Consumer Reports (CR) has found that many of the low-carb food products now flooding supermarkets may be cheating consumers by undermining the weight loss they hope to achieve.

Yonkers, NY -The June CR Investigates report, "The Truth About Low-Carb Foods," helps consumers ensure that the proliferation of low-carb products doesn't defeat the very diet principles that have made low-carb diets a runaway hit. Some of CR's main findings are:

"Net carb" claims on product labels are questionable for low-carb versions of comfort foods like bread, pasta, and ice cream since they are extrapolated from research done on whole foods with very different compositions and calorie count.

Carbs vs. calories: Today's low-carb comfort foods are not necessarily low in calories. For instance, a 1-ounce Carborite chocolate crisp bar contains 120 calories. A serving of Keto's Rocky Road has 270 calories, almost double the calories found in many regular ice creams, and twice as much fat.

Truth: low-carb junk food is still junk: An astonishing 930 low-carb food products have been introduced to U.S. markets in the last five years. They're aimed at an estimated 30 to 40 million people who say they're trying to control their weight by counting carbs, not calories. But if consumers count carbs without attending to calories, they may be tempted to eat more of the new low-carb junk foods-and thus consume more calories.

Truth: Low carb then is not low carb now: CR contrasts the original Atkins low-carb diets with today's version. Independent research studies have shown that the original Atkins dieters lost weight faster than low-fat dieters, at least for the first 6 months. Although Atkins dieters lost an average of 8.4 pounds more than the low-fat dieters at the end of six months, by the end of a year the gap was so narrow as to be statistically insignificant. A prime reason the low-carb diet worked, some researchers concluded, was it was boring¾ the more variety in your diet the more food you will eat.

In addition, the original low-carb diets were low in calories. Today's low-carb foods are neither monotonous nor low in calories. Taking the boredom out of the low-carb diet with comfort foods such as ice cream, chips, and beer could reduce its effectiveness.

What you can do:
People can lose weight on any diet as long as it reduces the number of calories consumed below those expended.
Eat whole foods whenever possible, including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
Read the calorie count on the Nutrition Facts labels.
Treat treats as treats¾ no matter what the carb count.

CR Taste-Tests 19 Low-Carb Offerings
Among breads, Arnold Carb Counting Multi-Grain and Sara Lee Delightful Wheat Bakery were found to be Very Good. Keto Spaghetti, Bella Vita Low Carb Pasta Penne Rigate, and CarbXtract Fettuccine received a Good rating in the pasta category. Good beers included Michelob Ultra, Miller Lite, and Rolling Rock Green Light. The ice creams taste-tested did not taste like the real thing, still had lots of fats, and often had premium prices.

CR Taste-Tests Diet Meals
Diet meals have captured about one-third of the frozen-meals market. Based on CR's trained panelists' taste-tests of 15 meals in four categories most diet meals taste good. But unless you add a side dish or two, they may leave you hungry. The standout was the Weight Watchers Smart Ones Bistro Selections chicken teriyaki, which was rated Very Good. Other Good choices in chicken teriyaki include Lean Cuisine Cafe Classics and Healthy Choice. For roasted chicken, Lean Cuisine Cafe Classics, Healthy Choice and Weight Watchers Smart Ones Bistro Selections were found to be Good. Healthy Choice Beef Pot Roast, Weight Watchers Smart Ones Bistro Selections Roast Beef with Gravy, and Lean Cuisine Cafe Classics Beef Pot Roast were rated Good. For fettuccine alfredo, Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice, Weight Watchers Smart Ones, and Slim Fast all tasted Good. All the meals have 320 calories or fewer and are fairly low in fat. The number of carbs varies. Many of the meals come with side dishes or extra ingredients in the main dish. If a meal doesn't fill you up, add vegetables, a salad with low-fat dressing, or fruit.



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