The Low-Carb Food Trend:What should Restaurants Do? (1/2)

Low-carb food has become very hot topic in food industry these days.Under this new diet trend food producers and food service operators are offering a low-carb menu option and providing low-crab information to consumers.How should restauranteurs catch this new food trend?It is necessary for Asian restaurants,as main part of restaurants in the world,to learn more about low-carb food and think about offering low-carb food in their menus. Carbohydrates Explained Carbohydrates are one of the six nutrients used by the body for energy.1 gram of carbohydrates equals 4 calories.Eating foods high in carbohydrates causes an overproduction of insulin which leads to overeating,obesity and insulin resistance. Here's how carbs work: 1.High-carb foods cause a rapid rise in blood sugar 2.This blood sugar causes the body to produce insulin which carries nutrients to cells 3.Our cells use this sugar for energy 4.If there's too much sugar,it is stored as fat Proponents of low-crab diets believe that when you eat too much carbs,insulin becomes less effective at carrying sugar being stored as fat.Therefore low-carb food has become a major healthy and diet trend. Following a low-carb lifestyle may result in a loss of weight within a short period.Recent studies in the New England Journal of Medicine report that participants who successfully followed low-carb plans for six months lost more weight than those who followed a low-carb regimen.Low-carb food was ultimately found to be a more effective diet method than following a low-fat food plan. How does the low-carb trend affect the restaurant industry? In Nov 2004 several important people in the food and restaurant industry gathered together to discuss industry changes that have resulted from consumers' increased nutritional concerns.The article about this discussion was published in Nation's Restaurant News and some of their comments related to low-carb are very useful for restaurant managers who wish to understand more about this trend. Restaurant industry operators mentioned that consumers demanded more nutritional information when choosing foods so as to assist them in achieving a more healthy,balanced lifestyle.They also provided several operational issues which should be considered when developing a low-carb diet strategy: 1. Employees should know all ingredients used as well as pertinent nutritional information.Restaurant management can provide comprehensive training materials to employees so that enough information can be easily explained to consumers. 2. allergen information notices should also be clearly available if restaurants are offering new types of food following the low-carb trend. 3. Restaurants should avoid massive plates of food and try to provide small and separate portions instead.This service enables consumers to enjoy the dining experience without eating too much or eating mixtures of low and high-carb food. 4. Make sure the food tastes good. No matter how well you adapt to the low-carb plan, poor tasting food may result in the loss of customers. 5. Restauranteurs should make sure the ingredients are healthful and as natural as possible. Low-carb food complements the move toward the healthy food industry trend. Therefore you must be committed to serving fresh and healthy cuisine. 6. Restaurant owners should be sensitive to different generations of consumers. The generation in the middle is more likely to care about nutrition and the food and healthy issue. The young generation who has grown up with the computer and fast food may not be as concerned with their menu options. 7. Reasonable prices should also be considered by restaurants that like to provide special low-carb food. Low-carb ingredients may cost more than ordinary food but high prices will also keep customers at a distance.