During my first exam after the birth of my second child, my doctor complimented me on how I was managing my weight. I told him I had been following a low-carb diet.

He raised an eyebrow. "Harumph" he said, "most people don't stay with it for very long."

That was nearly five years ago, and over those years I've managed to maintain my weight, eliminate food cravings, and stave off type II (non-insulin dependent) diabetes.

I've also seen an explosion of public awareness and acceptance of the low carb lifestyle. Michelob Ultra and Thin Ice Hard Lemonade accompany a slew of new products targeted towards people who are watching their carbohydrate intakes.

You know when a product's main claim to fame is that it has fewer carbohydrates than you imagined possible, the marketing gurus have decided that the low carb market is a target big enough to shoot for.

Low carbers are a growing demographic. Everyone knows someone who's "doing Atkins" or "going low carb." You see success stories or hear your friends' accomplishments and want to try it for yourself.

Then comes the hard part: going low carb means no bread (not even tortillas or wraps), no pasta, no potatoes, no rice, no sweets, right? Any one of these can be a deal breaker. Depending on which flavor of low carb diet you try, you may even have to give up fruits and vegetables at the beginning (during the "induction" phase), while you jump-start your metabolism.

No way, you may be thinking, "I'll never be able to do it!" And in fact, a lot of people can't, or won't. The question I hear most frequently is, "Don't you miss eating all that great stuff?"

Well… yes, and no. Yes, because I inherited a sweet tooth, along with a family history of type II diabetes, from my father.

But no, for a couple of reasons. First off, that "great stuff" was never so great for me. I stuck religiously to the USDA food pyramid. I cooked delicious low-fat meals. I did everything I was supposed to, but I was hungry all the time, and the scale kept creeping up, up, up.

Now, I eat when I'm hungry but I don't eat junk. I can have pancakes for breakfast without being insanely hungry an hour later. Yes, that's what I said: pancakes for breakfast, or muffins, or toast and jam.

I know what you're thinking: But I thought you said you couldn't have all that! And you're right, you can't have that if it's made with white flour and white sugar, or if it's highly refined. But now, you can easily buy treats like these if you're willing to spend big bucks.

You can also make them yourself using great-tasting sugar substitutes and flours made from whole grains, nuts, protein powders, or even soy. It's true that these ingredients are a lot more expensive than regular white flour and sugar. But they won't make you sick, either.

So, you may find yourself in unfamiliar aisles of your supermarket, making pilgrimages to health food stores, or surfing to obscure websites to track down some unusual ingredients. But once you've got your low carb pantry stocked, you'll find that you can, indeed, make it low carb.

That's what this column is about: staying on your low carb track in a high-carb world. Write to me with your favorite recipe and I'll de-carb it for you, or suggest a low carb alternative that might work in its place.

Need ideas for quick breakfasts, lunch, snacks? How about a brunch, or a dinner party? I'll talk about menu planning, shopping, and cooking techniques that every low-carber can master.

Mail your questions via email to makeitlowcarb@cox.net, and check back each issue for updates.

Now, to start off our recipes, here's one of the easiest, tastiest, and lowest carb snack recipes in the world.