And Chicago-based Evans Food Products, which sells $50 million worth of pork rinds annually, recently changed its label to advertise “0” carbohydrates, according to national sales manager Mark Costello.
Pork rinds are 70 percent protein and contain no carbohydrates, unlike other snacks with a crunch, like potato chips and pretzels.
That makes them a perfect fit for Atkins’s plan and other like it, such as Barry Sears’ “The Zone,” which advises trading in carbs for protein, allowing dieters to gobble up eggs, bacon and steak — but cut out bread, pasta and potatoes. The theory is that without carbohydrates, the body won’t produce as much insulin, resulting in less fat storage and fewer food cravings.
Pig Out at Your Own Risk But nutritionists warn these dieters may be sending their long-term health to the slaughterhouse.
These diets, high in fat and calories, can increase the risk of heart and kidney disease, gout and osteoporosis, says the International Food Information Council in Washington.
For example, a half-ounce serving of Rudolph Food’s pork rinds — equivalent to a cup of chips — may have no carbohydrates, but it contains 5 grams of fat, 9 grams of protein and 80 calories.
“These diets aren’t palatable over the long term,” says Jeanne Goldberg, director of the Center on Nutrition Communications at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. “People eventually get tired of [them]. When they return to their old diet, they gain more weight than when they started.”