Boo
05-28-03, 09:04 AM
FOOD BITES
New menus cater to lust for low carb
KATHLEEN PURVIS
Waiter, give me one from column A and two from column B, and skip column C -- the carbohydrates.
Want proof that we've latched onto low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets like dogs on a steak bone? Listen in at restaurants.
"We have a regular clientele that is no carbs at all," says Jim Alexander, chef and co-owner of Zebra near SouthPark. "So we do them a plate of meat and low-starch vegetables."
Restaurants are sitting up and taking notice. Several have low-carb sections on their menus for followers of the late Dr. Robert Atkins.
At Mimosa Grill in the Wachovia Atrium, a new menu out next week will have a healthful section with no- or low-carb choices,
"A bunch of our owners are on a version (of Atkins)," said chef Tom Condron. "I am, too." Condron is slimming down for a magazine photo shoot.
Charleys at Cotswold Mall added low-carb entrees at lunch and dinner at the urging of hostess Elaine Krol. The typical customer? "A female, aged 30 to 50 and usually already in good shape, trying to maintain that figure."
Good Ol' Days in The Arboretum has gone even further. Mention carbohydrates and owner Andrew Goldstein takes off with the zeal of the newly converted. After doing poorly on medical tests, including cholesterol, he followed a dietitian-guided diet and lost 20 pounds, then went on Atkins and lost 45.
His new menu debuted three weeks ago, with a section for the Mecklenburg Health Department's Winner's Circle diet and a low-carb section for Atkins' eaters.
"This is the way of the future," he says.
The Atkins diet has gotten some positive marks in dietary circles, but studies are still preliminary. So how does a dietitian look at all this?
Elisabetta Politi, a registered dietitian and nutrition manager of Duke University's Diet & Fitness Center, thinks research is promising, but she counsels caution. People who exercise more than 30 minutes a day need carbohydrates for fuel, and anyone with medical issues like hypertension or diabetes needs to be monitored by a physician.
For the rest of us, trimming carbs usually means trimming calories, and that's not bad.
"The things people skip are things that are good to skip, like fries," she said.
But just because a plate doesn't have potatoes doesn't mean it's healthy. One entree we described to Politi was chicken breast topped with mozzarella, goat cheese, bacon and sugar-free dressing on sauteed vegetables.
Even Atkins backed off the idea that all fats are OK, Politi pointed out.
"The menu you described could be easily 1,000 calories. You're just saving the bread."
To make good menu choices, she suggests keeping it simple, with grilled chicken or fish and a salad, for instance. And keep your total day's meals in balance.
"If you skipped breakfast and had just a salad and grilled chicken for lunch, it's not a good idea to go to a restaurant that night and have a steak and another salad. Your nutrients for the day aren't appropriate."
Kathleen
Purvis
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kathleen Purvis: The Observer, P.O. Box 30308, Charlotte, NC 28230-0308; (704) 358-5236; cooktalk@charlotteobserver.com.
New menus cater to lust for low carb
KATHLEEN PURVIS
Waiter, give me one from column A and two from column B, and skip column C -- the carbohydrates.
Want proof that we've latched onto low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets like dogs on a steak bone? Listen in at restaurants.
"We have a regular clientele that is no carbs at all," says Jim Alexander, chef and co-owner of Zebra near SouthPark. "So we do them a plate of meat and low-starch vegetables."
Restaurants are sitting up and taking notice. Several have low-carb sections on their menus for followers of the late Dr. Robert Atkins.
At Mimosa Grill in the Wachovia Atrium, a new menu out next week will have a healthful section with no- or low-carb choices,
"A bunch of our owners are on a version (of Atkins)," said chef Tom Condron. "I am, too." Condron is slimming down for a magazine photo shoot.
Charleys at Cotswold Mall added low-carb entrees at lunch and dinner at the urging of hostess Elaine Krol. The typical customer? "A female, aged 30 to 50 and usually already in good shape, trying to maintain that figure."
Good Ol' Days in The Arboretum has gone even further. Mention carbohydrates and owner Andrew Goldstein takes off with the zeal of the newly converted. After doing poorly on medical tests, including cholesterol, he followed a dietitian-guided diet and lost 20 pounds, then went on Atkins and lost 45.
His new menu debuted three weeks ago, with a section for the Mecklenburg Health Department's Winner's Circle diet and a low-carb section for Atkins' eaters.
"This is the way of the future," he says.
The Atkins diet has gotten some positive marks in dietary circles, but studies are still preliminary. So how does a dietitian look at all this?
Elisabetta Politi, a registered dietitian and nutrition manager of Duke University's Diet & Fitness Center, thinks research is promising, but she counsels caution. People who exercise more than 30 minutes a day need carbohydrates for fuel, and anyone with medical issues like hypertension or diabetes needs to be monitored by a physician.
For the rest of us, trimming carbs usually means trimming calories, and that's not bad.
"The things people skip are things that are good to skip, like fries," she said.
But just because a plate doesn't have potatoes doesn't mean it's healthy. One entree we described to Politi was chicken breast topped with mozzarella, goat cheese, bacon and sugar-free dressing on sauteed vegetables.
Even Atkins backed off the idea that all fats are OK, Politi pointed out.
"The menu you described could be easily 1,000 calories. You're just saving the bread."
To make good menu choices, she suggests keeping it simple, with grilled chicken or fish and a salad, for instance. And keep your total day's meals in balance.
"If you skipped breakfast and had just a salad and grilled chicken for lunch, it's not a good idea to go to a restaurant that night and have a steak and another salad. Your nutrients for the day aren't appropriate."
Kathleen
Purvis
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kathleen Purvis: The Observer, P.O. Box 30308, Charlotte, NC 28230-0308; (704) 358-5236; cooktalk@charlotteobserver.com.