GREAST - the Atkins Backlash - Big Bucks Bite Back

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<Check out the penultimate paragraph! -AB>

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Uh Oh. Carb Backlash Gets Ugly

It started out as whispers that grew into rumors that grew into a

media onslaught of hurtful accusations and angry finger pointing.

Word came that Dr. Atkins, the father of the low-carbohydrate

diet fad that as many as 24 million Americans have now embraced, was

obese upon his death. Some branded him " Dr. Fatkins. " What's more,

his heart was not healthy. Could the steak and eggs for breakfast be

to blame?

Don't look now, but the low-carb backlash has begun. Reuters reports

there is a distinct move toward more balanced eating, which could

spell doom for the strict high-protein, low-carb Atkins diet. In the

long run, that might not be a bad thing. While the diet does

work--folks are ecstatic when they can essentially eat all the bacon,

eggs, and cream they want and still lose lots of weight--it is made

up high-protein foods that are also high in fat and high in

cholesterol. And over time, that's not good for a body.

Is there room for pasta and bread on that plate? " Everything in

moderation is ultimately where all these things lead to, "

Conant, chief executive of Soup Co., told Reuters. " These

diets become fad-like and take on lives of their own...and typically

they are not sustainable. " Hershey CEO Lenny notes that

Extremes are hard to maintain forever and predicts most low-carb

followers will eventually converge in the center.

While many food manufacturers, Soup and Hershey among them,

are creating new products for low-carb dieters, others are fighting

back. The Florida Citrus Commission, which blames the low-carb diet

fad for a nearly three-year decline in orange juice sales, has

proposed to bite back with a new $6 million television advertising

campaign that would " poke fun at the logic of the (low-carb) diets, "

Mike Malone, the agency's creative director, told the Lakeland, Fla.,

newspaper The Ledger.

But the negative tone of some of the proposed ads has drawn ire. One

such ad, called " Grease, " shows a man frying bacon, sausage, and

other breakfast meats, and then pouring the fat from the skillet into

an 8-ounce glass. The spokesman then squeezes an orange into another

glass and remarks that some people think the glass of fat is healthy

while the glass of orange juice is not, reports The Ledger. The ad's

message: Orange juice has no fat or cholesterol and is naturally

heart-healthy.

Maybe moderation in everything really is the best approach--even if

it's not as exciting. Eat your steak and eggs. But eat small amounts

so you can also enjoy bread and chocolate.