From The Record - K/W Newspaper January 29, 2004

Products pick up on low-carb diet craze

(Jan 29, 2004)

After shedding weight dramatically on a low-carbohydrate diet, Wa'il Al-Wohaibi decided to seek out others following similar programs.

The software engineer started a five-person Internet mailing list in October 2000 to discuss the merits and methods of low-carb living, but interest grew so he created a website to share recipes.

Today, www.lowcarb.ca boasts some 40,000 members that use the chat forums to share stories and track the growth of the movement. "It's no longer an underground fad diet anymore, it seems to be becoming quite popular,'' said Al-Wohaibi from his Ottawa home.

Popular may be putting it mildly. The diet has hit the mainstream in a big way.

Enter the protein platter, McDonald's contribution to the low-carb craze. Take a burger, throw away the bun and serve it with shredded lettuce and tomato, a concept that rival Burger King is also running with. Walk across the food court and you'll find Subway offering an Atkins-endorsed wrap.

Marketers are repositioning products that never had carbs to begin with -- like vodka -- to cash in on the craze.

Beer, and even bread, the sworn enemy of the low-carb dieter, is shedding carbs.

So what's changed since diet guru Dr. Robert Atkins told the world to embrace meats and forgo grains in the 1970s, only to become a pariah within the medical community?

For one, the long-held suspicion that cholesterol levels would go through the roof on a high-protein diet was questioned in two studies published last year in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine. In both studies, the Atkins dieters generally had better levels of "good'' cholesterol and there was no difference in "bad'' cholesterol or blood pressure. And the subjects lost weight. The studies were short-term ones -- the longest being a year -- and couldn't provide data on the long-term effects of cutting carbs.

Still, it was enough to convince the converted and attract the skeptical. After publication of the studies, www.lowcarb.ca began welcoming forum members from around the globe.

Even those with concerns about the low-carb craze fear it will be around for some time.

"I think it is going to go on and on and on,'' said Dr. David Jenkins, a nutrition professor at the University of Toronto. "Once you let carbohydrates out of the bag, you're all over the place.''

That's because avoiding carbohydrates means more than just avoiding bread. Fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts are all carbohydrate sources and are drastically curtailed by Atkins.

During the first phase of Atkins, which can last two weeks to six months, the carbs come almost exclusively from green leafy vegetables. It's recommended the dieter stay below 20 grams of carbohydrates per day, roughly the equivalent of one apple.

More vegetables, seeds and nuts are allowed after the first phase, followed by berries and legumes if you're still losing weight. The amount of carbs allowed once the dieter has successfully passed the four phases varies by person -- anywhere from 40 to 120 grams per day. Whole grains and fruit are enjoyed only by those who've reached and can maintain their goal weight.

Nutritionists have long held that empty carbs, such as those found in refined white flour, should be cut in favour of whole wheat grains. "Brown is beautiful in this case,'' said Jenkins. That message was largely ignored and now he fears that people will overcompensate by forgoing bread all together.

"My worry is that won't satisfy people after a bit, they'll want to go back to what they actually liked, which was that fluffy white bread.''

The new low-carb beers and snacks are likely to appeal to casual dieters who aren't following a specific regime. but are looking to cut carbs based on the buzz surrounding diets like Atkins and South Beach.

The South Beach Diet, written by Dr. Arthur Agatston, also gives a big thumbs-down to white bread, rice and pastas, and promotes eating fish, chicken and apples, among other foods.

The three-phase Beach diet was endorsed by Bill and Hillary Clinton, and is seen by some as easier than Atkins.

COUNTING CARBS

Restaurants, breweries and snack makers are offering low-carbohydrate alternatives. Following is the carbohydrate count, in grams, of some foods.

One apple, 21 g

One small banana, 23.7 g

One orange, 16.3 g

118 ml (1/2 cup) of orange juice, 13.4 g

One small tomato, 4.2 g

One sweet potato, 22.4 g

One onion, 9.5 g

Six asparagus spears, 3.8 g

236 ml (one cup) of vegetable soup, 19 g

One 341-ml bottle of beer, 12 g (approx.)

One bagel, 38 g

One bran muffin, 23.8 g

One slice white bread, 14.9 g

One slice whole grain bread, 11.8 g

15 ml (1 tablespoon) of maple syrup, 13.4 g

15 ml (1 tablespoon) of ketchup, 4.2 g

SOURCE: ATKINS.COM