Food + Drink

When you're on a gluten free diet, it's still important to get enough fiber in your diet. Fiber can help prevent heart disease, diabetes, weight gain and some cancers, in addition to playing a vital role for digestive health.

Living a low carb lifestyle can be extremely difficult. People who have made the change for health reasons or because of going through weight-loss surgery have learned to adapt though. Below is a list of my favorite low carb substitutes to help make the transition easier on you.

Amezaiku is the Japanese art of candy, or "candy craft". Similarly to glass art, Amezaiku is created by heating sugar to a malleable temperature and then shaped, pulled, and stretched into beautiful and often intricate works of art. Common creations include insects, animals, and nature. Artists use their hands, along with special scissors, tweezers, and other tools in the shaping of Amezaiku. Amezaiku can even be seen in the streets, as artists sometimes tell a story with their art pieces or simply create the pieces in front of intrigued crowd. Children especially love seeing the artists at work, with favorite designs like dragons and other mythical creatures. People pick the design they want and are delighted to watch the artist quickly mold the pieces into shape.

I love to drink, but lord, am I a lazy drinker. Unless it's really a special occasion, I don't want to muddle mint for mojitos, nor do I want to stock up my bar with bitters for that one special martini, either. That's why ready to drink cocktails are a boon for me. They're easy, they can taste pretty great, and you don't have to be a bartender to enjoy them.

The Spanish name "flor das cinco chagas" was first given to this wonderful fruit by missionaries in Brazil. I am sure there are other names used for passion fruit by the indigenous inhabitants of Brazil, but I have not been able to easily find them.

If there's one thing you should know about me, it's the fact that Korean fried chicken is a constant craving of mine. Don't get me wrong, I'm not discriminating against how fried chicken is prepared here in the West. Hell, regardless of the origin, I'm still going to eat it because you can't go wrong with fried chicken. But there's something different about Korean fried chicken that I just can't put a finger on.