The Skinny On Low Carbs

By Julie Rawe

LABELS What You Need to Know About Carbspeak

YOU DO THE MATH

Until the Food and Drug Administration rules on the legal definition of "low carb" or "carb lite," companies can get in trouble explicitly marketing their products as such. Nutrition labels can be used, however, to break down a food's carbohydrate content, enabling dieters to subtract so-called nonimpact carbs. Those include fiber and artificial sweeteners such as sugar alcohols, which don't raise blood-sugar levels.

THE INDUSTRY JARGON

Foodmakers created the idea of "net carbs" or "impact carbs" to zero in on the amount of carbohydrates that affect insulin levels.

THE MIRACLE WORKER

The proliferation of low-carb treats is largely due to Splenda, a zero-calorie sugar derivative that handles heat better than Equal or Sweet'n Low.

THE FINE PRINT

Some low-carb sweets rely on sugar alcohols, which are slowly digested carbs that have no impact on insulin levels but can, in excess, wreak havoc on your digestive tract.

PRODUCTS Reduced Carb vs. the Regular Brand

Low-carb foods are migrating from speciality stores to grocery shelves alongside their higher-carb brethren as food manufacturers play catch-up in the great diet chase

MICHELOB ULTRA VS. MICHELOB

Anheuser-Busch credits its record U.S. beer sales last year to low-carb Michelob Ultra, which hit stores in late 2002 and now outsells Heineken in supermarkets and drugstores.

CARBS 2.6 G 13.3 g CALORIES 95 155 PRICE $1.75 $1.35

Serving size: 12 oz.

HEINZ ONE CARB KETCHUP VS. HEINZ TOMATO KETCHUP

As Heinz peddles its new low-carb ketchup, the company is touting the benefits of a balanced diet with its Smart Ones Truth About Carbs frozen entrees.

CARBS 1 g 4 g CALORIES 5 15 PRICE $1.89 $1.59

Serving size: 1 tbsp.

TROPICANA LIGHT 'N HEALTHY VS. TROPICANA PURE PREMIUM

After its flagship brand eked out low single-digit sales growth two quarters ago, Tropicana launched Light 'n Healthy, with 11/43 less sugar and 11/43 fewer calories.

CARBS 17 g 26 g CALORIES 70 110 PRICE $3.29 $3.29

Serving size: 8 oz.

MUELLER'S REDUCED CARB SPAGHETTI VS. MUELLER'S REGULAR

Tastier than its soy-laden rivals, this new wheat-based, reduced-carb pasta made its debut after Mueller's parent company partly blamed the diet for declining sales.

CARBS 19 g* 41 g CALORIES 200 210 PRICE $1.99 $0.99

Serving size: 2 oz.

KLONDIKE CARBSMART SANDWICHES VS. KLONDIKE BIG BEAR SANDWICHES

Atkins' Endulge ice cream tastes like cardboard, but Klondike's CarbSmart bars taste like, well, Klondikes. The new line has a bit less heft, but who cares?

CARBS 5 g* 28 g CALORIES 80 190 PRICE $3.99 $3.99

Serving size: One sandwich

SARA LEE DELIGHTFUL WHITE BREAD VS. SARA LEE CLASSIC WHITE BREAD

Since their year-end launch, Sara Lee Delightful's wheat and white varieties have become the top-selling low-carb breads and No. 9 and No. 17 overall.

CARBS 9 g 12 g CALORIES 45 60 PRICE $2.57 $2.34

Serving size: One slice

*Net carbs, which do not include fiber and other carbohydrates that don't affect insulin levels

DIETS How They Differ

--Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution

The pioneering low-carb regimen created by the late Dr. Robert Atkins begins with a two-week induction period that limits dieters to 20 grams of net carbs a day, ideally via two cups of salad and one cup of nonstarchy vegetables. The low-carb intake leads to KETOSIS, in which the body burns fat for energy. Successive phases of the meaty diet gradually add more carbs--nuts, berries and veggies--as weight loss slows.

--The South Beach Diet

Instead of counting carbs, Dr. Arthur Agatston focuses on the GLYCEMIC INDEX, or how much a particular food raises your blood sugar. Rapid spikes can make you hungrier faster and therefore lead to overeating. South Beach's induction phase is similar to Atkins', but then it allows more fruits and veggies as well as whole-grain breads and pasta.

--Protein Power

Drs. Michael and Mary Eades have devised an insulin-management plan that resembles THE ZONE in some ways and bases protein minimums and carbohydrate maximums on your body composition and activity level.

--The Schwarzbein Principle

Because stress hormones play an important role in controlling food cravings, Dr. Diana Schwarzbein emphasizes the need for STRESS MANAGEMENT as well as metabolic healing. As in "Protein Power," her diet plan tailors carb intake to your body type and activity level and also includes options for vegetarians.

--The Fat Flush Plan

Nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman zeroes in on "FALSE FAT," water retention triggered either by dehydration (ah, the irony) or by common allergies or sensitivities to a trio of sin foods (wheat, dairy and sugar). Her fat-flushing, "liver-loving" low-carb diet calls for drinking eight glasses of cranberry water a day to deter water retention and help clean up cellulite, plus a glass of hot water with fresh lemon juice to aid fat metabolism and stall carbohydrate digestion.

--Neanderthin

Ray Audette's CAVEMAN DIET doesn't involve carb or calorie counting or any peculiar formulas but instead urges wannabe Paleolithic dieters to ask one simple question: Could I eat this if I were naked with a sharp stick on the savanna? That guiding principle rules out grains, beans, potatoes, dairy, sugar and virtually all processed foods. --By Julie Rawe