I am excited to announce the addition of Susie T. Gibbs, aka Fluffy Chix, as a columnist. She'll be writing about her own life as a low carber and cancer survivor, her trials and triumphs, and also about food, all from a perspective as fresh and sassy as her native Texas.

Carbohydrate restriction is such a dramatically effective intervention that many medications will need to be adjusted immediately. This is particularly true of all blood sugar medications

Are you fond of cucumbers?  I sure am.  I like them sliced, with a little salt or creole seasoning. I like them with dips. I like them in salads. I like them in tzatziki –– that yummy yogurt-cucumber sauce that comes with gyros. I like them pickled. Indeed, I'm hard-pressed to think of a way I don't like cucumbers. Includes Dana's Thai Cucumber Salad recipe.

A Swedish study suggests that perhaps in the context of a high carbohydrate diet, increasing saturated fat intake may raise total cholesterol, but does not tell us if that rise is comprised largely of LDL or HDL. It demonstrates no increase in atherosclerosis as a result. It doesn’t tell us anything about the effects of a low carbohydrate diet, because there’s no mention of anyone in the study actually eating a low carbohydrate diet. And because it is an observational study, it proves nothing. Nothing at all.

I felt fine going in to my workout, but was prepared to discover that I just couldn't lift as well while in deep ketosis.

Meet me, Andrew, and Amy - The CarbSmart writing team at the 2012 Low Carb Meet & Greet Saturday, July 7, 2012!

Protecting Us From Sugar? NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed a ban on super-sized sodas to stem the tide of obesity.

An article by associate professor Brian Parr, claims that maintaining weight loss depends on making your weight loss diet your normal diet. This is true but then he says the solution is calorie counting.

Memorial Day Weekend is just made for us low carbers. Add in outdoor activities like camping, biking, boating, hiking, volleyball, or just tossing a Frisbee around, and you have a celebration where you might even drop a pound or two. Hard to beat that for Low Carb Memorial Day!

Sodium is not the problem. High insulin levels are the problem, because they signal the kidneys to retain sodium. Stop eating carbs and drop your insulin levels, and all of a sudden your kidneys become very efficient at removing sodium from the bloodstream. Stop eating a bunch of processed food, and your salt intake drops just as your ability to cope with sodium improves.

Folks, I'm sorry I've been so spotty about posting to CarbSmart recently. I'm on deadline for this paleo cookbook (Pre-order at Amazon.com: 500 Paleo Recipes), and I'm cooking and writing like a maniac. Quite honestly, Its hard to think about anything else. However, in an attempt to make it up to you, I will now tell you how to save a pile of money.