Once you start paying attention to food advertising, you start to realize how much our attitudes about food have been shaped by it - and generally not for the better.

Dana Carpender answers a reader's question about diabetes, breast cancer and the Low-Carb, Keto, Gluten-Free lifestyle.

Reading your email over several times, the thing that jumps out at me is fear. You're afraid - afraid of food, afraid of getting out of control. And your way of containing that fear is to wall yourself off with your safe and familiar foods, to stay home, to stick to a single routine. It's become a ritual of protection.

Low-Carb Life in the real world! That's what I'm living. And life in the real world is an endless series of choices, and an endless series of compromises. That's what's real in our Low-Carb world.

Grilled Asparagus with Balsamic Vinegar Recipe by Dana Carpender. Asparagus hollers “Springtime!” – while it murmurs “Luxury and elegance.” It’s delicious, quick and easy to prepare, and takes to all sorts of easy variations. And, I’m pleased to tell you, asparagus is also one of the very lowest carb vegetables. A half-pound of asparagus – a fabulously generous serving – contains only 5 grams of carbohydrate, of which 2 grams are fiber, for a usable carb count of just 3 grams. This is one indulgence we can all afford to make more often!

Dana Carpender talks about the supposed demise of low carb diets. It ain't true - Low-Carb diets are alive and well and making people alive and well. What are you doing at a low carb website? Didn't you know low carb is dead? It's soooo 2003! The pundits are ever so grateful that all that nonsense about cutting out pasta and potatoes in favor of meat and eggs has fallen by the wayside. It was a fad! It was so weird! Oh, sure, you lost a few pounds, but nobody could eat that way long term. And anyway, everybody knows that's unhealthy! Yeah, right...

Dark and fudgy, and absolutely loaded with chocolate chips! A classic chocolate chocolate chip cookie, just like Mom used to make – only a lot better for you!

Dana Carpender's CarbSmart Low-Carb Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe: A classic chocolate chip cookie, just like Mom used to make - only a lot better for you!