Longtime readers will recall I was quite concerned in March 2006 when Dana’s popular nationally syndicated newspaper column called “Low-Carb For Life” was abruptly changed to the much more generic “Cook Well, Eat Well” in response to the perception that livin’ la vida low-carb had fallen out of favor with the general public. The explanation was that she needed to “broaden the focus” of her column to reach a wider audience focused on healthy nutrition (insinuating that low-carb doesn’t fit that mold!).

I was quite critical of Dana after the column name change because I felt she had allowed herself to be sucked into the anti-low-carb movement that for the most part still exists today in the media. That perception was only made worse when she released her Every Calorie Counts Cookbook in April 2006, the first Dana Carpender cookbook that did not include the term “low-carb” in the title. Some people were beginning to wonder if Dana still supported the low-carb lifestyle anymore or if she had “sold out.”

In my interview with Dana in September 2006, I asked her about this directly and she was unequivocal and quite reasoned in her response to these charges:

“Truth to tell, in my day to day life I don’t much care what others think of how I eat. I do care about what it takes to gain a public forum, which is why the change in the books and the column. It doesn’t do anyone any good for me to be a linguistic purist but not have a public voice.”

So her philosophy was as long as she had a voice to spread the positive message of healthy low-carb living, she was willing to go with the changes her publisher and syndicate wanted. But you could tell this was gnawing away at Dana in a few of her columns beginning with this one in February 2007 followed by this one in April 2007. All the positive news about livin’ la vida low-carb over the past year lit a bright-burning fire within her to get back to her low-carb roots in earnest.

That’s why today’s announcement by Dana at her new blog is HUGE: she’s quitting the newspaper column with United Media effective immediately after she turned in her final column today. To replace that column, she has decided to transform her popular Hold The Toast web site into a new blog that she promises will be updating often for her fans after she finishes up a new book she is working on featuring a variety of low-carb success tips and advice from people who have lived it (I was privileged to be interviewed by Dana for this book) in the next three weeks.

This past year has been a rough one for Dana as she details in her column, so be sure to go check it out and bookmark her blog RIGHT NOW so you’ll never miss a single post! And don’t you know there will be some delicious recipes featured there too–WOO HOO! She’s even promised to show her daily menus beginning with this first one she posted today.

WELCOME BACK, Dana! We can’t wait to see what’s coming next!