The Weighty Issue of Low-Carb Diets, or Is the Carbohydrate the Enemy?

In case you haven't noticed, low-carb diets have become the rage. Suddenly, the low-carb “lifestyle” (whatever that means) is in. Fat is fine! Eat all the bacon and steak you want, but don't touch that pasta!

Unless, of course, you bought low-carb pasta at one of those new low-carb food stores. Entire stores full of “carb alternatives” and “smart-carb” foods have arisen. And the number of diet books pushing variations of the low-carb diet is growing yearly. We have seen the enemy, and it is the carbohydrate.

But do people make healthy food choices by focusing solely on cutting carbs? I recently had lunch with a friend who is watching his weight. His order? “Double cheeseburger, hold the bun.” It makes no sense. A double cheeseburger is conservatively 1,000 kcal, whereas a single cheeseburger with a bun is perhaps 600. …