B O S T O N, Aug. 3 — Is it possible to pig out and still lose weight? Some dieters think so, hoping to shed their porker images by munching on pork rinds.
Pork rinds, crispy chips made from slices of pig skin deep-fried in lard, may be a scrumptious snack to some Southerners, but they sure don’t sound like a dieter’s delight.
But weight-conscious fans of faddish “high-protein, low-carbohydrate” diets are using them to carve off pounds, in the process driving a surge in pork-rind sales nationwide.
The Snack Food Association, an industry group in Alexandria, Va., reports that sales of pork rinds this year are up 18 percent, three times as much as snack foods overall.
This Little Piggy Went to Market
In fact, starting in 1997, sales of pork rinds have risen from around $300 million to $400 million, increasing 15 percent or more every year — the same year that Dr. Robert Atkins’ New Diet Revolution hit the best-seller lists, advocating that dieters swap protein for carbs.
Coincidence? Many think not.