D is for. . .

. . .DaVinci Gourmet and Drink Stix. Ok, these are technically not foods in the form of things that provide particular health benefits. These are products that help me in my weight loss efforts, though, so I thought they were worth mentioning. Plus, they were the first things that came to my mind when I thought of things that I drink.

DaVinci Gourmet makes sugar-free syrups for adding flavor to coffee, tea and other desserts. The sugar-free syrups are sweetened with Splenda, and have zero carbs per serving. I know Splenda isn't for everyone, as some have reactions to it and only believe in using natural products. I am not a purist in my low carb pursuit, and therefore don't mind using a little sweetener. I personally cannot handle real sugar, so this is just one alternative that I am using. Some people have vices, and I am not yet willing to give up my sugar-free DaVinci syrups. My favorite flavors to use in my one morning cup of coffee are caramel, butterscotch and french vanilla. There are at least 40 delicious flavors available. I have had difficulty finding these locally, so I have ordered them online through Netrition because you really can't beat their inexpensive shipping in the United States.

Drink Stix, as I like to call them, offer an alternative to unflavored water. Although I mostly drink just plain water, I do occasionally enjoy adding the sugar-free Arizona brand flavors to my water. I'd say I have about one or two drink stix per week. Yes, the Arizona brand is sweetened with Splenda, too. At one time, I liked the peach tea flavor made by another company, but gave up using aspartame. My husband and I have tried the Arizona brand sugar-free drink stix in three flavors: lemonade, peach tea and pomegranate green tea. I've purchased them through the Amazon Subscribe & Save program because I cannot locate the drink stix in my grocery stores.

Before I go, I'd like to recommend a couple of blogs that (sort of) begin with the letter D.

Take a look at Dana Carpender's Hold the Toast blog. Dana has written 8 low carb cookbooks and several other books about low-carbing. Her blog is a nice resource for new recipes she is trying out.

The Diabetes Warrior blogger has an interesting perspective about what it's like to fight the disease using a paleolithic philosophy.

Check back tomorrow when I write around the theme of the letter "E", and about the nutritional benefits of a once misunderstood food.