Chips and Baja Bob's Margarita Mix. Take a look!

If you have 200 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes -- or, for that matter, any other slow cooker books, or just generally are a fan of slow cooking, you need to know: The reports are that Rival has changed their Crock-Pots. (For the record, only Rival brand slow cookers are Crock-Pots.) They've made 'em hotter, apparently due to some sort of regulation regarding food safety.

For those of you who haven't yet found me on Facebook, I now have a Dana Carpender's Hold the Toast Press fan page. Would love for y'all to go "like" it, and tell your low-carbing friends and family.