The FDA is going to put out strict guidelines as to what constitutes a low carb or reduced carb food. For those of you who want to start your legal education early, you can check out the goverment web site and also get a rich testimonial on low fat. (For a glimpse into some of the FDA's arcane rules, read this.)
This newspaper article outlines what the FDA is trying to do. However, it also quotes the Center for Science in the Public Interest. They are similar and may be as bad as the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine, which shares the same office space with PETA. I am going from memory, but I remember a Wall Street Journal article where they lambasted McDonald's salads because they contained too much fat. However, even the folks at Harvard concede that if there is no fat, then people don't feel satiated. This last point is always lost on the folks at the Center for Science in the Public Interest; this is also the lynchpin of the Atkins diet.
Grocery shelves may be even more confusing, says CSPI nutritionist Bonnie Liebman, who complains that "this carb craze has been going on for months now and FDA has been silent."She points to low-carb ice cream that actually has as much fat and calories as regular, calling the fat-free version a better treat for most dieters.
The article also brings up the fact that many touted low carb foods cost twice as much but have only a one carb difference between that and the normal product. Readers of this site know that I constantly advocate the off-the-shelf Ken's Italian Salad dressing and reference inherently low carb products like salsa (but always read the label.) Making this more clear for the uneducated would be a service.
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