Wheat Farmers Beef About Atkins Diet
By Libby Quaid
WASHINGTON, April 28, 2003


(AP) Popular low-carbohydrate diets have helped millions of people lose
weight. But U.S. grain farmers say that as a result, their own wallets are
getting slimmer.

Countless Americans have been attracted to low-carb regimens, such as the
Atkins diet, which allows people to eat a lot of meat and fat, contrary to
the medical establishment's low-fat, high-carbohydrate mantra.

Using the Atkins plan, people can eat bacon, eggs, even prime rib - so long
as they avoid refined carbohydrates such as sugar, corn syrup and white
flour. The Atkins approach has been vindicated in recent months, when a
half-dozen studies showed people on the diet lost weight without
compromising their health.

But as low-carb diets have increased in popularity, flour consumption in the
United States has plummeted to record lows. Domestic use of flour has
dropped for two years running, something that has not happened since the
1950s, the government says.

Producers and milling companies believe the Atkins approach is the culprit.

"Flour consumption has been on a decline the last couple of years, and it
seems to be predominantly because of an assault on carbohydrates," said Dave
Green, director of quality control for ADM Milling in Overland Park, Kan.

"To me, it becomes anecdotal. I can't imagine you don't know anybody who
hasn't lost weight on a high-protein diet," said Green, who also heads the
U.S. Wheat Quality Council Board of Trustees.

The average person ate less than 139 pounds of flour last year, the first
time in nine years that figure fell below 140 pounds, the Agriculture
Department says.

Meat consumption is setting records. The average American eats 195 pounds of
red meat, poultry or fish each year, the government says. That is 57 pounds
more than in the 1950s.

Wheat is the most common source of flour for bread, pasta and other sources
of complex carbohydrates. One 60-pound bushel of wheat makes 42 pounds of
flour, which is enough for 73 one-pound loaves of bread.

"It's not our fault that 64 percent of the population is overweight," said
Colette Heimowitz, director of education and research at Atkins Health and
Medical Information Services.

"In order to lose weight, one of the ways is to cut back on carbohydrates.
In order to do that, you need to cut back on white flour, white sugar and
processed grains," she said.

Heimowitz pointed out that the Atkins diet encourages eating whole grains in
certain phases of the program.

But consumption of whole grains is down, too. The government says most
people's diets fall far short of the three daily servings recommended by the
federal Food Guide Pyramid.

Kansas leads the nation in wheat production, followed closely by North
Dakota. Oklahoma, Texas, Washington and Montana are the other top producers.

Judi Adams, a registered dietitian who heads the Wheat Foods Council, said
perceptions are disturbing. Adams pointed out obesity rates are lower in
Italy, Germany and China, which consume more pasta, bread or rice than
Americans do.

"When you look at it from a commonsense approach, you cannot blame it on
carbohydrates," she said. "We're eating too many calories."

Adams also pointed out that grain foods are enriched with vitamins,
particularly folic acid, which is key to preventing serious birth defects.

"It is important that we increase our consumption of whole grains," she
said. "But there have not been any studies that show refined carbs are
harmful. That's absolutely not the truth, that refined carbs are bad for
you."





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