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It is my experience that people want a more moderate approach to low carb, such as the one suggested in Slow Carb For Life, that is nutritionally balanced and includes fruits and whole grains. North Americans are seeking an approach that will allow them to lose weight while eating a healthy diet that can be sustained over the long term. If low carb eating is to be a successful lifestyle, we need choices that provide nutritional balance, variety, and flavor. Living a low carb lifestyle is not only possible, but enjoyable under these circumstances. Much of the current media attention is directed toward food manufacturers, many of which jumped on the low carb band wagon all at once. In January of 2004 we saw a huge influx of low carb foods, manufactured by mainstream food manufacturers and available in general food chains (as opposed to health food and specialty stores). Consumers seemed happy to try all the new products as they appeared on the shelves. This initial interest kept sales very high. It is my impression that these low carb products have fallen short of consumers’ expectations who were unhappy with the taste, texture or extremely high prices. The resultant drop in sales has been a large contributing factor to the observation that the bubble may have burst. Another concern with these products relates to marketing that may be misleading, in terms of the labeling and the nutrition information. Currently there is no mechanism to “police” the labeling for accuracy. While manufacturers complied with the FDA ruling that all carbohydrates must be listed on the nutrition label, they then introduced the concept of net carb or effective carb for marketing purposes. Although the full carb content is listed on the back, manufacturers subtract two or three ingredients (including fiber, sugar alcohols, and glycerine) to arrive at the net carb. This practice can lead to disappointment and weight gain for individuals eating too many of these products. A further concern is the pronounced laxative effect sugar alcohols can have on people, and the only way to find out is through trial and error. In my opinion sugar alcohols may be the reason for the weight stalls many people experience when they eat these foods. I myself do not use, nor do I recommend, any specialty low carb manufactured products, preferring to eat real foods and baked items that I make myself. In this way I can control the type of carbs that I eat, as well as the quantity. I can be sure of all the ingredients in each baked good, and of its impact on my system. The most valuable tool in a low carb arsenal is a great low carb cookbook with easy to prepare and delicious low carb foods. Most current high-profile low carb diets are very restrictive in their food choices, making them difficult to follow over the long term. After the tremendous boom of these diets over the past 18 months, we are now seeing people who successfully lost weight return to their previous eating habits. These people are no longer following a low carb diet, and are likely to put back on some (or all) of the weight they lost - the classic yo-yo effect. It is much more sensible to make a lifestyle change in terms of food choices, gradually increasing the intake of the good carbs until weight maintenance levels are achieved. In summary, I do not believe that low carb approaches to diet will fade away. People want greater variety in their food, greater flexibility in their lifestyle, and a more nutritionally balanced approach to low carb. Consumers today are too savvy to buy low carb products that do not live up to their taste expectations or are too expensive. This is an approach to food with so many health benefits, well beyond weight loss, that it is not going to disappear. Eating the slow carb way can increase energy, regulate blood sugar, lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure and generally increase our sense of well being. All of these effects will keep people searching for a low carb approach that is easy to follow and allows lots of delicious normal food choices. Patricia Haakonson, B.Sc. Author, Slow Carb For Life & All New Easy Low Carb Cooking www.slowcarbforlife.com www.HealthNewsDigest.com © Copyright
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