If you are a garlic lover, then Garlic Gold is certainly for you. Garlic Gold's line of products can be used on just about any dish.

I love a good cup of hot chocolate anytime, and when you are sick, cocoa can be great comfort food. So following the directions on the package I made myself a cup of chocolate goodness of Holy Cow Cocoa Mix from Dixie Diner.

Gary has a great way of helping his readers understand topics that at one time seemed too complicated for someone without a medical degree. Having read his previous book Good Calories, Bad Calories from cover to cover, I expected to see a lot of the same things discussed, but in much simpler format.

When I think of tea, I think of iced tea on a hot summer day. To be honest, I've never been much of a hot tea person. Despite that, I decided to give Davidson's Dessert Teas a try. When I drink coffee, I like a little heavy cream and some sweetener, so I did the same with the Davidson's Vanilla Cream Spice flavor.

When thinking of low-carb, one doesn't often think of coconut. I'm not sure why, but it's just not one of those visions that pop in your head. Bacon, yes. Coconut, no. Coconut makes me think of sweet indulgent desserts and warm tropics. But coconut products can be a useful part of your low-carb plan.

I'm a Mexican food fanatic. This is a bit unfortunate considering all the rice, beans, corn and flour products used in most Mexican recipes. Learning to adjust, I've gladly dug the good stuff out of taco salads, fajitas and chimichangas when dining out. Of course I prefer cooking my favorite dishes at home, where I always know exactly what I'm getting and I can make suitable substitutions when needed. One item I've always thought made these recipes perfect was salsa. I love a good salsa and I've always felt you can't beat the home-made stuff. The fresh ingredients and spices bring out a taste that canned salsa's can't begin to compete with. At least that's the way I used to think. Now I'm a believer that you can acquire the home-made taste of healthy fresh ingredients from a jar.

Sweeteners are a matter of personal preference. The spectrum of opinions on this topic range from "anything is better than sugar" to "you should never eat anything sweet again". I fall more in the middle. I think a little sweet here and there can be beneficial if it keeps you on course. Keeping that in mind, I do have my favorites and not-so-favorites. Sugar alcohols tend to fall in the latter category, although I realize some are worse than others.

Holidays make us crazy. Everyone has somewhere to go, something to do. Hectic schedules, big family dinners, last minute party details - even small distractions could throw us completely off course. So why is it that we let the holiday season itself keep us from sticking to our eating plans? Many people can make the conscious decision to indulge in this or that and then jump right back on track. But making that decision, and actually doing it, are two different things. We can have the best intentions in the world, but if we don't follow up on them, they can be our undoing. I, for one, used to be guilty of putting off my healthy eating or exercise plan until after the holidays. I knew it would be difficult with all the tempting foods around. It was much easier to just wait until the feasting was over. But think about it. Are the holidays truly ever over? No, not really.

Christmas is drawing close and many people are still trying to figure out what to get that special someone who is hard to buy for. You know the one I'm talking about - those that either have everything (which is certainly not me!) or those who are particular in their likes and dislikes. And let's just face the reality that low-carbers are picky. We have to be, at least where food is concerned. One of the great things about us is that we are passionate about our lifestyle and we aren't afraid to share that passion and help others. So this Christmas, give some of that love back to the low-carber in your life. Below I've listed what I believe to be some of the best gifts a low-carber could ask for.

Holidays bring a myriad of emotions. The joy of spending time with family and friends can be the highlight of the season. The flip side of this coin is that family gatherings tend to center around food, and the inevitable pressure to eat everything your Aunt Trudy made. After all, she made that sugary carb-loaded favorite just for you! Will it really hurt to have just one serving and save her fragile feelings?

Review: AriZona Sugar Free Lemonade Mix by Amy Dungan. If you like lemonade, you'll love low carb Arizona Sugar Free Lemonade Stix. Lots of great lemon flavor without the all the self-destructive guilt you'll get from drinking regular lemonade. It's a simple as opening a package and dumping it into your favorite 16 or 20 ounce water bottle. Shake it well and you'll get a delicious drink, not to mention a little arm exercise. (Water bottles and drink mixes - the original shake-weight-thingy.) It mixes well with cold water, so you don't have to worry about gritty chunks, and in the 16 ounce bottles it's got just enough twang to make you pucker a bit.