Are low carb foods a fat lot of good?

Low carbohydrate food 製品s are filling the 棚上げにするs of our supermarkets in the wake of the Atkins diet, made popular by film 星／主役にするs such as Jennifer Aniston and Renee Zellweger.

Some 蓄える／店s have already introduced low- carb sections, and the 範囲 of 製品s is 始める，決める to 拡大する for the 地位，任命する-Christmas diet season. You can now buy low-carb breads, cooking sauces, even chocolate. You can order American items 経由で the internet, 含むing cereals, 薄焼きパン／素焼陶器s and an 代案／選択肢 to mashed potato.

But are these, often かなり more expensive, foods really going to help people lose 負わせる? And are they good for you?

Little difference in calories

Amanda Johnson, of the British Dietetic 協会, says: "I know these 製品s are まず第一に／本来 目的（とする）d at Atkins 食餌療法している人s who want to eat as little carbohydrate as possible, but I 疑問 whether anyone is going to lose 負わせる 簡単に by buying a 製品 with わずかに 減ずるd carbohydrate.

"It's the calories that are important ーに関して／ーの点でs of 負わせる loss more than the carbohydrates, and some of these 製品s have very small calorie 削減s.

"There's also a danger in 焦点（を合わせる）ing too

much on these items at the expense of a healthy balanced diet. You're better off having wholegrain bread, which has a low glycaemic 索引 anyway, than buying a low carbohydrate loaf with いっそう少なく nutritiion.

"And the extra expense of buying these 製品s is 簡単に not necessary - I'd advise people to save their money and buy some good, wholesome fresh food instead."

Scepticism

Her scepticism is echoed by Richard Faulks, a 上級の 研究員 in 栄養 at the 学校／設ける of Food 研究.

"The 原則 of these lowcarb diets is that you eat いっそう少なく throughout the day because you fill up with protein, since protein is not 過程d by the 団体／死体 as quickly as carbohydrates.

"The carbohydrate content of these pasta and bread 製品s is 一般に lowered by diluting the starch through 追加するing wheat protein, so the 消費者 gets more protein and いっそう少なく starch.

"However, healthwise the 可能性のある downside, as with the Atkins diet in general, is that high levels of protein could make the 腎臓s work harder through excreting the 窒素 from protein, which might produce 腎臓 problems in the long 称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語."

Amanda points out that many of these 製品s are 減ずるd carbohydrate rather than low carbohydrate. So how many carbs does a food have to have before it can be legitimately labelled low carb?

Unlike salt, sugar and fat, the Food 基準s 機関, the 政府 監視者, has 問題／発行するd no 指導基準s on what 構成するs low carb, for the simple 推論する／理由 that carbohydrates are not seen as a "problem" food group.

'Bit of a 反対／詐欺'

Unilever Bestfoods, which produces an 広範囲にわたる 範囲 of low-carb 製品s in the UK, Carb 選択s, has created lowcarb 見解／翻訳／版s of foods that are not even thought of as carbohydrate foods.

These 含む ready-made sauces and ketchup.

"I can't see how the 消費者 is 伸び（る）ing much from low-carb sauces and dressings," says Richard Faulks. "These should be low in carbohydrate in any 事例／患者. Those wanting to lose 負わせる would be better off making their own sauces with canned tomatoes, herbs, onions and garlic, which 含む／封じ込める no carbohydrates.

"It seems that these 製品s are a bit of a 反対／詐欺."

However, a 広報担当者 for Unilever says: "消費者s who are looking to 支配（する）／統制する their carbs are both trying to 減ずる them in the "high carb" 製品s they eat and also in everyday 製品s. As salads and 取調べ／厳しく尋問するd meat are very popular の中で carb reducers, they are also keen to have 減ずるd carb dressings and ketchups."

Apart from the carbohydrate 問題／発行する, are these 製品s any healthier than 基準 見解／翻訳／版s?

It seems not. Some of the 製品s that are lower in carbohydrates 含む／封じ込める more saturated cholesterol-raising fat than 基準 varieties.

And some of th e sweeteners that are 追加するd, instead of sugar, such as sucralose and maltitol, can have a laxative 影響, 特に in people who are susceptible to such 成分s.

Bridgid McKevith, a nutritionist at the British 栄養 創立／基礎, says: 'ーするために lower the carbohydrates, the 製造業者s are manipulating these 製品s to 含む 本体，大部分／ばら積みのing and thickening スパイ／執行官s and 人工的な sweeteners.

"One of the problems with this is that 食餌療法している人s are moving その上の away from the idea of 有機の food and fresh fruit and vegetables, and いっそう少なく 依存 on 過程d foods, that is the basis of a healthy diet."

Low carb, high price

There is also the question of cost. While some low-carb 製品s are 類似の in cost to 正規の／正選手 見解／翻訳／版s, others are pricier.

A pack of Sainsbury's ownbrand spaghetti, for instance, is 27p, 反して the 同等（の） size pack of Carb 選択s spaghetti is £1.99. A 声明 from Unilever Bestfoods, who produce the Carb 選択s 範囲, says: "Price is a combination of factors, 含むing cost of 成分s and 製造（する）.

"Our pasta is made in Italy and uses a flour blend which 含む／封じ込めるs a high level of fibre and also 含む／封じ込めるs wheat protein to 減ずる the carbohydrate level.

"The combination of 付加 costs of 成分s and costs of 製造業の means that we feel £1.99 is a reasonable 量 to 告発（する），告訴（する）／料金 for this 製品."

It might be 推定する／予想するd that low-carb 見解／翻訳／版s would be わずかに more expensive because they are 製造（する）d in smaller numbers, but, as Bridgid says: "There appears to be little justification in some of these high price 増加するs."

It seems that the best that can be said of the low-carb 製品 産業 is that it is 供給するing those 限界ing carbohydrates ーするために lose 負わせる with more variety in their diet.