CARBO CRAZE LOW-CARB DIETS ARE EVERYWHERE - BUT WILL THEY ENJOY A LONG SHELF-LIFE?

Byline: Mariko Thompson Staff Writer

Red Devil Pizza owner Steve Murray grew tired of selling food that he couldn't eat. So Murray, a convert to the Atkins diet, decided to revamp the menu and rename his Granada Hills restaurant Steve's Low Carb Cafe.

A few years ago, he would have been limited to combinations of meat, cheese, eggs and vegetables. Today, his diners can feast on low-carb versions of pizza, lasagna and fried chicken strips. He still offers regular pizza to those unconcerned about carbs.

``You don't have the boredom any more,'' says Murray, who has lost about 150 pounds over the last 18 months. ``You can eat like a normal person.''

Like Murray, many in the food industry are banking that cutting out carbohydrates, popularized by diet plans such as Atkins and South Beach, is a trend that's here to stay. Restaurants such as Carl's Jr. and TGI Friday's have added low-carb offerings. Specialty stores, including the Heavenly Low-Carb Market in Sherman Oaks, have opened their doors. Food makers from Sara Lee to Frito-Lay are rushing to bring low-carb products to supermarket shelves.

Does this mean the American diet has undergone a fundamental shift? Or will the low-carb phenomenon crash and burn like low-fat did in the 1990s?

``The dangerous part of singling out one nutrient is it throws you off balance,'' says Cynthia Sass, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. ``That's what happened with low-fat. People's carb intakes went through the roof and they started gaining weight. This low-carb thing is another one of those extreme ideas that's not going to get us anywhere.''

In the case of low-fat, the problem was not so much the concept as the application. Fat-free did not mean calorie-free. Reducing fat in products often meant upping the sugar content and the overall calorie count, nutrition experts say.

Even more disastrous was the lack of portion control. People piled pasta on their dinner plates and ate SnackWell's fat-free devil's food cookie cakes by the package, then wondered why they gained weight.

``Fat-free was ridiculous,'' says Nancy Fox, former owner of Nancy's Healthy Kitchen in Encino. ``It gave people a license to go off to the races and eat as much as they wanted.''

What really killed the low-fat trend was the matter of taste. Many of the products were so unsatisfying that nobody would buy them twice, says Phil Lempert, editor of Supermarketguru.com.

``In order for people to embrace these foods, it has to taste good,'' Lempert says. ``If people have to sacrifice taste, they won't do it.''

When it comes to bulging waistlines, Americans haven't been sacrificing - statistics show about two-thirds of the population is either overweight or obese. The country's weight problem has reached epidemic proportions, with health officials elevating obesity to Public Enemy No. 1.

Estimates vary on the number of Americans who have tried the high- protein, low-carbohydrate Atkins approach to weight loss. But food companies can't argue with the supermarket scanner data, which have shown significant increases in sales of eggs, bacon and sliced luncheon meat, and decreases in bread and instant rice, Lempert says. Where only 20 low-carb products were available on the market two years ago, now the number has grown to 800 and will probably hit 1,000 by May, he says.

``It's causing the food companies to listen to what consumers want,'' Lempert says.

So has the food industry learned the lesson of the low-fat days? Well, some did, some didn't. Lempert isn't impressed by the fast-food burger wrapped in lettuce offered by Carl's Jr. He thinks only die-hards will go for that. But consumers probably would go for a burger on a low-carb bun, he says.

Lempert gives many high marks to many of the products heading to supermarket shelves and predicts they will have mass appeal beyond the Atkins crowd. Consumers have a range of products to choose from now, including bread, chili, ice cream, chips and margarita mix. Most have managed to reduce carbs without losing flavor, which is the key to going mainstream, he says.

``I truly believe every product on the supermarket shelf a year from now will reduce carbs to stay in business,'' Lempert says. ``This is going to have a dramatic effect on obesity and the consumption of sugar.''

Consumers still have to be vigilant. The government has yet to establish a definition for low-carb, which means content varies and consumers must read labels to learn how many grams of carbohydrates are in each serving.

Nutritionists also warn that a low-carb, high-protein diet is not a magical path to weight loss. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last year comparing low-carb dieters to low-fat dieters found that the low-carb group lost more weight in the first six months. But after a year, the results of both groups were about the same.

Ultimately, no matter which dieting method they use, people have to burn more calories than they consume in order to lose weight, says Carol Koprowski, a registered dietitian and assistant professor of preventive medicine at USC.

``Nobody's looking at portion control,'' she says. ``Let's not supersize the meals. That would be a nice swing that I'd like to see happen. I don't know if it ever will.''

Mariko Thompson, [phone]

mariko.thompson(at)dailynews.com

Some answers about low-carb diets

Are low-carb diets more effective than low-fat diets?

Low-carb diets vary in their approach and include Atkins, the South Beach Diet, Sugar Busters and the Zone. One study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last year found that people on low-carb diets did lose more weight in the first six months. But by the end of one year, people on low-fat diets performed about the same as those on the low-carb diet. Researchers say longer and larger studies are still needed.

At what point is a diet considered low-carb?

For adults, the National Academies' Institute of Medicine recommends that 45 to 65 percent of the day's calories come from carbohydrates. Eating less than 40 percent would be considered low-carb, according to Cynthia Sass, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

How do low-carb diets affect heart health?

Despite concerns about the high intake of saturated fat, a Duke University Medical Center study found that the Atkins diet boosted HDL, the good cholesterol, and dropped triglyceride levels. High triglyceride levels are linked with an increased risk of heart disease. Researchers say more studies are needed to determine that low-carb diets are safe long-term.

What is the glycemic index?

Low-carb diet plans suggest avoiding foods that score high on the glycemic index, which measures the increase in blood sugar after eating specific foods. Foods high on the glycemic index include baked potatoes and white rice. Vegetables and legumes have low scores on the index. But most foods are eaten in combination, which affects absorption and makes the index of limited value, says Carol Koprowski, assistant professor of preventive medicine at the USC Keck School of Medicine.

Why are so many registered dietitians critical of Atkins and other low-carb diet plans?

Many registered dietitians tend to emphasize a balanced approach to diet and are wary of diet plans that single out any particular food group. Carbohydrates include not only bread, rice and pasta, but also whole grains and fruit. Whole grains and fruit contain fiber and nutrients that protect against many diseases, including cancer, Sass says.

-M.T.

CAPTION(S):

7 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- 3 -- cover -- color) ON THE COVER: Clockwise from top, customer Jim Ciccarelli enjoys an Italian deli wrap at Steve's Low Carb Cafe, where the menu offerings also include chicken rossini and ``no-tato salad'' (shown with a deli wrap).

(4) Steve Murray, who lost about 150 pounds on a low-carb plan, changed the recipes at his Granada Hills pizza restaurant, which is now called Steve's Low Carb Cafe.

Evan Yee/Staff Photographer

(5) Julie Eddy of North Hollywood, who has lost 45 pounds on a carb- conscious diet, shops for her whole family at Heavenly Low Carb.

(6) Co-owner Jim Sheftel offers a wide range of specialty food products for Atkins adherents at the new Heavenly Low Carb market on Van Nuys Boulevard in Sherman Oaks.

(7) Through the magic of reformulation, low-carb dieters can even enjoy chocolate chip cookies.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer

Box:

Some answers about low-carb diets (see text)