[Dana Carpender's delightful "Low-Carb For Life" column from today's TexasTaste section of the Dallas Morning News follows. I typed it in myself because I couldn't find it online. Any typos below are thus most likely my own fault. I'll add a link as soon as one becomes available. - gotbeer]

Low-carb diet offers plenty of folacin

Dana Carpender

Wednesday, 04/07/2004, Dallas Morning News (www.dallasnews.com)

If I ever have a doubt about the wisdom of my low-carb diet, I consider the arguments coming from low-carb detractors. Those folks have to twist themselves into knots to find reasons why a low-carbohydrate diet is a bad idea.

In a recent article I read, an expert started out by warning that women of childbearing age shouldn't eat a low-carbohydrate diet because they won't get folic acid, and folic-acid deficiency can cause birth defects. There's no doubt that folic acid, or its naturally occurring counterpart, folacin, can help prevent neurological defects. But do we have to abandon a low-carb diet to reap the benefits of folic acid?

The expert says that without folic-acid-enriched bread, pasta and breakfast cereals, we will be deficient in the nutrient. Notice the word enriched - in other words, these foods aren't good sources of this vitamin naturally Instead, the folic acid is added to them. At the very end of the article is the line: "The problem could largely be avoided if all women of childbearing age took a daily multivitamin that contains folic acid." Good idea.

Grains that have been refined and processed are typically enriched. These are often the carbs of the worst kind: They carry a high blood-sugar impact and little to no fiber. Even if you're on a program such as South Beach that allows some "good carbs", it's not these products.

To recommend highly refined and processed carbs for women of childbearing age because they have vitamins added isn't optimal - especially since high insulin levels can cause health problems that make conception difficult or impossible, and gestational diabetes and high blood pressure are risks of pregnancy.

It is more than possible to get plenty of folacin from low-carbohydrate foods. One slice of white bread has 21.5 micrograms of folic acid, or roughly 1/20 of the 400 micrograms needed each day. It also has 12 grams of carbohydrate and almost no fiber. One cup of orange juice has 26 grams of carbohydrate and less than half a gram of fiber. Folacin: 74 micrograms.

Three cups of romaine lettuce, on the other hand, have 28 [sic] micrograms of folacin, or more than half of our daily requirement - and only 4 grams of carbohydrate, of which 3 are fiber, for a usable carb count of just 1 gram. In my estimation, the low-carbohydrate source wins.

[Correction - of course, she means that there are 280 (not 28) micrograms of folacin in 3 cups of romaine.- gotbeer]

When you cut carbs, you add other foods to replace them, and quite a few of those foods are usually high in folacin. For example, I will often order the insides of a sandwich on a bed of lettuce instead of bread, which means lots of folacin. For that matter, the cauliflower I substitute for potatoes and rice has more folacin than either starch.

All green leafy vegetables are low in carbohydrates and high in folacin, so eat salads! Cooked spinach, broccoli and asparagus are also good. An egg has a little more folacin that that slice of white bread we mentioned, and peanuts are also a pretty good source.

Indeed, it seems that the only reason there was a need for folic acid enrichment was that so many people base their diets on cheap, starchy foods. Remove the junk carbs from the diet and there's plenty of room for foods that are naturally high in folacin. This spinach salad is perfect for spring, [sic] extraordinarily delicious and has 238 micrograms of folacin per serving.

Spinach and Strawberry Salad

1/2 cup Splenda
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons minced red onion
1 1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound pre-washed baby spinach
1 cup sliced strawberries
3 tablespoons toasted, slivered almonds
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Combine Splenda, wine vinegar, olive oil, red onion, poppy seeds, paprika and salt in a bowl or container with a lid and stir or shake well.

Put baby spinach in a big salad bowl. Pour on the dressing and toss well. Top with strawberries, almonds and feta, and serve. Makes 4 servings.

Per Serving, Cal 227 (75% fat), Protein 8 gm, Fat 19 gm, Fiber 5 gm, Carb 11 gm, Usable carb 6 gm.