April's here, Spring is here, and seeing the crocus bloom is always a glorious sight for us. March was an interesting month. Neil and I attended Expo West in Anaheim (as we do every year), but this year was a bit different. Not only were there fewer "low carb" packaged products, but many of those we're all familiar with had changed their names or their focus, feeling the stigma of the title as conferred by the press. What was happening? Was low carb "dead", as the media was proclaiming?

That same weekend, Low Carb Luxury sponsored a Press Event entitled, "Low Carb Lives", and we presented a panel discussion that featured Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades (who wrote Protein Power), Dr. Fred Pescatore (who wrote The Hamptons Diet), Dana Carpender, Linda Langdon, Andrew DiMino, and myself. Neil was the panel moderator, and asked questions of the panel for the first hour, with the audience making queries after that. It was a lively discussion and the general concensus was that of course "low carb" is not dead... how could it be when the diet has been proven over and over as effective and healthy? What's happened is clearly a shakeout in the industry, and we are all beginning to see a rebound effect at this time. The months ahead will see many changes in the low carb arena, and in the way specialty products are manufactured, labeled, and marketed.

But how was this panel received by the press? Well... "What if you gave a press conference and nobody came?" It wasn't actually that bad, but attendence was far lower than it should have been, showing the disinterest the press has in low carb right now. It just doesn't push a button with them anymore... it's so yesterday.

No matter, it was wonderful getting to have the discussion and spending the weekend with so many of our dear friends in this industry. Andrew did his best to play host (since CarbSmart is located right there in Huntington Beach), and even helped to bandage up my foot when I managed to get a nasty cut the first day in. Time spent with Linda was fun and crazy like always, and that girl eats more salmon than any other human alive, I think... I had a blast with Dana Carpender as she and I discovered we have far more in common than we ever dreamed. We've done some remarkably similar things in our past. Don't ask. :)

It was a fun 4 days and our meals were shared with some of our favorite people... Kantha Shelke of Corvus Blue, Drs. Eades, the Gang from Midwest Low Carb Distribution, Jonny Bowden, and of course, those I mentioned before. Neil and I feel blessed to know such talented and amazing people.

And to all of you who write each day, and who keep us so aware of consumer interests and concerns, we thank you. Have a wonderful Spring!

                            

Rotten Tomatoes Created by movie-buff Senh Duong in 1998, Rotten Tomatoes has grown to become a premier destination for both casual movie-goers and film buffs alike. With accolades from the Chicago Sun-Times, The New Yorker, USA Today, and many more for its unique approach to movie reviews, Rotten Tomatoes offers a full range of services, features, and community for its users. Over 2.7 million readers each month use Rotten Tomatoes as a dependable resource and objective coverage of movies and videos. And no wonder. With more than 100,000 titles and 360,000 review links in its ever-growing database, Rotten Tomatoes offers a fun and informative way to discover the critical reaction on movies from the nation's top print and online film critics, neatly summarized via the Tomatometer™. And with features such as integrated price comparison for DVDs, soundtracks, video products, and more, Rotten Tomatoes is committed to saving its readers time and money.

Our product review team features a "Product Of The Month" in each issue of our magazine. These products are a group consensus of those we find to be the most innovative, healthy, tasty, and/or helpful to the low-carber's daily dietary regime.

Looking for a great cracker to sub for Chees-its or Ritz? Hungry for a crunchy crispy snack? But the ones you've tried in the past seemed "so cardboard", or simply have too many carbs? We think you'll want to check out Chip's Chips from Betafoods.

They come in 5 varieties: Nacho Cheese Snackers, Sour Cream & Onion Snackers, BBQ Snackers, Cheddar Cheese Thins, and Extra Cheese Thins.

Other than taste and versatility, there are some other very good reasons to enjoy Chip's Chips. They're made without trans fats, sugar alcohols, or any other "questionable" ingredients. They contain 16 grams of protein per serving (without tasting like they do), and offer up a mere 2 grams of carbohydrate for the Snackers, and 0 grams for the Thins. And when they give a carb count, they mean it. They're not "net" carbs, there's no math to do... the bottom line is the bottom line. A serving size is a full 28 gram package, and they're only 130 to 140 calories to boot.

Our favorites were the Cheddar Cheese Thins by a minor majority, but the Extra Cheese and BBQ were close seconds. Choose your own favorites!

Can you think of a good reason not to try these all-natural zero (or 2) carb snacks? We didn't think so... If you can't find them locally, order them online at The Low Carb Connoisseur


   

Neil's Photo of The Month:
_{Click the image below to download a 1024 x 768 image to use as wallpaper!}
       

       

Copyright © March 2005  Low Carb Luxury.     Photography Copyright © 2005  Neil Beaty.