Dr. Brian Young’s “Carb Tracker” app from Healthy U Technologies

A few weeks ago I received an e-mail from a very nice gentleman named Dr. Brian Young, a periodontist who lives in Jacksonville, Florida, who wanted to tell me about a brand new iPhone/iPod Touch application he developed that he thought would be of great interest to my readers. At the time, he had submitted his software idea to Apple for inclusion in the Apple iTunes store for consumers to download what he had developed. The resulting product which is now available for purchase is called Carb Tracker.

Click here to learn more about this new Carb Tracker iPhone app software that tracks your carbs, water, and weight.

My second book is scheduled to be released in August 2009

I’m always looking for new and innovative ways to get the message out about healthy low-carb living which is why my blog has branched out into various areas, including a twice-weekly, interview-styled podcast show, a fun and engaging YouTube video series with my wife Christine, a very active low-carb discussion forum, and so many other areas like Facebook, Twitter, and web sites that syndicate the content I provide. Visit LivinLaVidaLowCarb.com for a full listing of all the official “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb”-affiliated projects.

One of the ways I have been working on sharing what I’ve learned about the low-carb lifestyle is by writing books. In October 2005, I released my debut book Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb: My Journey From Flabby Fat To Sensationally Skinny In One Year which shared what my 180-pound weight loss on the Atkins diet was like in 2004. Some criticized me at the time for writing a book so soon after losing weight because I really hadn’t learned anything yet.

Well, now it is five years later and I’ve learned so much about not just low-carb, but life in general that I wanted to share some of the lessons gleaned from taking this amazing journey to better health. While my first book focused almost exclusively on my personal weight loss experience, this new book entitled 21 Life Lessons From Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb: How The Healthy Low-Carb Lifestyle Changed Everything I Thought I Knew will share the evidence behind the health benefits of this way of eating and how that has changed my life in more ways than I could have ever dreamed.

This new book allows me to discuss ways my life has been positively impacted by the circumstances that have happened since I became such a public figure on behalf of low-carb, dieting, and healthy living on the Internet. There will even be some revealing moments in the book regarding my encounters with personal critics, my side of the Kimkins scam story that has never been shared publicly, and the death of my brother Kevin in 2008.

Click here to learn more about my upcoming new low-carb book by listening to a special rebroadcast of a one-hour TeleClass presentation that took place on June 18, 2009.

The açaí berry is world-renowned for its amazing health properties

We’ve all heard of the so-called “superfood” claims that are out there, but what exactly makes them so “super” for you? Well, the fact is most of these foods and derivative supplements come from mostly naturally-grown fruits and plants that are especially nutrient-dense compared with other foods. They’re power-packed with disease-fighting vitamins, minerals, and other essentials to health that it only makes sense to do what you can to add them to your diet. One such superfood I want to tell you about today is açaí.

Click here for more information about how adding just a few ounces of açaí berry juice to your daily supplement routine can provide you with more than enough antioxidants, amino acids, and essential fatty acids to complement your healthy low-carb lifestyle.

Italian biscotti is now available even to low-carbers!

I gotta be honest with you–most of the so-called low-carb products that are out there for consumers to buy are complete and utter crapola! Yeah, I know, big shock, right? Well, I’ve tried a good many of them over the years and seek only to find the very best ones available to tell you about. I wouldn’t write about anything that I haven’t already tried and enjoy myself and today I’m excited to share with you a unique new Italian low-carb product that is absolutely out of this world.

It’s CiaoCarb Sugar Free Almond Mini Biscotti straight from Italy and the taste of this low-carb offering is utterly amazing to say the least. They come in 8.81-ounce bags and are incredibly delicious for your low-carb lifestyle since this kind of food is usually off limits to people restricting their carbohydrate intake. But with 7g fat, 8g fiber, 5g protein, and just 2g net carbs for each 2-biscotti serving size, it’s a pretty remarkable product that my wife Christine and I can’t say enough about.

We recorded this YouTube video review for you to learn more about it:

We’d love to have you try this CiaoCarb Sugar Free Almond Mini Biscotti and let us know what YOU think about it! We’re constantly keeping our eyes peeled for even more fantastic low-carb foods for you to enjoy on your healthy lifestyle change. Who says you have to feel deprived of delicious low-carb alternatives? With healthy alternatives like this, that kind of thinking is history.

CarbSmart celebrating their 10-year anniversary this week

By the way, my low-friend Andrew DiMino who is the founder and owner of the online low-carb retail store CarbSmart.com is celebrating a HUGE anniversary this week–A DECADE OF SERVICE TO THE LOW-CARB COMMUNITY! In the volatile market of low-carb retail, Andrew has worked hard to provide stellar customer service and a wide array of products that fit into a healthy low-carb lifestyle. It is with great admiration and pride that I share my congratulations to him and his team at CarbSmart for ten years of excellence. Here’s to many more years of success helping people who are livin’ la vida low-carb, Andrew! Be sure to check out the special 10-year anniversary giveaway specials happening all this week at CarbSmart!

Get yourself some free low-carb grilled chicken at KFC on Monday

FREE?! Did somebody say FREE?! Yeppers, they sure did and pulling a page out of the Denny’s marketing playbook this year we’ve got good ole Kentucky Fried Chicken–er, I mean, KFC–to thank. I know, I know…what can you eat at KFC that’s worth being free? After all, don’t they put all that high-carb breading crap on their chicken which totally ruins an otherwise wonderfully low-carb food? Ahhhh, that was so pre-2009 because now they have introduced a brand new product to their menu–it’s Kentucky GRILLED Chicken, baby!!!

All I can say is “well, it’s about time!” Grilled chicken done right is as delicious as it comes and KFC has sweetened the pot some more by offering anyone and everyone a chance to sink their teeth into this wonderful new product. See the nutritional info on this carb-free menu option at KFC now. My fellow low-carb blogger and recipe queen Dana Carpender is also super-excited about this promotion which you’ve probably seen on television. Check out the nifty ad here.

KFC has attempted to sell non-fried chicken before, but sales have always been lackluster at best. Maybe if those of us who are livin’ la vida low-carb all show up on Monday, April 27, 2009 for this special FREE promotional giveaway and give the new Kentucky Grilled Chicken a try that they’ll see the benefit of offering a much healthier low-carb option to their customers. This could be a small, but highly effective way for us to show our support for a company willing to cater to our unique nutritional needs. CLICK HERE to find the KFC nearest to you.

While you’re there, be sure to grab yourself a side of healthy low-carb green beans and a diet soda or unsweet tea for a fantastic low-carb lunch. When you’re done, be sure to mosey on over to the KFC Contact page to let them know what you think! Of course, you can leave your feedback in the comments section below as well. I’m anxious to hear what you think about the new Kentucky Grilled Chicken. And did I mention it’s FREE on Monday? Just checking.

4-27-09 UPDATE: The verdict is in on the Kentucky Grilled Chicken and here’s the instant YouTube video review Christine and I recorded today:

Can you come up with a low-carb recipe using this low-carb bread?

Last month I introduced you to the Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread that is high-protein, high-fiber, and, of course, low in carbohydrates. I absolutely LOVE this bread because it’s a rare breed–delicious AND nutritious. Unfortunately, not all low-carb breads are that great, but this one is indeed the real deal. The Smart Carb bread comes in two flavors: Plain and Cinnamon Almond Raisin. Both are spectacular and here’s a special YouTube video review that Christine and I did about them.

With such a high-quality low-carb bread like this, the possibilities about how to incorporate it into your own daily low-carb menus is endless. Because of that, I wanted to give you a chance to stir up those creative cranium juices and get ‘em flowing thinking about some low-carb recipes you can use them in. That’s right, listen up all you low-carb cooks out there–I’ve got a contest designed JUST FOR YOU! It’s a recipe-making contest with the Julian Bakery Smart Carb Bread and this is gonna be a blast!

Click here for all the down and dirty details on this delectable delight of a recipe contest involving some truly amazing low-carb bread!

Get all the taste of ketchup that you love without the HFCS

Although it was once proposed back in the early 1980s to be classified as a vegetable, ketchup has and always will be a part of the American diet. This popular condiment used on hamburgers, hot dogs, and anything else for a sweet tomato flavor boost has a major problem for those of us who are livin’ la vida low-carb, though. It’s LOADED with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) which we now know from a recent published study contains mercury. I never realized ketchup had sugar in it prior to going on the Atkins diet in 2004 and always thought of it as a healthy food. Boy, was I wrong!

Well, it can be now if you choose a ketchup product that does not use HFCS and I’m pleased to share one that I’ve found that’s perfect for your low-carb lifestyle. It’s from Nature’s Hollow and it is Sugar Free Ketchup Sweetened with Xylitol. This is an ideal ketchup for people with diabetes, low-carb dieters, and anyone looking to eliminate HFCS or reduce the sugar consumption in their diet. I’ve used Xylitol in my diet quite often over the past five years and it is a sugar alcohol that tastes fabulous as an alternative to sugar. It provides the perfect sweetness for this ketchup.

Each 1 tablespoon serving has just 2g net carbs (6 total carbs minus the 4g Xylitol). The best part about this ketchup is there aren’t any funky ingredients in it–tomato puree, apple cider vinegar, Xylitol, spices, salt, arrowroot. That’s it! The end product is something you can feel confident about putting on whatever you’d normally use with ketchup. I know some people who eat ketchup on their eggs or even on their vegetables. And you can’t forget about making your own low-carb meatloaf with this stuff!

Whatever you like to eat with your ketchup, now you don’t have to worry about ingesting the carbs and HFCS that come from the typical ones you see on supermarket shelves. Try some Nature’s Hollow Sugar Free Ketchup Sweetened with Xylitol for yourself and let me know what you think!

La Jolla, CA-based Julian Bakery makes the best low-carb bread I’ve tasted

Of all the foods people reluctantly give up when they start livin’ la vida low-carb in earnest, I would say bread tops the list as the one they miss the most. People have e-mailed me time and time again over the years to help them find a great-tasting low-carb bread that is packed with nutritious and healthy ingredients. To be honest, most low-carb breads leave a lot to be desired. But I found one in recent months that is not only very nutritious, but it is absolutely mouthwatering delicious. It’s the SmartCarb High-Protein Bread from Julian Bakery.

As you can see, this low-carb bread is beautifully baked and is made with the freshest organic ingredients on a daily basis. Nutritionist Barbara Squier, owner and operator of Julian Bakery, doesn’t cut corners on quality which means you receive only the absolute best low-carb bread on the market today. I’ve tasted these breads for myself and confidently use them as part of my healthy low-carb lifestyle. If you have a hankering for bread and want to fulfill it with a wholesome low-carb alternative, then you’ve found what you’re looking for!

Click on the above image to see the nutrition label and ingredients

So you may be wondering what’s in SmartCarb High-Protein Bread? I’m glad you asked! Here are the ingredients–whole grains, bean, seeds of kamut, spelt, wheat, rye, millet, lentils, eggs, soy protein, flax, sesame, quinoa, amaranth, wheat gluten, 7 grain flakes, oat bran, sea salt & yeast. All of these ingredients are sprouted, organically grown, and are free of pesticides and chemical fertilizers. They also contain very high amounts of both fiber and protein. Each slice of this bread has a whopping 12g dietary fiber and 12g protein along with just 1g net carb. If you are following a healthy low-carb lifestyle, then this bread can certainly be a welcomed addition to your meals.

One of the things that attracted me to the Julian Bakery SmartCarb bread was that it actually looked like bread. Unfortunately, when you take out all the carbohydrates that are typically found in a slice of store bought white bread (which can contain upwards of 15-20g carbs per slice), getting that bread to stay together is a challenge. But not only is it cohesive enough to mold into a typical bread shape, but the texture is undoubtedly the kind you would expect from bread. That is what makes this low-carb bread stand out from most others and why I enthusiastically recommend it above all others.

Julian Bakery ships their 1.5-pound loaves of low-carb bread anywhere in the continental United States each and every Monday, so get your order in this week. I’ve found their customer service to be stellar (and it has to be for me to do business with them!), so you won’t get frustrated when you place an order with them. They are open Monday through Friday from 9AM to 6PM and they are available toll-free at 1-800-98-BREAD (27323) or you can visit Julian Bakery’s SmartCarb web page.

Here are a couple of personal testimonies from people who have tried the SmartCarb bread:

“This bread is the very best I’ve ever had, and it is low-carb!! Since I have been diagnosed with Type II diabetes, this has been the first low-carb bread that actually doesn’t raise my blood sugar level. My problem now is that everyone in my family prefers it to any of our local bakers.”–Rob D.

“I have tried every low-carb bread on the market and I love your SmartCarb bread. You are doing an awesome job and I will continue to buy your low-carb bread for the rest of my life. I hope your company lasts a very, very long time.”–Clifton E.

As an extra incentive to give these breads a taste for yourself to see what the fuss is all about, Julian Bakery is offering readers of “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” a special $5 Off Coupon with your order. When you call or place your order online, be sure to mention Promo Code #1520 to receive your discount. THANK YOU Julian Bakery for offering those of us who are watching our carbohydrate intake a delicious and healthy alternative to the high-carb morass that dominates the marketplace today. Let me know what you think about these breads after you try them for yourself. I promise, you WON’T be disappointed!

Funny-guy-turned-filmmaker Tom Naughton puts low-carb in a positive light

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it over and over again since I first started writing about the healthy low-carb lifestyle in 2004–when will we EVER get the positive message of livin’ la vida low-carb out into the mainstream of American and worldwide conscience? It’s a very good question and my response has generally been that it will likely happen on the grassroots level through people telling their circle of influence the truth about nutrition and health. But today’s podcast interview guest has stepped forward to arm low-carbers with a fun and exciting documentary film that can educate and entertain at the same time.

In Episode 226 of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore,” we are privileged to have stand-up comedian Tom Naughton with us for a fast-moving, fun-loving, hour-long interview to talk about his phenomenal new movie called FAT HEAD. It is being marketed as an “anti-Supersize Me” response film that challenges Morgan Spurlock’s assertion that he got fat and deathly ill from eating at McDonald’s for 30 days. In fact, here’s a clip from Tom’s film to this questionable math from Splurlock:

This is quite typical of what you’ll see in this FAT HEAD movie along with a healthy dose of truth, justice, and the American w…er, I mean, just the facts about low-carb nutrition. Naughton features commentary and information from low-carb experts like Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades, Gary Taubes, Dr. Al Sears, Dr. Eric Oliver, Mary Enig, Sally Fallon, Uffe Ravnskov, Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, and others who give the proper historical context for why obesity seems to be getting worse by the day–it’s the low-fat, calorie-restricted, high-carb diets that have been pushed on us for decades since Ancel Keys and his buddies on Capital Hill led by George McGovern in the 1970s made the official American policy on diet. Naughton cleverly demonstrates this in his film:

In my interview, you’ll hear what it was like working behind-the-scenes on a documentary film for a first-time filmmaker, why the premise of Supersize Me is severely flawed, how the REAL reason why obesity is totally missed (insulin and carbs, not fat intake), and the surprising early success of the film being shown in Israel. This is arguably one of the most entertaining podcasts I’ve ever conducted, so I hope you take the time to listen from start to finish and then go out and get your own copy of the FAT HEAD DVD for your personal collection. It is THE low-carb event of 2009!

There are FOUR ways you can listen to Episode 226:

1. Listen and comment about the show at iTunes:

2. Listen and comment about the show at the official web site:

3. Download the MP3 file of Episode 226 [61:28m]:

4. Calling (818) 688-2763 to listen via Podlinez

Subscribe to the RSS feed or you can click on the “Subscribe” button at iTunes. If you are having trouble, then watch this video tutorial from my producer Kevin Kennedy-Spaien.

People have been asking us to make certain classic episodes of this show available to purchase on CD, and we’re seriously considering it. The problem is that this will be either very labor intensive or will require some serious up-front investment from us, and we want to be sure that a) there is enough interest and b) that we choose the episodes that people really want. What we’re considering is either CDs of specific interviews, or theme-based CDs (on topics like diabetes, for instance), or a mix of both types of discs. We’d love to hear from you about this in the comments section at the podcast web site. THANKS so much for your help!

Did my interview with Tom Naughton get you excited about watching FAT HEAD for yourself, your family, and your friends? Do you think this DVD can have as great or an even bigger impact than Gary Taubes’ book Good Calories Bad Calories has? Let’s hear what you think in the show notes section of Episode 226. Do yourself a BIG FAVOR and pick up several copies of FAT HEAD to spread the message of the healthy low-carb lifestyle and personal responsibility to the masses. Then go check out the official web site for FAT HEAD movie, the FAT HEAD movie YouTube channel and my previous blog interview with Tom Naughton from December 2007. Let’s rally behind Tom and his FAT HEAD project and make this movie a GIGANTIC blockbuster hit–putting livin’ la vida low-carb on the radar screen!

Coming up on Thursday, we will hear from one of the most special and sweetest people in the health and weight loss community I’ve met online by the name of Karly Pitman from “First Ourselves” who gives some excellent tips for a good low-carb Valentine’s Day. She provides quality information that will refresh your soul and make you feel loved and appreciated perhaps like never before. I can’t wait for you to hear this interview!

So many people have asked, “How can I help you get your podcast noticed by a larger number of people?” I appreciate the willingness of my regular listeners to help me and actually there’s a VERY EASY thing you can do RIGHT NOW to put “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore” in front of potentially tens of thousands of BRAND NEW listeners every single day. Here’s what you should do: go to the iTunes page for my podcast, click on “Write a Review” and share what the podcast means to you. Whenever a new review is added to iTunes, it is factored into the rankings of the show which is currently sitting in the Top 25 of “Fitness & Nutrition” shows on the Health channel. The show has really hit a good stride in the past year and I’d like to keep that momentum going with your assistance. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

The PicoPad Food Journal helps you easily track your food intake

One of the keys factors in my 180-pound low-carb weight loss success in 2004 and even still to this day is the fact that I keep daily track of all of my food intake, carbs, water, and exercise. But I gotta tell you–it is VERY inconvenient!

I remember writing down all that stuff on little pieces of paper that I had to keep up with in my pocket, kitchen counter, and car, but then I’d have trouble searching for a pen at mealtime and then transferring all of this information to my official food journal. UGH!

That’s why I was ecstatic to find a super-convenient and affordable product designed specifically to fill this need called The PicoPad Food Journal. Have you seen this yet? It’s compact enough to carry in your wallet or purse and even includes a pen, too. You’ll never get stuck trying to find those little pieces of paper you wrote your food down on anymore.

According to an August 2008 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, people who track their food intake produce DOUBLE the weight loss of those who don’t. That’s a pretty compelling reason to start doing it if you aren’t already. The PicoPad Food Journal will help you do this and you can get a 3-pack of them for less than $10.

What will this food journal help you do? You get to see all the calories and carbs you are getting in your menus, keep up with your exercise and water intake, feel a sense of accomplishment as the journal begins filling up while you shed the pounds, and get motivated to keep it going in your weight loss journey.

Here’s a YouTube video about The PicoPad Food Journal: CLICK HERE!

This nifty little PicoPad Food Journal gizmo is the brainchild of a company called Everyday Innovations which makes all kinds of journaling products that you might be interested in checking out. I’m pleased to tell you about this inexpensive way to make your diet journaling easy and convenient. Special THANKS to Everyday Innovations for coming up with a creative and practical tool for people who are livin’ la vida low-carb.