I mean, this january's annual post new years weight loss craze, low carb products were being shoved down our throats. Low carb is getting so big so fast that I am afraid people will become sick of it just as fast. I fear a financial domino effect... once the newness and trendiness of low carb wears off (it is going to happen eventually), people will rapidly stop buying the products, and I'm afraid all the lovely low carb products out there will fold. I am aware there will always be a market for low carb products, but I am also aware there will be an eventual bubble burst after the trendiness dies out. My fear is that the bubble burst will be so large, that a lot of companies might lose so much cash that they collapse.

Has anyone else wondered about this? I would hate to have to do without delicious low carb bread, shakes and milk :/.

I more worry that lowcarb will go the way of lowfat, with people thinking that it is okay to eat anything they want as long as it is lowcarb. I realize that many people use these products in moderation to supplement their diet and I think that is fine. However, I am concerned that people new to lowcarb will use these products as the basis of their diet instead of changing the way they eat in order to be more healthy. It all people do is substitute lowcarb bread for regular bread, lowcarb ice cream for regular ice cream, lowcarb candies for regular candies, etc. they probably won't lose much weight if any, and they won't get any healthier, but they will decide that lowcarb doesn't work.

I just saw a special on the Food Network last night and over and over they said that LC is here to stay because it works.

If there is any problem with market flood I believe that it will go the way of most industries. That is, that the strongest companies can ride out a dilute market and will be there when the small companies fold up. I only hope that the survivor is the company with the tasty and affordable products.

http://home.new.rr.com/kitanniweb/atkins/11.gif

i think the best LC products will stay no matter what happens and even if they don't you can always go back to the basics of meats and veggies.

jon

The part I worry about is the people who will claim their product is LC but it isn't. There are already some ads for "LC meals" that are over 100 grams each. This could lead hopeful dieters to eat them and then say that LC doesn't work.

We'll just have to continue reading labels and holding manufacturers to account.

I can only see that happening to those that don't read up on low carb before they begin and even then, I would hope that someone following a low carb regime would recognize that 100 grams of carb for a meal is NOT low carb no matter what the manufacturer claims!
I definitely agree that reading labels is very important on this WOL; some manufacturers have no problem sneaking ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated fats into their products, low carb or otherwise, and unsuspecting consumers eat them.

I'm not so sure about that, Lisa. I agree with everything you and Tofi have written, but I can also remember buying products labeled "Low Fat" without having a lot of knowledge about what that entailed. Maybe my problem was that I hated eating low fat, and didn't really want to do my homework. I only wanted to lose some weight....having no intention of having to eat that way forever.

Those beginning to jump on the low carb bandwagon are not necessarily going to immerse themselves in books or even forums about it. Of course, they should, but a lot of them won't. I'll bet any number of them won't have a clue about how many carbs they should be eating in a meal or a day. There are a lot of desperate, overweight sheep out there!

I checked out the labels of the supposedly lc Lean Cuisine frozen meals when I was in the grocery store yesterday. Mostly out of curiosity, since I found them fairly unappetizing when I was doing a low fat thing. Personally, I don't want anything that has 23 to 27 carbs for just one piddly little meal.

But in answer to the original question, I'm really not terribly worried about some of the companies with new lc products going belly up. Most of them sell other products as well. And there will always be some sf products around, especially given the surge in diabetes. Vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, etc. are still going to be in the stores.

Kay

I guess I'm selfish. I don't worry about the poor "sheep" who don't take the time or make the effort to educate themselves. I'm sure there will be a new "bandwagon" to jump on, but since lc actually WORKS, I'm sure there will always be a market for quality products.

<Shrug> You can still find a lot of low fat things, even though low carb is catching on. I just feel that low-carb has "legs" because it works long term. If anything IMHO when the craze mellows because the "bandwagon jumpers" have moved on to the next thing, a lot of the gimmicky, inferior, "make a quick buck" products will go away, leaving the "good stuff" that someone well-read on lc would buy. I could be wrong, but that's my theory.

I agree. If you don't care enough about what you're doing to educate yourself and at least get some idea of what will be required, you get what you deserve.
It's not that this WOE requires a doctorate to understand or hours and hours of study. A few hours invested in reading the book for the plan you've chosen (assuming that you've actually chosen a plan) is time well spent.
Those that don't...well...it's very much like setting out on a journey to a place you've never been before without a map or directions on how to get there. If you get lost and fail to reach your destination, you have nobody to blame but yourself.

You very much beat me to it, Liz! I don't care about the market just like the market doesn't care about our health; all it cares about is profit margins. Wherever they sense money is to be made, they go. They are ready to manufacture and sell low anything as long as there are people ready to buy their stuff. I too worry that this trend interest in low carb will ruin, not the market, but the principle in people's minds before they even try it or care to educate themselves about it.

i also believe that, though some people believe lc is a "fad", it is here to stay. it has completely changed my life and i know it has changed the lives of many others for the better.
i am very concerned about how many degenerative diseases are caused by poor diet, how many doctors do not take diet into consideration when treating disease, and how many tax dollars pay for the treatment of many people with degenerative diseases. And, as for the companies that are jumping on the lc bandwagon to make a quick buck, that's nothing compared to the billions hospitals and pharmacuetical companies are making on drugs that don't address america's health concerns at the root of the problem--diet and lifestyle.
when i hear people talk about how lc didnt work for them, i usually find out that there was lack of education and will power. as someone who is very concerned about the welfare of my community, i am going to do everything i can to ensure that lc is here to stay and pushes into the mainstream. i feel it is one of my greatest duties to continue to educate myself, my family, and anyone else who will listen on the benefits of healthy diet, and to set the best example i can for those around me.
we need to continue to educate ourselves so that we can provide support for those who are experiencing difficulties. it's not easy kicking the carb-monkey, and if we continue to tell these companies what we need, it will make it easier for everyone.

I think it's exciting! I'm hoping that it will open the door to all kinds of exciting new recipes and products. (Maybe that's my attempt at seeing the glass half full!) lol

As long as diabetes is around low-carb will be.

I think with low-carbing, theres less of a need to worry about accuracy of labels.

First, sure, there will be some manufacturers who falsify labels, and some chains fudging the numbers or misleading customers, like the KFC ads. But those will be caught quickly. And with the rise of the low-carb trends, such scandels will make chains and manufacturers think twice before they do it again.

Second, low-fat dieting is hard to pin point on a menu. Everyone can claim it's low-fat this or that, as long as they trim some fats off. But with low-carbing, the guide is usually by the number of grams of carbs and fiber. If they don't list that, no one can tell if it's low-carb or not.

The only trend that bothers me is repackaging low-fat products as low-carb. Some bakeries specializing in low-fat, low-calorie bread, are just re-packaging the same cr*p as low-carb. So you end up with low-carb, low-fat, low-calorie bread, and they consider that "even better". But you end up being cheated of healthy fats, good taste, and you pay more for it.

I much prefer a change of perspective, where a product, such as low-carb bread, would be made specifically for low-carbers, who don't mind the natural fat, nor the healthy cholesterol in it. In essence, I'm waiting for the day manufacurers do it, and get it, that fats are healthy, and there's no need for all their patented defattening technologies to hydroginate the cr*p out of natural food.

While I don't use much low-carb products, I'd love to be able to walk through the supermarket, and see low-carb products replacing all the slim-fast, WW junk shoved in my face all the time, or "educating" me on bad fats are, and how such and such lobby recommends I eat sugar and reduce fat for "a better health".

Low-carb products should eventually be a lot cheaper than low-fat products, as there nothing unnatural to do to them, and not much processing is needed. When they becomes a mass market products, you will pay a lot less for them than low-fat products. You'll be able to grab a low-carb meal from any restaurant, or even from the grocery store, when you don't have the time to cook.

I'm looking forward to it.

Wa'il

One thing I worry about are people who use low carb products like people use low fat products. For example: People will eat two meals that are low fat and then a high fat meal. They might not gain weight. If you ate two low carb meals and one high carb meal that won't be the case. You can easily blow your low carb diet with a sandwhich or a bag of chips. You can't so easily unless you count ice cream on a low fat diet.

A friend of mine called and said her parents were low carbing and she is joining them at least at dinner and maybe lunch. Well she's going to be in for a surprise...