(As published in The Post-Crescent, 02/02/2004)
 Posted Feb 02, 2004 Low-carbohydrate foods are becoming the special of the day
By Cheryl Sherry
Oh, the plight of the poor white hamburger bun, green with envy at being replaced these days by the lowly lettuce leaf, all because of its much-maligned carbohydrates.
With an estimated 32 million Americans on some sort of low-carb or reduced-carbohydrate diet, the low-carb business indeed has become big business, annually earning more than $15 billion, according to the trade newsletter LowCarbiz. With numbers like that, it is no wonder restaurants and national chains everywhere are jumping to make high-protein, low-carbohydrate changes to their menus.
“I think this is going to be the way of eating,” said Ken Wolff, who has owned Sunrise Family Restaurant and Bakery in Appleton with his wife, Doris, for more than 20 years. “There’s a lot of controversy around it, but if you go with a combination of the South Beach and Atkins (diets), there’s a good way of eating, losing weight, staying more nutritious and not having to worry about all that stuff.”
While Sunrise Restaurant boasts a new low-carb menu on its N. Richmond Street marquee, it differs from other businesses merely looking to garner a piece of the protein-only money pie.
The Wolffs low-carb it themselves.
“I was getting too heavy,” said Ken, 62, of his burgeoning weight of more than two years ago. “I was 303 (pounds). It was at that time that I decided I was going to lose some weight. … I have mostly been on the Atkins. Since January two years ago, I lost 68 pounds and feel better.”
Doris, 63, who recently lost about 15 pounds to lower her triglycerides (fat-carrying particles associated with heart disease), also is saving money by no longer purchasing antacids for her constant heartburn. “I was taking Tums like crazy,” she said. “Sometimes, I woke up in the middle of the night because it was so bad. Since the day I started this (diet), I have not taken one Tums.”
According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 64 percent of Americans are overweight or obese, which can lead to Type 2 diabetes, gallbladder disease, hypertension and coronary artery disease, to name a few. Saying goodbye to the bun and other high-glycemic foods not only lowers triglycerides and LDL (bad cholesterol), it also increases HDL (good cholesterol).
The basic premise of a diet lower in carbohydrates, also found to be helpful to many people with diabetes and cardiovascular disease, is that foods such as meat, cheese and eggs are good, while carbohydrates, which are the sugars and starches found in foods such as breads, pasta, rice, potatoes, cereals, dried beans, peas and, yes, that little old hamburger bun, are bad and help pack on the pounds.
“The whole theory behind the Atkins diet is that your body burns carbs first,” Doris said. “And then it burns fat. If you have lots of carbs you are not losing fat. If you don’t have the carbs to burn, your body is burning fat, and we all have enough to burn.”
In the South Beach diet, lean meat and reduced or no-fat cheeses remain in the picture, but not all carbohydrates are created equal. The plan includes plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains (after the initial two-week induction period), plus nuts and healthy oils.
Until recently, low-carb dieters had to get creative when ordering off restaurant and fast-food menus. But that’s all changing, as restaurants take the guesswork out of ordering by offering low-carb options. T.G.I Fridays and Subway both have partnered with Atkins, offering a low-carb menu and the Atkins-friendly wraps, respectively. Blimpies Subs & Salads has a carb-counter menu. Hardee’s has a lettuce-wrapped Thickburger, and Burger King recently introduced the bunless Whopper in a bowl.
Subway Restaurants spokesman Les Winograd said the chain’s two new Atkins-friendly wraps weren’t just a quick response to a new craze, they were the result of the Milford, Conn.-based restaurant’s research as well as customer requests for more choices when it came to watching their carbohydrates.
“We are not embracing any particular diet, we are just giving customers choices,” Winograd said. “And one of the neat things about what we’ve offered is that most of those items were already in our restaurants except for the tortillas. Once we had that in line and worked with Atkins to make sure it fit within their guidelines, we were able to offer (the wraps). Plus, you can take any sandwich on our menu and make it as a wrap. By doing that you can have the best of both worlds.”
Subway does not publicize sales figures, but Winograd said the new wraps “have exceeded our expectations.”
Manager Bryan Kalish came up with Sunrise Restaurant’s low-carb menu, which includes options such as steak and eggs minus the toast and potatoes ($5.95), Italian Herb Chicken with salad and steamed broccoli and cauliflower ($6.49) and the Bunless Burger, which comes with cottage cheese and sliced tomato ($6.49).
“Along with our menu, we are trying to come up with some bakery and are trying some new things,” Ken said. “They have to taste good to me. It’s challenging.”
“You have to get something people will universally like,” said Doris, adding that desserts are the next priority.
Although low-carb options in some form or the other already exist on menus, they are not always cheaper, Ken added. Good low-carb bread, for example, can cost $5 a loaf vs. $2 for the white stuff.
Research by the National Bread Leadership Council finds that 40 percent of Americans are eating less bread now than a year ago.
“I don’t think it’s a fad,” Ken said. “So many people say it’s a fad, but it has blossomed. It is a way of eating we have gotten away from.” Cheryl Sherry can be reached at 920-993-1000, ext. 249, or by e-mail at csherry@postcrescent.com |
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