Salon decided to test many of the common low-carb foods, but not just any test — they asked food critics to weigh in. They talked with Mark Bittman (the "Minimalist" columnist for the New York Times), former Saveur editor Liza Schoenfein, Josh Friedland (editor and owner of The Food Section blog), and Salon’s own Laura Miller.
I can’t say that I was terribly surprised by the results as many low carb foods seem to have been rushed to the shelves. Still, I thought the critics would at least like something (they did find one item somewhat palatable, though I won’t spoil the surprise). In any case, if you’re in the mood for some schadenfreude, dig in to these bits:
Bittman: What are we saying? It’s not going to make you puke? That’s our highest praise […]
Miller: […] This is horrible. [Munches thoughtfully.] Unless … you think of it as some sort of health snack. Like some hippie side dish. They just shouldn’t make it in the shape of a chip. […]
Bittman: It’s sandy, powdery. But you should really be feeding this to people who haven't had a muffin in three weeks. I had bread last night. Bread and pasta![…]
Miller: I feel like I’ve just had nine Diet Cokes. […]
In fairness, the author points out that many lower-carb foods taste pretty good after all — but they’re usually the foods that are naturally low in carbs such as strawberries, asparagus, and other fruits & vegetables. The way I look at it, many of these products are a first-try in their genre; perhaps the second generation versions will be better.
I think this fad is on it’s way out just like the “zero fat” craze in the 80’s. It just can’t be f’in’ healthy to not eat any carbohydrates. Most of the world has had the bulk of their diets from carbs for centuries. From what I understand, people on this diet gain the weight back if they ever stop it. Most people already eat more protein and fat than their bodies need, and eating a high-protein, high-fat diet raises the risk of many types of disease. It just seems really bad to me to intentionally change the way your body produces insulin and the way your body chemistry processes sugar for the sake of some weight loss.
I still say the best diet is to try and eat sensibly and exercise enough so you burn more calories than you take in.
I am for the most part nutritionally ignorant, but I have to say that for a person who is hypoglycemic and doesn’t want to become diabetic, a low-carb diet seems ideal. I feel so much better all-around since I’ve decreased my sugar intake.
I also think that Charles’ point of view may be correct *for some people*. Everybody has different nutritional needs, I think. My asian friends can get away with all the rice in the world, where I cannot. I think you really just need to find what works for you.
For the record, I was at