Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Revealed: Alcohol Consumption Slows Your Weight Loss
Alcohol, when consumed into the human body, is converted to carbohydrates—and, just like everything else we eat and drink, should be consumed in moderation. Too much or too little of anything is by and large a bad idea. A regular 12 fluid ounce beer has about 13g of carbs in it, while a light beer of the same portion provides you with about 4.5g of carbs. Contrary to what many people think, alcohols such as gin, rum, vodka, and whisky have hardly any carbs at all.
Now, seeing as how carbohydrates are the body's preferred source of fuel, this should make drinking alcohol good, right? Wrong. Just like refined sugar, alcohol provides us with simple carbs—ones that are easily and quickly passed through our system and generally contain more fat than complex carbs. Other carbs, such as complex carbs, provide us with more fibre, vitamins, and minerals. Neither types are bad for us—actually, both are necessary—we just need many more complex carbs in order to function properly. Simple carbohydrates are not just found in alcohol and sugar; they are present in many types of food. They are contained in milk, and the vitamins and minerals found in milk are nutritionally necessary for a healthy body. The simple carbs in milk are a good thing, where a simple carb like sucrose and alcohol isn't quite as important. Drinking alcohol also generally tends to cause your blood sugar levels to be quite unstable, which can make you feel hungry and crave sweet-tasting food. This can lead to such problems as obesity.
There is some good news for you alcohol-loving, diet-conscious people out there. Lately the major brewers of beer have been producing low-carb beer. Molson, Labatt, Sleeman, and Big Rock, among others, have taken notice of the trendy Atkins diet and have made beer to suit it. Big Rock's Jack Rabbit has one of the lower carbohydrate counts, with only two grams per 355-ml can. Companies claim to preserve the taste of their original brews, but be careful, it may or may not be too good to be true. Nicholas Pashley, author of Notes on my Beermat, declares a deficiency in taste and a watery consistency are often problems with low-carb beers. Even with the potential downfalls of this new beer, they're still an innovative way to watch your weight without cutting out all of life's little pleasures.
Yes, the low-carb revolution has begun. Evidence of such a notion is prevalent. America's top brewers, Anheuser-Busch, Miller, and Coors, have changed their football game ads. No longer boasting bold flavours and gorgeous women, brew companies are raving about their low amount of carbs. It seems that they newest way to enthral young men is to tempt them with abs and buns of steel. Perhaps this is the way to tempt young people into becoming more knowledgeable on their own nutrition practices.
This new found knowledge and popularity of lowering carbohydrate levels in alcohol is making it easier for people everywhere to watch what they are consuming more closely. Awareness of complex and simple carbs is heightened, and that attitude is being reflected in the producers of alcohol. Consumers are realizing that they can't just count calories and fat, but have to factor in other elements like carbohydrates. People are becoming more educated on what is entering their bodies, and hopefully our latest development of becoming overweight and having unhealthy habits will cease to exist, or at least fade a little. The road to complete healthiness is a long and winding one, but steps like watching carb intakes are helping to make progress.

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What is Carbohydrate Net Anyway?
Net carbs are the carbohydrates that can be digested and processed by the body as dietary carbohydrate. Therefore, they directly impact blood sugar. You can determine how many net carbs you are eating by subtracting the grams of fibre, glycerine, and sugar alcohols from the total grams of carbohydrate. Net carbs are the only carbs that you need to count when you are on low-carb diets, such as the Atkins diet.
It is important to understand why fibre does not count as a regular carbohydrate. Fibre substance does not break down into sugar, so it does not play a part in the overall sugar load of the carbohydrate. If a slice of bread has 27 total carbohydrate grams and 3 grams of fibre you have a net carbohydrate content of 24 grams (27 g – 3 grams = 24 grams). This explains why some high fibre foods will have a more favourable impact on the blood sugar and insulin levels.
Only plant foods contain dietary fibre. Fibre has a number of effects on digestion, some beneficial, and some more harmful. One positive effect is that fibre is likely to decelerate the rate of digestion of food. This leads to a more gradual emptying of the food from the stomach into the small intestine. This means that there is less possibility of large quantities of glucose being absorbed quickly from the small intestine into the blood, and therefore a lower chance of an insulin surge. Insulin is the hormone that is released when glucose is absorbed from the small intestine. It is possible that by slowing stomach emptying, fibre helps avoid the situation where the body has to produce large quantities of insulin, as a result of repeated rapid release of glucose into the intestine. In turn this may help protect against diabetes in susceptible people.
However, fibre does get in the way with the absorption of some nutrients. For example, up to 5% of the fat in a moderately high fibre diet is not absorbed because of this interference. This may even be a good thing in Australia, given that 63% of men and 47% of women were overweight in 1995, with no sign that these levels of overweight and obesity will decrease. High fibre foods also interfere to some extent with the absorption of some essential minerals and trace elements, but a high fibre diet is also probable to provide you with extra minerals and trace elements, so the effect is not believed to be very significant for normal Western diets.
Despite these minor detrimental effects, a high fibre intake is understood to be considerably advantageous on the whole. Low intake of fibre, particularly of the insoluble forms of fibre such as those in bread and other wheat products, is one of the major causes of constipation. Low fibre intakes are also strongly associated with an increased risk of diverticulitis. Although the evidence is less compelling, lack of fibre in the diet may also contribute to the incidence of rectal cancer, haemorrhoids, obesity, appendicitis and ulcerative colitis. High intake of soluble fibres such as the pectin and gums, found in fruits, vegetables, rolled oats, and saponins, found in legumes, is associated with reduced blood cholesterol. High intake of foods of plant origin, all of which contain some fibre, is linked with a reduced threat of heart disease, cancer, and an improved life expectancy.
Another benefit, and one that may help with weight control, is the sensation of satiety, that is, a feeling of fullness, which follows a meal plentiful in fibre. It is also true that high fibre foods are almost always low in fat, so a high-fibre diet will usually be a low-fat diet.

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Fantastic Low Carb Desert Recipes Uncovered
There are many ways of lowering your carbohydrate intake, even when you crave deserts. Try this cheesecake recipe:
Best Cheesecake
Low Carbohydrate Recipe
Ingredients:
3/4 pound grated aged asiago cheese
1-1/4 pound cream cheese at room temperature
4 eggs
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon or 1 tablespoon fresh salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat asiago and cream cheese with a mixer until smooth.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add garlic and tarragon and combine well. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour into an 8 inch buttered spring form pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, checking after 45 minutes.
Cake should be golden and puffed, not loose in the center. Remove from the oven and let stand 30 minutes before cutting.

Or try this recipe, for Chocolate Meringue Kisses:
Chocolate Meringue Kisses
Low Carbohydrate Recipe
Ingredients:
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup Splenda
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
Directions:
Preheat oven to 225-degrees. Put baking parchment on a cookie sheet.
Beat egg whites until foamy. Add vanilla extract a few drops at a time and cream of tartar. Beat until meringue starts to look creamy and forms soft peaks. Add in Splenda a little at a time. Add in cocoa a little at a time.
Put meringue on parchment paper cookie sheet by spoonfuls. (You can use a pastry bag and pipe them into cones like Hershey kisses, or flower shapes.) Bake at 225-degrees for one hour. Turn off oven, open oven door a crack, and allow to cool five to ten minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool away from drafts. Remove from parchment paper when cool.
Carb count for total recipe: 28.7g. Number of cookies varies depending on size.
Variation:
You could also do these with daVinci-flavoured syrups and a little food coloring if desired. Then sprinkle a little granulated Splenda on the top for that sugar "sparkle."
Note:
If you make smaller meringues, don't bake them quite as long, or they will be over-dry and fracture easily.
Berries and Roasted Pecans
Low Carbohydrate Recipe
Ingredients:
18 ounce round of Brie cheese
1 cup mixed berries, fresh or frozen
1/4 cup Cognac
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/2 cup lightly toasted pecan pieces
Assorted crackers
Directions:
Early Preparation: Marinate berries in Cognac for four to six hours. Lightly toast pecans in 350-degree oven for three to five minutes. Set aside.
To serve: Pre-heat oven to 350-degrees.
Cut a wedge 1/4 of the diameter of the Brie. Stack it o top of remaining round and place on ovenproof serving platter.
In a small saucepan heat apricot preserves over medium heat until dissolved. Stir in marinated berries and then nuts. Reduce heat and warm through.
Heat the Brie in oven until softened, but not runny. Spoon mixture over Brie and serve immediately with assorted crackers.
Recipe makes four to six servings.
Blackberry Ice Cream
Low Carbohydrate Recipe
Ingredients:
1-1/2 quart Half n Half
1 quart heavy whipping cream
1-1/2 cup Splenda
6 egg yolks
1/3 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
30 ounces fresh blackberries
Directions:
Mix first five ingredients together; heat to a gentle boil.
Remove from heat and chill.
Add vanilla extract; crank for about 30 seconds then add blackberries and crank until done.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories: 201
Total Fat: 18.7g
Total Carbohydrates: 6g
Chocolate Mousse
Low Carbohydrate Recipe
Ingredients:
4 ounces heavy cream
One chocolate (or cappuccino) Atkins shake mix
Stevia to flavour (optional)
Directions:
Sift shake mix, then whisk ingredients in a bowl until just thickened (be careful not to over-whisk).
Scoop into individual serving dish. Chill for 30 minutes.
Recipe makes two servings.
Carbohydrates: 2.5g per serving

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