# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/21 "2004-04-05T04:34:24Z")
Holy shit, I am so dammed sick of hearing about low-carb this, low-carb that. Ultrafilter, you’re right. Before this low-carb fad started, the key was to limit your fat and calorie intake, which I still do as part of healthy eating. But I am so sick of hearing my mom and dad (Atkin’s addicts) make snarky comments to me about carbs. If I touch a piece of wheat bread, or have some rice with my chinese food, they chime in, “that sure has a lot of carbs!” while they eat their oil- and fat-soaked meat. And whenever I eat over their house, I get so damn sick of a piece of meat and some veggies and that’s it. I am not a big meat fan to begin with, so it’s not much fun eating over there anymore. ---
**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, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/22 "2004-04-05T04:38:58Z")
Oh, no problem if it works for you-I’m happy you have found something that does. I’m just sick of hearing everyone in the media go on about it. ---
**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, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/23 "2004-04-05T04:51:08Z")
I suspect the greatest annoyance is this - they say no-one is more zealous in life than a recent convert. And the Atkin’s fad sure has created a lot of recent converts. As a result, there’s a huge amount of zealoutry about the supposed pros and cons of carbohydrates balh blah blah. For those of who are just plain happy and content with ourselves, this latest dose of new-found “eureka!” is an unusually virulent strain it seems. ---
**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, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/24 "2004-04-05T05:14:19Z")
> [@yosemitebabe](#): > > One thing I’ve been curious about: how do vegetarians do Atkins? Isn’t it a very protein-intensive diet? They (We) don’t. I like to keep track of my food intake by using [fitday.com](http://fitday.com) and (not surprisingly) diet sites advertise there and have pop-ups and what not. Just for fun I followed a “Get your Atkins Diet Profile FREE” link. When I indicated to remove chicken, pork, beef and fish from my diet choices, the program told me not to bother. A person just can’t eat that much tofu. ---
**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, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/25 "2004-04-05T05:21:11Z")
> [@nyctea scandiaca](#): > > Holy shit, I am so dammed sick of hearing about low-carb this, low-carb that. Ultrafilter, you’re right. Before this low-carb fad started, the key was to limit your fat and calorie intake, which I still do as part of healthy eating. But I am so sick of hearing my mom and dad (Atkin’s addicts) make snarky comments to me about carbs. If I touch a piece of wheat bread, or have some rice with my chinese food, they chime in, “that sure has a lot of carbs!” while they eat their oil- and fat-soaked meat. And whenever I eat over their house, I get so damn sick of a piece of meat and some veggies and that’s it. I am not a big meat fan to begin with, so it’s not much fun eating over there anymore. Sure, you’re sick of it. I mean, commenting on what people eat and making snarky remarks is just plain rude, no matter what diet anyone is on. It would piss me off, too. As much as I am a glassy-eyed Atkins acolyte (;)), I understand that not everyone is on the same diet that I am. If I have guests over for dinner, then I will prepare an extra side dish of something carby (pasta, potatoes) that they can have, along with whatever meat and vegetable/salad I’m serving. And I don’t give them shit for eating it, either. If there’s leftovers, then I send them off with my guests. Everyone is happy. But, honestly, why not direct your anger toward these companies and their marketing people that hooked onto this way of eating and are trying to make as much of a profit as possible? ---
**Author:** ![fushj00mang](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d26b3c/32.png) [@fushj00mang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fushj00mang)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/26 "2004-04-05T05:29:19Z")
I’ve got three words for you: Food Guide Pyramid. Yea, it’s a hokey thing that gets eight year olds thinking about eating healty (well, it’s supposed to.) But I live by the bottom level: bread, pasta, cereals and grains. I tried the Atkins diet, but the loss of carbohydrates in my system made my ass drag through morning PT. But, one question: Low-carb beer…why bother? ---
**Author:** ![groo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@groo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groo)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/27 "2004-04-05T05:56:40Z")
> [@Zjestika](#): > > 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 A bakery near my house sells upscale sandwiches on their wonderful, freshly baked bread. Now they’re offering sandwiches with **no bread**. Why would people park in that crowded parking lot to not buy bread? I hear sales of laxatives are on the upswing from all that crappy food these carbophobes are eating. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/28 "2004-04-05T06:54:06Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > 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. I’m with you. I had gastric bypass surgery, so I have to eat mostly protein and limit my carbs. And sugar makes me sick for at least an hour or two after I eat it. So I’m all about this Atkins craze everyone’s on. I especially love all of the products made with Splenda and the low carb protein bars. There’s also the sugar-free chocolates that Hershey, Russel Stover, Whitman’s are making now, sugar-free maple syrup, etc. Splenda is so much better than aspartame, tastewise anyway. I’m sure we’ll find out in a few years that it’ll cause me to grow a third nipple or something. :eek: But for now, I’m enjoying it. But I agree that the craze has gotten way out of control. People think that if they eat a plate of pasta at lunch and then go to TGIFridays for an “Atkins Approved Meal” laden with fat, that they’re choosing a healthy option. But like **JavaMaven1** said, sugar is a carb and I suspect that a lot of people on the Atkins bandwagon aren’t doing enough to educate themselves about what a carb is or even what the diet is all about. The pulled pork with extra sauce? Not a great choice. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/29 "2004-04-05T08:25:39Z")
To the OP - Amen! I saw an ad today for Ritz crackers as a low-carb snack. :eek: I would think if _anything_ could be defined as NOT low-carb, that would be crackers. Other pet peeve - Green vegetables are NOT carbs. First of all, it’s incorrect to call such-and-such food a “carb”. Foods contain whatever number of grams of carbohydrates; they are not “carbs”. And green vegetables contain very few carbohydrates. That’s why they are a DIFFERENT CATEGORY in the “food pyramid”. I had a HUGE argument with a friend about it. She had a book that said vegetables “count as carbs”, whatever the fuck _that’s_ supposed to mean. I told her that brocolli, lettuce, and the like are mostly non-digestible cellulose, and that it’s meaningless to talk about their carbohydrate content. She swore up and down that “they are carbs”, as if that means something. I even showed her in her own book that a piece of brocolli had something like 4 grams of carbohydrate. She still insists they are “carbs”.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/30 "2004-04-05T08:27:10Z")
Bemused U.K. person wandering in to ask just what IS “pulled pork”, please? ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/31 "2004-04-05T10:00:14Z")
> [@Celyn](#): > > Bemused U.K. person wandering in to ask just what IS “pulled pork”, please? Isn’t “pulling your pork” a euphamism for mastrubating? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 10:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/32 "2004-04-05T10:41:36Z")
I’ve said this before, but it seems to me that every person I’ve seen extolling The Atkins Diet on TV documentaries has a blotchy, scurfy red face; who wants to be thin if you look like you’ve been carved out of a block of corned beef? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/33 "2004-04-05T10:45:16Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > 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. It wouldn’t be the most absurd diet I’ve seen; I stumbled across one the other day (being promoted by a foaming-at-the-mouth-mentalfundist website) that advocated cooking your regular amount of food, then throwing some of it away before serving. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/34 "2004-04-05T10:51:13Z")
> [@county](#): > > First, I’m listening to people talk about self induced “keytosis” WTF Indeed; perhaps the next wave will be self-injection of rattlesnake venom - self induced _necrosis_ - “Darling, you just have to try The Toxin Plan - I’ve been on it for a month now and the excess pounds are just literally _rotting_ off me”. ---
**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, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/35 "2004-04-05T11:01:35Z")
> [@Celyn](#): > > Bemused U.K. person wandering in to ask just what IS “pulled pork”, please? After cooking the pork the meat is “pulled” or torn from the shoulder of the hog by hand (and shredded by hand) as opposed to “chopped pork” - using a knife. And for at least one other poster - BBQ is not something that is joked about down here. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/36 "2004-04-05T11:21:03Z")
> [@county](#): > > And for at least one other poster - BBQ is not something that is joked about down here. Who, me? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/37 "2004-04-05T11:56:16Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I’ve said this before, but it seems to me that every person I’ve seen extolling The Atkins Diet on TV documentaries has a blotchy, scurfy red face; who wants to be thin if you look like you’ve been carved out of a block of corned beef? Well, my face is still as milky white as ever. And I’ve never noticed anyone else on Atkins to have a red face either. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/38 "2004-04-05T12:04:49Z")
Might just be coincidence then. ---
**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, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/39 "2004-04-05T12:45:27Z")
> [@Michael Ellis](#): > > Who, me? 😃 Yeah, you’d be the “pork puller” I was referring to 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2004, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263/40 "2004-04-05T12:55:22Z")
I read the “New York” magazine article about “The Last Days of Dr. Atkins.” It mentioned his beef 😃 with vegetarians, and quoted him as saying “Actually, I eat more vegetables than most vegetarians.” I cannot figure out that statement. I cannot eat meat. I cannot follow Atkins. But when I see “low-carb” ice tea mix selling for twice as much right next to the “diet” ice tea mix, I wonder who’s zooming whom? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-now-boycotting-any-food-product-that-says-anything-about-carbs/238263.md?page=3)