Most people are aware of some Jewish dietary laws – that Jews who keep kosher do not eat pork or shellfish, or consume meat and milk products together. The laws are more complex than that, governing how kitchens are run, how animals are slaughtered, and who may or may not prepare certain foods. These rules do not interfere with a low carbohydrate diet.

Cauliflower is the low carber's best friend. (Well, after meat and eggs.) Why? Because it stands in for so many other things, and does the job so well. Most low carbers know about fauxtatoes - pureed cauliflower served in place of mashed potatoes. But that's only the beginning of cauliflower's many charms.

Many of us agree. Salt is easily the most popular seasoning. There's a good reason for this: Salt is an essential nutrient; without it we'll die. But just as Americans "know" that fat is bad for them, they "know" that salt is bad for them. The standard wisdom, parroted over and over again, is that limiting fat and salt intake will lower blood pressure, prevent heart disease, and improve health in general.

Here, for your low carb pleasure, is the very last, but certainly not least, recipe that I came up with for the upcoming reissue of 200 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes (as 300 Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes.) I hope it will inspire you to pre-order!

I have, over the past many years in general, and in the past few days in particular, taken some heat for not being pure enough or restrictive enough or something enough about the diet I eat and the ingredients I use in my recipes. I was accused of something very close to a major character flaw in a discussion about sucralose, by a woman who was infuriated that I would use such an evil, evil ingredient, and that I dared to suggest that perhaps stevia was not utterly safe beyond all question. I've been taken to task for using/eating polyols. I've been told that I should only use, and only recommend, organic, grass-fed meat, and that suggesting that it's okay to eat battery eggs - factory farmed eggs - is just plain wrong.

Bananas must have a killer press agent. Over and over folks ask, "But if I can't have bananas on my low carb diet, where will I get potassium?" It is true that bananas are a pretty good source of potassium; one medium banana has 422 milligrams, or about 12% of the RDA of 3.5 grams. However, that banana also has 27 grams of carbohydrate, with only 3 grams of fiber, for a usable carb count of 24 grams - about half of my daily maximum carb intake, and more than the 20 gram upper limit for those of you who are in the induction phase of the Atkins diet. Clearly we can't count on bananas for our potassium! But where will we get it?

Vitamin B6 is essential to many body processes. Vitamin B6 deficiency was first discovered to cause skin problems, including eczema and seborrheic dermatitis. It can also affect your Low-Carb diet.

Dana Carpender shares her recipe for Low Carb Mockahlua, as well as ways to fit alcohol into your low carb holiday celebrations. 'Tis the season to make merry! Seems to me that there are more parties crammed into the month of December than all the rest of the year put together. For many of us, parties mean downing cocktail or two. So how does drinking alcohol fit into a low carb diet?

Niacin is a water-soluble B vitamin with good sources including lean meat, especially organ meats, white meat poultry, fish, eggs, peanuts, avocados, and wheat germ.