# I'm now boycotting any food product that says anything about "Carbs" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 5, 2004, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263 "2004-04-05T00:41:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pizzabrat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@pizzabrat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pizzabrat)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/1 "2004-04-05T00:41:14Z")
…damned if I let the Atkins freaks take over. ---
**Author:** ![Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Boo\_Boo\_Foo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boo_Boo_Foo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/2 "2004-04-05T00:53:56Z")
I agree. Especially this new shit I’m hearing some people say where they announce “I’m currently limiting myself to 20 carbs a day…” I mean come on! Since when has the word “carb” become an empirical unit of measurement? A carb is something which sits on top of an inlet manifold on a '66 Mustang. ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/3 "2004-04-05T00:54:52Z")
Most stuff that says “Low carbs” or “Low fat” or whatever is loaded with something else that’s even worse for you, anyway. Good call. I don’t necessarily boycott those kind of products, but I take a very close look at their nutritional information labels, something I don’t do for most food. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/4 "2004-04-05T01:31:59Z")
If I hear another product being advertised as “low carb!” I’m going to scream. I have nothing against Atkins dieters. If it works for you, that’s great. But I’m TIRED of everything being about Atkins and low carb! It’s everywhere! And I LOVES me some carbs. Mmmm, potatos, pasta, bread, oatmeal, yum! ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/5 "2004-04-05T01:39:42Z")
A local grocery store just advertised a sale on fresh, “low carb”, broccoli. ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/6 "2004-04-05T01:43:43Z")
What’s worse is a family dinner where some of the people are on Atkins. I can understand limiting starchy foods, but it pisses me off when I have to eat a meal that is too heavy on meat protein and fat and not enough vegetables or starches are available. Due to previous medical issues, I can’t digest a lot of fats from one meal. I may end up having to fix myself a special “non-Atkins” dinner. Robin ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/7 "2004-04-05T02:12:41Z")
Have fun starving to death, since almost every food product has the amount of carbohydrates listed on the side of the box. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/8 "2004-04-05T02:18:50Z")
> [@SP2263](#): > > A local grocery store just advertised a sale on fresh, “low carb”, broccoli. Reminds me of cholesterol-free bottled water from the 1990s. ---
**Author:** ![county](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce7236/32.png) [@county](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/county)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/9 "2004-04-05T02:58:28Z")
This diet is amazing. Two things. First, I’m listening to people talk about self induced “keytosis” WTF And second, a colleague says he’ll buy me lunch, and suggests “Interstate BBQ” which is pretty good Q. We go over and I order the pulled shoulder sandwich (large) a coke and chips - he orders “a pound of pulled pork” w/extra sauce. He had to point it out to the waitress on the menu as it was part of the section where you order stuff “to go,” you know, like a quart of beans, a pint of slaw etc. - and the chubby fucker ate it all before I was half thru with my sandwich 😃 ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/10 "2004-04-05T02:59:21Z")
What I like is that the local grocery store has all these signs up saying “Carb Choice.” The amusing thing is that a lot of them are in front of products anyone on the Atkins diet should know to stay away from, like cashews and peanuts. ---
**Author:** ![Lilairen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lilairen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilairen)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/11 "2004-04-05T03:06:57Z")
Me, I’m deeply perplexed by low-carb beer. What the hell are they claiming to ferment? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/12 "2004-04-05T03:15:31Z")
I’ve tried the low-carb pasta. _Terrible_, cardboard-flavored, crumbly stuff, with soy protein substituting for gluten and some of the wheat flour. Not that there’s anything wrong with soy protein per se; I love tofu, edamame, and miso soup. But there’s soybeans and there’s pasta, and you mix them at your peril. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/13 "2004-04-05T03:20:08Z")
I always try to eat _MORE_ carbs. Carbs out the yang. Carbs to the left, and Carbs to the right. Carbs all around. Fight! Fight! Fight! I loooves me some bread, there’s no doubt about it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/14 "2004-04-05T03:22:52Z")
I’m a diabetic, and I have to watch my carbohydrate(and sugar) intake like a hawk. What is a fad for some is an absolute necessity for others. ---
**Author:** ![Zjestika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/8edcca/32.png) [@Zjestika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zjestika)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/15 "2004-04-05T03:29:04Z")
The bakery where my brother works actually has low-carb bread. I don’t even want to know how the hell that’s suppossed to work. ZJ ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/16 "2004-04-05T03:30:00Z")
> [@Lilairen](#): > > What the hell are they claiming to ferment? Nutrasweet. I’ve really been thinking about putting out my own diet book. Unlike Atkins, who apparently emphasizes appropriate serving sizes and low carbohydrates, I’m going to emphasize appropriate serving sizes and foods that end in a vowel. Therefore, past **a** is okay, but noodle **s** are not. A potat **o** is okay, but not french frie **s**. Chow down on broccol **i** , but don’t touch spinac **h**. I’ll call it “Dr. Aribitrary’s Capricious Diet System.” I’m gonna be so goddamned rich. ---
**Author:** ![JavaMaven1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/17 "2004-04-05T03:46:41Z")
I’m an Atkins dieter who is also sick of all the new ‘low-carb’ items that have started to flood the market. Thing is, anyone who has actually read and follows the diet knows that Dr. Atkins preached about eating **whole foods** and removing refined, heavily processed items (flour and sugar, mainly) from the diet. All of these new products, including the items that the Atkins Center produces, are really not a part of the lifestyle that Dr. Atkins himself advocated. > [@](#): > > **The amusing thing is that a lot of them are in front of products anyone on the Atkins diet should know to stay away from, like cashews and peanuts.** Actually, that is false. Nuts are not part of induction (the first phase of the diet), but afterwards, they’re fine. Granted, cashews and peanuts are lower on the list than other nuts like almonds and macadamias, but in moderation, they’re perfectly acceptable. > [@](#): > > **First, I’m listening to people talk about self induced "keytosis"** First of all, it’s ketosis. More information can be found here: [http://atkins.com/helpatkins/faqs/faqlipolysis/index.html](http://atkins.com/helpatkins/faqs/faqlipolysis/index.html) > [@](#): > > **And second, a colleague says he’ll buy me lunch, and suggests “Interstate BBQ” which is pretty good Q. We go over and I order the pulled shoulder sandwich (large) a coke and chips - he orders “a pound of pulled pork” w/extra sauce.** Yeah, and it’s obviously not working for him, is it? Because that’s definitely not following a low-carbohydrate diet properly. BBQ sauce is usually loaded with sugar, plus he should have been eating a serving of salad or vegetables on the side. > [@](#): > > **But I’m TIRED of everything being about Atkins and low carb! It’s everywhere! And I LOVES me some carbs. Mmmm, potatos, pasta, bread, oatmeal, yum!** I loved carbs, too, but I realize I can no longer base my diet on them any more. They send my blood sugar rollercoastering. And, to be honest, my diet is full of more green vegetables than I have ever eaten in my life. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/18 "2004-04-05T03:59:07Z")
> [@MsRobyn](#): > > Due to previous medical issues, I can’t digest a lot of fats from one meal. I may end up having to fix myself a special “non-Atkins” dinner. Same here. I think an Atkins diet would do me in. I get good results from a sensible, low-fat diet. And it doesn’t aggravate any of my medical issues. I’ll be over on the side there, eating my low-fat pasta dish, thankyouverymuch. One thing I’ve been curious about: how do vegetarians do Atkins? Isn’t it a very protein-intensive diet? ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/19 "2004-04-05T04:04:52Z")
Ten years ago you could’ve started the same thread about fats. Ten years from now, you probably will be starting the same thread about fats. ---
**Author:** ![JavaMaven1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JavaMaven1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JavaMaven1)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/20 "2004-04-05T04:31:45Z")
> [@yosemitebabe](#): > > Same here. I think an Atkins diet would do me in. > > I get good results from a sensible, low-fat diet. And it doesn’t aggravate any of my medical issues. I’ll be over on the side there, eating my low-fat pasta dish, thankyouverymuch. > > One thing I’ve been curious about: how do vegetarians do Atkins? Isn’t it a very protein-intensive diet? I am the first one to say that Atkins is certainly not for everyone. If a low-fat diet works for you, great. Just as long as you know that there are some of us that have a difficult time doing it. Dr. Atkins recommends that vegetarians will have a very difficult time with the diet, but sticking with whole foods–fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts, and plenty of vegetable protein, and avoiding heavily refined and processed foods will be beneficial. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263.md?page=2)