Health Basics - Industry Issues

Many industries are being affected by low carb dieting - from bakers to orange juice growers.

Atkins Organization Files for Bankruptcy star
As many of us have heard, Atkins Nutritionals Inc filed for bankruptcy on Aug 1, 2005. This is not about low carb diets failing - it is about a particular company failing.

Bread Sales Fall as Atkins Diet Succeeds star
In 1972 the average American ate only 110 pounds of flour a year. By 1997 this was up to almost 150 pounds a year - and obesity levels had skyrocketed.

Canada Blocks All Low Carb Labels star
In a move that has thousands of diabetics and dieters up in arms, Canada is blocking ALL low carb labels from food products - even if that low carb wording is part of their name!

Diet Candy Sales Up 90% star
At the All Candy Expo, candy manufacturers announced that consumption of diet candies had risen an astromonical 90% since last year, fueled by consumers desire for better health.

FDA Plans Regulation of Low Carb Labels star
Up until now, the FDA has not set levels for products to be low carb or reduced carb. They have promised that they will do so in the next few months.

General Mills Switches to Whole Grain Cereal star
In a nod to the studies against refined grains, General Mills has announced it will only make whole grain cereals in the future. Low carbers can rejoice!

Glycemic Index Study - Feb 2006 star
A study on the value of the Glycemic Index of food, released in February 2006, claims that there is no correlation between the glycemic index and blood sugar levels. Let´s evaluate this study.

Is The Low Carb Fad Dying Out? star
News media love to feel self satisfied. They´re eager to trumpet the demise of low carb as a fad that has faded away. However, the reality is that low carb is more mainstream than ever.

Low Carb and Diet Goggles star
CNN's article on diet goggles takes a swipe at low carb dieting along the way. Just what are diet goggles and why is low carb dieting still the punching bag of the weight loss world?

Media Continues to Bash Low Carb star
The media just can´t seem to get enough of their low carb bashing. In the latest article on CNN, they pout because low carb business "ONLY" grew 6.1% in September.

Microwave, Grill, Oven Statistics star
One of the challenges of providing healthy recipes is cooking them in a way that most readers can duplicate. Just how many people own microwaves, grills, and ovens? The numbers might surprise you.

New USDA Food Pyramid Avoids Carbs star
The USDA revises their recommended food pyramid every few years. The next version of the food pyramid will recommend avoiding refined carbs and white bread.

Nutrition Label Mistakes star
When you read nutrition labels, make sure you think about what you're reading. Sometimes the information shown there is simply wrong. Here's a clear example, from a Price Chopper spaghetti sauce jar!

Nutritional Labels from Small Companies star
If you make an effort to buy sugar-free or other special-needs foods, you often are dealing with small companies. Even though they are small, they are REQUIRED to provide you proper documentation of their ingredients.

Nutritionists Push for Glycemic Index Labels star
More and more nutritionists insist that, just as fats are now broken out into good fats and bad fats, that carbs should be listed as healthy carbs and unhealthy carbs. These numbers are the glycemic index and glycemic load.

Orange Juice Group Loses Sales - Blames Low Carb star
The Florida Department of Citrus saw their sales of orange juice decrease by 44 million gallons in 2004, and blames the decline on the popularity of low carb diets.

US Government Recommended Carbs star
As we know, the government changes its stance on nutrition frequently - and is heavily influenced by lobbying groups. What is their stance on carbohydrates?

USDA Carbohydrates vs Low Carb star
Low carb diets tend to keep you under 80g of carbs a day. The USDA websites recommend you get 45% of your calories from carbs. How do these compare?

USDA Proposes New Food Pyramid star
Realizing that their current food pyramid has led to 2/3rds of all US residents being overweight, the USDA is looking into creating a new, more healthy food pyramid.