Taking 'no-carb' to fast food

In a time when low-carbs is the new fad in weight loss, fast food chains have jumped onto the latest trend with carb-friendly menu items.

The low-carb diet, or the Atkins Diet, consists of cutting foods containing high amounts of carbohydrates allowing dieters a maximum of 20 grams per day. Foods such as bread, pasta, rice, potatoes and even some fruits and vegetables are the foods to avoid while on the diet, according to www.atkins.com.

For all those dieters who can't live if they don't have sliced bread, they can all take a deep breath and head to one of the few restaurants or participating stores with Atkins friendly food. Subway, Burger King and TGI Friday's are some of the restaurants to introduce a low-carbohydrate menu. Atkins has also come out with their own brand of low-carb snacks.

Subway recently introduced their two new Atkins wraps: the turkey and bacon melt and the chicken and bacon ranch. The turkey and bacon wrap has a total of 10 grams of carbohydrates. The wrap contains sliced turkey breast, bacon, red onion, green peppers, olives, melted shredded Monterey cheddar cheese with chipotle southwest sauce. The chicken and bacon ranch sandwich has a total of 8 grams of carbohydrates. The chicken wrap has white chicken meat, bacon, red onions, green peppers, olives, Swiss cheese and ranch dressing.

"The wraps are very popular and have exceeded their expectations," said Les Winograd, Subway's public relations coordinator. When asked if more Atkins wraps will be available, he said, "there could possibly be more, it's more of a matter of collaborating with Atkins and putting our heads together."

Burger King has not created a new menu but has altered their menu for carb dieters, according to the official Burger King Web site, www.burgerking.com. Any of their hamburgers or chicken sandwiches can be served on a plate, sans bun. All nutritional information on fat content and carbohydrate content on bunless sandwiches can be found on the Web site.

For people who insist on cutting carbs for rapid weight loss, health food and nutrition stores also sell Atkins products. Some products being offered are bagels, cereals, pasta and low carb cookies and chips. All products range from $4 to $10 depending on quantity and location of purchase. To view all Atkins products visit www.atkins.com.

"I've been on the Atkins Diet, and I tried the low-carb bread, not the Atkins brand but some other and it was horrible, it has no taste," said Nick Spallina, a junior engineering major.

"The bread was a guiltless solution for sandwiches but very hard to digest," said Monique DeSantis, a middler sociology major. "Atkins' muffins are a nice treat in theory, but they taste more like stale cake, I'd suggest low-carb protein bars instead, they have more vitamins and can be enjoyed like a chocolate bar."

According to Marino Center Personal Trainer Nick Capogna, he doesn't see many people on the Atkins Diet, but it's not uncommon.

"I have never tried the Atkins food, I believe it to be a gimmick" said Tom Meinelt, a junior graphic design major.

Meinelt ran last year's Boston Marathon and works out daily. "I eat like a body builder would with high levels of protein and low levels [of] carbs."

When asked what his feelings were toward the Atkins products and diets he said, "there is no such thing as a diet, what it is, is a lifestyle change."

Cutting out the carbohydrates can be hard when ordering food at dinner time. TGI Friday's offered a separate menu for the customer on Atkins Diet. According to www.tgifridays.com, they offer two appetizers, Buffalo wings containing 5 grams of carbohydrates and spinach dip served with vegetables containing 17 grams of carbohydrates. On the menu for entrees they offer a New York strip steak with blue cheese and a double cheeseburger with no bun. They also offer a tuna salad with 14 grams of carbohydrates, grilled salmon with 6 grams and grilled chicken salad with 9 grams.

"I tried the Atkins thing and I failed miserably at it, going out for dinner was the hardest because there wasn't much of a choice" said Jennifer Mendizabal, a junior journalism major.

"It's not that I eat a lot of bread, I love fruit! The only way I can do that whole no carb diet is if I eat the snack bars for lunch. I was really surprised at how good they were, my favorite is chocolate raspberry," said Mendizabal.