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Beef Vs. Bagels: Food Companies Take on Dr. Atkins
Reuters Science via Yahoo ^ | 3-16-03 | Carey Gillam

Posted on 03/16/2003 1:57:19 PM PST by Pharmboy

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (Reuters) - It has been months since Tina Moore last bit into a bagel or a slice of toast.

"Protein is good. Carbs are bad," says 41-year-old Moore, who altered her diet five years ago in a bid to lose weight.

Moore, the owner of a hair salon, is one of the estimated 15 million-plus Americans seen as devoted followers of dieting guru, Dr. Robert Atkins, who recommends eating protein for those who want to rid themselves of unwanted weight and keep the pounds off.

"Carbs and sugar ... they give you a quick high, then you get really low. You get tired and hungry," said Moore, who sees herself as a reformed "carbohydrate addict."

The hamburger patty is good, the hamburger bun bad, according to the teachings of Atkins, who has turned his philosophies into a dieting revolution, starting with his first book, "Dr. Atkins Diet Revolution," in 1972.

Atkins books -- his latest, "Atkins for Life," was published this year -- routinely top best-seller lists. Atkins companies have racked up millions of dollars in sales of specialty low-carb food products and carb-counting scales.

But the popularity of Atkins' eating advice, now appealing to another generation, is fraying the nerves of some food companies who rely on the consumer appetite for carbohydrate-laden foods such as pastas and pizzas, cakes, cookies and cereals, to add heft to their own bottom lines.

They claim Atkins is falsely disparaging food groups that serve as a foundation for American eating. And that by teaching people to severely limit the use of flour-based products, Atkins is eating into sales of some bread and cereal products in the United States.

"Our industry has to do something, and soon. It is starting to become a mainstream belief that carbohydrates are bad," said Judi Adams, director of the Wheat Foods Council, a consortium of industry players that includes ConAgra, General Mills and Kellogg Co.

"This Atkins diet -- or, I call it Fatkins diet -- is going out unchallenged. People are starting to believe it," Adams said.

Part of the consortium's push will be in Washington, where federal health officials are starting talks on revisions to the nation's 11-year-old Food Guide Pyramid.

Wheat Foods will be actively involved in defending the grains, Adams said.

Currently, the pyramid puts bread, cereals, rice and pasta as the foundation for healthy eating, recommending six to 11 servings a day. But some are pushing for changes that would move grains off the foundation, and cut back servings.

SLIM PICKINS

There is limited funding for the anti-Atkins campaign, as most food companies spend their advertising dollars on product specific programs to tout such things as new Berry-Burst Cheerios, recently released by General Mills.

So, with only a slender budget to try to counter the Atkins phenomenon, the Wheat Foods Council is aiming its "educational" campaign" at nutritionists and the medical community.

The strategy is a direct attack on Atkins: Americans who follow the Atkins diet increase their risk of health problems that include cardiovascular disease, high cholesterol, kidney damage and some cancers, the Wheat Foods Council says.

Adding insult to injury, it claims that Atkins followers can also suffer headaches, constipation and bad breath.

The council says obesity is not specifically tied to carbohydrates but is the simple result of lazy overeaters.

"Healthful grain-based foods have become the scapegoat for weight gain, when overeating and underexercising are at issue," said Carol Pratt, a Kellogg nutrition and regulatory affairs expert, and incoming chairwoman for Wheat Foods.

FEWER COOKIES AND CAKES

Consumer eating habits are hard to track, but the latest Consumer Expenditure Survey of the U.S. Department of Labor does indicate a possible shift away from grain-based foods.

According to the government survey, consumer spending in 2001 for ready-to-eat and cooked cereals, pasta, flour, flour mixes and bakery products dropped from the previous year even as consumer spending for meat, poultry, fish and eggs and other similar products increased for the third year in a row.

Moreover, the 0.2 percent decrease in spending came as the consumer price index (news - web sites) for those foods grew 2.9 percent. As well, wheat consumption in the United States dropped 4 percent from 1997 to 2001, according to industry research.

"I'm very much concerned," said Mark Dirkes, spokesman for Interstate Bakeries, the nation's largest wholesale baker and the maker of Wonder Bread. "He (Atkins) has run a very effective campaign. That just can't be good for our industry."

CLEANING OUT THE CABINETS

Among Atkins preachings: the elimination of "white flour-laden junk food" from kitchen cabinets, and research that Atkins says shows carbohydrates work to slow the body's burning of fat and make people feel hungrier faster.

And after decades of rejecting Atkins' theories, some new scientific research studies, including work by Harvard University, have started lending credence to Atkins' ideas.

Colette Heimowitz, director of research at the Atkins Health and Medical Information Services says over-consumption of bread, cereal and baked products is partly to blame for overweight Americans. Products made with white flour, sugars and hydrogenated oils are the worst.

Still, she says, Atkins is not looking to go to war with the food companies, and that even Atkins die-hards allow for an occasional doughnut or cookie.

"We teach people how to respect it and, on rare occasions, have it in moderation," she said. "We know people can't stay away from it forever."


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: carbohydrates; diet; nutrition; obesity
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To: Pharmboy
"Atkins is essentially right both from the human evolutionary and metabolic perspectives. The food companies must stop whining and concentrate on producing palatable, low-carb foods. Period. They've already lost, they just don't know it yet."

The thing that continues to bother me about the SAD (standtard American diet) is this: At what point did the natural, nutritious, and historical diet of humans become toxic, and the synthetic, processed and "fortified" pap that PASSES for a diet these days become a nutritious replacement? (answer: It never did. The SAD is STILL a cheap, dangerous imitation.)

161 posted on 03/17/2003 11:08:48 AM PST by redhead (Les Français sont des singes de capitulation qui mangent du fromage)
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To: avg_freeper
I started a no (or quite low) carb diet March 1 as I'd like to lose 15-20 lbs. I've been George Forman grilling hamburger patties and boneless chicken breasts. Along with my favorite cheeses and hardboiled eggs, I've been ok with the slim choices. Because mayo has no carbs, I've enjoyed chicken and egg salads as well. I have a fridge at the office and whenever I get hungry, I eat a small portion of something totalling about six tiny meals a day. If I had to go straight to night classes, I'd have a small cooler in my car for storing my goodies. Oh, and I'm drinking about a gallon and a half of water per day.

162 posted on 03/17/2003 11:13:26 AM PST by Quilla
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To: dennisw
Dennis: Thank you for that thorough post! I am a member of the Weston A. Price Foundation, and I have to say that I am always thrilled when I see the findings of Dr. Price vindicated. There are times when his book is unavailable, and I'm sure it's an indication that LOTS of people are reading it at last. He was a true prophet, and his work is just as valid today as it was when he made his studies. His website is at WESTON A. PRICE. There is a wealth of real information on REAL nutrition there.
163 posted on 03/17/2003 11:21:21 AM PST by redhead (Les Français sont des singes de capitulation qui mangent du fromage)
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To: wardaddy
Thankg G-d for nuts, pure peanut butter or almond butter, sugar free jello and whipped cream, small amounts of artificial sugar or bittersweet chocolate.

Amen. To that, the missing ingredient is --- FRESHLY TOASTED COCONUT!

With that, sugar free jello, perhaps a strawberry or two and heavy cream, who the heck needs cake & ice cream!

Darn I wish I had followed Atkins 20 years ago!!!!

164 posted on 03/17/2003 11:25:32 AM PST by chilepepper (Gnocchi Seuton!)
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To: Pharmboy
"Our industry has to do something, and soon. It is starting to become a mainstream belief that carbohydrates are bad," said Judi Adams, director of the Wheat Foods Council,

Too late. Good or bad...the genie is out of the bottle.

165 posted on 03/17/2003 11:28:47 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (®)
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To: LenS
Trying to force the market to stick to high-carbs would be insane and could lead to a major liability problem down the road.

Kind of reminds me of the situation that The Big Record Labels are in vs. Napster/Kazaa and other P2P software.

166 posted on 03/17/2003 11:32:35 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (®)
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To: jacquej
But, read the labels, some of Marie's blue cheese dressing is too high in carbs. You have to get the one that has no sugar in it.

Correct. You have to watch those labels. Some of the 'Lite' offerings are higher in carbs than the 'regular' fare.

167 posted on 03/17/2003 11:34:41 AM PST by Bloody Sam Roberts (®)
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To: Pharmboy
Some people have the same shrill distrust of low-carb dieters as they do homeschoolers... can't stand the idea of anybody getting off the plantation.
168 posted on 03/17/2003 11:36:43 AM PST by Sloth ("I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!" -- Jacobim Mugatu, Zoolander)
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To: avg_freeper
Hi there avg_freeper, I am in a similar boat regarding not having time to prep stuff at work.

First, don't skip meals. Atkins' diet is practically impossible to follow if you let yourself get overly hungry. Prepare a simple snack to tide you over to dinner. Keep in mind I eat more carbs than many Atkins followers because I don't have a lot of weight to lose and I run daily.

Suggestions for no-prep meals and a few emergency snacks

Meals

Wedge of cheese, small apple, celery, raw broccoli, can of tuna

Cut melon, spinach salad, grilled chicken or steak made the day before

Shrimp (bought already cooked but frozen)boiled the day before, cocktail sauce, salad

Snacks

Bag of spicy roasted peanuts, Granny smith apple, can of smoked oysters, beef jerky









169 posted on 03/17/2003 11:38:54 AM PST by ko_kyi
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To: redhead
I see you're in Alaska. Weston Price studied a few Indian tribes way up in the Canadian north. There will never be another Weston Price, partly because the "peoples" just aren't there any more and are eating white man's food.  William Albrecht was also a pioneer.

http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:O-amzH4nWGkC:www.soilandhealth.org/copyform.asp%3Fbookcode%3D010143letslive1966+%22William+Albrecht%22&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:FL68VHnluAEC:nutri-tech.com.au/articles/Albrecht.htm+%22William+Albrecht%22++++soil&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

 

 

170 posted on 03/17/2003 11:39:00 AM PST by dennisw ( http://www.littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/weblog.php)
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To: Pharmboy
Part of the consortium's push will be in Washington, where federal health officials are starting talks on revisions to the nation's 11-year-old Food Guide Pyramid.

I can tell you, I'm pretty pissed about being sold the "food pyramid" as gospel truth rather than as theory. (It reminds me of how I felt when I started to look into the "fact" of evolution.) The people are well out ahead of the government and the medical establishment on this one.

171 posted on 03/17/2003 11:39:05 AM PST by Aquinasfan
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To: redhead
Thanks for the Weston Price website
172 posted on 03/17/2003 11:39:58 AM PST by dennisw ( http://www.littlegreenfootballs.com/weblog/weblog.php)
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To: Snerfling
I gotta call BS on this one.

I, too, have lost 30 pounds. I started Atkins on January 6th (my wife got me the Atkins book on my birthday, Jan. 5th).

I had already been losing weight by eating less and exercising, but Atkins is taking it off quicker.

I lost 30 lbs from August, 2002 until January, 2003, and another 30 since January on Atkins.

Washi

173 posted on 03/17/2003 11:43:55 AM PST by Washi (Do not remove this tag under penalty of law)
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To: Pharmboy
Products made with white flour, sugars and hydrogenated oils are the worst.

Forget the tobacco industry. Go after the companies loading up their snacks with hydrogenated oils.

174 posted on 03/17/2003 11:44:15 AM PST by Aquinasfan
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To: dead; Pharmboy
Happy St Patrick's Day. Dead always enjoy your posts. Pharmboy, I have a low carb cookbook I like, "The Low-Carb Comfort Food Cookbook",by Michael Eades. I bought it through, Buy.com it was cheaper and they had no shipping charge. Bon Appetit(I apologize in a advance for using a french word)
175 posted on 03/17/2003 11:48:06 AM PST by MaggieMay (A blank tag is a terrible thing to waste)
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To: Pharmboy
If you go to McDonalds, by far the healthiest thing to do is to throw away the bread. Then, throw away the meat and eat the pitiful piece of lettuce with the cardboard box...
176 posted on 03/17/2003 11:49:06 AM PST by chilepepper (Gnocchi Seuton!)
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To: linn37
I've been on Atkins for 8 months.....and there is bread you can eat. It's "Nature's Own Reduced Carbohydrate". I found this on the Everything Atkins Message board.
177 posted on 03/17/2003 11:51:46 AM PST by Giddyupgo
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To: justshe
it is hypothesized that 1 in 200 suffer some degree of gluten intolerance due, in part, to the 'milling' techniques started back during the early 1900's.

I'm one of them, and probably developed a form of rheumatoid arthritis because of it. My digestive problems have disappeared since going gluten-free. (Thanks to Remicade, my arthritis symptoms have also vanished). Next up, a low-carb diet.

178 posted on 03/17/2003 11:56:07 AM PST by Aquinasfan
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To: Maximilian
I've been on Atkins for over 7 months.....and go here

http://www7.addr.com/~atkinsdiet/tips.html

Tons of great info on this site. Recipes, and help.
179 posted on 03/17/2003 12:02:40 PM PST by Giddyupgo
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To: Pharmboy
No one will argue that pounding grains into powder produces anything good. Flour is about as worth while nutritionally as sugar... I don't subscribe to the low car/no carb but there is little doubt that mainlining carbs is unhealthy and bad.
180 posted on 03/17/2003 12:06:51 PM PST by HamiltonJay
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