Issue Date: October 17, 2004

In this article:
Test your low-carb IQ
Low Carb recipe: Simple Potato Skins
Low-Carb recipe: Sugar-free Vanilla Bean Pots de Crème
Tips on low-carb cocktails

Weighing low-carb diets

A top nutritionist reviews Atkins, Zone and South Beach.

BeFore you sink your teeth into our Low-Carb IQ Quiz, take a minute to review today's three big diets. We asked Susan Bowerman of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition to weigh in on benefits and negatives:

Atkins. An induction phase allows unlimited meat and fat, but no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates a day. The super-low carb level triggers ketosis, when the body burns fat for fuel. Dieters slowly add small servings of nutrient-dense carbs. Bowerman is concerned that the first phase "eliminates all the healthy carbohydrates. It's not good if people learn at the early stages that the best way to lose weight is not to eat fruits and vegetables."

The Zone. Dieters are allowed complex carbohydrates in a precise formula for every meal and snack: 30% monounsaturated fat, 30% lean protein, 40% complex carbs, and no more than 500 calories per meal or 100 per snack. The Zone is pretty balanced, Bowerman says: "The one problem is that it's difficult for people to follow, because of the strict structure."

South Beach. This diet allows "good" carbs (whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits), which take longer to digest and are more filling, and restricts "bad" carbs (refined grains, processed foods), which send your blood sugar soaring. "I'd like to see the proportion of calories from fat be a bit lower," Bowerman says, "but the fats they emphasize are the healthy ones."

-- Kelly DiNardo

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Test your low-carb IQ

7 deceptively simple questions about what you eat.

By Kelly DiNardo

Everyone seems to be counting carbs. And sure, you can bandy about terms like "net carbs" and "glycemic index" with the best of 'em, but how much do you really know? Put down your beef jerky, and test your low-carb IQ.

1. True or false? To lose weight, I can count carbs and not consider calories.

2. Which of these foods has taken the biggest hit in sales because of the low-carb phenomenon?

A. Pasta
B. Potatoes
C. Orange juice

3. Which of those offers a low-carb option?
A. Pasta
B. Potatoes
C. Orange juice
D. All of the above
E. None of the above

4. To get six-pack abs like Janet Jackson's:
A. Do 500 crunches a day.
B. Don't drink beer.
C. Skip white bread.

5. Whole grains are made up of:
A. Bran
B. Endosperm
C. Germ
D. All of the above
E. None of the above

6. How is low-carb bread made?
A. Bakers add fiber.
B. Bakers suck out carbs with a vacuum-like device.
C. Bakers raise oven temperatures to kill off the carbohydrates.

7. By law, one serving of low-carb beer or wine has no more than how many grams of carbohydrates?
A. 3
B. 7
C. 13
D. 16

Answers

1. False, calories still count. A review of studies on low-carbohydrate diets published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" agrees that cutting carbs is not the sole salvation of a dieter. The review concluded that calories, not the nutritional composition of the diet, are responsible for weight gain and loss.

So read the labels. Companies sometimes lower carb counts by replacing sugar and wheat flour with artificial sweeteners, sugar alcohols, soy flour and fiber. These substitutions are not unhealthful, but often the products end up having as many calories as their regular counterparts.

So, what is a calorie?
To physicists, it's the amount of heat it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water 1 degree Celsius. To dieters, it's a measure of energy in food. To lose a pound, you need to "lose" 3,500 calories by eating less, moving more or, preferably, both.

FYI:
1 gram carbohydrate = 4 calories
1 gram protein = 4 calories
1 gram fat = 9 calories

2. B, potatoes. Low-carbers have bagged the potato. Although 38% of regular consumers eat potatoes frequently, only 17% of current low-carb dieters do, according to a poll by Opinion Dynamics Corp.

"There are good things to be said about the potato," says Susan Bowerman, a registered dietitian and assistant director at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. She points out the potato is a good source of potassium, vitamin C and fiber.

"The problem is most people don't eat a plain baked or boiled potato," Bowerman says. "They dress it up with butter and sour cream or by frying it. Potato skins morphed into a nacho-like thing, but if you don't add cheese, bacon and sour cream, you're getting fiber and phytonutrients from the skin." (See Bowerman's recipe for Simple Potato Skins, below.)

3. D, all of the above. Low-carb pasta and orange juice are available already. Next: In early 2005, scientists will be able to tell low-carbers this spud's for you. The potato, developed by the Dutch seed company HZPC and researchers at the University of Florida, has 30% fewer carbs than a standard russet baking potato (a 3- or 4-inch potato with skin has about 56g net carbs).

4. C, skip white bread. Yes, crunches will help build abdominal muscle, but to see definition you'll have to do more than crunch: You need to lose fat on your stomach.

And it's not beer that's giving you a belly. In fact, a study analyzing the weight and beer-drinking habits of more than 2,000 people found no difference in weight between the light and moderately heavy drinkers.

To help acquire a slim stomach, you'll want to dump white bread, according to new research from Tufts University. Researchers analyzed the diets of more than 450 people over three years. Although those who ate a diet of primarily meat and potatoes saw the biggest increase in body mass index (BMI, a measure of height and weight), those whose diet was relatively high in white bread gained an average of half an inch per year around their middle, three times that of people who ate a healthful, high-fiber diet. The white-bread eaters weren't gobbling a loaf of bread; only four slices in a 2,000-calorie diet came from white bread.

5. D, all of the above. A grain is made up of three parts: the fiber-rich outer layer of bran, the endosperm and the germ. When grain is refined, the germ and bran are removed, leaving the white endosperm. Whole-grain foods contain all three parts of the grain and have more protein, minerals and vitamins.

Note: Buying whole-grain bread is tricky. "Just because bread is brown doesn't mean it's whole-grain," says nutritionist Bowerman, who notes that companies sometimes add molasses or caramel coloring.

"If something says 'wheat bread,' all that means is that its predominant flour is wheat flour," she says. "If it says '100% whole wheat' or if the first and subsequent ingredients are 'whole wheat flour' or 'whole rye flour,' then you know it's whole-grain."

6. A, bakers add fiber to create low-carb bread. Actually, bakers have a couple of options for making low-carb bread. They can substitute soy protein for some carb-laden flour or increase the fiber content. Although fiber is still carbohydrate, it doesn't spike blood sugar and can be subtracted from the total carb amount to come up with a "net carb" calculation. "Fiber is good for the digestive tract, and protein is satiating, so there are some benefits," Bowerman says. "The problem is that if people are only paying attention to the net carbs on the label and not paying attention to the calories, they're still going to get in trouble."

7. B, 7 grams. The FDA is still discussing what constitutes "low-carb" or "reduced-carb" foods for labeling purposes, but the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has defined the guidelines for alcoholic beverages:

-- The term "low-carbohydrate" applies only to alcoholic beverages that contain no more than 7 grams of carbs per serving.

-- "Reduced-carbohydrate" applies only to comparisons with another specific product by the same company.

To meet the demand, companies are offering everything from Brown-Forman's low-carb chardonnay and merlot to Bacardi Silver Low Carb Black Cherry.

Kelly DiNardo, who also wrote our May cover story on low-carb eating and is at work on a biography of the stripper Lili St. Cyr, enjoys the occasional bowl of pasta.

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Low-carb recipe: Simple Potato Skins

From Susan Bowerman, co-author of "The L.A. Shape Diet"

3 baking potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Optional seasonings: garlic salt, seasoned salt, seasoned pepper, herbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scrub potatoes; prick with a fork. Bake 1 hour or until tender. Cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes, then halve lengthwise and scoop out flesh, leaving 1/4-inch shell. Raise oven temperature to 425. Brush shells lightly with oil, sprinkle with seasonings; place skin-side-up on cookie sheet. Roast 20 minutes or until crispy. Fill with grilled meat, fish or poultry, plus vegetables; top with salsa or barbecue sauce. Or fill with chopped salad.
Per potato-skin half: 137 calories, 13.3g carbohydrates, 9g fat (1.2g saturated), 1.3g protein, 2.3g fiber, 6mg sodium.

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Low-carb recipe: Sugar-Free Vanilla Bean Pots de Crème

From Rachel Brown, pastry chef of De La Tierra at El Monte Sagrado in Taos, N.M.

1 quart heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped out (discard shell)
2 Tbs. Splenda
1 egg
6 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, bring cream, vanilla and Splenda to a boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool 3 minutes.

In a small bowl, whip egg and yolks together.

Pour one-third of egg mixture into hot cream and stir. Add remaining cream, mix well and pour through a mesh strainer.

Divide the mixture among 6 6-ounce custard cups. Place the filled cups into a baking pan, then pour very hot water halfway up the sides of the cups. (This water "bath" ensures even, gentle baking.)

Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes or until just barely set in the center. Remove the cups from the water bath. Cool. If desired, top with whipped cream. Serves 6.

Per serving: 621 calories, 5g carbohydrates, 7g protein, 65g fat (38g saturated), 0g fiber, 78mg sodium.

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Tips on low-carb cocktails

"Most low-carb mixed drinks are based on vodka, which is the low-carb liquor of choice," says Jon Roberts, a bartender at Palette in Washington, D.C., who has lost more than 30 pounds following a low-carb diet. "There are a lot of flavored vodkas out there, and they mix well with carb-free tonics and sodas." Other tips from the bartender:

Avoid high-fructose juices.
Ask for caffeine-free cola. Many low-carb diets forbid caffeine.