Piece in USA Today

This appeared in today's USA Today. Altho' there's stuff here I disagree
with, in particular the idea that somehow it's the fault of the FDA if we
eat the wrong stuff, the central idea seems correct. The basis of low-carb
dieting is eating real food; if we eat the hi-cal crap that Atkins et al
peddle we'll defeat the object.



Low-carb craze threatens to head off track
By Stephen Perrine
Recently, my 12-year-old daughter asked me a pointed question in the dairy
aisle of the supermarket: "Dad, am I going to get fat?"
The correct response, according to most parents, might be something along
the lines of, "Baby, don't worry about that. You're special no matter what
you look like."

But I just can't bring myself to toe that line. I want my daughters to be
scared of fat, the same way I want them to be scared of drugs, cigarettes
and pushy boys who drive Camaros. Because all of the feel-good,
self-esteem-building in the world won't change one crucial fact: Fat kills.

And thanks to a desperate rush by food manufacturers to capitalize on the
low-carbohydrate craze — and a lack of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
oversight — helping our kids negotiate the fat-laden minefield of the U.S.
supermarket is getting harder than ever.

We are a society besieged by fat. One in three Americans are obese — not
just overweight. And yet, for a moment there, it seemed as if America had
finally found a way to take control of its collective weight problem.
Spurred by best sellers such as Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, millions of
men and women began eating low-carb diets. And sure enough, they began
dropping pounds. But today, the low-carb movement is headed wildly
off-track, hijacked by food manufacturers eager to chow down on their share
of an estimated $25 billion low-carb market.

The original low-carb movement worked because it inspired us to cut out junk
food. Since high-carb foods also happen to be plentiful — and high in
calories — excising them from one's diet meant almost guaranteed weight
loss. Robert Atkins' plan may not have been the perfect solution — it's high
in fat and low in fiber and other nutrients — but when it came to dropping
pounds, it worked.

That was great news for overweight Americans, but not such great news for
fast-food marketers and packaged-goods producers. With an estimated 60
million people following low-carb diets, these marketers have woken up to
the smell of bacon.

The Italian joint near my apartment advertises low-carb pizza in its front
window. The supermarket nearby sells low-carb pasta. You even can buy
Atkins-brand low-carb candy bars at the corner deli. In fact, name nearly
any food that the original Atkins diet requires you to cut out, and you can
find a "low-carb" version of it for sale.

And the results are going to be disastrous for America's waistlines. Not
only are junk foods no longer verboten — now they come with the low-carb
seal of approval.

But what, exactly, is "low-carb" pasta or pizza or candy bars? Nobody knows.
The FDA has yet to issue guidelines defining "low-carb." Technically, the
FDA can fine food manufacturers for using such language on their labels. Yet
in the past five years, marketers have introduced more than 883 new food
options targeted to the low-carb market; scores of products on shelves right
now using that language should be met with FDA censure. But in 2003, the FDA
issued warning letters to only two manufacturers for illegally using
"low-carb" on their labels.

Even manufacturers operating within the letter of the law still can present
misleading claims. Some claim their products are low in "net carbs" — an
essentially meaningless designation that doesn't consider a food's calorie
count or carbohydrate content. And any food — even pure cane sugar — can be
labeled "part of a low-carbohydrate lifestyle."

To see just where we're headed, think back to the 1990s, when the U.S.
Department of Agriculture issued its recommendation that we should all cut
down on fat. Food manufacturers rushed to market with about 1,000 new
"low-fat" and "fat-free" products each year from 1990 through 1998. Since
the early 1990s, the number of overweight Americans has risen by more than
15%, because consumers interpreted "fat-free" as "calorie-free," even though
many low-fat foods are packed with sugar. And the same thing is happening to
the low-carb movement.

It's hard to demonize packaged-goods manufacturers, though. One in five
Americans claim they eat low-carb. If you were selling sugar by the pound,
wouldn't you figure out a way to label it "low-carb"? Especially if the FDA
seemed to be looking the other way?

On Feb. 2, the Grocery Manufacturers of America petitioned the FDA to
clarify and legitimize four nutritional claims, including "low-carbohydrate"
and "carbohydrate-free." The government has until mid-May to decide whether
to accept the petition. If the FDA does step in with clearer guidelines —
and begins enforcing those guidelines — then those 60 million Americans
trying to eat low-carb will have a much better understanding of what,
exactly, they're feeding their families.

The stakes couldn't be higher, nor the time for action more apparent. The
obesity epidemic is perhaps the greatest immediate threat to our children's
health. Obese men and women are 62% more likely to die of cancer, 100% more
likely to develop heart disease and more than 1,000% more likely to contract
diabetes.

"Dad, will I get fat?" No, you won't get fat, I told my daughter. But it's a
struggle to protect her from the forces conspiring against her. When my kids
want a drink at the deli, I tell them they can have anything that doesn't
have high-fructose corn syrup. (They usually come back with water.)

When we shop for bread at the supermarket, I explain the difference between
"wheat" and "whole-wheat." (The former is just white bread with molasses
added to make it look healthy.) And when they pick out something to eat that
says "low-carb" on it, I tell them that term means absolutely nothing at
all.

But the food store is a tricky, dangerous and increasingly deceitful place.
And I have to tell you: We dads and moms could use a little help out here.

Stephen Perrine is the editorial creative director of Men's Health magazine.

[cut]
The stakes couldn't be higher, nor the time for action more apparent. The
obesity epidemic is perhaps the greatest immediate threat to our
children's
health. Obese men and women are 62% more likely to die of cancer, 100%
more
likely to develop heart disease and more than 1,000% more likely to
contract
diabetes.

Cites, please.

Other than that, I think that the article is good. She should be telling
her daughters to stay away from boys in Camaros (regardless of the fact
that they don't make 'em anymore).

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

In article ,
"Anthony" wrote:

...And the results are going to be disastrous for America's waistlines. Not
only are junk foods no longer verboten — now they come with the low-carb
seal of approval....


Great article, Anthony, thanks for posting it. I find way too many
things labeled "low-carb" that clearly are not and I find that very
disturbing. OTOH, I buy mostly unprocessed foods anyway so it does not
affect me that much. Same thing is true of low-fat, I think. If you
eat unlimited amounts of low-fat items--- well we all know what's going
to happen. Food labeling in the US is still a crap shoot it seems.

Coincidentally, I went to the local pizzaria today, and made a suggestion
that they do a "build your own" low carb thing. They already do! They make a
crustless pizza and you make the choice of salad and dressing.

No, I'm not thinking this is as low carb as I should go, but at the same
time, it's almost acceptable, since my husband likes pizza.

As to all the other supposedly low carb things I know better than to eat, I
just glance at the label. Sorry, but 14 or 17 or 27 carbs per serving aren't
low carb to me. Neither are those alcohol sugars!

--
Nancy Ward


"Anthony" wrote in message
...

The Italian joint near my apartment advertises low-carb pizza in its front
window. The supermarket nearby sells low-carb pasta. You even can buy
Atkins-brand low-carb candy bars at the corner deli. In fact, name nearly
any food that the original Atkins diet requires you to cut out, and you can
find a "low-carb" version of it for sale.

That was a *great* article.
CM

"Anthony" wrote in message


This appeared in today's USA Today. Altho' there's stuff here I
disagree with, in particular the idea that somehow it's the fault of
the FDA if we eat the wrong stuff, the central idea seems correct.
The basis of low-carb dieting is eating real food; if we eat the
hi-cal crap that Atkins et al peddle we'll defeat the object.
snipped great article

I don't think it's necessarily the FDA's fault if we eat the wrong stuff
however we are supposed to be able to trust product labels. That's part of
the reason they exist. IMO if part of a government agency's job is to make
rules on nutritional labeling and make sure that those rules are adhered to,
they should do their job. So far they haven't and companies are taking
complete advantage of the situation.

"Bob in CT" wrote in message
news
snip
Other than that, I think that the article is good. She should be telling
her daughters to stay away from boys in Camaros (regardless of the fact
that they don't make 'em anymore).

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

The writer was a male.
Lori