Reviews

Wheat Belly gives us the history of wheat. You'll learn all about the modifications made to wheat in the last few decades, and how they affect human health. One fact that surprised me was how much insect repellent/weed killer ends up in today's wheat supply.

I have read a big ol' pile of nutrition books in the past 33 years. I generally learn at least a little something from each one, or at the very least am reminded of a point I may have forgotten. But in his new book Wheat Belly, Dr. William Davis, a cardiologist from Milwaukee, and author of Track Your Plaque, and the Heart Scan Blog has written a book in which the majority of the information is new to me. I am agog. And excited - I am a big nutrition geek, after all; it's thrilling to have this sort of stuff presented to me, and presented in such a readable form.

Healthy, delicious, and simple, the Paleo Diet is the diet you were designed to eat. If you want to lose weight—up to seventy-five pounds in six months—or if you want to attain optimal health, The Paleo Diet will change your life now. Dr. Loren Cordain, the world's leading expert on Paleolithic nutrition, demonstrates how by eating all the lean meats and fish, fresh fruits, and nonstarchy vegetables you want, you can lose weight and prevent and treat heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome, and many other illnesses.

As many of you already know, I'm a huge fan of the Quest Protein Bars. I love pretty much everything about them. They are convenient, tasty and chock full of non-scary ingredients. In my last review, I talked about the peanut butter and vanilla almond flavors. Today I want to tell you about three new flavors that will leave your taste buds tap dancing on your tongue.

I've always loved ketchup. As a child it was my go-to condiment. Judging from the way my children use ketchup, I'd hazard a guess that it's as popular as ever. The largest problem with this tasty tomato treat is that most brands are loaded with sugar - corn syrup to be exact. This is by far one of my least favorite ingredients. I've searched high and low for a brand of ketchup that I would be comfortable offering to my family. I've managed to find one nationally popular brand that fit the bill, but my kids tell me it "tastes funny". (I have no idea what they are talking about; it tastes fine to me.) So my search has continued for ketchup that tastes "right" to them and yet doesn't contain sugar.

If you like coconut, you probably have a soft spot for coconut macaroons. If you are also living the low-carb lifestyle, you probably miss coconut macaroons as well. I wasn't so much a coconutty kind of person before starting a low-carb diet, so macaroons weren't something I ate often, if at all. In fact, I can't remember the last time I had the full-sugar version. I'm telling you this so you'll know that I can't really compare this product to it's high-carb counterpart, since I can't recall what they were like. What I can do is tell you what I think of Jennie's Coconut Macaroons.

One of the biggest lamentations I hear about low-carb living is the lack of convenience foods. If you have a job or schedule that requires you to constantly be on the go, it can be a challenge. You can pre-cook a lot of food and keep it in a cooler near by, but that doesn't always work out either. For those that don't mind a little "frankenfood" now and then, you do have the options of products like Atkins Day Break Cherry Pecan Bars.

Review of New Hope Mills Pancake & Waffle Mix by Amy Dungan. Pancakes were a breakfast staple at our house for many years. Who doesn't love a warm, fluffy pancake? They are especially great when dealing with kids, or large groups, since pancakes are simple to fix and relatively inexpensive. Add in all the different topping choices and you have what seems to be a perfect meal. The downside is pancakes are really high in carbohydrates, not to mention that nutritionally they deserve to sit in the corner with a dunce hat on. For the last several years we've mostly shunned pancakes. We quit inviting them to breakfast and refused to acknowledge them on menus in public. While my children have occasionally whispered that they missed pancakes, I reminded them that pancakes have never done us any favors. In fact, they've always been wolf in sheep's clothing, disguised as a healthy low-fat breakfast.

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.

Wheat Belly by Dr. William Davis, explains why modern wheat is a perfect, chronic poison and why and how we need to eliminate eating it. The renowned author and cardiologist explains how eliminating wheat from our diets can prevent fat storage, shrink unsightly bulges, and reverse myriad health problems.

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.