FOOD IN THE NEWS

Now, low-carbers can have their beer and nachos, too

Kim Severson, Chronicle Staff Writer

link to article
A bag of chips and a bottle of beer might seem like a dieter's nightmare, but in the brave new world of low-carb eating, they are the darlings of the moment.

Michelob Ultra, a low-carb beer by Anheuser-Busch, and Carb Solutions, high protein nacho cheese chips, are but two of the hundreds of new products filling supermarket shelves as people on reduced-carbohydrate diets search for substitutes.

The popularity of foods formulated to be especially low in carbohydrates and often extremely high in protein is a testament to the strength of the nation's latest diet craze.

An estimated 30 million to 50 million people have adjusted their diets on the theory that carbohydrates -- not fat -- causes weight gain. The low-carb diet, popularized by the late Dr. Robert Atkins in the 1970s, has enjoyed a resurgence in the past few years, and it's a rare office or neighborhood that doesn't have several people shunning bread and potatoes on favor of meat and eggs.

The approach has caused plenty of controversy because it goes against years of weight-loss advice that centered on losing the fat and increasing complex carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. Researchers also caution that the long- term effects of the diet haven't been studied.

Still, there seems to be no slowing the low-carb train. Because Atkins and other diets based on similar principles restrict foods like breads, pastas and sugar, a market for replacement foods was created virtually overnight.

Candy bars, pancake mix, crackers -- even bagels are being reformulated and sold as low-carb diet options. Atkins Nutritionals offers 30 low-carb foods, double the lineup offered in 2001. And stores like Safeway and Target are giving over precious shelf space to products low-carb devotees crave.

The foods have even edged out low-fat or fat-free products in shoppers' grocery carts. A comprehensive study of American food trends, published in the Institute of Food Technologists magazine in April, shows that more consumers are interested in trying a new low-carb product than a low-fat one. Low-carb was fifth on a list of what consumers most wanted in new food products, behind ready-to-eat, heat-and-eat, eat-on-the-run, and foods that required no utensils.

Elizabeth Sloan, author of the report, says low-carb, high-protein is moving mainstream. "More than one-third of consumers believe cutting carbs is a good strategy for improving long-term health, and 37 percent believe it is a reliable means of weight loss," she writes in her annual look at the national top 10 food trends. The report is a compilation of nearly 50 market research studies and report on consumer buying behavior in 2002.

Among the findings:

-- More than four in 10 adults made a strong or somewhat strong effort to cut carbs.

-- One out of five dieters are using a low-carb method.

-- Two out of 10 U.S. households bought more low-carb food last year than the year before and 16 percent increased their use of high protein food.

Although supermarkets carry many low-carb products, particularly "meal alternative" bars and shakes, the Internet is where many low-carbers finding substitutes for the foods their diets deny them.

Ketogenics, based in Pennsylvania but with sales and marketing offices in San Clemente, is one such site. The company sells chocolate candy bars with 2 grams of carbs; waffle and pancake mix heavy with whey and soy protein that have just 5 grams of carbs in three pancakes; and even low-carb pasta.

The top seller? Bread. "We all like our carbs and we love bread most of all, " says national sales manager Darren Peck.

The company's sales were up 67 percent from March to April this year, and 33 percent of those sales were from new customers. "The American public is really starting to look at (low-carb) and accept that it's here," he says.

Of course, the food is not exactly health food. Breads and other starchy products are given texture with destarched flour, soy proteins, polydextrose and cellulose. Sucralose and maltitol, a bulk sweetener, replace sugar. Artificial flavors and additives abound.

The products are also fairly pricey. According to a report in Kiplinger's Personal Finance, low-carb food costs about 50 percent more than carb-laden equivalents.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Carbo-loaded
Here are the foods many low-carb diet regimens put on a do-not-eat list, unless low-carb versions are available. As the diet progresses, limited amounts of some of these foods are allowed. .

-- Barley

-- Beer

-- Burritos and flour tortillas

-- Cakes, cookies, cupcakes

-- Canned soups

-- Commercial breadcrumbs

-- Commercial cold cereals

-- Cornbread

-- Corn chips

-- Fresh, frozen, dried or canned fruits or juice

-- Fruit sugar (also known as fructose)

-- Hot cereals or grits

-- Most wheat products (with the exceptions of wheat gluten and small amounts of whole wheat and wheat bran)

-- Milk

-- Non-diet soft drinks

-- Potato chips

-- Popcorn

-- Pretzels

-- Starchy vegetables including corn, lima beans, okra, peas, beans (other than green beans and black soy beans)

-- Tamales

-- Sweet wines