I have a lot of respect for companies who are willing to listen to the informed and educated suggestions made by their customers to improve the quality of their products, take that honest feedback from the people who are investing into the company and give it serious consideration for future product development to make them better, and then follow through by producing a spectacular new and improved version of a desirable product. It just makes good marketing and business sense for companies to do this, but you’d be surprised how many companies all but ignore what their customers have to say thinking they know what’s best. But the reality is those companies that forget who supports them are the ones who will quickly be out of business especially in this tough economy right now. But thankfully there are wise companies who have been in business for decades through all the ups and downs because they’ve never forgotten the most important asset in their success is their customer base. That’s why I’m such a big fan of Julian Bakery.

Click here to find out more about their new and improved Smart Carb breads that are soy-free, high in quality protein, high in fiber from inulin, and contain just 1g net carb per slice!

PLEASE VISIT OUR NEW SPONSOR:

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In Episode 380 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we hear from Canadian health food activist Ruth Shamai from Ruth’s Hemp Foods who shares more about the rare omega-3 rich additions to a healthy diet coming from hemp and chia seeds. You may not know much about these sources of healthy nutrition which is why I wanted to have an expert on the podcast to educate us all. Listen to Ruth tell us about her journey to creating a company using hemp and chia seed products, her vacillation between being a vegetarian and an omnivore and her current revelations about meat, the abomination of factory farming and her theory about the lack of land to produce the amount of grass-fed meat for everyone to consume, the essential nature of animals for growing vegetables, why hemp is healthy and her role in getting it legalized to sell in Canada, the high-protein, high omega-3 fats, and low-carb nature of the hemp seed, why there are more omega-6 fats than omega-3, the reasons why you should consume chia seeds, including the omaga-3 fats, fiber, and various other vitamins and minerals, why hydrating chia seeds is so important, and the chia revolution happening with marathon runners.

Click here if you’ve ever been curious about hemp or chia seeds and take a listen to what Ruth Shamai has to share about these emerging low-carb superfoods!

One of the greatest food creations of all-time has got to be whoever came up with the chicken wing. There are four stories floating around out there regarding the origins of this wonderful low-carb delicacy and they’re all certainly plausible:

1. In October 1964, a Buffalo, NY-based bar owner named Teressa Belissimo needed to feed her son Dominic and his friends from college who came home late at night and forced her to scramble for a quick and simple snack idea. She decided to take some chicken wings which were rarely used for anything more than chicken stock in those days and whip in some cayenne pepper sauce for some added zip before dropping them in the deep fryer. Teressa provided them with celery sticks and blue cheese to go with the wings and the rest is history.

2. The son from the above story Dominic recalled how they were created by stating his mother Teressa Bellisimo came up with the idea for the chicken wings as a way to show gratitude and appreciation for the bar patrons who were regular customers. The story goes that they were frequented by mostly Catholics on Friday nights who abstained from meat until Saturday, so they’d serve the wings at midnight.

3. It turns out the delivery truck mistakenly brought wings to the bar instead of the backs and necks that they use for making spaghetti sauce. So Frank Bellisimo asked his wife to come up with something interesting to do with the wings. Thus was born the chicken wing!

4. And finally, a tee-totally separate story involves a man named John Young who said he came up with his own special “mambo sauce” at his Buffalo, NY-based restaurant he eventually registered under the name “John Young’s Wings ‘n Things” sometime in the 1960s.

Whatever the origin, I’m just glad we have these mouthwatering delicacies to savor and enjoy on our healthy low-carb lifestyle. I used to wonder what the big deal was about gnawing on a bone trying to get the minuscule amount of meat off of the chicken wing, but then I tasted it and was hooked. It’s a great snack idea not just for watching football games, but virtually anytime you get the hankering for something tasty, filling, and hits the spot for that little something. But you’ve got to make sure you have the right kind of sauce to make sure it doesn’t have anything in it you don’t want and that it is done right. I’ve got just the thing for you: Wing-Time Buffalo Wing Sauce.

While buffalo wings might have been born in the 1960s, it wasn’t until 1994 when Wing-Time perfected the most famous and best Buffalo sauce you’ll ever taste! These premium sauces are made with only the finest ingredients that have no added sugars, are gluten-free, do not contain preservatives, and are even low in sodium for people watching their salt intake. It comes in four flavors: Mild, Medium, Hot, and Garlic. I’m a big sucker for garlic and butter on my chicken wings, so that last one is my favorite. Regardless of how spicy you like it, the Wing-Time Buffalo Wing Sauce has just the flavor for you. Give ‘em a try on your next batch of chicken wings!

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All the talk of the Internet for the past month has been centered around a brand new sandwich introduced at a popular fast food restaurant chain that features two pieces of chicken, bacon, cheese, and sauce. The media has predictably been scoffing at the fat content of the new “Double Down” sandwich from KFC, but low-carb forums like mine have had people asking whether this would be an acceptable food to eat when you are livin’ la vida low-carb. My low-carb blogging buddy Tom Naughton “Doubled Down And Lived To Tell” and I have literally received nearly 100 requests from my YouTube channel subscribers to do a review. So when Christine and I received coupons for a FREE “Double Down” in our e-mail box, we decided the time was right to head on down to our local KFC to see what all the fuss was about.

In Episode 88 of “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube”, we tasted the “Double Down” for ourselves on camera while sharing about the nutritional information on camera. Interestingly, despite all the negative press this sandwich without the bread has received, I was pleased to see some responsible journalists exposing the hypocrisy of the feigned outrage. This was my favorite line from Katharine Shilcutt’s Houston Press column: “So it’s a sandwich that doesn’t have any buns. Good for the Double Down! It simply replaced all that sugar and starch and overprocessed “flour” with a bunch of protein…It’s closer to actual “real” food than those buns were.” WOW! You gotta love it when you see quality writing like that coming out of the mainstream.

Click here to learn more and to watch our 10-minute YouTube video review of the new KFC “Double Down” sandwich!

These are my favorite low-carb items from my friends at CarbSmart

I was talking to my buddy Andrew DiMino from the online low-carb retailer CarbSmart.com the other day about creating a special “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” gift basket that includes an autographed copy of my new book 21 Life Lessons From Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb plus 10 of the best low-carb products I love to use. The result is that big beautiful basket at the top of this post that is packed full of the following:

These are the things I love on my healthy low-carb lifestyle and I know you’ll love them, too! And you can get this gift basket exclusively from CarbSmart.com with all of these low-carb goodies including my new book for less than $100. Supplies are limited on this offer, so get one as a gift for that low-carb lover in your life today. Click here to order! Plus, be sure to check out all of the other low-carb gift baskets that make the perfect gift for literally any occasion.

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Purity Bread is perfect for low-carbers and people with Celiac disease

The problem with most breads these days is that they are generally made with a nasty bleached, highly-refined, wheat-based flour which have an adverse glycemic impact on blood sugar and insulin levels. And even the supposedly “healthy” whole grain breads can pose issues for people with allergies to wheat, yeast, and dairy. But the good news is there are some truly innovative companies out there who understand the unique needs of people who suffer from conditions like Celiac disease as well as those of us who are livin’ la vida low-carb.

In Episode 83 of “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube”, Christine and I are excited to tell you about yet another amazing new bread product from our friends at Julian Bakery. It’s called Purity Bread and is gluten-free, low-carb, wheat-free, yeast-free, sweet-free, and dairy-free. Each 1/4 inch slice contains only 2g net carbs, 7g protein, and tastes like some of the most delicious sourdough bread you’ve ever tasted. It can be used with butter or your favorite fat to make a super gluten-free, low-carb stuffing or any number of incredible recipes.

Click here to watch our latest video to learn more about Purity Bread and my new favorite Purity Pizza dish.

HealthWise Bakery makes some truly delicious zero net carb bagels

While it can be a lot more difficult to find good quality foods to add to your healthy low-carb lifestyle, I’m always on the lookout for new ones you may not have heard about before. In recent weeks I’ve been sharing with you about several low-carb products that I’ve personally tried, enjoyed, and wanted to share with you like Yes! To Cookies, Truvia, and Dreamfields pasta. I am inundated with requests to try new products every single day, but only the best ones that pass my own personal lofty standards of a very extensive vetting process are shared on my sites. That’s why I’m pleased to tell you about another fabulous low-carb product today.

In Episode 82 of “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube”, Christine and I tell you about HealthWise Bakery Net Zero Carb Bagels from our friends at Linda’s Diet Delites. These moist and delicious bagels contain just 90 calories, 2g fat, 14g carbohydrates which are all dietary fiber, and 12g protein in each bagel! Although they are low in fat, these bagels can be made perfect with some butter, cream cheese, and any other low-carb toppings you’d like to put on them as you will see in our video. Christine even enjoys the “crunch” of the bagel chips that are also available from the HealthWise Bakery brand.

Click here to watch our video review of the HealthWise Bakery Zero Net Carb Bagels if you are interested in adding these to your healthy low-carb lifestyle.

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ATTENTION LLVLC PODCAST FANS! In 2009, I’ve been able to interview some of the biggest names in diet, health, and nutrition and I need your help deciding which ones you thought were the best of the best. Just as we did with the best of 2008 during our special “Encore Week” presentation in January, we’re gonna do it again in the first week of 2010 with the best of 2009. E-mail me your TOP THREE favorite interview guests from 2009 along with any follow-up questions you would like for me to ask them and why you are voting for them to livinlowcarbman@charter.net. I will be taking nominations through November 30, 2009 so I can follow-up with your five most-requested podcast guests. Think back through who you REALLY liked and want to hear more from and then send me their names and any follow-up questions you’d like for me to ask them. This was so much fun last year and I can’t wait to see who you want to hear more from!

“The Diet Diva” Tara Gidus shares about the Truvia sweetener

More and more people are beginning to catch on to the need for finding healthy alternatives to sugar. We all know the deleterious effects that sugar has on our bodies by raising our blood sugar and insulin levels which wreak havoc inside the body. That’s why it’s good to know there are adequate substitutes out there and they just keep getting better. My podcast interview guest today shares more about the most exciting new one to hit the marketplace in recent memory.

In Episode 299 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we hear from registered dietitian Tara Gidus, aka “The Diet Diva,” who tells us why the new stevia/erythritol-based all-natural sweetener in the green and white packets called Truvia. It’s the first major stevia-based sweetener to come out on the market as part of a joint venture between The Coca-Cola Company and Cargill Foods as I first shared about in May 2007. In fact, I was privileged to taste Truvia for myself in New York City last summer and was immediately impressed by how good it looked and tasted. Tara tells us all about the benefits of adding Truvia to your diet, what really nasty ingredient is found in every other sweetener but not in Truvia, the various products that are currently using Truvia as a sweetener, the desire to have a bulk spoonable product, and why stevia took so long to get approved as a sweetener by the FDA.

Click here to listen to my interview with Tara Gidus about this amazing new zero calorie, zero net carb sugar alternative.

It’s time to say Yes! To Cookies with this new low-carb product

One of my favorite things to do is highlight fresh, new and exciting low-carb products that I have found that you may not have heard about. While there is a lot of so-called “low-carb” products out there claiming to be good for people on carbohydrate-restricted diets, the truth is many of them don’t even come close to the standard that I believe fits within the mold of low-carb living. But at the same time, there are some diamonds in the rough who have created some truly outstanding products and I’m proud to share one of those with you today. It’s called Yes! To Cookies.

They come in Cocoa-licious and Strawberry-Banana Blitz flavors

In Episode 81 of “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube”, Christine and I are so pleased to tell you about an awesome new zero net carbs, stevia/erythritol-sweetened, sugar-free, starch-free, and even gluten-free cookie mix called Yes! To Cookies. I’m sure you’ve tried many of those “other” supposedly low-carb cookies out there, but this one is the real deal. If you like to bake cookies, then these mixes fit the bill for you. And the sky’s the limit with recipe ideas as I share about one that I did in today’s video.

Click here to watch our video review of Yes! To Cookies to learn more about this new product.

Truvia is the first major stevia-based sweetener on the market

More and more consumers are becoming health savvy these days than ever before. They’re reading labels, looking for natural alternatives to sugar, and in general attempting to live a better life for the sake of their weight and health. With all the chemical-based sugar substitutes that are out there today, the sad fact is that the vast majority of them are not necessarily the best options for people who are attempting to maximize their health. That’s why I’m pleased to tell you about a relatively new zero-calorie sweetener that not only tastes good but comes from natural sources called Truvia.

In Episode 79 of “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube”, Christine and I talk about why the “pink stuff,” “blue stuff,” and “yellow stuff” can’t measure up to the quality of the brand new “green stuff.” People who start on a healthy low-carb lifestyle turn to these things to replace the sugar they were consuming in their diet. While stevia is certainly not new to the market, Cargill Foods debuted Truvia to consumers in October 2008 to provide a great-tasting blend that takes the sweetest part of the stevia plant called rebiana and use the all-natural sugar alcohol erythritol as a bulking agent. This is in stark contrast to that nasty sugar-based maltodextrin bulking agent that all those “other” ones use. The result was the creation of Truvia.

Click here to watch our video review of Truvia to learn more about this new sweetener.