HEALTHY EATING: Good carb; bad carb

By JOAN ENDYKE
The Patriot Ledger

Sought by the health conscious and popping up everywhere - in grocery
and health food stores, fast food and gourmet restaurants - many low
carb products are not so healthy.

This trend is like a déjà vu of the low fat era when a simple message
from the USDA to eat low fat foods - fruits, vegetables and whole
grains - cranked the engine of the food industry to produce humungous
low fat bagels, muffins, cookies and entrées. Of course we gobbled
them up without regard to their calorie content or nutritional value.
And as a nation we grew heavier.

Just because a product is advertised as low carb does not mean it is
good for you, nor will it magically shed pounds. Take for example the
Atkin's Friendly Carb Controlled items touted at Subway. Compared to a
turkey or roast beef sub, the low carb Chicken Bacon Ranch Wrap will
pack on an extra 190 calories, and 22 more grams of fat ( seven of
them artery clogging saturated fat) - more than a Quarter Pounder from
McDonalds.

If Subway star, Jared, substituted the new low carb items for his
turkey sub, the excess calories would surely put him on the road to
re-gaining his 200 pounds.

An entire ‘‘Carb Smart'' menu is available at Ruby Tuesdays'
restaurants. In place of French Fries, fatty pork crisps are offered.
Now that's marketing genius; substitute one poor food choice (of equal
calorie value) for another and hype it as low carb ‘‘healthy'' so
customers believe they are making a smart choice - everyone is happy,
except the Surgeon General.

To be fair, Ruby Tuesdays is promoting a variety of vegetables as low
carb options but this good intent is tarnished by some entrees like
the Spring Chicken Salad doused in cheese, blue cheese and oil with
more than 1,000 calories and 98 grams of fat (the equivalent of a
stick of butter - hello.) When dining out, skip the hype; choose lean
protein choices, such as poultry or fish, with a generous portion of
vegetables. For example, a large vegetable-filled salad with an oil
and vinegar dressing or a double order of steamed vegetables makes a
healthy low carb meal. Limit saturated fat found in bacon, cheese,
fatty meats, creamy sauces and the like. Even Atkin's promoters
finally recognize too much saturated fat is detrimental.

Protein, saturated fat, fiber and sugar alcohols are added to decrease
carbohydrate in many low carb packaged goods. Sugar alcohols, such as
mannitol, and sorbitol, contain roughly half as many calories as sugar
and, like fiber, have minimal impact on blood sugar. Manufacturers
subtract them from the total carbohydrate content to get a ‘‘net
carb'' value - a term not approved or regulated by the FDA. Sugar
alcohols added in large amounts in low carb chocolate bars, act as a
laxative.

Low carb bagels and bread are smaller in size. And Voila! They have
less carbohydrate too - not a mystery, but surely a good thing because
calories are lower too. Another positive: sugar is reduced in some
tomato sauces to compete with low carb rivals.

Low carb milk and yogurt has more protein and calcium and slightly
fewer calories. Aim to avoid low carb items containing a lot of
saturated fat (greater than two grams per serving), trans fat (noted
on the ingredient list as partially or fully hydrogenated oil) or
higher calorie amounts than counter parts. For example, many low carb
bars contain eight or more grams of saturated fat, half the limit for
an adult. Better to have a snack such as low fat cottage cheese or
yogurt, naturally low in carbohydrate with a good amount of protein.

With 67 percent of American adults already overweight, we simply
cannot have our low carb cheese cake and eat it too. Indulging in high
calorie, low carbohydrate products, regardless of their ‘‘net carb''
value, is likely to pack on weight and excess saturated fat will
increase heart disease risk too.

Natural, low carbohydrate foods are best. Generous portions of low
carbohydrate vegetables should be the mainstay of your low
carbohydrate diet. A few whole fruits and reasonable amounts of
nutritious starches can fit too - a cup of sweet potato, or whole
grain rice, per meal will provide a moderate amount of carbohydrate.
The key is small portions.

Joan Endyke is a registered dietitian with a master's degree in
nutrition and food science, and also a certified personal trainer. She
is the nutrition director at Fitness Unlimited.

Readers may send questions about nutrition to Endyke at Fitness
Unlimited, 364 Granite Ave., Milton, MA 02186 or by E-mail to
jendyke@fitnessunlimited.com.

The information in this column is not intended to diagnose individual
conditions. Readers should see their doctors about specific problems.

Kimberly Campbell, dietitian intern from Simmons College assisted with
this column.

Copyright 2004 The Patriot Ledger
Transmitted Tuesday, March 09, 2004