Posted on 05/29/2003 11:59:13 AM PDT by NotQuiteCricket
Now, food companies and retailers are hoping for similar happy results by focusing on products that fit the Atkins plan. But some of those sales gains are coming at the expense of companies whose foods aren't Atkins-friendly.
:VERY LARGE BREAK IN ARTICLE:
A low for carbs
The Atkins boom worries companies that depend on carbohydrates such as pasta, tortilla and bread makers.
Pasta consumption is still growing, but hardly at the carbo-loading inspired rates of the 1980s, according to American Italian Pasta Co., the largest U.S. pasta maker.
"Our industry would be growing faster if not for the Atkins diet," said Tim Webster, president and chief executive of the company, based in Kansas City, Mo. "I've seen no other diet's effect be as substantial."
The Tortilla Industry Association addressed the threat head-on this month in a seminar titled: "An Industry in Crisis: The High-protein, Low-carb Diet and Its Effects on the Tortilla Industry."
Wheat flour consumption started dropping after 1997, when U.S. consumption hit a peak of 147 pounds per person. Last year, that figure fell to 139 pounds, said Judi Adams, president of the Wheat Foods Council in Parker, Colo.
"I like to equate what's happened to the industry to the book The Perfect Storm," she said. "Everything is hitting the industry all at one time."
Milling & Baking News executive editor Josh Sosland also used a nature metaphor to sum up the flour industry's problem. It "is in the middle of a hurricane right now," he said.
The industry is responding with low-sugar breads and low-carb pastas, but that's not the answer, Mr. Sosland said.
"When you look at headlines, it's horrifying for the industry," he said. "People are saying horrible things about refined flour. At the last meeting of the American Bakers Association, the industry committed to educating consumers. They've decided they're going to fight back."
The bread industry needs to remind people "it's making the staff of life, feeding Americans folic acid and doing more to prevent birth defects than the March of Dimes," Mr. Sosland added. "The industry knows it's making a wholesome product. It's frustrating."
Beefing up
The beef industry, on the other hand, is celebrating.
After declining steadily in the 1980s and much of the '90s, the industry saw consecutive quarters of increased demand during the last half of 1998. Beef sales have gone up for 12 of the last 14 quarters.
U.S. per capita consumption of beef in 2002 was 64.4 pounds, up from 62.9 pounds in 2001.
"Attention on high-protein diets has prompted the consumer to discover, or rediscover, the health benefits of protein," said Shalene McNeill, senior manager of nutrition communication at the Texas Beef Council, which represents 140,000 Texas cattle producers.
Richard Wortham, the council's executive vice president, said beef sales have been aided by "an industrywide focus to tell our science-based nutrition story" and the introduction of more convenient beef products.
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
My local Wal-Mart carries LeCarb brand ice cream (actually ice milk, sweetened with Splenda). The Stawberry and Lemon flavors are as close to sherbet as I've tried.
I do better just avoiding the breads and chips period. The pure delight chocolate and chocolate crunch bars are pretty good though. So is LeCarb ice cream from wal mart. They really help with those occasional cravings.
The username / password "annoying" works at many annoying web sites. In this case the user name is an e-mail so use "annoying@annoying.com". It works!
Atkins sells 3g effective carbs, hamburg buns, I think. Haven't tried them though. I ordered their free catalogue from the Atkins website. It was worth it. I'm interested in their Pina Colada and Margarita mixes...
Atkins is far from a fad. It is the truth. It is manifest to anyone who has read the book and understood it. Some people are too stupid to understand it and must have Katie Couric and George McGovern tell them what to eat.
also.....can you lose weight simply by decreasing your carbs....say keep them below 100grams a day....and still lose weight, although slower?
Yes it does work differently. Women have a harder time losing initially. The republican Atkins diet is also sexist! My wife didn't lose anything for nearly 2 weeks. I had already lost 20 pounds! She caught up pretty quickly! Most women eat far more carbs than men. Your body has to become accustomed to burning fat. Early on you need to eat more fat than you would think. Your body is basically limited in the amount of fat it can mobilize. Later as your body becomes more efficient at mobilizing your own fat your can ease up.
If you absolutely refuse to lose any weight, read the section on the fat fast.
Plan your meals! Get some low carb snacks in the house! Don't let yourself get too hungry!
More like 75 grams and the weigh loss will be much slower.
My wife works part time as a check-out clerk and she has seen this over, and over, and over...
I am still amazed at what people eat. The low fat cereals with the AHA seal of approval REALLY get me! Once you have read Atkins, Protein Power, and Life without Bread (a must read!) the nutritional makeup of most people's diet looks like suicide! The most amazing thing is some of them are shopping "healthy" foods!
Yup. Once you get over the euphoria stage of the Atkins program, you get into the PO'd stage. What the government dietary guidlines are doing is horrific.
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