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40
Brain
Mulch
/
Ryan
D.
Kennedy
I
AM
EMBARRASSINGLY
clued
out
with respect to the
en vogue diets sweeping the Western world. I thought
the Subway diet meant you missed a meal because
you were commuting. South Beach was a vacation
destination and The Zone, as far as I knew, was a radio
station.
I'm starting to
feel
very lonely. In Canada and the
US,
estimates suggest upward
of
30 million people are currently
participating in some sort
of
low-carb diet, with an addi-
tional estimated 40 million people considering starting a
reduced carbohydrate diet soon.
In place
of
carbs, people fill
up
on
protein and even fat-
rich foods. This meat-heaVy
diet
has obvious health
concerns,
but
there are also real environmental impacts
from this significant switch in foodstuffs.
Ivan Noonan
of
the PEl Potato Board explains that the
island had a fantastic potato season in 2003.
So
did the rest
of
North America. This resulted in a huge spud surplus on
the world market and super-low commodity value. Despite
the bounteous supply and low low prices, potato sales were
mashed by followers
of
Atkins Nutritional Approach. This
meant the little island paradise
of
Anne Shirley fame could-
n't even
give
their taters
away.
Millions
of
kilograms
of
potatoes were made into animal
feed
or
turned into methane-producing compost.
PEl
is
not
alone in this predicament. In light
of
this loom-
ing landfill disaster, potato-marketing boards across the
globe have begun reminding
us
that these apples
of
the earth
aren't just empty calories
or
straight starch -potatoes are
packed with Vitamin
C,
potassium and
fibre!
One million
British pounds were spent last year to highlight the health
benefits
of
the tuber. The
US
Potato Council countered low-
carb diets by spending over $4.5 million (US)
on
domestic
ad campaigns. Islanders across the Northumberland Strait
spent piles
of
dough (mostly in Ontario and Quebec) to
help convince consumers to buy their provincial product
over the potatoes locally grown.
Potatoes aren't the only product at odds with the low-
carb world. Orange juice has also taken a serious slide in
sales as its high sugar content
is
another dietary
no-no
according to the now deceased (and overweight) Dt. Atkins.
Florida's nine-billion-dollar citrus industry has watched
orange juice consumption fall since 2001 and
is
expected to
drop by another 844 million gallons in the current season.
That's a lot
of
oranges -and a lot
of
nutrients unconsumed.
Food producers are fighting back with an array
of
low-
carb product offerings -everything from beer to
ice
cream.
Alternatives
Journal
30:5
November/December
2004
And anyone making anything low in carbs
or
sans sugar
is
printing it loud and clear
on
the label.
Enter Health Canada, who has recently taken a hard stand
on
carbohydrate claims. Their position -that there are
no
proven health benefits from cutting carbs from the average
diet -reminds us that essential carbohydrates aren't the best
place to start when cutting calories. When the new rules take
effect next year,
no
packaging will be allowed to include
claims
of
low-carb benefits. Carb content can be listed
on
the Nutrifacts table,
but
no claim, brand name
or
trademark
can
go
on
our bilingual bags and boxes.
But will less explicit labels help stop thousands
upon
thousands
of
kilograms
of
decent food going
to
waste? Will
any
of
this help hundreds
of
farmers decide
if
they should
'switch to the low-carb PEl Potato variety?
Perhaps Environment Canada should weigh in
as
well
with the suggestion
of
labelling foods
as
"low-carbon". This
designation would communicate
that
the
produce
was
grown locally, reducing the need for carbon dioxide and
other greenhouse-gas-spewing modes
of
transportation.
This could be just the boost the Buy Local, Buy Fresh move-
ment needs.
Next time you're at the restaurant, ask where the ingredi-
ents in your
nicroise
salad came from. Depending
on
how far
that tuna had
to
travel, it may not be
as
"low-carb"
as
you
think. "
Ryan
D.
Kennedy
buys
locally
grown
potatoes at
the
new
farmers' market in
Kitchener,
Ontario.
For
recipe
ideas
and
industry
information,
visit
www.peipotato.org